Trial Preparation for Texas Legal Assistants
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.
Monday, April 24, 2023 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm CDT (including a 30-min. break)
Overview of a Civil Trial
Presented by: Chad Berry
- Pre-Trial Procedure and Scheduling Orders
- Discovery Control Plan and Discovery Overview
- Pre-Trial Motion Practice
- Anatomy of a Trial
Assisting with Investigations
Presented by: Laura Grove
- Summarizing depositions
- Skip tracing
- Coordinating witnesses
- Reviewing pleadings and discovery
Managing Evidence
Presented by: Caroline Near
- Types of evidence
- Rules for admissibility of evidence
- Preserving evidence
Effectively Working with Opposing Counsel and Staff
Presented by: Kimberly McQuilliams
- Analyzing methods of communication
- Standards for responding to emails
- Working with the courts
- Maintaining professionalism
Assembling and Using Trial Notebooks
Presented by: David Findley
- Essentials of a Trial Notebook
- Organization of a Trial Notebook
- Uses for a Trial Notebook Before Trial
- Uses of a Trial Notebook During Trial
Litigation Ethics for Assistants and Paralegals
Presented by: Mari Wise
- 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
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.
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Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)
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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
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Credits
Paralegals/Legal Assistants:
6.0 CLE Hours
NFPA:
Pending
NALA:
Pending
Texas Board of Legal Specialization:
6.0 CLE Hours
Continuing Education Credit Information
This webinar is open to the public and offers 6.0 CLE hours to paralegals and legal assistants in Texas.
HalfMoon Education is an approved CLE provider for Texas attorneys (No. 8306). This course has been approved by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for certification and recertification continuing legal education requirements for attorneys and paralegals in the following specialty fields: 6.0 hours in civil trial law, criminal law, family law, and personal injury trial law.
This course has been submitted to the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) for evaluation and accreditation, which are 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 and earn a passing score (80%) on the quiz that follows the presentation (multiple attempts allowed).
On-Demand Credits
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format may not be eligible for the same credits as the live presentation; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate.
Speakers
Chad Berry
Attorney at Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.CChad Berry’s practice primarily consists of business and commercial litigation and bankruptcy litigation. He has more than 25 years of broad trial experience prosecuting and defending claims on behalf of businesses and individuals. Over the years, Mr. Berry has represented businesses, banks, lending institutions, leasing companies, commercial landlords, aerospace companies, churches, residential and commercial contractors, publishing companies, production companies, and service companies. His practice areas include: Business and Commercial Litigation; Banking (Collections, Foreclosures, Litigation); Creditor’s Rights (Litigation, Extraordinary Remedies, and Post-Judgment Collections); Bankruptcy (Collections and Litigation); Contract/Lease Litigation; Construction Litigation; Commercial Landlord and Tenant Litigation; Business Torts (Fraud, Deceit, Conversion, and Embezzlement); and Churches, Ministries and Religious Institutions. Mr. Berry is admitted to the State Bar of Texas; United States District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern, Western, Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas; United States Court of Federal Claims; United States District Court and Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado; and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He earned his B.A. degree from Abilene Christian University and his J.D. degree from Western Michigan University – Cooley Law School.
David Findley
David Findley is a problem solver with deep experience across a range of family law and probate matters. Whether it’s a divorce, custody dispute, or property division, he works with clients to identify achievable goals to work toward. Once that’s been accomplished, he lays out a plan to give them the best possible chance of making it happen. He attended Texas A&M University, where he studied Political Science, graduating magna cum laude. He received his law degree from Baylor University School of Law. He is a member of the Family Law sections of both the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association.
Laura Grove
Loewy Law Firm: Austin Personal Injury AttorneyMs. Grove is an experienced and Board Certified Paralegal with a demonstrated history of working in the legal and medical industries. She is skilled in medical record summarization, drafting pleadings and discovery, e-filing, demand preparation, negotiation, subrogation and reductions.
Kimberly McQuilliams, BS, EMT-LP
Medical Paralegal with Clark Hill PLCMs. McQuilliams has been a litigation defense paralegal/medical consultant for 29 yrs, specializing in medical malpractice, pharmaceutical, medical device, toxic tort and product liability. She has attended and managed 30-40 trials in Texas and Oklahoma. In addition to her paralegal background, she has been a Licensed Paramedic for 23 yrs. Ms. McQuilliams experience as a paramedic, including many years in the ER, allows her to assist attorneys and claim professionals with medical record review/analysis, witness/expert interviews, liability/damage determinations and medical research.
Caroline Near
Attorney at Orsinger, Nelson, Downing and Anderson L.L.P.Caroline Near’s areas of practice include: Divorce; Child Custody; Child Support; Property Division; Enforcements; Family Violence; Appellate; Marital Agreements; Grandparents’ Rights; and Mediation & Arbitration. She is admitted to the State Bar of Texas (Family Law Section, Member); Dallas Bar Association (Family Law Section, Member); and Annette Stewart American Inn of Court (Associate). She received her B.A. degree from The University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. degree from SMU Dedman School of Law.
Mari L. Wise
Board Certified Family Law Attorney at The Wise Law FirmMs. Wise completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin with honors, majoring in Psychology, and she earned her J.D. degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. She was admitted to practice in Texas on February 8, 2001, and has been Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2011. Ms. Wise is a member of the State Bar of Texas, its Family Law Section, its Texas Technology Section, and then the College of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association and its Family Law Section, the Fort Bend County Bar Association, and Gulf Coast Family Law Specialists.