15th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp II: The Nuts and Bolts of Your Trial (CA)(Recorded Package)

What You Will Learn

Part I – 2.5 hours

Heading to Trial

• Final Status Conference
• Trial Outline
• Motions to Exclude Witnesses from Courtroom

Motions in Limine

 Your Jury

• Jury Selection in State Court
  • Procedure
  • Questionnaires
  • Voir Dire
  • Strategies
• Jury Instructions
• Jury Verdict Forms

Part II – 2.5 hours

• Getting your Evidence in for Trial
• Opening Statements
• Direct and Cross-Examinations of Lay Witnesses
• Direct and Cross-Examination of Expert witnesses
• Closing Arguments
• Preserving the record for appeal
• Post-Trial Motions
• Judgments and recovering Judgments

Testimonials

“Excellent: Extremely dense with very helpful practice tips, punctuated by revealing anecdotes. Speakers gave a very thorough analysis of every aspect of the topic assigned, yet made it easy to follow and understand.” – Michael A. Miller, Esq.

“Interesting dos and don’ts of trial. Well-organized and very informative. Good beginner course.” – Stephanie Drenski, Esq.

“Very good and informative.” – Charlotte Martinez, Esq.

“Informative. Great practice pointers. All topics were valuable.” – Cameron Bordner, Esq.

“Very satisfied. I learned a lot of new information and getting the judge’s perspective is very helpful.”

“Judge Cho was the best presenter so far. Guidance on direct/cross examination and trial was exceptional.” – Joseph Dankert, Esq.

“It was good. Especially the discussion on jury instructions. It reiterated points from prior session but then talked about them more in-depth.”

“Very informative and speakers had vast experience and were able to provide practical tips and advice. The information was invaluable for someone like me who is a long-time attorney but not regularly in trial.”

“Really good program and everyone was great. Concise but fully informative. Did a great job answering questions. I think the webinar format is great for the questions. Very satisfied. Wanted a refresher in everything and I got that. A good seminar which I will recommend.”

“Great, excellent advice and tips. Practical advice and a good review of the details necessary to know when planning and anticipating each stage of trial.”

“I appreciated the combination of experiences and practice areas.”

“Very good information.”

“Very helpful practice pointers. Everything was interesting and helpful.”

“I liked the expertise shared.”

“Great. The speakers were very knowledgeable and informative.”

Program was informative. Program was informative, speakers were personable and knowledgeable.”

“Very good program.”

“Very helpful. Great information. I particularly like the direct and cross-examination sections.

“Great program and panelists.”

“Great, knowledgeable speakers.”

“A very good program for beginners; very helpful.”

“Very helpful advice as to motions in limine and tips for same.”

“Great/excellent presentation as to appeal and post motions that is rarely reviewed and explored.”

“I thought it was helpful that Ms. Adams spoke about jury selection through a more practical lens based on her own experience rather than an abstract concept. For example, when she showed us how she keeps track of potential jurors; very helpful advice for a new attorney!”

“Excellent advice and tips; enjoyed hearing stories from the bench.”

The following testimonials are from our previous Superior Court Boot Camps in California:

“Amazing course!” – Nicholas Lansdown, Esq.

“I really appreciated all of the judge’s additional comments. Lots of great information. Excellent practical advice.” – Mary Grace Guzmán, Esq.

“A great, comprehensive overview of motion and trial practice…Great insight from the judge.” – Anna Mezhebovskaya, Esq.

“Very informative to bridge the gap for new attorneys. This was exactly what I needed to get an overview of litigation.” – Donald Le, Esq.

“Fabulous!” – Sharvonne R. Sulzle, Esq.

“Great speakers!” – Adam Wentland, Esq.

“This was a very nice overview of trial prep that boosted my confidence as I prep for my trial.” – Nicholas Colla, Esq.

“I received a better understanding of later parts of the life of a case. This was helpful to put things in perspective. I have a better understanding of how to run my cases and had a few new ideas during this training.” – Adam Truong, Esq.

“Good information on a wide area of topics. Panel provided broad brush overview of each topic while also focusing on key specifics and practice tips.” – Joseph Seltzer, Esq.

“Excellent overview of civil litigation from filing of complaint through post-judgment appeal. The speakers were engaging, informative, and even entertaining!” – Brendan Malone, Esq.

“My firm asked me to attend. Glad that I did.” – Oliver Pfost, Esq.

“Very practical and specific.” – Kathleen Bricken, Esq.

“The high-level overview is very helpful as a new attorney in trial. The personal stories were also very insightful. Great stories. I liked to hear about the judge’s time on the bench and what he didn’t like.” – Bridget Cho, Esq.

