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Product Details

Expert Report Writing Workshop, August 21, 2012

Falmouth, MA

Sea Crest Beach Hotel, Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Executive Summary: An expert’s report is one of the most important services provided to retaining counsel. A well-written report is immensely helpful to retaining counsel and may well lead to future referrals and the ability to charge premium fees. A poorly written report can and will be used to impeach the expert in the case at hand and future cases for years to come. Expert Report Writing Workshop is a lively, hands-on program that features numerous interactive writing exercises and mock trial demonstrations. It will teach you how to write more valuable and more defensible reports and how to avoid the most common pitfalls involved in expert report writing. Attendees will learn how to structure their reports so as to be resistant to cross examination. Ample time will be set aside for questions and answers.

Distinguished Faculty: Nadine Nasser Donovan, Esq., is a former trial lawyer with extensive litigation experience. She is currently of counsel to the Boston-based firm of Martin, Magnuson, McCarthy & Kenney. Her practice area includes the defense of medical professionals in medical malpractice actions and before medical licensing boards. In addition, Ms. Donovan is a Legal Writing Instructor at Boston University School of Law. She previously practiced litigation in New York City, first as a prosecutor in Queens, and then as counsel for the City of New York. Ms. Donovan received her J.D. cum laude from Boston College Law School. She graduated from Fordham University summa cum laude with a B.A. in French Literature.

Registration Information: The $595 tuition includes a continental breakfast, breaks, lunch with faculty, a detailed manual which can be retained as a bookshelf reference, and a dynamic learning experience.

Location/Hotel Accommodations
The Sea Crest Beach Hotel (www.seacrestbeachotel.com, 800-225-3110) is a full-service beach front hotel nestled in a beautiful oceanfront location in Falmouth, Massachusetts and has recently undergone an $18,000,000 renovation. A limited block of rooms will be available at special rates at the site hotel ($235 Single/Double). Rooms are limited and this rate expires July 21, 2012. To make your reservations please call 800-225-3110 and mention that you are with SEAK, Inc. These rates are available for a limited time and on a limited number of rooms so you are strongly encouraged to make your reservations as soon as possible. Falmouth is one of the Cape’s best playgrounds for vacationers of all ages and interests. It features over 75 miles of scenic coastline, three ferries to Martha’s Vineyard, countless dining options, numerous antique shops, the Shining Sea bike trail, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (which found the Titanic and Bismarck, among other famous accomplishments), numerous public golf courses and ocean temperatures and daytime high temperatures which both average in the 70s during the month of August. Nantucket ferries run from Hyannis, which is approximately thirty minutes (by car) from Falmouth.

Continuing Education Information: Note: If your specialty does not appear below and you desire credits, please contact Karen Cerbarano (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. There are no prerequisites for this intermediate group-live program. No advanced preparation is required. Appraisers: The American Society of Appraisers will accept 6.25 continuing education hours for this program. 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 (Karen@seak.com) with any questions. Engineers: 6 PDHs. The acceptance of this course is dependent upon your state(s) of registration. The vast majority of states do not require preapproval of either courses or course sponsors. Life Care Planners: The Commission on Health Care Certification (CHCC) has given the course 6.25 CEUs. Course number 1192. Physicians: SEAK, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. SEAK, Inc. designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Psychologists: 6 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. There are no prerequisites for this intermediate group-live program. No advanced preparation is required.

SCHEDULE

8:00–8:30 Continental Breakfast

8:30–9:00 Introduction
Students will learn when to write their expert report and more importantly when not to write an expert report. The law governing the discoverability and admissibility of expert reports will be explained. The specific reasons why a well-written report is of crucial importance will be explained. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Discuss the rules governing expert reports, discuss when to write an expert report and explain the law governing expert reports.

9:00–9:30 Legal Requirements of Expert Reports
Students will learn the legally mandated content requirements for Rule 26 Reports for cases in federal court and reports used to oppose or support motions for summary judgment (Rule 56 motions). Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: List the legal requirements for expert reports.

9:30–10:00 Formatting
Students will learn the optimum ways to format an expert report and how this can assist them during cross-examination. The importance of proper formatting will be emphasized, with a specific discussion of cover pages, fonts, topic headings, paragraph breaks and lengths, spacing, and page numbering. A mock trial demonstration will emphasize the importance of proper formatting. Model reports with superior formatting will be provided. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Describe an optimally formatted expert report.

10:00–10:30 Documents and Authority/Research Reviewed
Through a combination of a didactic presentation, interactive writing exercises, and mock trial demonstrations, students will learn the best way to document in an expert report the documents and research upon which the expert’s opinion was based and the importance of doing this in a proper manner. What should and should not be included will be discussed. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Describe how to best document in an expert report the documents, authority and research reviewed.

10:30–10:45 Break and Networking Opportunity

10:45–11:15 Qualifications of the Expert
The expert’s stating of his own qualifications in an expert report is an area where avoidable mistakes with severe consequences are all too often made. Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn the importance of accurately and objectively stating one’s qualifications and the common errors that experts often make in this area. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Explain how to avoid common errors associated with documenting an expert’s qualifications.

11:15–11:45 Properly Expressing Your Opinion
The purpose of an expert report is the expression of the expert’s opinion. This opinion should be expressed in a clear, confident and supportable manner. Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn how to properly express an opinion and the reasoning for that opinion in an expert report and the common pitfalls to avoid in this area. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Explain how to best document an expert’s opinion.

11:45–12:00 Catching Mistakes Before They Catch You
Through didactic presentations and a mock trial demonstration experts will learn the importance of proofreading their report and how to catch and correct the most commonly made errors in expert reports. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Describe how to proof an expert report so as to prevent mistakes.

12:00–1:15 Lunch Provided with Faculty

1:15–2:45 Drafting a Powerful, Defensible Report
Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn 20 proven techniques to make their expert report more powerful, persuasive, and defensible. Specific techniques explained will include: avoidance of absolute words, staying within the expert’s true area of expertise, red flag words to avoid in expert reports, common damaging superfluous language that should not appear in expert reports, the avoidance of hedge words and over a dozen more specific techniques. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: List techniques to draft powerful, defensible expert reports.

2:45–3:00 Break and Networking Opportunity

3:00–4:00 Defending Your Report During Cross Examination
Through didactic presentations and mock trial demonstrations students will learn the 25 most effective tactics counsel uses to attack an expert through his report and, more importantly, specific advice on how to defend against each and every one of these tactics. Questions and Answers. Learning Objective: Explain how to defeat opposing counsel’s cross-examination tactics.

4:00–4:30 Takeaways, Conclusion and Evaluation
Concluding remarks will be preceded by an attendee and faculty generated numbered list of action steps and takeaways from the covered material that attendees can use to draft more persuasive and defensible expert reports. Questions and Answers. List action steps to draft more persuasive and defensible expert reports.

Price: $595.00