Agenda / Content Covered

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1. INITIAL CASE MANAGEMENT
   9:00 - 9:45, Kenneth P. Kula
   
   1. Initial Client Interview - Crucial Information to Capture
   2. Initial Research
   3. Understanding the Strategic Plan for the Case
2. DRAFTING THE INITIAL PLEADINGS
   9:45 - 10:30, Steven E. Clark
   
3. POWERFUL DISCOVERY TECHNIQUES
   10:45 - 11:30, Steven E. Clark
   
   1. Discovery Rules the Paralegal Needs to Know
   2. Establishing Goals and Timelines for Discovery
   3. Formal Discovery Procedures
      1. Initial Disclosures
      2. Request for Admissions
      3. Request for Production of Documents
      4. Interrogatories and Answers
      5. Document Production Issues
   4. Motions and Notices
   5. Using Informal Discovery and Public Sources of Information
4. EFFECTIVE DOCUMENT CONTROL AND ORGANIZATION
   11:30 - 12:15, Shannon Armstrong
   
   1. Understanding the Merits of the Case
   2. Reviewing, Abstracting and Indexing Documents
   3. Organizing Electronic Information
   4. Handling Large Volume Discovery Document Management
   5. Using Technology in Document Control
      1. Document Management/Case Management Software
      2. When to Hire a Vendor
5. ETHICAL QUESTIONS - THE PRACTICAL DO'S AND DON'TS
   1:15 - 2:15, Kenneth P. Kula
   
   1. Avoiding Situations That May Expose You to UPL
   2. Requirements for Attorney Supervision
   3. Evaluating Conflicts of Interest
   4. Managing Issues of Privilege
6. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WITNESSES
   2:30 - 3:30, Kenneth P. Kula
   
   1. Preparing the Client for Deposition and Trial
   2. Expert Witnesses
      1. Ways to Locate a Qualified Expert
      2. Expert Interrogatories
      3. Communication with the Expert Witness
   3. Lay Witnesses
7. PREPARING EVIDENCE AND EXHIBITS FOR TRIAL
   3:30 - 4:30, Kenneth P. Kula
   
   1. Key Rules of Evidence and Why They are Important
   2. Preservation of Evidence
      1. General Considerations
      2. Spoliation and Issues Related to Electronic Evidence
   3. Creating Demonstrative Evidence, Evidence and Exhibits for Use at Trial
   4. Using Technology to Present Evidence

SHANNON ARMSTRONG is a paralegal with Goranson Bain Ausley Family Law in Dallas, Texas. Ms. Armstrong is a board-certified paralegal in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She is a frequent author and speaker. Ms. Armstrong received her B.S. degree in business administration, with honors, from the University of Phoenix and her M.A. degree in education-curriculum & instruction, mathematics, from the University of Phoenix.

STEVEN E. CLARK is the solo practitioner of Clark Firm PLLC, where he concentrates his practice on business formation, contractual agreements and advice, business and commercial litigation, employment and labor law, general civil litigation, health care and construction. Mr. Clark has lectured and written on subjects such as choice of business entity considerations, trade secrets, non-competition agreements, partnerships, construction law, employment law, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). He is also active in handling federal Department of Labor (DOL) and state (TWC) and health integrity/ZPIC audits/investigations of employers and small businesses and defending related litigation. Mr. Clark is licensed to practice before U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and Federal Circuit; and all federal and state courts in Texas. He earned his B.A. degree and J.D. degree, with honors, from the University of Houston.

KENNETH P. KULA is a trial attorney with Buether Joe & Carpenter LLC, where he represents individuals and companies in complex litigation involving intellectual property, such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. Mr. Kula also practices in the areas of technology law and general litigation. He has represented clients, as plaintiff and defendant, and has tried both bench and jury trials in state or federal court in various courts throughout the United States. Mr. Kula has served as an adjunct professor at Washburn University School of Law, where he taught courses on patent law and intellectual property. He has been active in the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and teaching the Building Trial Skills program at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Kula also served as an ethics investigator for his local bar association. He has been invited to speak by various organizations on a variety of topics, including intellectual property litigation, copyright law and the construction industry, ethics, and electronic discovery. Mr. Kula is admitted to practice law in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. He has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and before various federal district courts. Mr. Kula is, or has been, a member of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) and various state, city and other local bar associations. He earned his B.S. degree from St. John Fisher College and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Washburn University School of Law.