“Great general overview with tips.” – Flor Tataje, Esq.

“Litigation process was comprehensively covered.” – Jackson Morgus, Esq.

“This program gave a great overview of the different stages of litigation in a short amount of time.” – Heidi Kim, Esq.

“Although, I’ve practiced nearly 30 years in other states, this course was very helpful given my recent licensure in CA. I highly recommend it for the transferring lawyer.” – James A. Morris, Jr., Esq.

“Great sharing of invaluable experiences.” – John Quiring, Esq.

“I was pleased to hear the practical viewpoints, both from a practitioner’s viewpoint and from the bench…A very informative program…I would recommend this program to any newbie like myself.” – Shawheen Shafizadeh, Esq.

“Program is a good bird’s-eye view of litigation.” – Silviana Dumitrescu, Esq

“The interactive nature of the panel was helpful (i.e., this was NOT a set of canned presentations by individuals while the other panelists just sat there). Each of the judge-panelists were quite good.”

“Very validating and also good food for thought. This was very thorough training.” – Heidi Lehrman, Senior Councel, CA Department of Managed Health Care

“Informative and good written materials…Great work, everyone!” – Eli Flushman, Esq.

“All speakers had strong knowledge of the material they were presenting.” – Carlos Portillo, Esq.

“Really helpful tips with the trial prep timeline. Great handouts that I will use all the time. Loved hearing the judge’s war stories. Very helpful tips for dos and don’ts.”

“This was a great overview of the litigation process.” – Joshua R. Driskell, Esq.

“It was a great program. I really learned a lot.” – Teressa Libutti, Esq.

“This was a great overview of the litigation process.” – Joshua R. Driskell, Esq.

“The course helped to reinforce what I learned at my prior firm.” – Cleve Collado, Esq.

“Well done, organized, great personal stories in court, and great advice.” Jonathan Kantor, Esq.

“Good program. Would do another Pincus program again.” – Michael Edward Olsen

“Thanks! Great program. I enjoyed it.” – Sarah Castelhano, Esq.

“Provided information that was useful and practical in assisting me with being a competent litigator and performing my job duties. Great speakers. Judge Kleinberg was very good at providing hypotheticals that relate to real-life experience. Speakers provided useful information as to when and whether to request a trial by jury and the use of pre-emptory challenges. Judge Ulmer was good at providing trial strategy as well as tips on jury selection and what to look out for (i.e., whether the jury will award damages).” – Christina Brogden, Esq.

“All speakers were very good. Will recommend.” – Tom Skinner, Esq.

“Very satisfied. Took away a lot of excellent recommendations that I will apply in my practice.” – Raychele Sterling, Esq.

“Information and materials were very detailed and easy to follow. Perfect for new attorneys without experience and experienced needing refresher.” – Sanaz Bereliani, Esq.

“Really enjoyed Judge Krasnow’s commentary!” – Aurora Thorne, Esq.

“I wanted an overview from beginning to end and that’s exactly what we got.” – Griselda Rodriguez, Esq.

“Learned a lot. Many different topics were covered. Good reference material for future use.” – Natalya Samsonova, Esq.

“This was the only valuable MCLE I have attended in years.”

“Well done. Well planned. Great topics.” – Mike Voigt, Esq.

“Overall, great experience. This was my first superior court boot camp, so all information was relevant and interesting. All speakers had strong knowledge of the material they were presenting.” – Carlos Portillo, Esq.

“Great content and tips. Great speakers! Great to hear a judge’s POV. Excellent substantive additions. Complex topics presented very well (trial session).”

“Really helpful/practical information. Good lecture on oral argument and heading to trial. Very good presentation. Very knowledgeable speakers.”

“I appreciated the valuable details shared in each step of the trial process. The speakers’ personal experiences and anecdotes were very valuable.”

“The speakers were good.” – Aleks Giragosian, Esq.

“Judge Cho was a really powerful speaker, delivery of material was excellent.”

“It was a great program. I really learned a lot.” – Teressa Libutti, Esq.

“Overview of civil procedure in all presentations was informative.” – Afret Canchan, Esq.

“Checklists and outlines were very helpful.” – Natilee Riebman, Esq.

”Fantastic program. I’m in my 3rd year of practice and it was the perfect timing for this program.” – Alison Karp, Esq.

“It was very good.” – Chris Moody, Esq.

