Articles

 

How to Make Practicing Law a Satisfying, Lifelong Career

By Veronica Smith Lewis

You can only achieve long-term success in your career if you can pursue that career while fulfilling your personal and family life goals.

Evidence of a Successful Practice Through Ups and Downs

By Tonya Moffat Ramsey

Being a successful lawyer is a lifelong process with many paths, and each presents various trade-offs.

Why I Sue Lawyers

By Coyt Randal "Randy" Johnston

I made my peace with the practice of law by providing representation to those people who were not well served by their lawyers.

Practical Considerations for Subpoenas Directed at Counsel

By Steven R. Trybus and Michael G. Babbitt

Be smart, be careful, and be diligent. These are good rules to follow in the practice of law, but even more so in dealing with subpoenas directed at counsel.

Is Eyewitness Testimony Inherently Unreliable?

By Aileen P. Clare

Our evidentiary system presumes the reliability of eyewitness testimony, and jurors tend to over-credit eyewitnesses, so how do you compensate for or avoid faulty testimony?

Managing the CSI Effect in Jurors

By Katie L. Dysart

Lawyers should be prepared to manage jurors' expectations by reconfiguring opening and closing statements, by tailoring the examination of witnesses and experts, and more.

Interview with Gregory A. Presnell, District Judge

By James E. Foster Esq.

A district judge shares his view of trial evidence and how to handle evidence in the courtroom, and things he's seen in the courtroom that he found effective.

Barefoot Insole Impressions: The Curious Case of Mr. Jones's Feet

By Ben Lewis

Jeffrey Louis Jones has two very peculiar feet. Mr. Jones's feet are so remarkable that they have twice caused him to be sentenced to death.

The Shifting Grounds of the Constitutional Right to Confrontation

By Emily R. Schulman and Melissa Turitz

The majority of the Supreme Court left open for interpretation how, if at all, courts should treat reliability when conducting a primary purpose inquiry.

Handling Substantive Changes in Adversaries' Errata Sheets

By Roger K. Smith and Lisa R. Veasman

You could move to strike the changes to the transcript, or you could move to reopen the deposition and question the witness about the changes.

Court Provides Guidance on Admission of Surveillance Video

By Michael R. Lied

The Illinois Supreme Court took a more flexible, less exacting view of the foundational requirements for admitting a survelliance video under the "silent witness" theory.

Supreme Court Reverses Trend on Loss Causation

By Kara Altenbaumer-Price

For securities class-action defendants, the "higher hurdle" created by the court's loss-causation analysis is proving an important defense tool.

Establishing an Arbitrator's "Evident Partiality"

By Laura M. Fontaine

The evidentiary framework presented by the prevailing party in Karlseng v. Cooke makes a useful template for post-arbitration discovery.

Supreme Court Decides Stern v. Marshall

By Dawn C. Van Tassel

Commentators have speculated on everything from a minimal impact of the Stern decision to a catastrophic clogging of the Bankruptcy Courts.

The Status of Service by Mail in the Eleventh Circuit

By Aaron S. Weiss

As an alternative to service through the central authority, service of process may be effectuated by mail under article 10(a) of the Hague Service Convention.

The Advantages of a Diverse Trial Team

By Allison Jacobsen

Those who compose a trial team without regard to the diversity of the team overlook a powerful opportunity to be effective in the courtroom.

For Legal Teams, Perception Is Reality

By Christina L. Dixon

It is best to represent a client with a team that includes individuals with varying backgrounds. The diversity of a legal team is tantamount to success in the courtroom.

Diversity Provides a Kaleidoscope of Perceptions

By Lori L. Lorenzo

The diversity of our nation is an untapped fountain of skills, perspectives, and experiences that, if properly utilized, holds limitless possibilities for innovation and growth.

Diversity and the Legal Marketplace

By David Coale and Margarita Coale

A vibrant, diverse team can help attract clients and encourage the development of relationships with clients over time in several ways.

A Trial Lawyer's Guide to LGBT Issues in the Courtroom

By James A. Reeder Jr.

Trial lawyers should consider a few things to avoid the inadvertent unfair or disrespectful treatment of LGBT judges, jurors, witnesses or others in the courtroom.

The Risks and Benefits of the Rule 26 Amendments Regarding Expert Reports

By Leah Knowlton and Hart Knight

Attorneys should be mindful of the possible risks of extensive involvement in drafting expert reports and otherwise guiding the formulation of testimony.

What Appellate Lawyers Should Know About Making a Trial Record

By Mary-Christine (M.C.) Sungaila

Increasingly, trial lawyers and clients are calling on appellate counsel to help set a case up for appeal early in the proceedings, well before a notice of appeal is filed.

The Duty to Preserve: Victor Stanley and Its Progeny

By Carol Owen

Without predictability and uniformity in how the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are applied, corporations are frustrated in their attempts to determine their legal obligations.

Is Rule Making a Cure for Preservation Headaches?

By Richard Marcus

The preservation of electronically stored information is a hot topic, but the adoption of new rules about spoliation, sanctions, or both could change things.

