Trial Essentials and Strategies: What Every New Litigator Needs to Know (FL & GA) [OnDemand Streaming and Recorded Packages]

What You Will Learn

Hon. Ivonne Cuesta and Hon. Diana Gonzalez-Whyte to comment on topics during the program. 

Agenda

 Tuesday, November 12, 2024
1:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. EST 

1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Pre-Trial Matters
Robert (Beau) Blumberg, with John Riordan

• Pretrial Conference and Order (state and FRCP 16)
• Trial Briefs
• Pretrial Statement
• Motions in Limine
• Final Status Conference
• Client and witness preparation

1:45 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
BREAK

1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Your Jury
Kimberly L. Wald and Lawrence E. Burkhalter

• Federal v. State court
• Questionnaires and Voir Dire
• Jury Instructions
• Jury Verdict Forms
• How Jury Instructions and Jury Verdict Forms shape your trial theme

3:00 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.
BREAK

3:05 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.
Your Trial Part 1
Cosme Caballero with Hon. Ivonne Cuesta 

• Introduction of Exhibits
  • Foundation
  • Admissibility
• Objections
• Direct and Cross-Examinations of Lay and Expert Witnesses
  • Purpose, audience and format requirements
  • Basic direct examination skills
  • Basic cross examination skills
  • Difference in approaches between Lay and Expert Witnesses
  • Impeachment
  • Strategies and advice
  • Mistakes to avoid

4:05 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
BREAK

4:10 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Your Trial Part 2
Benjamin Reiss

• Opening Statements
• Closing Arguments

Testimonials

“Knowledgeable and experienced.” — Aaron D. Lyons, Esq.

“Very thorough review of trial practice from top to bottom. I appreciated the case law and technical advice.”

“Really informative and easy to follow.”

“The speakers shared a lot of practical insight from real experience.”

“Great speakers!”

“Very helpful program.”

“This was useful even for attorneys who have been practicing for a long time.”

“Good refresher or introduction to civil litigation best practices.” — Aaron D. Lyons, Esq.

“Clear explanations and good real-world examples.”

“Well done.”

“The judges’ perspectives made a big difference.”

“Lots of practical information – very helpful!”

“Useful examples from actual cases.”

“I especially appreciated hearing how judges and litigators approach things differently.”

“Very informative.”

“The speakers clearly knew their stuff.”

“Good balance of practical advice and courtroom insight.”

“Worth the time – glad I attended this one.”

“There was a lot of useful information packed into this program.”

“Great content!”

“Helpful for someone new to trial work.”

“Easy to understand and very practical.”

“Solid program.”

“I picked up several tips I’ll actually use!”

“Well presented.”

Faculty

Hon. Ivonne Cuesta
Circuit Court Judge
11th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Judge Cuesta has been on the bench for eleven years. She was first elected to the county bench in August 2012. As a county judge, she served in the Criminal, Civil and Domestic Violence Divisions.

In 2017, Judge Cuesta was elevated to the Circuit Court by Senator and then Governor, Rick Scott. As a Circuit Judge she first served in the Felony Division. Later she transferred to the Family Division where she has been presiding for the last 6 years.

Judge Cuesta received her Juris Doctor in 2001 from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law. After graduating law school, Judge Cuesta served as an Assistant Public Defender for ten years. During her tenure there she gained broad courtroom and litigation experience and tried over seventy (70) jury trials to verdict.

Judge Cuesta is a faculty member of the Florida Judicial College and Conference of County Court Judges. She has lectured in the areas of jury selection, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure and Mock Trial.

Fun fact: most memorable experience since becoming a judge- Skydiving with Judge Dimitris and the U.S. Army Golden Knights!

Hon. Diana Gonzalez-Whyte
Judge
11th Judicial Circuit of Florida

The Hon. Diana Gonzalez-Whyte is a judge for the Miami-Dade County Court in Florida. She was re-elected to the bench on November 6, 2018.

Judge Gonzalez-Whyte earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Northeastern University. She then completed a J.D. at St. Thomas University College of Law in 2003. 

After graduating from Law school, she began her legal career as an assistant public defender for the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office. She also spent time as an attorney in private practice, specializing in family law, domestic violence, and immigration matters.

Robert (Beau) Blumberg, Esq.
Partner
Deutsch Blumberg & Caballero P.A.

ROBERT (“Beau”) E. BLUMBERG is a Partner with the trial law firm of Deutsch, Blumberg & Caballero P.A., where he practices personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability law. He is a member of The Florida Bar and has served on a Grievance Committee and is the current Vice-Chair of the Code & Rules of Evidence Committee, appointed to the Florida Courts Technology Commission by the Florida Supreme Court from 2022-2024, Miami-Dade Bar (“MDB”) Board of Directors 2022-2024, MDB Treasurer 2024-2025, MDB Secretary 2025-2026, and President of the MDB YLS (2023-2024); Appointed to the Florida Bar Young Lawyer’s Division Board of Governors 2025-2026. Mr. Blumberg earned his B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and his J.D. degree from the William and Mary School of Law.

Lawrence E. Burkhalter, Esq.
Partner
Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial

Larry Burkhalter’s practice focuses on products and premises liability, professional negligence, transportation, construction litigation, medical malpractice and nursing home litigation and toxic torts. He has litigated cases involving traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, severe burns and wrongful death. Larry has significant experience representing clients in class action opt-out cases. 

Cosme Caballero, Esq.
Partner
Deutsch Blumberg & Caballero P.A.

Mr. Caballero is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law where he served as Articles & Comments Editor of the University of Miami Law Review, where he published an article titled Curbing Corporate Abuse from Jurisprudential Off-Sites: Problematic Paradigms in United States v. Textron Inc. Following graduation, Mr. Caballero was admitted to practice law in Florida.  He was also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Dade County Bar Association and is a Florida Bar  Grievance Committee Member for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

Benjamin L. Reiss, Esq.
Partner
Perlman, Bajandas, Yevoli & Albright, P.L.

Benjamin Reiss is a partner and civil litigation attorney at PBY&A. Mr. Reiss brings many years of experience to his practice, having represented clients in 60 jury trials, acting as lead trial lawyer on 45 of those cases. His main focus areas include general commercial, product liability, construction, real estate, criminal defense, and property tax appeals in federal and state courts.

He has presented to lawyers many times on trial and litigation practice, including discussing professionalism at the Florida Bar’s Practicing with Professionalism seminar. Mr. Reiss was formerly Chair of the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism, Vice President of the Board of Directors for Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., an associate and shareholder attorney at Greenberg Traurig, P.A. for 19 years, and an assistant public defender. He was also a board member for Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., and was a member of the national council and board of directors for the University of Miami Hurricane Club. Mr. Reiss received his JD with high honors from Duke University School of Law in 1993 after obtaining a BA (cum laude) in politics in political affairs from the University of Miami in 1990. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Dade County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association, and has been a member and chair of many committees within those associations. He was a member of the City Year Miami Board of Advisors from 2015 to 2018 and the American Inn of Court from 1999 to 2007.

He won the Pro Bono Award, “Ensuring Equal Justice Pro Bono Initiative,” from the Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez Office in 2011. He also won the DCBA’s “Put Something Back” Pro Bono Award for co-coordinating Acción USA, a non-profit organization that provides pro bono legal services to low- and moderate-income commercial borrowers.

John S. Riordan, Esq.
Partner
Kelley Kronenberg, P.A.

John S. Riordan is an “AV” rated civil trial attorney and Partner in the firm’s West Palm Beach office, focusing his practice on General Liability, First Party Property Insurance Defense, and Commercial Litigation. He is a highly experienced trial attorney and represents clients in both State and Federal courts throughout the Florida.

Prior to joining the firm, John was the Managing Partner of a West Palm Beach boutique law firm and focused his practice on General Liability, Commercial Litigation, and Criminal Defense. Prior to that, John proudly served as an Assistant State Attorney with the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office prosecuting misdemeanor and felony crimes. John has tried more than 150 jury and non-jury trials in civil and criminal matters in both state and Federal court.

John has earned a reputation as an excellent trial attorney and is highly regarded by judges and peers. In both 2012, and 2013 he was honored as a Super Lawyer Rising Star, a prestigious distinction only awarded to the top 5% of lawyers in the state who are recognized for their skill, ethical services, and professional excellence. He was also distinguished as a Florida Top Young Lawyer for 2012. John has spoken as a guest lecturer at Florida Atlantic University, speaking on the topic of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). An accomplished author, he has published articles for NakedLaw, the Daily Business Review and other online publications.

John is a native of Miami, Florida, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami in 1997. Thereafter, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University School of Law where he graduated in 2002. John is licensed to practice law in Florida and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Northern and Middle Districts of Florida.

John is also a Certified Water Damage Restoration Technician, accredited by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC).

Kimberly L. Wald, Esq.
Partner
The Haggard Law Firm

Kimberly L. Wald is a partner and trial attorney at The Haggard Law Firm.  Her focus areas of practice include sexual assault,  catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, drowning, and boating injuries.

In 2023 Ms. Wald was inducted in the National Trial Lawyers Association in their Top 40 Under 40 section and in 2021 she was honored to be selected by the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association to receive the inaugural “Rising Star Award.”  She also was named a “Rising Star” by the Super Lawyers organization in both 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 and additionally was named one of the Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.

She has been recognized by the Daily Business Review as one of the “Most Effective Lawyers” for her involvement in a million medical malpractice arbitration.

Career: Ms. Wald began her legal career as a law clerk with Kelley|Uustal in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, specializing in complex product liability and medical malpractice cases. During her last year of law school, she served as a Certified Legal Intern with the Office of the State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit where she tried numerous misdemeanor cases.

Ms. Wald graduated with honors from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business in 2011 where she received her Bachelor of Science in Management. She earned a double major in Legal Studies and Business and Marketing, with a minor in Jewish Studies. Upon graduating summa cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Law School in 2014, Ms. Wald returned to Kelley|Uustal to help victims of negligence and their families.

Ms. Wald has served as a guest lecturer at NSU Shepard Broad Law Center and serves on the faculty of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

Additional Faculty TBA.

Fees

Seminar Materials are included with OnDemand and all recorded package options.

OnDemand Streaming!  On-Demand Streaming allows for a single person to view the seminar unlimited times until one year after the seminar is held.

Recorded Packages!  Recorded Packages allow for a single person to download and view the program recording and are also available via DVD or CD.

Discounted rates are available for 2-4 attorneys at your firm.  Licenses are available for law firms or agencies that would like to distribute the video package or OnDemand Streaming access to more than four attorneys at their firm or agency.

Fees:

OnDemand Streaming:  $279

Recorded Packages via Download or CD/DVDs:

Video Recording – DVD or Download: $279

Audio Only (for in your car, etc.) Recording – CD or Download:  $279

Order both the Video and Audio Only Packages for only $50 more – Download, DVD or CD: $329
$10 shipping and sales tax (in California) are added at checkout to DVD/CD orders.

This program will be recorded live on November 12, 2024. Because we record our seminars live and they are edited, OnDemand Streaming and Recorded Packages are available approximately two to three weeks after the seminar is held.

Your OnDemand access is good for up to one-year from the time of purchase.  Please be sure to select OnDemand Streaming to the right and check out. OnDemand can be watched from any type of device.

*The Video recording is a video of the webinar (with sound). The Audio Only recording are audio files only and are for those who wish to listen to it without watching a video (such as in the car or while walking).

Note: OnDemand Streaming can be watched from any device. However, all download packages must be downloaded to a computer first, before transferring them to another device due to downloading as zip files containing both the video/audio and a large folder with seminar materials contained in the download package.

CLE Credit

FL General: This program is approved for 4.0 units of CLE in Florida, through May 11, 2026.

GA CLE: This program is approved for 3.5 Total CLE Hours in Georgia, Including 3.0 Trial Hours.

CA General:     This program is approved for 3.50 units of general CLE in California.

NY General: This course is eligible for approval, under New York’s CLE Approved Jurisdiction policy, for 3.50 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 state/s 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. Many attorneys ask for this and are approved in other states.