“I really appreciated the panelists, who were great presenters, and the diversity of perspectives (i.e., judicial, litigator, etc.). Overall, excellent presentation. Very knowledgeable panel. Great feedback, practice tips, etc. Also, the panelists interacted really well with each other and created a lively, interesting discussion. I will absolutely recommend this course. I really appreciated the panel members noting books, supplements, and practice guides. That’s gold for new attorneys who may not know what practice guides are out there, or which are the best.”

“The interactive comments in the afternoon were very good…Thanks for the program. For 7.5 hours, it was very good.” – Robert Goldman, Esq.

“It was very good.” – Chris Moody, Esq.

“The overall overview of the process was exactly what I was looking for.”

“Overall an excellent presentation. Informative and organized with compelling panel of speakers.”

“Good, practical tips.” – Tiffany Truong, Esq.

“Thorough.” – Alexander Wallin, Esq.

“Great overview.” – Timothy Laquer, Esq

“I learned a great deal about Superior Court practice.” – Victor Leving, Esq.

“Enjoyed speakers, very informative.”

“The advice was practical, perfect for new attorneys.”

“Everything I can think of is covered.”

”Pincus has the best programs – great topics and dynamic speakers.”

“The panels both did a good job of progressing through the content with thoughtful, relevant insight.” – Adam Stone, Esq.

“The panelist covered everything! They were quite thorough and respectful of the time constraints.”

“My personal objectives were completely satisfied – I left feeling like I had several new ideas and tools I could apply to my work immediately.” – Sally Mielke, Esq.

“Interesting panel and topics.” – Shelley Crawford, Esq.

“Thank you for the resources via email – They are the practical information that I was looking for.” – Carol Wyzinski, Esq.

“Interesting and helpful insights.” – John Jackman, Esq.

“Very informative!” – Lindsay R. Wood, Esq.

“Judges Cho and Hopp were my favorites. I enjoyed listening to this discussion.” – Ricardo Merluza, Esq.

“This class was very helpful and informative.” – Portasha Moore, Esq.

“Covered a wide range of topics…great materials.” – Nicole Fassonaki, Esq.

“Very helpful refresher course for someone getting back into the courtroom.”

“This was the only valuable MCLE I have attended in years.”

“Great intro to state court practice. I was looking for broad coverage and issues to look out for, and this course delivered.”

“All the things law school should have taught you, but didn’t.”

“Even after practicing for several years, it was good to have a discussion regarding the nuts and bolts.”

“I found the speakers to be knowledgeable and effective at teaching and breaking down how to approach pre-trial and trial.”

“I learned new things, such as motion for recovery costs to prove bad faith defense.”

“I liked the content and it was a well-organized refresher for me. It was  well done.”

“Speakers shared clear, succinct and useful war stories.”

“Speakers did a great job explaining how to put together and deal with a Motion for Summary Judgment.”

“I enjoyed the program.” – Indoo Desai, Esq.

“This program provided a very helpful overview of the anatomy of a case through trial.”

”The speakers were all clear and concise regarding topics. The program was very informative and found it helpful that each step to the process was broken down and straight forward.”

“Great explanation of the law and examples by practitioners clearly versed on the topics presented really helped me understand the applicability of the subject matter.” – Rahman Gerren, Esq.

”Great course! Very informative and basic enough for beginners. All well prepared and great presence.” – Christina H. Johansen, Esq.

”Good presentation – I like the panel format.” – Barry E. Weber, Esq.

”Enjoyed overall presentation and topics.” – Greg Kreausian, Esq.

”Great overview. This is a great opportunity to brush up my knowledge.” – Michael Waddington, Esq.

“The mix of speakers provided for varied perspectives that were illuminating. I especially benefitted from the interactions among the panelists. It brought out more details, made it practical, and maintained the audience’s attention. Erickson and Burbidge were very engaging.”

“Program was very informative. I liked the progress of moving an entire case through trial/appellate review. Good practical tips. Exemplars are very helpful. Good tips on preparing for trial. I liked the timeline as a guide of what to think about for trial. Good insights regarding jury selection; good practice pointers regarding when to use jury questionnaires. I liked hearing the judge’s perspective regarding what he reads first in MSJs. Good to learn about his dos and don’ts.  I liked hearing about the pros and cons of juror questions and learning about how to prepare witnesses and how to get a witness to engage the jury.”

“I’ve done transactional work my whole legal career, so this was great. I’ve started taking on more litigation work. Very good information. Effective structure and presentation.”

“Very well organized. Appreciated that it was not mired in technical statute recitation and was instead a more broad overview…overall, excellent program for inexperienced attorneys like myself.” – Kevin Miller, Esq.

