Bulletproofing Yourself and Your Opinions
Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Conference Center, Rosemont, Illinois
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Continuing Education Information
Schedule
Hotel Information
Registration Information
Brochure
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Executive Summary: The surest way to avoid a damaging cross-examination is to deny opposing counsel the ammunition to use against you. Bulletproofing Yourself and Your Opinions is an intermediate to advanced course which teaches experts how to conduct themselves in a manner which bolsters their credibility and makes themselves far more valuable to retaining counsel. This fast-paced, interactive program is taught with mock trial demonstrations featuring volunteer attendees and content rich didactic presentations. Significant time will be set aside for questions and answers. Each registration includes continental breakfast, lunch with faculty and coursebook. Some experience as an expert witness is a prerequisite for Bulletproofing Yourself and Your Opinions, but no advanced preparation is necessary.
Distinguished Faculty: David P. Tirella, Esq., is a partner and trial attorney in the Florida law firm of Eaton, Powell & Tirella. David has become the attorney to see if you need a qualified expert on your case. Expert testimony frequently can make or break a case, but few attorneys are adept at navigating the science behind the testimony and breaking it down for a jury to understand. David is one of those rare attorneys that can do it with ease. With 20 years of experience handling a wide variety of civil and criminal matters, including more than 200 bench and jury trials, David has personally interviewed and or hired hundreds of expert witnesses for criminal, civil, and medical malpractice cases. Attorney Tirella is an adjunct professor of law at Stetson University College of Law and has written and lectured extensively on expert witnessing.
Registration Information: Each registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch with faculty, a workshop manual not available elsewhere and a truly unique solutions based educational experience. To register by fax please click here. To register online please click here.
Continuing Education Information: Note: If your specialty does not appear below and you desire credits, please contact Karen Cerbarano (781-826-4974 or Karen@seak.com). We can often obtain desired credits upon request, but unfortunately, obtaining some types of credits are not feasible. Please register early, as we can only apply for credits after your registration form has been received and it can take time to get the requested approvals back from the accrediting agencies.
Accident Reconstructionists: The ACTAR Continuing Education Unit has approved this program for 7 CEUs.
Accountants: Earn 7.5 CPE credits in the field of study of Specialized Knowledge and Applications. SEAK, Inc. 108578 is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Web site: www.nasba.org For SEAK, Inc.’s complaint and program cancellation policies please call SEAK, Inc. at 508-457-1111. Some experience as an expert witness is a prerequisites for this intermediate group-live program. No advanced preparation is required.
Appraisers: The American Society of Appraisers will accept 6.5 continuing education hours for this program.
Arborists: SEAK has applied for continuing education hours through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
Attorneys: Credit varies by state. Continuing legal education credits for attorneys will only be applied for if requested in writing when sending in the registration form for the conference. Please contact Karen Cerbarano (781-261-9972, Karen@seak.com) with any questions.
Engineers: SEAK, Inc. has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102. SEAK, Inc. is authorized by IACET to offer .7 CEUs for this program. PARTIAL CREDIT IS NOT ALLOWED. Some experience as an expert witness is a prerequisites for this intermediate group-live program. No advanced preparation is required. This is an interactive program where learner-instructor dialog is encouraged. No technological skills or equipment is required.
Life Care Planners: The Commission on Health Care Certification (CHCC) has given the course 6.5 CEUs. Course number 1081.
Physicians: SEAK, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. SEAK, Inc. designates this educational activity for a maximum of 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Psychologists: 6.5 CE Credits. SEAK, Inc. is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SEAK, Inc. maintains responsibility for this program and its content. To receive credit each psychologist must attend the entire program, sign in before the program, sign out after the program and return a completed evaluation form. PARTIAL CREDIT IS NOT PERMITTED. Some experience as an expert witness is a prerequisites for this intermediate group-live program. No advanced preparation is required.
SCHEDULE
8:00–8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30–10:00 Bulletproofing Yourself—Your CV, Qualifications, Marketing Activities & Web Site
A mock trial demonstration followed by bottom line bullet point advice with numerous examples on how to avoid potentially devastating problems in an expert’s CV, qualifications, marketing activities and web site. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Demonstrate how to avoid issues in your CV, qualifications, marketing and web site.