The Duty to Disclose: Rule 37(c) and Self-Executing Sanctions

By Lisa Stockholm

Litigants should disclose all potential evidence and supplement all required disclosures and discovery responses to avoid the possibility of having their evidence excluded.

Federal Rule of Evidence 706: Court-Appointed Experts

By John P. McCahey and Jonathan M. Proman

Federal Rule of Evidence 706 may be used more often as the issues become more complex and the testimony of litigants' experts become more partisan.

The Evidentiary Hurdles of Arbitration

By Matthew K. Edling

While the means of obtaining evidence prior to an evidentiary hearing are inhibited, arbitrators have greater discretion as to what material is relevant.

Proving Patent Damages after Uniloc

By S. Christian Platt and Bob Chen

The rejection of the 25 percent rule will require patent holders to more rigorously tie evidence proving damages to the parties, patents, and accused products at issue.

The Authentication of Social Media Postings

By David I. Schoen

Preliminary questions of admissibility turn on traditional analysis, but some factors specific to social media networking can complicate the application of those concepts.

2010 Expert Witness Rule Amendments

By Gregory P. Joseph

As of December 1, 2010, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that govern the disclosure of expert opinion are substantially amended.

The Reliability, Admissibility, and Power of Electronic Evidence

By Zachary G. Newman and Anthony Ellis

While we have been learning to deal with such concepts as electronic discovery, metadata, email retrieval, and spoliation, we need to remember the basics of evidentiary procedure.

Deposing a Witness under the Hague Convention in a Mexican Court

By Maria-Vittoria "Giugi" Carminati

Parties seeking to depose reticent deponents abroad can do so under the Convention of 18 March 1970 on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters.

Dancing on Direct: Direct Examination of Witnesses

By Chip Rice

Preparing for the direct examination of a friendly witness is like choreographing a dance scene in a movie.

Preventing Inadvertent Privilege Production

By Caroline Boudreau Sweeney

The majority of litigation costs are the result of the document review process and avoiding the production of privileged work product or communications.

Protecting Insurance Broker Communications from Discovery

By Kara Altenbaumer-Price

A recent court ruling has added insurance brokers to the list of nonattorneys who may be protected by the attorney-client privilege.

The End of Expert Practice as Usual: Proposed Changes to Rule 26

By Calvin Cheng

The Judicial Conference of the United States approved the recommendations of the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, including proposed amendments to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26.

What's Wrong With Hearsay?

By James D. Abrams, Esq.

Ask two trial lawyers about how they view the hearsay rule and you are likely to get two different responses depending on their personal experiences in trial.

Rules Governing Experts: The European Perspective

By James R. Tumbridge, Timothy D. Pecsenye, and Gregory J. Urbanchuk

The globalization of business and the convergence of world markets create unique challenges for businesses involved in disputes.

Presenting Evidence when Businesses Have Limited Financial Information

By Neil Steinkamp, Gavin J. Fleming Esq., and Jacob Reed

In commercial litigation, a reasonable level of certainty relating to the cause of damages and the damages amount is required for damages to be awarded.

The Impact of Rule 502(d) on Protective Orders

By Gregory P. Joseph

Are you wondering what the state of the law is with respect to waiver? Click here to read a submission from one of the Trial Evidence committee?s presentations at the upcoming Section Annual Conference.

Responding to Subpoenas from Federal Agencies: Does FRE 502(d) Provide the Means to Protect Privilege?

By Laura D. Cullison

Practitioners looking for a way to produce documents to a federal agency such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) while maintaining privilege may find a glimmer of light in Federal Rule of Evidence 502(d).

Proposed Changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence

Learn more about the proposed changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence

Garbage In, Garbage Out: Why Careful Crafting of a Search Protocol is Essential to Meaningful E-Discovery

By Jennifer A. Baumann

For most attorneys, the existence of e-discovery is not breaking news. However, the basic fundamentals, the nuts and bolts, of e-discovery appear to be alluding some attorneys in our practice and implementation of e-discovery. One of these fundamentals is the crafting of a meaningful search protocol.

Protecting Settlement Negotiations Amended Rule 408

By Michael Gerard and Andrew Rafalaf

On December 1, 2006, the amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 408 (Amended Rule 408) became effective. Amended Rule 408 generally bars evidence concerning efforts to settle or compromise a dispute when offered to prove liability for the invalidity of a claim or its amount.

The Federal Rules of Evidence

The changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, particularly those concerning e-discovery, are not the only federal rule changes with an effective date of December 1, 2006.  Earlier this year, the Supreme Court approved four amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence which deserve equal attention and consideration.

Best Practices for Interviewing The Adverse Corporation’s Former Key Employees

By Michael Cavendish

Key current employees of corporate litigation parties cannot be approached by counsel representing opposing parties during litigation. Former corporate party employees, however, are fair game, and may be subpoenaed and interviewed in advance of their deposition or court testimony. But when a member of a party’s litigation team conducts an informal, ex parte interview of an adverse party’s former employee, there is a potential that the source will divulge information or documents that may be protected by attorney-client privilege.