9-Hour Program

See Credit Details Below

Overview

Full scholarships and discounts to attend PLI programs are widely available to attorneys working in nonprofit/legal services organizations, pro bono attorneys, government attorneys, judges and judicial law clerks, law professors and law students, senior attorneys (age 65 and over), law librarians and paralegals who work for nonprofit/legal services organizations, unemployed attorneys; and others with financial hardships. We encourage all eligible attendees to complete and submit a PLI Scholarship Application.

Scholarships available

Every attorney, regardless of experience or skill level, can be an effective trial lawyer. Successful trial advocacy requires training and practice. Now, PLI’s Trial Advocacy Training Program offers a novel and convenient way to improve your trial skills. The program is divided into eight on-demand segments that can be viewed individually or in sequence and will also serve as a valuable resource for in-house training.

Based on a fictional patent case, Finbar Software Systems Solutions v. St. Helens Worldwide Technology, the program features lectures on various elements of the trial, an actual trial, trial strategies of plaintiff’s and defense counsel, as well as panel commentary on each element of the trial by experienced trial lawyers. You will also receive access to an entire case file, including pleadings, patent applications, depositions, expert reports and exhibits.

Why You Should Attend

Whether you are a new attorney starting your career and seeking to build your trial skills or a more experienced litigator looking to refine them, this program will help you understand the basic elements of a trial, how these elements relate to each other and how to build a trial strategy.

What You Will Learn

  • How to analyze a case
  • How to prepare an opening statement
  • How to conduct direct and cross-examination of a party witness
  • How to conduct re-direct examination
  • How to conduct direct and cross-examination of an expert witness
  • How to conduct an adverse examination
  • How to prepare a closing statement   

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for litigators, whether they are at an entry level or seeking to enhance their trial skills. 

Lecture Topics [Total time 09:04:10]

  • Segment 1: Introduction and Analyses of the Case Finbar v. St. Helens [00:50:49]John O. Sonsteng, Susan F. DiCicco, Partha P. Chattoraj
  • Segment 2: Opening Statements [00:55:17]
  • Segment 3: Direct Examination of the Plaintiff Dr. Linn McPherson [01:27:13]
  • Segment 4: Cross-Examination and Re-Direct Examination of Plaintiff Dr. Linn McPherson [00:50:35]
  • Segment 5: Direct and Cross-Examination of Plaintiff's Expert Witness Dr. Chris Fisher and of Plaintiff Cal McPherson [01:25:05]
  • Segment 6: Adverse and Direct Examination of Defendant's Witness E.T. Arnoldy [01:26:12]
  • Segment 7: Direct and Cross-Examination of Defendant's Expert Witness Dr. Jess Hayes and of Defendant's Witness Fran DeGrew [01:02:36]
  • Segment 8: Closing Arguments [01:06:23]

An Interactive Learning Center program

Credit Details