15th Annual Superior Court Boot Camp I: Pleadings, Motions, Discovery and Depos The Nuts and Bolts (CA Recorded Package)

What You Will Learn

Part I – Three Hours

Case Themes and Strategies

Complaints & Answers

• Rules and timelines
• How to do it
• Strategies
• Common mistakes

Demurrers, Motions to Strike and the CMC

Break

Motions

• Ex parte applications
• Continuances
• Reconsideration
• Motions for Sanctions
• 998 offers
• Substitution of Judges

Discovery and e-Discovery in State Court

• Discovery
  • Regular Discovery in state court
  • Types in state court
  • Motions that occur during Discovery, including motions for sanctions
  • Overlooked Deadlines
  • Procedural Issues that are often missed/common mistakes
  • Strategies and choices
    • For Settlements
    • For Trial
  • RFPs

• E-Discovery
  • Latest State Rules, changes in rules – State v. Fed mention
  • Strategies (how do they differ, if at all, from regular discovery)
  • Cost Saving Measures
  • Mistakes not to make
  • Important state cases
• Superior Court v. Federal Court

• Motions to Compel

Part II – Three Hours

Depositions in State Court

• Rules Strategies & Timelines for state court
• State v. Federal rule differences and strategy differences
• Deciding whom to depose
• Taking good depositions – Mistakes not to make
• Making effective use of depositions at trial in state court
• Practical examples, discussion of anything in handout

Motions for Summary Judgment and Summary Adjudication

• Timeline
• Responses and Replies – Organization and Effectiveness
• Writing tips
• Common mistakes not to make
• Advice from your judges: what works and what doesn’t
• Practical Examples, discussion of handout materials

Oral Argument Tips

Testimonials

“Very good overview. Excellent insights from the viewpoint of judges.” – Michael A. Miller, Esq.

“I enjoyed the program. The speakers were very knowledgeable and well prepared.” – Joseph Dankert, Esq.

“Excellent in every respect.”

“Great program. Great to hear from the perspective of the bench.” – John Alexander, Esq.

“Pincus always produces high-quality programing.”

“Very Satisfied.” – Charlotte Martinez, Esq.

“Very informative for us litigators; thank you. Very engaging and informative speakers.” – Cameron Bordner, Esq.

“Very informative. Great speakers. Liked the Judges’ input. It was all very good. Getting a judge’s opinion is always helpful.”

“Day 2 was great. I enjoyed that they went into great detail on depositions.” – Joseph Dankert, Esq.

“John Barber provided a very detailed discussion of depositions with many practical tips on how to become much better at depositions. Judge Williams gave excellent practice tips for attorneys on many key topics.” – Michael A. Miller, Esq.

“Very good review and I learned many new points and tips. Very satisfied. Good refresher for myself who does less litigation and more transactional work.”

“Today was very helpful – I really appreciated the concrete practice tips and exemplars.”

“Great program today. Appreciated the conciseness of the massive amount of material covered. Details on the MSJ process and quick answers to the questions was very nice. Great to hear the court’s perspective.”

“Speakers had great info. Very knowledgeable. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how these rules play out in their practices. I enjoyed hearing about the judges’ expectations during litigation.”

“The program was very informative and engaging. The webinar platform worked without any issues. I learned some very useful tips that I can immediately apply to my current case load.”

“Great program.”

“Excellent presentation.”

“Great and comprehensive. A lot of good information and tips outside of the code provisions. Great practical tips and knowledge from the judges – wonderful and instructive. Good to hear insight from an experienced judge’s perspective.”

“It was engaging.”

“Very informative. Informative and easy to understand/well-explained.”

“I got a lot of useful specific information.”

“All speakers were very interesting and enjoyed the subject matter.”

“I thought the topics covered were helpful.”

“All speakers kept me engaged and interested.”

“I think that as a young professional, the speakers did a good job of covering the basics and a few ‘should-knows.’”

“It was good and informative and helpful refresher.”

“Appreciated the significant amount of female panelists. Good info, easy to follow. This was a great program. Very helpful.”

“I appreciated getting insight from the judges and what they like or don’t like to see.”

“It was very informative and I appreciated the panelists/presenters’ time.”

“Great presenters.”

“Very informative.”

“Informative.”

These testimonials are from our previous Superior Court Boot Camps, with many of the same speakers.

“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.

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

“Great speakers!” – Adam Wentland, Esq.

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

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

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

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

“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.

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

“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.

“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.

“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.

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

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

“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.

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

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

“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.”

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

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

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

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

“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.

”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.”

“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.

