Agenda / Content Covered

All times are shown in Eastern time.

1. Your Complete Trial Preparation Checklist
   10:00 - 10:45, Brian D. Wright
   1. Countdown to Trial: What You Should be Doing and When
   2. Trial Notebooks: The Blueprint for Trial
   3. Pretrial Briefs and Motions
   4. Jury Instructions
   5. Preparing Clients, Witnesses, and Yourself
2. Evidentiary Issues, Stipulations, and Procedures
   10:45 - 11:30, Brian D. Wright
3. Jury Selection: Real-World Insights
   11:45 - 12:45, Christopher P. Kriesen
   1. Juror Research Pointers
   2. Juror Questionnaires
   3. Voir Dire Question Construction Tips and Tactics
   4. Introducing Case Information: Do's and Don'ts
   5. Reading and Eliminating Jurors - Choose Wisely
   6. Maximizing Cause Strikes
   7. Insulating "Your" Jurors From Challenges for Cause
   8. Exercising Peremptory Challenges
4. Secrets of Effective Opening Statements
   12:45 - 1:15, Christopher P. Kriesen
   1. Creating and Organizing Your Opening Statement
   2. Making a Good First Impression
   3. Presenting a Compelling Narrative
   4. Inoculating the Jury Against the Other Side's Arguments and Damaging Facts
   5. Effective Use of Visual Aids
   6. Avoiding Key Pitfalls
5. Evidence Presentation, Witness Testimony, and Objections
   1:45 - 2:30, Glenn A. Duhl
   1. Maximizing the Effectiveness of Your Exhibits
   2. Technology Tips for the Courtroom
   3. 10 Pointers for Direct Examination
   4. Polishing the Witness's Credibility
   5. Tailoring Your Questions
   6. Dealing With Bad Facts
   7. Preparing for and Responding to Objections
6. Cross-Examination Strategies Every Trial Attorney Should Know
   2:30 - 3:15, Glenn A. Duhl
   1. 10 Pointers for Cross-Examination
   2. Assessing the Witness
   3. Controlling the Witness and Direction of the Conversation
   4. Impeaching Critical Testimony
   5. Cross-Examining Experts
   6. Cross-Examination Pitfalls to Avoid
7. Closing Arguments: The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make
   3:30 - 4:00, Robert J. Gringras
8. Ethical Issues for the Trial Lawyer
   4:00 - 5:00, Robert J. Gringras
   1. Rules of Professional Conduct You Must Follow
   2. Handling Highly Prejudicial Evidence
   3. Talking to Witnesses Before They Testify
   4. Identifying and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
   5. Communications With Jurors
   6. Candor Toward the Tribunal

Accreditation Details:

GLENN A. DUHL is a principal in Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello P.C., representing management in employment law and litigation. He is an experienced litigator who represents his clients in trials before federal and state court judges, juries, administrative and arbitration proceedings. Representative matters include breach of contract, wrongful termination, discrimination, defamation, trade secret misappropriation, restrictive covenants, wage and hour, harassment and class action defense. Mr. Duhl also advises clients on litigation-avoidance strategies and techniques in complex and highly sensitive disputes. He previously served as an adjunct professor in moot court and trial advocacy at UCONN Law School and taught advanced employment law at the University of Hartford. Mr. Duhl is licensed in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Louisiana. He earned his B.A. degree from Wesleyan University and his J.D. degree from Tulane Law School.

ROBERT J. GINGRAS is a partner in the Madison law firm of Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs. His private practice is devoted to litigation in the areas of professional malpractice, personal injury, products liability, lender liability, employment law, civil rights and class actions, and has obtained substantial jury verdicts and settlements in those areas. Mr. Gingras has lectured on litigation topics for the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers, and has been included in The Best Lawyers in America for several years. He is a member of The American Association for Justice, the Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the State Bar of Wisconsin. Mr. Gingras earned his B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School-Madison.

CHRISTOPHER P. KRIESEN is the founder and principal of The Kalon Law Firm, LLC, where his practice areas include personal injury, civil litigation, appeals, and ADR. Mr. Kriesen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and before the United States District Court of Connecticut. He is a trained mediator (Harvard Law School, advanced mediation workshop, program on negotiation) and serves as an Attorney Trial Referee in Hartford Superior Court. Mr. Kriesen earned his B.Sc. degree from Villanova University, his J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and his M.A. degree, with distinction, from Trinity College.

BRIAN D. WRIGHT is co-managing partner of Faruki PLL, where he focuses his practice primarily on commercial litigation matters. Mr. Wright represents publicly traded companies, privately held companies, and individual clients in complex business disputes in both federal and state courts, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings throughout Ohio and the United States. He has successfully represented clients in numerous class actions and individual actions involving securities, privacy, business torts, trademarks, consumer protection, product liability, breach of contract and warranty, trade secrets, restrictive covenants (including covenants not to compete), and other business litigation matters and has worked extensively on several false advertising disputes, including Lanham Act cases in federal court and numerous advertising challenges and compliance actions in the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. He received his undergraduate degree from Baldwin-Wallace College and his J.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.