Trial Essentials and Strategies: What Every New Litigator Needs to Know [Two-Part National Webinar] (Watch Live or via OnDemand Streaming)

Agenda

Judges commenting throughout: Hon. Lawrence H. Cho and Hon. Eileen Marie O’Connor with Additional Judges TBA

Part 1: Tuesday, February 13, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time
12:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Central Time
1:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Pacific
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Central
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Eastern
Pre-Trial Essentials: Insider Insights on What Judges Expect and How to Prepare
Johner “JT” Wilson and Kristen Prinz

• Pretrial Conference and Order – FRCP 16
• Trial Briefs
• Pretrial Statement
• Motions in Limine
• Client and witness preparation
• Jury Instructions
• Exhibit Lists
• Demonstrative Exhibits
• Courtroom Technology/Layout

11:30 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Pacific
1:30 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Central
2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. Eastern
BREAK (10 min)

11:40 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. Pacific
1:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Central
2:40 p.m. – 3:50 Eastern
Proven Strategies and Expert Advice about your Jury
Dan Lawton and Kristen Hudson

• Federal v. State court
• Jury Questionnaire and Voir Dire
• Jury Verdict Forms
• Handling objections
• Side bars
• Jury questions
• Demonstrations

12:50 p.m. – 12:55 p.m. Pacific
2:50 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. Central
3:50 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. Eastern
BREAK (5 min) 

12:55 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Pacific
2:55 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Central
3:55 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern
Preserving the Record for Appeal: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Howard Teplinsky

Tentative Optional Post Program Networking and q/a Session with some Speakers. Attendees will be able to be on camera and use microphones.

Part 2: Thursday, February 13, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time | 12:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Central Time
1:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time

 Judges commenting throughout: Hon. Lawrence H. Cho and Additional Judges TBA

10:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Pacific
12:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Central
1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Eastern
Mastering Your Trial: Key Strategies and Expert Advice for Success
Tricia Boerger, Megan Cunniff Church and Barbara Adams

• Offers of proof
• Introduction of Exhibits
• Objections:  How, Why and Why Not?
• Mastering Direct & Cross-Examinations: Tactics for Winning Your Case

11:45 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Pacific
1:45 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. Central
2:45 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.  Eastern
BREAK (10 min)

11:55 a.m. – 12:55 p.m. Pacific
1:55 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. Central
2:55 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. Eastern
Mastering Your Trial: Key Strategies and Expert Advice for Success
Judge Lawrence Cho, Paul Taylor, and Paul Traina

• Opening Statements
• Closing Arguments
• Video demonstrations

12:55 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pacific
2:55 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Central
3:55 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern
BREAK (5 min)

1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Pacific
3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Central
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern
Post-Trial Options
Thomas B. Vertetis

• Post-trial Motions
• Directed Verdicts

Tentative Optional Post Program Networking and q/a Session with some Speakers. Attendees will be able to be on camera and use microphones.

Date/Time/Location

Two- Part Webinar

Dates:
Part 1: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Part 2: Thursday, February 13, 2025

Times for both sessions:
10:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Pacific Time
12:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Central Time
1:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time

Tentative Optional Post Program 30 min Networking and q/a Session with Speakers – attendees able to be on camera and use microphones. Speakers TBA

We will send your login details and handout materials approximately one week before your program.

Testimonials

This is a new seminar, so we do not have testimonials specific to this program, however all of these topics have been taught in our annual Boot Camps across the country, by many of the speakers teaching this program

Below are testimonials from our annual Superior and Federal Court Boot Camps in multiple states.

Below those are just a few comments about some of the attorneys and judges teaching at this program:

Just a few comments from our Litigation Boot Camps (taught by many of these speakers):

“Very well organized and well-run. The speakers were individually impressive & cohesive. Not only was the content extraordinarily helpful, but the speakers also exuded the competence, professionalism, and confidence that makes a great trial attorney & lawyer.” – Katherine Eller, Esq.

“This was great! I was somehow shocked that it took all day, I was shocked that it could be completed in only one day. The speakers were very knowledgeable and could give real world examples.” – James Garfield, Esq.

“This was very thorough walk-through of the nuts and bolts of litigation practice in Illinois state courts, with which I have had little experience thus this was very helpful.” – Andrew Webb, Esq.

“Excellent CLE and tons of practical advice. I really appreciate the handout as I would not have been able to write down all the great information.” – Kaitlyn Harris-Hertel, Esq.

“I learned a lot from these speakers. They were clearly experts and knew how to explain the subject matter clearly.” – Elizabeth Temkin, Esq.

“It was very useful. The handout materials were great!” – Ellen M. Harris, Esq.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and especially the speakers. I thought it was interesting, well organized, spaced out comfortably over the course of a day and that the speakers gave valuable insight from their careers and helpful advice as to how they’ve come across specific cases that invoked the rules they were discussing.” – Matthew Haddad, Esq.

“It was substantive and well-organized. I appreciated how detailed it was.” – Nicholas Lurie-Moroni, Esq.

Excellent general introduction to civil litigation. I found it informative and enjoyed the agenda and material.” – Efigenia Dominguez, Esq.  

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

“Very valuable for me — a second-year admittee.  Great practical advice as well as explanations regarding state procedure.” – Mark Yost, Esq.

“I thought it was excellent!! I feel much more competent in my knowledge of the timeline and practice tips for litigation.” – Ashleigh Dennis, Esq.

“Excellent instruction and material.” – Douglas Fransham, Esq. 

Our speakers:

Hon. Lawrence Cho:

• Had very insightful comments.
• He came across as a real person and he was passionate and knowledgeable. If you’re new to trial or going back, this sort of judge would make everyone feel less nervous. He’s forthright and you’d know where you stood if you were in front of him. He gave good insight into how a judge thinks and rules, which is helpful to attorneys.
• Contributed a valuable perspective as a sitting judge.
• No nonsense, and was very forthright about what will not fly in his courtroom.
• Clear speaking style; direct and to the point; very knowledgeable.
• Insightful judicial perspective.
• Very down to earth and easy to understand.
• Good comments. Appreciated Judge Cho sharing his pointers on using your time wisely in court. 
• I appreciated the practical guidance. 
• Very charismatic and spoke without legalese and it was easy to understand.   

Johner JT Wilson:

• Clear and practical information.
• Very well spoken and offered practical tips.
• JT did a great job keeping the topic on track and finishing on time.
• I thought JT was great.
• Excellent speaker. He was keenly aware many of us practice in both state and federal courts and in jurisdictions outside of Illinois and his discussion on same was very helpful for me.
• Enjoyed his presentation. Very practical and informative.
• Great ideas! Good insight as to questioning of jurors.
• Clear presentation. The case law discussions were helpful as was the orientation to the IPI.
• He was great and gave clear practical tips.

Barbara Adams:

• I thought Ms. Adams was excellent. Great demo. It was nice to contrast her style to Ms. Kendra. Both are clearly great lawyers.
• Very good examples of how to pick a jury.
• Wonderful, very matter of fact, and honest, I liked that.  Very normal.
• Candid and intelligent.
• Very knowledgeable.
• Good presentation and clearly has a lot of experience and shares useful insights.
• I thought that Ms. Adams really did a fantastic job going over the jury selection process and engaging the rest of the panel in a discussion about it. This was my favorite part of the webinar because we really got to know the personal practice pointers of the individual panelists.
• I liked the timeline Barbara provided (30 days before trial, etc.).

Kristen Prinz:

• Ms. Prinz provided valuable insight into how to effectively handle potentially contentious depositions.
• Excellent presenter. Her advice was very candid & to the point. I felt like she was giving me advice you usually only get once you’re hired somewhere & they finally “give it to you straight.”
• She was very knowledgeable about how to handle difficult witnesses. Being able to hear some of her anecdotes was eye-opening as well.
• Wonderfully organized, great presentation style for this format, sharp and informative.
• Excellent depth of the content and application to real-life problems. It made the lesson meaningful and far more helpful.
• Very thorough.
• Helpful advice about a topic that is not usually taught in law school.
• Very informative on her topic and her confident but down to earth approach was communicated.
•  Knowledgeable about the topics and had a lot of real world experience/tips to add.

Megan Cunniff Church:

• Megan was excellent on substance and her communication skills are enhanced by the personality/presentation she brings to a trial seminar.
• I’m very glad that this speaker was last because she was extremely upbeat, energetic, and engaging.
• Outstanding.  She and the others all provided great advice.
• I hope I can do a trial one day. I really liked the way she got through all she could in the time we had left and how her slides are really informative.
• I really appreciate concrete tips on how to act in a courtroom–these are things that we never learn in school, and they are so important.
• Megan was very engaging!
• Great presentation with her trial background.
• I don’t envy going last, but she nailed it, kept it practical, and answered questions well

Kristen Hudson:

• Ms. Hudson did a great job of making a complex issue easy to understand.
• Can she please run my life & my firm? She was clearly on top of her game & provided not only helpful & important information for litigating attorneys, but also seemed to run the whole show (in a good way)
• Very thorough.
• Great insight.
• Overall, easy to listen to and provided information that was specifically helpful on the topics in this section. She complemented the other two speakers very well. The three of them made a great combination.
•  Hudson gave a presentation on an important topic and helpful tips on things I did not know/ nor have I thought about.
• Strong speaker and knowledgeable about the topics.
• Kristen is a former professor of mine; she is always adding new things she learns to keep her information up to date and applicable.

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. Eileen Marie O’Connor
Circuit Judge
Circuit Court of Cook County, IL

Hon. Eileen M O’Connor is a circuit judge in the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, IL.

Additional Judges TBA.

Barbara R. Adams, Esq.
Senior Attorney
Hogan Lovells US LLP

Barbara Adams has a diverse litigation background that includes an emphasis on Proposition 65 litigation and toxic torts claims involving asbestos, lead, and mold.

Barbara’s courtroom background is extensive. An experienced lead trial and appellate attorney, she has taken over 25 cases to verdict and has commenced more than 100 trials. She also has experience litigating personal injury, product defect, premises liability, and wrongful termination claims, as well as claims arising under California’s Lemon Law.

With a keen focus on providing superior quality work, Barbara is equally adept at resolving cases without resort to litigation. Barbara has briefed and argued cases before the California Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Super Lawyers has included Barbara among the area’s top attorneys for many years in recognition of her litigation excellence.

Tricia S. Boerger

Washington State Office of the Attorney General

Tricia is an experienced litigator with 25 years of trial experience in state, federal, and military courtrooms. Tricia is currently an Assistant Attorney General with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, where she has represented the state in complex sexually violent predator matters and Title IX sexual assault administrative hearings. Tricia has also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Civil Division, where she defended federal agencies in Federal Tort Claims Act matters, including medical malpractice claims. Tricia has experience in the private sector with two boutique litigation firms; and served as a U.S. Navy JAG Corps Officer handling criminal defense and prosecution matters. Before law school, Tricia worked with adjudicated youth in a wilderness placement program.

Megan Cunniff Church, Esq.
Partner
MoloLamken LLP

Megan Cunniff Church is a highly accomplished trial lawyer who represents companies and individuals in high-stakes civil litigation and criminal and regulatory matters. She conducts corporate internal investigations in the U.S. and abroad, and she advises clients on crisis and risk management.

As a former federal prosecutor, Ms. Church has extensive experience investigating, litigating, and successfully resolving white collar criminal and regulatory matters. She served as a Deputy Chief of the Financial Crimes section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, where she prosecuted and supervised complex health care fraud, tax fraud, and corporate and financial crimes cases. She also served as a Deputy Chief of the General Crimes section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she trained and supervised new prosecutors on federal criminal practice.

In her nine years as an Assistant United States Attorney, Ms. Church investigated and prosecuted a wide range of federal crimes, including bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, public corruption, money laundering, narcotics and weapons violations, international drug trafficking, identity theft, cybercrimes, embezzlement, human trafficking, and organized crime. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the Public Corruption section, Ms. Church prosecuted and convicted numerous public officials and law enforcement officers for fraud, bribery, extortion, and tax offenses. She has tried 18 cases to verdict, and she has briefed and argued nearly a dozen matters in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Ms. Church has taught trial advocacy at the University of Chicago Law School and Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She currently serves on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness.

Kristen E. Hudson, Esq.
Partner
Dickinson Wright PLLC

Kristen Hudson, partner with Dickinson Wright, represents businesses and business people in complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts in Texas, Illinois and across the country. Kristen has won high-stakes challenges in a variety of substantive areas, from breach of contract, business and statutory torts, including fraud and the False Claims Act claims, to intellectual property disputes involving the protection of trade secrets and privacy. Kristen has significant experience with Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code and the U.N. Convention on the International Sale of Goods. Kristen also has concentrated experience in lawyer professional liability and fiduciary liability, including high-net worth trust disputes. 

Kristen has served as General Counsel of mid-size law firm with offices in multiple jurisdictions. In addition, she has been seconded to clients for extended periods including at a large energy company and with a UK-based insurance company. With this experience to guide her, Kristen works to avoid court wherever possible for her clients, and pursues solutions that make the most business and financial success for her clients, including advocating aggressively when litigation is required.

In addition to her commercial litigation practice, Kristen is knowledgeable about all types of third-party commercial liability policies, including directors’ and officers’ liability, professional liability, employment practices liability, commercial general liability, products liability, cyber liability, among others. Kristen has experience on all sides of an insurance coverage dispute and business disputes involving the insurance industry.  As a policyholder lawyer, Kristen recovered millions of dollars in insurance proceeds for her policyholder clients.  Most recently, Kristen served as coverage and monitoring counsel on behalf of insurers.

Prior to attending law school, Kristen was a French teacher in the North Carolina public schools.

Dan Lawton, Esq.
Shareholder, Certified Specialist in Appellate Law
Klinedinst PC

 Throughout his career in private practice, Dan Lawton has focused on civil trial work and complex commercial and intellectual property litigation on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He also has a deep background in civil appeals, and is certified as a legal specialist in Appellate Law by the State Bar’s California Board of Legal Specialization. The certification is a distinction held by only 36 lawyers in San Diego County. His first job out of law school was a clerkship with Ninth Circuit Judge Thomas Tang.

Dan regularly counsels both corporate and individual clients in a variety of settings, often in negotiations and sometimes in transactions. His corporate clients have included companies whose stock is publicly-traded and companies whose stock is closely-held. They have included life sciences companies, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers and distributors of various products, landowners and property developers, large corporations, a local major league baseball franchise, automobile dealerships, and “mom-and-pop” businesses. His individual clients have included officers, directors, and shareholders (both majority and minority) of corporations, bankers, elected officials, politicians, professional athletes and coaches, attorneys, accountants, land owners, entrepreneurs, and entertainers.

Dan has tried multiple jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations, and litigated many cases to disposition short of trial (by way of motions to dismiss and for summary judgment). Dan has obtained settlements and judgments in his clients’ favor totaling tens of millions of dollars, and obtained what is believed to be the third-largest jury verdict in the legal history of Imperial County (for ,286,461, after a nine-week jury trial). Over the span of more than 30 years, his caseload has included cases involving patent infringement, copyright infringement, trade secret theft, unfair competition, defamation, and business torts (such as trade libel and intentional interference with contractual relations). Dan has handled civil appeals and writs in both the California and federal courts. Dan has successfully litigated cases against some of the largest law firms and government agencies in the State of California.

In January 2009, Dan learned of his nomination for inclusion in 2009 San Diego Super Lawyers based on anonymous peer evaluation. He was so honored again in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 in the primary practice area of intellectual property litigation. Nominations for SuperLawyer designation are peer-driven, and fewer than 5% of lawyers in California earn the distinction. In 1997, two years after opening his own practice, Dan earned an “AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Dan has been a team leader in the J. Clifford Wallace Chapter of the American Inns of Court since 2015. In that role, he has been responsible for putting on mandatory continuing legal education programs for the Inn, a group whose membership consists of lawyers and Judges and is by invitation only. In September 2015, Dan won an award for Best Program via anonymous peer vote for a short documentary he produced entitled “Avoiding Deathbed Regrets and Having Work/Life Balance.” The documentary combined excerpts of interviews with 25 local lawyers and Judges with data concerning work/life balance for attorneys and jurists.

Active within the legal and business community. Dan has participated in numerous charitable and pro bono programs. Dan has earned multiple Wiley W. Manuel awards for community service from the State Bar of California for pro bono work on behalf of indigent refugees fleeing persecution and seeking asylum in the United States. The San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program awarded Dan its Distinguished Service Award in three separate years for his pro bono work on behalf of refugees.

Kristen E. Prinz, Esq.
Founder and Managing Partner
The Prinz Law Firm, P.C.

Kristen Prinz is an employment lawyer, business counselor, and founder of The Prinz Law Firm.

Ms. Prinz represents physicians, lawyers, senior executives, and small business owners in matters ranging from employment agreements and non-competes to complex employment disputes. She is passionate about advocating for her clients’ interests and helping them achieve outcomes consistent with their professional goals.

Ms. Prinz has litigated employment disputes before state and federal courts at the trial and appellate level, and before administrative agencies, including the EEOC, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, and the Cook County Human Rights Commission. She also has experience representing clients in arbitration proceedings.

As a business counselor, Ms. Prinz provides business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals with innovative and cost-effective solutions to their legal and operational problems, enabling them to fully realize their potential. She has leveraged her litigation and culture management experience to guide clients in implementing employment best practices, effectively training staff, and creating a productive workplace culture.

Ms. Prinz is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Employment Lawyers Association, and is Chair of the Nominating Committee for The International Women’s Forum.

Ms. Prinz was selected for inclusion in Crain’s Chicago Business’ List of 50 Most Influential Female Attorneys, and has been named an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers, as well as a Super Lawyer for 2019. Kristen received her J.D. with honors from IIT Chicago Kent College of Law and a B.A. in English from the University of Iowa.

Paul R. Taylor, Esq.
Partner
Byrnes, Keller, Cromwell LLP

Paul is a veteran trial lawyer, having tried over 40 cases to verdict or decision.

He has been widely recognized for his trial skills. Following the verdict in a two-month jury case, the trial judge in open court described him as “one of the toughest cross-examiners” she had ever seen.

Paul is ranked among the top ten litigators in Washington by Chambers USA, which reports that he “has acquired an excellent reputation thanks to trial victories in cases involving matters as diverse as business ownership, antitrust and consumer protection, professional liability, employment and securities.”

Matters Paul has tried include the successful defense of a 0 million legal malpractice case, a specific performance case involving the relocation of an NBA franchise, a high-stakes patent dispute for one of the nation’s leading consumer products manufacturers, a First Amendment commercial speech case for a professional sports team, a criminal antitrust and perjury prosecution, plaintiff’s personal injury and wrongful death claims, and real property disputes. Areas of concentration include professional liability defense, general commercial disputes, securities, antitrust and consumer protection, condemnation and employment. Finally, as Special Counsel to the Washington Commission on Judicial Conduct, Paul has investigated and tried several judges accused of misconduct.

Howard L. Teplinsky, Esq.
Shareholder
Levin Ginsburg

Howard is Chairman of Levin Ginsburg’s litigation practice. Howard has been a trial lawyer for 35 years and represents and counsels Fortune 500 companies as well as small and mid-sized businesses and individuals in a variety of commercial disputes. Howard represents a range of commercial clients including real estate developers, national franchisors, lenders, employers, contractors, insurance companies, shareholders, officers and directors, bankruptcy creditors, condominium associations and equipment leasing companies in disputes arising in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Howard also regularly represents clients in matters before the American Arbitration Association.

In 2016, Howard was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as an Inquiry Board member of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. In 2017, Howard was appointed as Chairman of an Inquiry Board panel.

Howard is a trained mediator and is on the Circuit Court of Cook County and Chicago Bar Association Mediation Service’s roster of approved mediators, focusing on the resolution of commercial law disputes.

Howard is also actively involved in the Chicago legal community. Howard routinely serves as a judge and mentor in the national and local law student moot court competitions sponsored by the American and Chicago Bar Associations. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Illinois Chicago, teaching deposition skills since 2017.

Paul Traina, Esq.
Trial Attorney
Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP

Paul Traina has practiced law for the past 25 years spending his first five years representing automobile manufacturers and insurance companies and the last twenty years representing consumers on a pure contingency basis. Paul is an experienced, fiercely competitive litigator and trial lawyer and has obtained verdicts and recoveries for his clients totaling over 3 billion dollars.  Paul has and continues to represent clients in matters involving catastrophic injuries, defective products, whistleblower litigation, class actions, professional liability cases, and business/commercial litigation and is a frequent guest lecturer at Loyola Law Schools Trial Advocacy Class. Paul has lectured around the country on topics ranging from class actions, conflicts of interest, opening and closing arguments, and direct and cross examinations of both lay and expert witnesses.

Paul was born and raised in Charlotte, Michigan. He attended the University of Minnesota where he earned degrees in History, Political Science and Philosophy.  After college, he moved to California for law school where he attended Pepperdine University.  During law school, he clerked at various firms and the Ventura Public Defenders Office. After graduation, Paul started his legal career at the defense firm of Harrington, Foxx, Dubrow and Canter where he worked for 4 years doing heavy litigation and trying cases.

In 1996, Paul joined the prestigious law firm of Engstrom Lipscomb & Lack, a firm made famous by the PG&E chromium-6 matter portrayed in the blockbuster movie Erin Brockovich.  As young partner, Paul litigated and tried large complex injury cases on behalf of businesses and consumers with both Walter Lack and Thomas Girardi and continued litigating and trying cases during his tenure at Engstrom before joining the Stalwart Law Group in July of 2017.

Paul is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and Consumer Attorneys of California. He was recognized as one of Southern California’s Super lawyers from 2004-2009.

Paul routinely speaks on legal matters with sitting federal and state judges and other experienced litigators.

Thomas B. Vertetis, Esq.
Managing Partner
Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC

 Bio coming soon.

Johner (JT) T. Wilson III, Esq.

Epstein Becker Green

A diverse lead trial attorney, J.T. helps his clients manage risks and minimize financial exposure in arbitrations; in proceedings before various federal, state, and local administrative agencies; and in single, multiple, class, and collective plaintiff lawsuits filed in federal and state courts across the country involving a panoply of employment-related issues. He has represented clients in matters involving the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), the First Amendment, joint employers, Monell claims, official/police misconduct, OSHA violations, retaliation, wage and hour disputes, whistleblowing, and worker misclassification, among others.

J.T. also conducts fast yet thorough internal investigations into alleged claims of misconduct in the workplace and provides trainings, workshops, and lectures on employment-related topics. Additionally, clients seek his practical advice and counseling on various complex business operations and employment initiatives, as well as cybersecurity and data privacy matters.

Committed to fostering diversity in the legal profession, J.T. partners with industry leaders to advance and drive the success of diverse law students through relevant educational programming, vibrant social activities, and financial support through merit scholarships. As a civic leader, he frequently participates in food and clothing drives, delivers motivational speeches, and empowers others to positively engage and impact their work environments and local communities through tangible acts of service. And J.T. is an active member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, the National Employment Law Council, the International Association of Defense Counsel, and the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. He frequently gives presentations on timely issues impacting the interests of industry partners and affecting the legal community.

Before joining Epstein Becker Green, J.T. was a member of the board of directors of a national law firm and led its Labor and Employment team in Chicago. 

Fees

Discounted rates are available for 3-4 attorneys watching Live or via OnDemand at your firm or agency.
Licenses are available for law firms or agencies that would like OnDemand Streaming for more than four attorneys. Please contact us at info@pincusproed.com or (877) 858-3848.

Register now and save $25 on your purchase with the Early Bird Rate!* Early Bird Expires December 20th!
Your discount is automatically applied at checkout – no coupon needed.

Pre-order the Recorded Package of this program when you register for only $129 (download or OnDemand) (attendee special only).  

Registration fees are per person.

Individual: $454
Early Bird registration: $429

Group: $429 per person for 2 or more from the same company pre-registering at the same time.
Early Bird registration: $404

Government employee/Legal Aid* Rate: $404
Early Bird registration: $379

Law Student*/Paralegal Rate: $265 (current JD students only)
Early Bird registration: $240

Your access information and course handout will be sent out about a week before the program.

Program materials:

Registration includes an electronic copy (.pdf) of your seminar handbook.  The link to download this handout will be emailed to you a few days before the program.  Be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see it by then.  Please put info@pincusproed.com in your address book to make sure you receive your pdf of the program handbook.

* Law Student Rate is for current law students only. Please provide your law school name and ID # when you register.

** Legal Aid attorneys are those attorneys employed by Legal Aid/non-profit firms.  It does not include attorneys who have their own practice, or are employed by law firms, that volunteer their time for non-profit causes or take on pro-bono cases. It also does not include attorneys who serve on non-profit boards.

Full and partial scholarships may be available to a limited number of Legal Aid attorneys, based upon registration. Please call (877) 858-3848 to discuss or email your request to info@pincusproed.com.

CLE Credits

CA General:  This program is approved for 7.0 units of general CLE in California.
CA Civility:  This program is approved for .25 units of Civility CLE in California.

IL General: This program is approved for 7.0 units of general CLE in Illinois.
IL Professionalism: This program is approved for 7.0 hours of Professionalism in Illinois.

OR General: This program is approved for 7.0 units of general CLE in Oregon.

WA General: This program is approved for 7.0 units of general CLE in Washington

NV General: This program is approved for 7.0 units of general CLE in Nevada

NY General: This course is eligible for approval, under New York’s CLE Approved Jurisdiction policy, for 7.0 CLE units. Pincus Professional Education is a CA Accredited Provider, which is a NY approved jurisdiction. See Section 6 of the New York State CLE Board Regulations and Guidelines for further information.

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.