Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.

Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.

Thursday, February 16, 2023 
8:30 am – 4:00 pm EST (including a 30-min. break)

Agenda:
Basics of Georgia State Civil Litigation
Types of civil matters
State court vs. federal court practice
Prerequisites for litigation
Alternatives to litigation: mediation, arbitration, negotiation
The civil discovery process
Preparing for trial
Civil trials
Post-judgment matters and appeals

Preparing for and Assisting at Trial
Obtaining subpoenas
Preparing trial notebook
Preparing and organizing evidence
Managing exhibits and witnesses

Legal Ethics for Legal Assistants
Attorney and paralegal ethical rules
Specific areas of concern for legal support staff:
• Conflicts of interest
• Confidentiality
• Ex-parte communications
Avoiding the unauthorized practice of law
Working with clients, courts and opposing counsel

Enhancing Your Investigation Skills
Identifying the elements of proof
Determining what facts you need to prove
Locating sources of Georgia Law
Utilizing information obtained

Document Drafting and Editing
Legal terminology
Drafting legal documents
Editing legal documents
Updating legal references
Proofreading skills

   

Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)

Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled

Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps       Hardware: 2GB RAM or more

For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com

Credits

Paralegals:
6.5 CLE Hours (Includes 1.0 Ethics Hour)

NALA:
6.5 CLE Credits (Includes 1.0 Ethics Hour)

NFPA:
Pending

 

Continuing Education Credit Information
This webinar is open to the public and offers 6.5 CLE hours to paralegals. Paralegal certification is not required to participate in this webinar.

The National Association of Legal Assistants has approved this course for 6.5 total CLE hours, which includes 5.5 substantive CLE hours and 1.0 legal ethics CLE hour.

This course has been submitted to the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) for accreditation, which is currently pending.

Visit this course listing at www.halfmoonseminars.org for updates on pending credits.

Completion certificates will be awarded to participants who complete this event, respond to prompts and earn a passing score (80%) on the quiz that follows the presentation (multiple attempts allowed).

Speakers

Christine M. Palmer, Esq

Partner at Oxendine Law, LLC in Suwanee, GA 

 Ms. Palmer earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Alabama then attended law school at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida. She previously worked as in-house counsel for a real estate investment company and was the managing attorney of a law firm in Midtown Atlanta. Ms. Palmer is a partner at Oxendine Law, LLC, practicing in all areas of domestic litigation, divorce, child custody, paternity and legitimation, and modification actions. She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia Family Law Section and the Gwinnett County Bar Association Family Law Section.

Paul S. Simon, Esq.

Partner at Hedgepeth Heredia LLC in Atlanta, GA.

Mr. Simon was named as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in the area of family law, He has exclusively practiced family law for the entirety of his legal career. Mr. Simon is a member of the Family Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and the Family Law Section and Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia. Mr. Simon has been published in the Daily Report, the legal organ of Fulton County, Georgia, and in the American Journal of Trial Advocacy. He has also spoken at continuing legal education conferences on topics germane to family law cases.

Savannah Steele

Senior Associate Attorney at Kaye, Lembeck, Hitt & French Family Law in Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Steele is a graduate of Florida State University where she received a B.A. degree in Communications and a B.A. degree in Psychology. She graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University earning her J.D. degree and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, being trained in both the civil and common law. Following graduation, Ms. Steele moved to Atlanta and worked for a general practice litigation firm, where she specialized in family law practice and eventually grew into an all-family practice. She now works at the boutique (and all female!) family law firm of Kaye, Lembeck, Hitt & French Family Law. Ms. Steele has served as an Emerging Leader for the American Bar Association and is privileged to continue her service to the American Bar Association.

Edward M. Wynn

Attorney at Slappey & Sadd, LLC

Mr Wynn is an associate attorney with Slappey & Sadd, LLC. His practice focuses exclusively on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. He has successfully represented hundreds of personal injury victims in cases involving trucking and automobile wrecks, premises liability claims, medical malpractice, and intentional torts. Mr. Wynn has also successfully handled numerous appeals before both the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia.After graduating from the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 2007, Mr. Wynn was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia that same year. During law school, he received the Frank C. Jones Scholarship, a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Evidence, and a Certificate in Advanced Legal Writing and Research from Mercer Law’s top-ranked legal writing program. Prior to law school, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with a BA in Political Science from UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs. Mr. Wynn strongly believes that attorneys are called to serve others and the community at large. He co-founded Step Up, Atlanta!, a non-profit organization that has organized fundraisers and volunteers service opportunities benefiting charities such as the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation, the Special Olympics of Georgia, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Beta Xi Chapter (UGA) of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity. Mr. Wynn is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council, an organization dedicated to assisting crime victims and their families through education, counseling, and legislative initiatives.