“Very helpful to see the forest from the trees. As a new litigator, it’s easy to get lost in and lose sight of the big picture. Subject matter seemed right on point for helping me in day-to-day practice…Speakers gave lots of practical examples, thorough explanations, and tips.” – Lauren Cox

“Comprehensive review…Excellent speakers…Great program. Very helpful information and format.” – Melissa Murphy, Esq.

“I like the fact that practitioners and judges were exchanging ideas.” – Rouzbeh Zarrinbakhsh, Esq.

“Very entertaining and lots of practical advice.” – Kate Juvinall, Esq.

“Great content and practical tips.” – Lori Liu, Esq.

“Very thorough!” – Jason Benkner, Esq.

“Judge Raphael had great insights and advice; learned something new – ‘informal discovery request’ and requesting continuance prior to summary judgment.” – Jamie Lee, Esq.

“I enjoyed all the speakers…the afternoon session was my favorite.” – Dana Udi, Esq.

“Great program. I truly appreciated the practical points offered by the presenters. I enjoyed the program very much and will recommend it to fellow attorneys. The thing that I liked the most is that the presenters did not re-read the handouts, but rather provided precious, practical-experience advice and tips.” – Boryana Arsova, Esq.

“Real life situations combined with humor – thanks! Thanks also for reminders of pertinent code sections and insight into judge’s preferences.”

“The seminar gave me good insight as to what the court looks for in reading papers. My objective was to improve motion writing and the comments of the presenters were very helpful.”

“Well done and great panel.”

“Always helpful to get judges’ insight…The judges gave very helpful tips.”

“Very informative.”

“My objectives were met. Good program!”

“Satisfied. Very informative.”

“Overall, a great panel.”

“Really appreciated the judges’ insights.”

“Very helpful and informative. Thank you.”

“Overall, great CLE.”

Faculty

Hon. Lawrence H. Cho
Judge
Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County

The Honorable Lawrence H. Cho is the son of Chinese immigrants and was born and raised in the New York/New Jersey area.  After graduating Rutgers College in 1984 with a major in Economics, he attended Rutgers Law School-Newark and obtained his J.D. in 1987.  Following graduation, he came to Los Angeles to serve as a law clerk on the U.S. District Court to the Honorable Manuel L. Real of the Central District of California.  Following his clerkship, Judge Cho returned to New York to join the Wall Street firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore as a litigation associate.

Judge Cho returned to Los Angeles in 1990 to join the United States Attorney’s Office as a federal prosecutor.  Over the next 15 years, Judge Cho was appointed to many important roles including training new federal prosecutors as the Chief of the General Crimes unit, Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force, and following September 11, 2001, led the then newly formed Terrorism and Organized Crime Section.  From 2003 to 2005, Judge Cho was appointed to serve in Washington D.C. as the Deputy Chief of the Counterterrorism Section at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Judge Cho was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in June 2005 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Since that time, he has enjoyed criminal and civil assignments and is currently assigned to civil jury trials in the Santa Monica Courthouse.  Extensive teaching experience includes serving as an adjunct professor to Loyola Law School teaching trial advocacy, guest lecturing at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and teaching fellow judges and bench officers statewide for the Center for Judicial Education and Research of the Judicial Council of California.  

Hon. Harold W. Hopp
Judge
Superior Court of California, Riverside County

The Honorable Harold W. Hopp is a presiding judge at the Riverside County Superior Court in Riverside, CA. Judge Hopp was first appointed to the bench in 2005.  Prior to that he was a litigator focusing on business litigation and employment law.

Judge Hopp is also a member of the Judicial Council of California and has served on several judicial committees in California.

Barbara R. Adams, Esq.
Of Counsel
Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Barbara R. Adams specializes in the defense of toxic tort and product liability litigation involving asbestos, lead, food toxins, underground tanks, and other chemicals in personal injury, property damage, and long-term/latent injury litigation actions. Ms. Adams has completed numerous jury trials in most of the Bay Area Superior Courts, otherwise successfully resolved complex cases, and has participated in the development of complex litigation rules for the Superior and Federal courts.

Ms. Adams also has significant experience and expertise in appellate law. She has filed and defended appeals, writs, and petitions before the California Courts of Appeal, the California Supreme Court, and the Federal Courts of Appeal. Ms. Adams handles appeals in which she has not been involved in the underlying litigation.

You can read Ms. Adams’ views on toxic tort and chemical exposure issues at her blog, Toxics Defense.

Ms. Adams received her B.A. in Political Science from California State University at Fullerton in 1977 and her J.D. from the University of Santa Clara School of Law in 1981. She is admitted to practice in California, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California.