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

”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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

Faculty

Hon. Kira L. Klatchko
Judge
Superior Court of California

Judge Kira Klatchko was appointed to Riverside County Superior Court in 2016. She currently sits in Palm Springs in an unlimited civil department.

Before joining the bench, Judge Klatchko was a Civil Appellate Law Specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and handled both state and federal appeals arising from all areas of civil practice for clients as varied as cities, businesses and families. Judge Klatchko was a partner at Lewis Brisbois, and served as was vice chair of the firm’s national Appellate Practice Litigation group. Prior to joining Lewis Brisbois, Judge Klatchko was a partner at Best Best & Krieger where she served as chair of the firm’s appellate group. She served for six years on the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on Appellate Courts, including a term as its chair.

Judge Klatchko is co-author of the “California” chapter of the “Appellate Practice Compendium” (ABA 2012), an insider’s guide to appellate practice. She is co-contributing editor of “California Civil Appeals and Writs” (Matthew Bender 2014), a comprehensive two-volume practice guide for appellate counsel and general litigators. Judge Klatchko was repeatedly named to the list of Super Lawyers for Southern California in Appellate Law. She is a former president of the Riverside County Bar Association, and previously served five terms as chair of the Riverside County Bar Association Appellate Section. Judge Klatchko was also a member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

Judge Klatchko has served as an adjunct professor at La Verne College of Law, teaching legal research and writing. She has also lectured on appellate ethics and practice at numerous conferences and seminars, including the California State Bar Annual Convention, the State and Local Legal Center Supreme Court Practice Seminar, and Pincus Professional Education’s Annual Advanced Appellate Conferences in Los Angeles.  

In 2014, Judge Klatchko was inducted into the Desert Bar Association Hall of Fame, as Outstanding Young Attorney of the year. In 2010, Judge Klatchko was recognized by the City of Palm Springs and Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce with the Athena International Award for Young Professional Leadership, recognizing her professional success and work in the community. 

Judge Klatchko received her bachelor’s degree in political science, with distinction, from the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her master’s degree in business administration from the Executive Management Program at the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. She earned her law degree at the University of California, Davis, School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the U.C. Davis Journal of Juvenile Law & Policy.

Hon. Harold Kahn
Judge
Superior Court of California, San Francisco County

Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, 2001-present. Appointed by Governor Gray Davis. Re-elected without opposition in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020. Current term expires December 2026. Assignments included presiding over all aspects of civil, criminal and family law cases, as well as drug court, criminal domestic violence court and civil domestic violence court.

From September 2011 to January 2013 and from January 2016 to January 2019 assigned as the sole judge to handle all law and motion and discovery matters in all civil cases other than asbestos, CEQA, housing and singly-assigned cases. Established the Court’s discovery pro tem program.

From January 2015 to the January 2016 and from January 2019 to the present assigned to civil trials. In February and March 2015 presided over the Pao v. Kleiner Perkins trial, which received daily national publicity. Handled numerous cases as a single assignment judge.

From January 2013 to January 2015 assigned to criminal court handling felony trials and misdemeanor master calendar.

From January 2010 through August 2011 assigned as the sole judge in the newly-created asbestos case management department which included handling of all pretrial matters – including law and motion, discovery, settlement and trial setting and readiness –   in all asbestos cases. Eliminated a backlog of over 1000 cases, resulting in the first time in almost two decades that the Court was current with its asbestos cases.

Member of the Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee to the California Judicial Council, 2015 to the present. Member of the subcommittee responsible for implementing the Futures Commission recommendations.

Chair of the Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee to the California Judicial Council, 2007-2010. Chair of the Evaluation Subcommittee, 2004-2007. Appointed as a member of the Committee by California Chief Justice Ronald George in 2003 and subsequently appointed by Chief Justice George as a subcommittee chair and then chair of the Committee.

Chair of the Court Administration Committee of the California Judges Association, 2006-2010. Appointed chair by four successive presidents of the California Judges Association.

Chair of the Collaborative Justice Courts Committee of the San Francisco Superior Court, 2003-2010. Appointed chair by four successive presiding judges. Established San Francisco’s Community Justice Center in 2008.

Received the 2020 Tara L. Reidley Barristers Choice Award from The Barristers Club of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Received the 2016 Judge of the Year Award from the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.

Received the 2003 Judicial Award from the California Probation, Parole and Correctional Association awarded to one judge each year “who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in California Corrections during the past year.”

Professional Activities Prior to Becoming a Judge

Sole Proprietor of the Law Offices of Harold E. Kahn, 1987-2001. Specialized in civil litigation representing both plaintiffs and defendants. AV rated.

Arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and San Francisco Superior Court, 1993-2001.

Received the 2000 Lawyer of the Year Award from the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the Bay Area, the 1999 Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Award from the San Francisco Bar Association in 1999, and the 1994 Wiley M. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services from the State Bar of California in 1994.

Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Hastings College of the Law, 1994-1996.

Associate with Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, 1983-1987.

Law Clerk to United States District Judge Joseph Young, 1982-1983.

Education and Other

JD University of Chicago Law School 1982.

BA Amherst College 1978. Magna cum Laude.

Co-author of Kahn and Links, California Practice Guide: Civil Rights Litigation published by Thomson West.

Member of the Board of Advisors of The Green Bag Second, an iconoclastic legal journal published by George Mason University Law School, 2008-2015. In 2017 among five judges nationally chosen to identify and write about the exemplary judicial decisions.  each year. 2018 selections found at Green Bag Almanac & Reader 2019 at 496-500. 2019 selections found at Green Bag Almanac & Reader 2020 at 366-370.

Hon. James P. Kleinberg (Ret.)
Retired California Superior Court Judge, Santa Clara County
Neutral, JAMS

Judge James Kleinberg brings a diverse background to his role as arbitrator and mediator: Federal prosecutor, thirty-four years of business litigation experience throughout the United States and abroad, twelve years as a Superior Court Trial Judge, including three years managing and trying cases in the complex civil calendar, and over four years as a neutral at JAMS. At JAMS, in addition to an active arbitration and mediation practice, he has been chosen to hear mock arguments and trials and to teach and write on litigation subjects here and abroad.

After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1967 Judge Kleinberg was a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division. In 1969 he entered commercial litigation practice with a firm in San Francisco where he became a partner. In 1983 he joined McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen (later Bingham McCutchen) as a litigation partner in San Jose, Palo Alto, and San Francisco. His national and international business litigation practice emphasized intellectual property, antitrust, securities, corporate governance, and contract issues. He was listed for over ten years in the publication “Best Lawyers in America.” He served for over ten years as an advisor to the Litigation Section of the State Bar, is a Holton Teaching Fellow at the Haas Graduate School of Business, U.C. Berkeley, and has served as a member of the American College of Business Court Judges. In 2013 he was named “Outstanding Jurist” by the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and in 2014 he was named “Trial Judge of the Year” by the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association. He serves as co-ombudsperson in a program initiated by the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. While in practice he was actively involved in programs for the Ninth Circuit and was on the Magistrate Judge Selection Panel for the District Court. He has been a frequent speaker at programs presented by PLI, the ABA, the State Bar of California, the Sedona Conference, and the San Francisco and Santa Clara Bar Associations. Judge Kleinberg currently serves as a board member for the Association of Business Trial Lawyers-Northern California, the Ingram American Inn of Court, and the Campaign for Legal Services.

Hon. Helen E. Williams
Judge
Superior Court of California, Santa Clara County

Judge Helen E. Williams was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court in 2012. She has sat in unlimited civil and criminal assignments, served as the court’s designated CEQA judge, and served for six years on the court’s Appellate Division, four of those as its Presiding Judge. 

Before joining the bench, Judge Williams, who is certified as an appellate specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, worked in chambers for eight years as a research attorney at the Sixth District Court of Appeal, focusing on civil and criminal cases and drafting opinions in those cases for the authoring justice. Before that, Judge Williams engaged in civil practice for 18 years beginning with a small litigation firm with her father and moving to larger firms with increasing focus on appellate specialization and dispositive motions such as summary judgment and anti-SLAPP, along with post-trial motions and other trial matters such as critical in limine motions and jury instructions. 

Judge Williams currently serves as a member of the Judicial Council of California’s Appellate Advisory Committee and as a member of the Center for Judicial Education & Research’s Appellate Practice Curriculum Committee. She also served for six years on the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on Appellate Courts, including terms as its vice-chair and chair. She further served for five years on the State Bar of California’s Board of Legal Specialization Appellate Law Advisory Committee, including terms as its vice-chair and chair. Judge Williams also served as the vice-chair and chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Appellate Courts Section and as co-chair of the Appellate Court’s Committee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association. Judge Williams also currently serves as Secretary of the William Ingram Inn of Court, of which she has been a member for many years, and she is a member of the Board of Editors of the California Litigation Journal, now a publication of the California Lawyers Association Litigation Section. Judge Williams has served on panels for scores of MCLE and judicial education programs, principally on appellate topics. 