10:00–10:15 Break and Networking Opportunity
10:15–11:00 Bulletproofing Yourself—Your Image and Reputation
This section begins with a mock trial demonstration which shows how an expert’s self-created image can be used against the expert. The didactic portion of this segment will show experts all the controllable elements that effect their image and how to best project a positive image. Examples include business cards, firm names, case selection, testifying extensively for plaintiffs/defendants, outside activities, etc. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: List ways to improve your expert image.
11:00–12:00 Bulletproofing Your Opinions—Passing the Daubert Tests, Your Methodology
Mock trial demonstration followed by an in-depth discussion of the legal requirements of Daubert and FRE 702 as they relate to how an expert forms and expresses his/her opinion(s) and the admissibility of the opinions. Numerous examples will be discussed. The lecture continues with practical advice on how to avoid being caught in a Daubert nightmare and how to use the Daubert criteria as a roadmap to bolster the persuasiveness of any opinion. Questions and Answers.
Learning Objective: Describe legal requirements of Daubert.
12:00–1:00 Lunch Provided With Faculty
1:00–2:00 Bulletproofing Your Opinions—Research, Investigation, Document Review and Examination
An expert’s opinion will only be as strong as the facts, research and investigation upon which it is based. A mock trial demonstration will be followed by a frank discussion of how to conduct an investigation, research and data collection in a manner that bolsters an expert’s opinion. Included is a discussion of FRE 703 and cherrypicking data to support an opinion. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: List the ways to strengthen your opinion.
2:00–2:30 Bulletproofing Your Opinions—Managing the Potentially Damaging Influence of Retaining Counsel
Experts often severely damage or destroy the persuasiveness of their opinions by allowing retaining counsel to influence (or appear to influence) their investigation, assumptions, and opinions. In this segment experts will learn how to insulate their opinions from the appearance of being under the influence of retaining counsel, for example through the information the expert relies upon, the modification of draft and preliminary opinions, and through the communications between the expert and retaining counsel. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Identify methods retaining counsel may use to influence your opinions.
2:30–2:45 Break and Networking Opportunity
2:45–3:15 Bulletproofing Your Opinions—Rebuttals and Commenting On Other Experts
Commenting on another expert’s opinions is an area that gets many experts into unnecessary difficulty. In this segment experts will learn the right way and wrong way to comment on another expert’s opinions. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Describe the correct way to comment on another expert’s opinions.
3:15–4:15 Bulletproofing Your Opinions—Best Practices in Expressing and Supporting Your Opinions in Your Written Report and While Testifying
Even the most well researched opinions are worthless if not expressed with confidence, legal sufficiency and adequate basis. This segment will consist of a mock trial demonstration along with advice (with numerous examples) on how and how not to express and support your expert opinion(s). Included is a discussion of standards, using objective supporting data, citing research, and margins or error. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: List techniques to effectively present your opinions.
4:15–4:30 Takeaways, Conclusion, and Evaluation
The faculty will address any final questions and elicit from the audience a bullet-proof list of what specifically they will be doing differently in light of what was learned at the course. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: List the most important concepts, techniques and action steps learned in the program.
HOTEL INFORMATION
The site hotel is the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Conference Center in the village of Rosemont, IL. This full service “fly in fly out” property is easily accessible to Chicago’s O’Hare airport and provides complimentary 24 hour shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport and is a modern, well-equipped quiet hotel. All of the guest rooms are brand new and come equipped with additional amenities such as refrigerator, in-room safe, cordless telephone, 32 inch High Def. LCD TV, double paned windows and Full size sofa-sleepers in all King bedded rooms. The Crowne Plaza Chicago is located directly across the street from Rosemont Convention Center. The compact Village of Rosemont is a very popular convention destination that features over 5,000 hotel rooms, numerous restaurants including Morton’s, Nick’s Fish Market, The Capital Grille, and McCormick and Schmick’s, the brand new state of the art 101,000 square foot Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18, the Rosemont Theater, the Museum of Hummels and other attractions. The Chicago Loop and Magnificent Mile are accessible via taxi or you can walk to the subway from the Crowne Plaza. SEAK has secured a special group rate of $104/night (single and double). Rooms are limited and this rate expires on June 1, 2010. To make your reservations, please call 888-233-9527 and refer to the SEAK Group rate.