Jessica Rankin Corpuz, Esq.
Shareholder
Weintraub | Tobin

Jessica Corpuz represents clients in all aspects of litigation, including in particular the handling of complex business and commercial disputes.  She has successfully represented clients in trial, mediation, arbitration, and appeal, including millions of dollars in jury verdicts as well as published reversals of adverse trial court rulings on appeal.

Over the course of her career, Jessica has litigated cases in the fields of entertainment, international law, private equity and corporate transactions, real estate, and environmental law, among others.  She handles cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants and has represented clients in cases before both federal and state courts, in California and across the country.

She has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2014-2020.  She is also an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Los Angeles Conservancy.

Jessica earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara and received her J.D. from Loyola Law School, where she was the President of the International Law Society and participated in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

Michelle G. Lee, Esq.
Partner
Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe LLP

Ms. Lee represents employees in individual and class action litigation in a range of employment matters.  She is experienced in wage and hour, wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, breach of contract, and trade secrets matters. 

Before joining Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, Ms. Lee was an associate at a prominent national litigation firm, where she handled a wide variety of complex cases ranging from intellectual property disputes to securities lawsuits.  Ms. Lee also served as a law clerk for the Honorable William Alsup of the Northern District of California. 

Ms. Lee is a graduate, cum laude, of the University of Michigan Law School where she was an editor for the Michigan Journal of Law Reform.  Ms. Lee interned at the Office of Legal Advisor of the U.S. Department of State in Geneva, Switzerland and worked as a law clerk for the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.  Ms. Lee received her undergraduate degree in biology from Yale University.

Polina Ross, Esq
Partner
Ross Legal Corp.

Polina is an experienced trial attorney who prosecutes and defends cases involving a wide range of business matters. Polina has prevailed in complex commercial disputes involving a wide variety of issues, including real estate, business, business disputes, HOA, construction, employment and entertainment. Polina started Ross Legal Corp in 2013. Prior to starting her company, she was a partner at the pre-eminent firm of Gibbs, Giden, Locher, Turner and Senet in Century City.

Polina received her Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in 2000. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Christopher C. Wheeler, Esq.
Partner
Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Christopher Wheeler is a trial lawyer and civil litigator.

In the landmark antitrust class action against the largest hospital system in Northern California, Chris led the Farella team that, along with co-counsel and the California Attorney General, obtained a 5 million settlement and historic injunctive relief on behalf of a certified class of California corporations, government entities, and union trusts. After more than five years of litigation, Sutter settled following jury selection. The Sutter settlement is one of the largest class action cash settlements in the history of California state court, and the Sutter case marks the first time a California court has certified a class in a hospital services antitrust action. Plaintiffs have moved for preliminary approval by the San Francisco Superior Court.

Chris brings a deep background in economics to his antitrust practice. Before joining Farella, he served as vice president and deputy director of the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, where he led one of the first investigations into the regulatory failures contributing to the U.S. financial crisis. Chris began his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Chris’s trial and litigation experience is varied. He successfully defended a leading Silicon Valley company in a patent license arbitration against a competitor—backed by one of the world’s largest private equity firms—that was seeking tens of millions of dollars in unpaid royalties. Following three years of litigation and an evidentiary hearing lasting 25 days, the arbitrator sanctioned the competitor for more than it recovered in unpaid royalties. Chris has also prosecuted and tried to verdict a number of criminal cases as a “loaner” Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. His jury verdicts have been upheld on appeal. People v. Alcauter-Martinez, App. No. 15-008044, slip op. (S.F. Super. Ct. App. Div. Mar. 5, 2018).

In his pro bono practice, Chris has represented indigent tenants in unlawful detainer actions and victims of elder abuse. He has also won political asylum for refugee families, including a Laotian Hmong veteran of the CIA “secret army” and three generations of survivors of the Liberian civil war.

Fees

Order now and save!*

Audio Recording & Materials Package – CD or Download: $425

Video Recording & Materials Package – CD or Download: $425

Sale Price: $299

Both Audio and Video Recording & Materials Package: 

CD or Download: $450

Sale Price: $349

For CDs, please add $8.50 shipping and, in CA, sales tax.

*Your discount is automatically applied at check out.

Extra Discount: If you purchase both this course and our “15th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp I: The Nuts and Bolts from Filing Your Complaint to Discovery and Depositions” program, you can take an extra 10% off with the code 10SPCT.

This program will be recorded live on October 20-22, 2020.

CLE Credit

CA General:  This program is approved for 5.0 units of general CLE in California.

This program is approved for CLE in the states listed above.  Upon request, Pincus Pro Ed will provide any information an attorney needs to support their application for CLE approval in other states other than what is listed above.