Judge Williams received her Bachelor of Arts degree in French Literature from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She earned her law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law, and is one of four members of that School’s class of 1986 to serve on the Santa Clara Superior Court bench. While in law school, Judge Williams served as an Articles Editor for the Santa Clara Law Review and, along with her brother, received the Moot Court award for Best Brief.  

Kristina S. Azlin, Esq.
Partner
Holland & Knight LLP

Kristina S. Azlin is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Holland & Knight and is a member of the West Coast Litigation Group. Ms. Azlin has extensive federal and state litigation experience and has represented clients in a wide array of complex civil matters, including class action defense, contract disputes, intellectual property infringement, business fraud and product liability actions. She also has significant experience defending actions involving the federal False Claims Act (FCA), as well as state versions of the FCA.

Ms. Azlin is experienced in all phases of state and federal litigation practice, including interviewing witnesses and conducting investigations, taking and defending depositions, locating and working with expert witnesses, preparing and responding to complex written discovery, examining and cross-examining lay and expert witnesses during trial, and extensive pretrial and post-trial law and motion practice. She assists in representing both plaintiffs and defendants in securing favorable results.

Damian D. Capozzola, Esq.
Founder
The Law Offices of Damian D. Capozzola

Damian D. Capozzola is a sole practitioner in his nineteenth year of litigation practice. Damian has handled significant litigation matters across a broad spectrum of industries and has represented some of the world’s largest defense contractors, food manufacturers and wholesalers, and telecommunications companies.

Damian has successfully first-chaired nine jury trials, three bench trials, and two arbitrations, and has contributed to successful trial results and settlements in a number of other matters while practicing at three leading national law firms and then since 2013 as founder of his own firm.  He has extensive experience in taking and defending depositions, and he has written and lectured on litigation strategies — including the effective use of technology in the courtroom — and working with experts.  Since 2006 he has been the co-author of the Thomson Reuters/West Trial Practice Series treatise Expert Witnesses in Civil Trials: Effective Preparation and Presentation.

Damian also has experience with a range of employment, personal injury, and environmental issues, from mass tort litigation to multi-party groundwater contamination mediations to advising clients on discrete issues.  Finally, through the years, he has devoted a significant amount of pro bono time prosecuting misdemeanor crimes for two local municipalities. Most recently, Damian secured guilty verdicts on both counts in a two-day bench trial in which the defendant was represented by an attorney with an established track record of filing civil rights lawsuits alleging officer misconduct.

In 2011 Damian was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger (and was subsequently reappointed by Governor Brown) to the California Law Revision Commission, which he chaired in 2014.  He is also a Past-President of the Los Angeles Italian-American Lawyers. 

Karen P. Kimmey, Esq.
Partner
Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Karen P. Kimmey is a trial lawyer and a partner in Farella Braun + Martel’s Business Litigation, Insurance Coverage and Intellectual Property Litigation Groups. She represents both large and small businesses, as well as individuals, in a wide range of commercial disputes, with a particular emphasis on class actions, products liability, insurance coverage, and trade secret and patent disputes.

Ms. Kimmey is a seasoned trial lawyer who has successfully handled nine bench and jury trials and arbitrations. Collectively, she has spent over 400 hours in the courtroom trying cases. While she is a powerful courtroom advocate, she also understands the importance of finding efficient means to achieve her clients’ business objectives, and is experienced in alternative dispute resolution.

Ms. Kimmey has experience in all aspects of intellectual property litigation, and has represented clients in the biotechnology, software, hardware and entertainment industries in connection with patent, trademark and trade secret claims. She recently served as a member of the trial team that obtained a unanimous verdict in a three-week patent trial upholding the validity of her client’s patents for flip chip integrated power switches. She also advises clients with respect to products liability claims and represents clients in litigation seeking to recover from their insurers. She currently is serving as national coordinating counsel in connection with a series of products liability claims relating to residential gas delivery materials.

Ms. Kimmey is a frequent author and speaker on litigation and trial skills and strategy. She is a member of the board of directors of the Bar Association of San Francisco Foundation. At Farella, she is a member of the firm’s Advisory Board and has served as co-chair of Farella’s Women’s Leadership Committee.

Jiyun Cameron Lee, Esq.
Partner
Folger Levin LLP

Jiyun is a commercial litigator with extensive experience in financial litigation, contract disputes, trade secret misappropriation, computer forensics, advising and defending public accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and defending employers in labor and employment disputes, including class action lawsuits alleging violations of wage-and-hour laws, ERISA, and the WARN Act. She has represented financial institutions, rental car companies, law firms, hotels, technology companies, and non-profit organizations as both defendants and plaintiffs.

Jiyun is an experienced trial lawyer who has conducted trials in both federal and state courts, as well as evidentiary hearings before courts and administrative agencies. She has extensive experience handling claims involving injunctive relief, and has successfully obtained preliminary injunctions and specific performance decrees on behalf of clients in contractual and intellectual property disputes.

Since 2011, Jiyun has served as a volunteer mediator for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.  In 2014, Jiyun served as a Commissioner of the California State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Star Academy, a private school in San Rafael, California, for students with learning differences.  Jiyun is an active member of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area and the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California.

Jiyun obtained her law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1992, and received her B.A. in Politics and Legal Studies with Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1989 from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a member of the California Bar.

Kimberly A. Valentine, Esq.
Principal Attorney
Valentine Law Group

Ms. Valentine is the principal attorney at Valentine Law Group. She received her Juris Doctorate degree with honors, from Western State University in 1997. She is licensed to practice law in California and Arizona.

Ms. Valentine has dedicated her career in the practice of law to advocating for the vulnerable, the injured and the infirm. Her focus is to ensure that individuals are not needlessly taken advantage of or exposed to unnecessary harm. Her clients ages span from newborn children to elderly as old as 104. She practices in the areas of elder abuse, medical malpractice, products liability, serious personal injury, and government tort claims litigation.

Ms. Valentine is an Associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates. She has received the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association’s Top Gun award as an exceptional Elder Abuse litigator multiple times and has been recognized as a California Trial Lawyers Associations “Street Fighter” Award finalist. She was also named a Super Lawyer each year from 2014 through 2020. Super Lawyers Southern California Magazine named her as one of the top 50 Orange County lawyers and Top 50 Women lawyers in Southern California. The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) awarded her the Volunteer of the Year award for the Orange County chapter in 2019.

Ms. Valentine is the founder of Operation Helping Hands, a non profit that provides backpacks full of necessity items to the homeless population. Ms. Valentine received the 2019 Trial Lawyers Care award from the American Association for Justice for her work in the community with Operation Helping Hands. She is one of the founding members and serves on the Board of Directors for Stop Elder Abuses, a non-profit organization which educates the public on the issue of abuse. She also sits on the Advisory Committee to the Los Angeles Elder Abuse Forensic Center. Ms. Valentine also serves on the advisory board for the non-profit organization Together We Rise which is dedicated to improving the lives of foster children. She served on the Board of Governors for the Consumer Attorneys of California between 2009 and 2012 and was active in Consumer Attorneys of California Women’s Caucus. Ms. Valentine served on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association from 2007 through 2011. She is also a member of CAALA, OCTLA, OCBA, ABOTA, the American Association for Justice, and the American Jurist Association.

She guest speaks and lectures on various topics including elder abuse, medical malpractice, trial presentation and life skills.

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: Purchase both this course and our “Superior Court Boot Camp II: Your Trial – The Nuts and Bolts” program, and take an extra 10% off with the code 10SPCT.

This program will be recorded live on October 13-14, 2020

CLE Credit

CA General: This program is approved for 6.0 units of general CLE in California (final amount TBA)

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.

Terms and Policies

Recording policy: No audio or video recording of any program is permitted.

Seminar Cancellations: Should you be unable to attend for any reason, please inform us in writing no later than 14 days prior to the event and a credit voucher will be issued. If you prefer, a refund, less a $50 non-refundable deposit, will be issued. No refunds or credits will be given for cancellations received within 14 days of an event. However, if you notify us within 14 days of an event, and wish to convert your in-person attendance registration to an Audio CD package (with handout), we can do so. A small additional shipping charge, and sales tax in CA, will be incurred. No shipping charge is incurred for downloads. We will also issue a voucher for the amount paid if you notify us within 14 days and prefer not to have the audio recording.

Substitutions may be made at any time.

Webinars, Tele-seminars and Webcast Cancellations: Once log-in codes and passwords are issued for a webinar, tele-seminars or webcasts, a refund is not possible. If for any reason you cannot attend the event after you have received the codes, we will automatically convert your registration to an instant streaming/instant download or CD format and provide you with the information you need to access the recording after the program concludes and the recording is available.  Conversions to CD require a $8.50 shipping fee, and in CA, 9% sales tax.

Downloads/CDs/DVDs – Refund policy:

Downloads are non-returnable/non-refundable once purchased and received. Tapes, CDs and DVDs are returnable for a full refund or replacement if defective, within 90 days of purchase.

Reminder: The room temperature at hotels and other seminar locations are notoriously hard to control. Please bring a sweater or jacket in case it gets cold and/or layer as if you are going to the movies so you are comfortable.