Complete Trial Preparation Guide for Paralegals

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Master Task List and Timeline: Everything You Need to Do and When
   10:00 — 10:30, Scott Gibson
2. How to Stay Organized Amid the Chaos
   10:30 — 11:00, Angela Caine
   1. Creating the Trial Preparation Plan
   2. Indexing
   3. Summarizing and Annotating
   4. Coordinating Schedules
   5. Helping the Trial Team Stay on Track
   6. Monitoring Deadlines
   7. Staying on Top of the Paperwork
   8. Document Storage Tips for Easy Retrieval
3. Coordinating With Clients, Witnesses, the Court, and Vendors
   11:15 — 12:00, Amy Johnson
   1. Client Prep Insights
   2. Working With Witnesses and Experts Before Trial
   3. Notetaking When Communicating With Clients and Witnesses
   4. Preparing Subpoenas
   5. Communicating With Court Personnel
   6. Working With Outside Vendors
4. Creating a Winning Trial Notebook
   12:00 — 12:45, Kimberley Murphy
   1. What Should Go Into and What Should Stay Out of the Notebook
   2. Litigation vs. Chronological Notebook
   3. Formatting the Trial Notebook
   4. Key Sections and Their Development
   5. Color Coding
   6. How to Cross-Reference Within the Trial Notebook
   7. Electronic Trial Notebooks
   8. Sample Trial Notebook
5. Preparing Documents, Exhibits, Visual Aids
   1:15 — 2:00, Amy Johnson
   1. Exhibit and Witness Lists and Binders
   2. How Many Copies Do You Need?
   3. Labeling
   4. Best Practices for Electronic Exhibits
   5. Practical Tips for Perfecting Visual Aids
   6. Knowing Your Trial Software
   7. Getting the Lay of the Courtroom and Judge’s Preferences
   8. Courtroom / Virtual Trial Prep and Set Up
6. Motions, Briefs, Citations: Critical Dos and Don'ts
   2:00 — 2:45, Russell Sinnett
7. Offering Insights and Creative Ways to Help Your Attorney Prepare
   2:45 — 3:15, Russell Sinnett
   1. Giving Critical Feedback: How to Express Your Thoughts Diplomatically
   2. Theory of the Case
   3. Opening Statements
   4. Closing Arguments
   5. Line of Questioning
   6. Troubleshooting Evidentiary Issues
8. The Big Day: To-Dos and Tips for Assisting With Jury Selection and Trial
   3:30 — 4:00, Scott Gibson
9. Paralegal Ethics
   4:00 — 5:00, Angela Caine
   1. Avoiding Unauthorized Practice of Law in Trial Prep
   2. Ethical Communications
   3. Billing
   4. Preserving Confidentiality
   5. Ethical Issues With Evidence (Highly Prejudicial Evidence, Dubious Evidence, False Evidence, Illegally Obtained, etc.)

Accreditation Details:

Angela G Caine is the owner of Grace Caine Law in Foley, Alabama. Her main areas of practice include civil litigation and personal injury. She is admitted to practice in Alabama, and she is an experienced trial lawyer who has tried many cases. Ms. Grace earned her B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. degree from Samford University Cumberland School of Law.

Scott Gibson is a partner with the Mesa, Arizona law firm of Denton Peterson Dunn, where he helps businesses protect themselves from unfair competition and disloyal employees. Since 2008, he has taught a course in Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. He regularly writes, speaks, and teaches on trial skills, intellectual property, and employment law issues, particularly regarding trade secrets and restrictive covenants. Mr. Gibson earned his J.D. from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, along with LL.M degrees from Arizona State University and Baylor University He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Arizona and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona (Employment and Labor Law Section) and the Defense Research Institute (Employment Law Committee). He has served as a judge pro tem with the Maricopa County Superior Court and with the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Amy H Johnson owns The Angle Solutions LLC, a consulting firm that strategizes with law firms across the country to implement solid practices and improve case values. She has 20 years of experience in the legal field, including time spent as a claims adjuster for a major insurance company early in her career and then transitioning to spend many years as a senior paralegal specializing in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and complex civil litigation. Ms. Johnson is an active member of the NALA affiliate, Charleston Association of Legal Assistants, where she has served as President, NALA Liaison, Education Chair, and Parliamentarian. She has been a member of NALA since 2003, and she was appointed to serve on NALA's Continuing Education Council for the 2015-2018 term and NALA's Ethics Committee for the 2018-2019 term. She was honored as AAJ's National Paralegal of the Year in 2017. Ms. Johnson has mentored many paralegals of all levels, and she serves on the Trident Technical College Advisory Board for its Paralegal Studies Program. She earned her B.A. degree, cum laude, in History and Social Studies Education from Wake Forest University and graduated as a distinguished scholar with her M.S. degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University.

Kimberley A Murphy is a partner and principal attorney with the law firm Hale Ball Carlson Baumgartner Murphy, PLC, in Fairfax, where she concentrates her practice in the areas of administrative law (professional license compliance), estates and trusts (administration and litigation), and business/civil (litigation). She is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia and before the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, U.S. Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. Murphy earned her B.A. degree from Michigan State University and J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law.

Russell Sinnett Esq. is a solo practitioner with his law firm Sinnett Law Office, LLC based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Mr. Sinnett has practiced almost exclusively in trial law and litigation in both civil and criminal cases for over 21 years. Mr. Sinnett has experience working in the solo practitioner, small firm, and large firm settings. He is experienced in litigation and trials including complex and commercial civil cases, mass torts, and serious criminal offenses including white collar crime and murder. Mr. Sinnett has worked as primary counsel on most his cases, from the filing of a complaint or answer to trial and closing arguments. Mr. Sinnett, born in Fort Collins, Colorado, earned his B.S. in Business Administration (marketing major), with honors, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida.