Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 4:00 pm
Investigating and Evaluating a Personal Injury Claim
N. Mauro
Obtaining information from/about the plaintiff
Using (and not using) investigators
Identifying and locating parties and witnesses
Investigating/documenting the incident
Interviewing witnesses
Obtaining information on damages
Identifying and obtaining other relevant information
Helpful resources
Litigating Personal Injury Cases
M. Carmoney
Drafting, filing and serving initial pleadings
Motion practice in personal injury cases
Formal discovery
• Drafting admissions, interrogatories and requests for production of documents
• Responding to discovery requests
Deposition practice: preparing for, attending and reviewing
Working with expert witnesses
Preparing for trial
Trying Personal Injury Cases
N. Mauro
Jury selection
Opening statement
Determining and handling witnesses and exhibits
Objections and offers of proof
Motions for directed verdict
Arguing jury instructions
Closing statement
Post-trial motions
Understanding Indemnity, Subrogation and Contribution
J. Leverenz
Types of indemnity, indemnity claims, defenses to
indemnity claims
Overview of subrogation, asserting subrogation
rights, defenses to subrogation claims
Right to contribution, bringing a claim for contribution,
defenses to contribution claims
Credits
This course offers Iowa attorneys 6.0 CLE hours.
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public. The Iowa Supreme Court Commission on CLE has approved this program for 6.0 CLE hours for attorneys, which includes no ethics hours.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Michael Carmoney
Carmoney Law Firm, PLLCAttorney with the Carmoney Law Firm, PLLC in Des MoinesMr. Carmoney is a trial attorney specializing in civil litigation and insurance defense. He is a veteran of numerous civil jury and bench trials in Iowa’s state and federal courts, primarily representing individual and corporate defendants in personal injury disputes. The scope of his practice ranges across many phases of civil litigation and appeals, including premises liability claims, motor vehicle accidents, fire and explosion cases, intentional torts, and employment law matters. Mr. Carmoney is an honors graduate of Wittenberg University and Drake University Law School, and he successfully completed the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy at Stanford University. In 2016, he was appointed Honorary Counsel by the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigative Units, an organization committed to the reduction of insurance fraud. Mr. Carmoney has co-authored two legal textbooks: Bad Faith Litigation in Iowa (published 2003) and Practical Legal Ethics in Iowa: Issues and Answers (published 2002).
Jack Leverenz
Carmoney Law Firm, PLLCAttorney with the Carmoney Law Firm, PLLCMr. Leverenz served as a law clerk in the Carmoney law offices until he was hired on as an attorney after successfully graduating from law school. Mr. Leverenz has worked in the legal field in both Iowa and Minnesota, and he currently practices law in the federal and state courts of Iowa. His practice spreads across a spectrum of civil litigation and appeals, and includes family law, personal injury and property damage litigation, workers’ compensation defense, construction defect claims, products liability, motor vehicle accidents, intentional torts, business litigation, contract construction and disputes, and employment issues. Mr. Leverenz is a graduate of the University of Iowa, and he received his J.D. degree with honors from Drake University Law School. He is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, the Polk County Bar Association, and the Iowa-Nebraska Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigative Units.
Nicholas Mauro
Crawford & Mauro Law FirmAttorney with Crawford & Mauro Law Firm in Des MoinesMr. Mauro graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. degree in Business Administration in 1999 and received his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2002. His practice focuses on plaintiff’s personal injury, medical malpractice, racing and gaming, sports law, and commercial litigation, as well as government relations and policy initiatives. Mr. Mauro is a member of the American Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Polk County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice and the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association. He is also active in the Des Moines community serving as a volunteer coach for the South Des Moines Irish Baseball Club and as the former president and a board member for the Southwestern Hills Neighborhood Association.