Deposition Skills Program
This
three day skills program focuses on enhancing the skills
needed to effectively elicit information and obtain admissions
through depositions. Participants will enhance their deposition
skills through frequent opportunities to conduct deposition
examinations and defend depositions in a simulated deposition
setting, followed by faculty commentary and critique. Lectures
on several topics relevant to effective depositions will
supplement participant performances and faculty critique.
The exercises will focus on witness preparation, dealing
with preliminary matters, a technique for effectively eliciting
complete information from witnesses, using exhibits, dealing
with obstreperous opposing counsel, obtaining admissions
and theory testing. back to list
Examination
of Experts at Trial Skills Program
This
two and a half day skills program focuses on skills needed
to prepare, qualify and examine experts at trial. Participants
will enhance their skills in handling expert testimony through
practical exercises involving the presentation of either
medical or economic experts in a wrongful death suit against
a cardiovascular surgeon, a hospital and a suture manufacturer
stemming from an unsuccessful heart transplant operation.
Participants will perform exercises in a simulated setting
followed by faculty commentary and critique. Lectures on
several topics relevant to preparing, qualifying and examining
experts will supplement participant performances and faculty
critique. To enhance the benefit of the workshop exercises
professional economists or medical doctors will be available
as witnesses. The exercises will focus on preparing an expert
for testimony, qualifying an expert, presenting persuasive
expert testimony, selecting and using exhibits, challenging
the testimony of experts and case theory development through
expert testimony. Programs will be offered as either economic
or medical experts. The next offering of this program will
be announced. back to list
Examination
of Experts at Deposition Skills Program
This
two and a half day skills program focuses on skills needed
to prepare, examine and defend an expert at deposition.
Participants will enhance their skills in handling expert
testimony through practical exercises involving the presentation
of either medical or economic experts, depending on the
program. Participants will perform exercises in a simulated
setting followed by faculty commentary and critique. To
enhance the benefit of the workshop exercises professional
economists or medical doctors will be available as witnesses.
Lectures on several relevant topics will supplement participant
performances and faculty critique. Programs will be offered
as either economic or medical experts. The next offering
of this program will be announced. Participants must have
taken either a Trial Advocacy Skills Program or the Examination
of Experts at Trial Skills Program to register. The next
offering of this program will be announced. back
to list
Trial
Advocacy Skills Program
This five day trial advocacy skills program
focuses on skills needed to present a case to a jury, whether
in the civil or criminal context. Participants will enhance
their case preparation and trial advocacy skills through
practical exercises involving the presentation of a criminal
or civil case. Program announcements will specify the type
and subject matter of the case to be used in each program.
Participants will perform exercises in a simulated trial
setting followed by faculty commentary and critique. Lectures
on relevant topics will supplement participant performances
and faculty critique. The exercises will focus on developing
an appropriate and persuasive case theory, selecting exhibits,
opening statements, direct and cross-examination, impeachment,
and closing argument. Each participant will also participate
in a full half day mock trial before a jury. The
next offering of this program will be announced. back
to list
Advanced
Trial Advocacy Skills Program
This three day program will focus on honing the skills of
attorneys with significant trial experience or who have
completed the Trial Advocacy Skills Program. Performance
workshops and lectures will focus on theory development,
weaving theory through direct and cross examination and
advanced direct and cross examination skills. The next offering
of this program will be announced. back
to list
Technology
in the Courtroom Skills Program
This two part program will develop the skills
attorneys and paralegals need to use computer technology
effectively in courtroom presentations. The first part will
be a one day hands on training workshop on presentation
software, whether Microsoft Powerpoint or Corel Presentations.
The second part will be a one day learn by doing skills
program in which participants will prepare and use computer
graphics presentations in mock courtroom situations. Additional
dates will be announced. back to list
Train
the Trainers
This
one day program is intended to provide "learn by doing"
training for prospective faculty in trial advocacy skills
training programs, including those run by the Attorney General's
Advocacy Institute. With the exception of the opening lecture,
participants will perform faculty critique of a student
performance in a simulated trial advocacy program setting.
In each workshop, participants will be presented with a
student performance, whether live or videotaped, and at
the end of the performance will be asked to provide a critique
of that performance of the sort that would be given at a
trial advocacy program. back to list
Negotiation
Skills Program
In
conjunction with the Division of Law, the Institute offers
a three day Negotiations Skills Program, which provides
participants with lectures and practical workshops which
develop and hone key negotiations skills. back
to list
In-House
Trial Skills Workshops
The Institute will develop and run customized
in-house programs to target skill development in particular
practice areas or groups. Typically, the Institute will
assist you in developing the program to fit your agency's
needs and then find qualified teachers or experts in the
filed to asist in teacing the program. If you are interested
in exploring such an in-house program for your agency or
unit, please contact Director Rossner. back
to list
The Distinguished
Trial Lawyer Seminar Series
The
Institute brings prominent members of the bar to speak about
trial issues. These seminars are two hours long and are
presented in Trenton. Some of the speakers have been: Professor
Thomas Mauet on Lessons from Recent Jury Studies; Michael
Critchley on Trial Preparation; Joseph Hayden, Benjamin
Clarke and William Lundsten on Opening Statements, and Carl
Poplar on Cross Examination. The next in the series will
be announced shortly. back to list
The
Nuts and Bolts Lecture Series
This series addresses substantive and practice
issues relevant to a broad range of attorneys within the
governmental entities and provides and opportunity for attorneys
from various parts of the government to get together to
discuss issues that run across jurisdictional lines. Seminars
have included Take a Killer Adverse Deposition with Robert
Musante, Take a Killer Expert Deposition with Robert Musante,
New Jersey Civil Case Law Developments with Andrew Napolitano,
Government Integrity and Procurement Law Update, which focused
upon recent developments after the enactment of Chapter
440 of the public laws of 1999 and Interlocutory Appeals.
Additional programs in this series will be announced. back
to list
The
Trial Advocacy and Evidence Law Seminar Series
This series addresses specific topics relating
to trial practice and evidence in a two hour lecture and
demonstration format. The first two seminars The Ten Commandments
of Cross Examination, Refreshing Recollection, the Best
Evidence Rule and Perception and Objection, Hearsay with
Temple Law Professor Eddie Ohlbaum. back
to list
Legal
Writing Program
The Institute offers a comprehensive legal
writing program, including lectures, small group instruction
and individualized instruction. Recent offerings include
Persuasive Legal Writing with Clyde Leland, Legal Writing
and Editing fort Supervisors with Clyde Leland. back
to list
Litigation
Ethics Seminar Series
Beginning in February 2002, the Institute
will run a monthly seminar addressing specific topics relating
to ethical issues in litigation by government attorneys.
Seminars will consist of back to list
