Jeff Leonard and Drew Haskins spoke as faculty members at the National Business Institute CLE Seminar in Birmingham, Alabama, “Building Your Civil Litigation Skills.”
Jeff Leonard’s presentation, Preparation – Trial Will Not Go Well Unless You are Well-Prepared, used the metaphor of football and expanded from there:
“Trial is similar to football . . . if it were a one-game season. You must organize, review, prepare, summarize, and practice beforehand. You must know all the facts. You must even coach your own players (your witnesses) before the game; and get into the head of opposing players (their witnesses). No foreseen eventuality (on-side kick or evidentiary dispute) should be left to chance. If you have prepared, trial should be fun, not an anxiety-filled week of all-nighters. As a reward for the days or weeks of hard work and preparation, you get a trial much like a football player gets a Saturday game and the opportunity to hit opposing players. Preparation is key.”
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Drew Haskins spoke on tactics used in jury selection. At Heninger Garrison Davis, our lawyers and staff are thinking about and preparing for trial from the first client interview. We take the time and pay close attention to the details of each client’s case, always with trial preparation in mind, whether a case actually goes to trial or not. It’s this committed and creative approach to each case that makes our firm unique and successful.
