Purpose
To assist any lawyer interested in developing or polishing heightened advocacy skills through an intensive 6 days of personal training.
Format
First, all participants will attend daily live lectures and
demonstrations by some of the finest speakers and lawyers
in the country. In addition, from the beginning of the program,
each participant will be assigned to a dedicated group of
like-experienced lawyers. Within the groups — each led
by at least one experienced trial lawyer or judge from our
faculty — each participant will study and perform every
aspect of advocacy, i.e., opening statements, direct examination,
cross-examination, examination of experts, introduction of
exhibits, and closing argument.
Next, each group will learn and practice advocacy skills under
the guidance of a different faculty member. Participants will
take part in individual exercises, with accompanying group
discussions and critique, designed to focus on particular
advocacy skills.
These exercises will be video recorded. Each participant will
receive a copy of the video of his or her own exrecises.
Finally, the skill building and practice will culminate in program participants conducting, as lead counsel, a live mock jury trial presided over by an experienced federal or state judge. At the conclusion of the mock trial, the judge will discuss and critique the trial with the participants.
Support Materials
During the course, program participants will work with several
different case files, ranging from relatively simple to quite
sophisticated, so that the participants can develop and practice
their advocacy skills in different contexts. The files afford
lawyers of all levels of experience — whether they handle
civil, criminal, or commercial matters — opportunities
to attack problems that will challenge them. Each registrant
will also receive a copy of Saltzburg's Trial Tactics.
Each attendee will leave with a video recording of his or
her individual performances and critiques, including his or
her performance as lead counsel in the mock trial.
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