10 04, 2014

MOTION ARGUMENT PREPARATION

By |April 10th, 2014|Motions, Seattle University Law School, teaching techniques|0 Comments

If you are unprepared to argue a motion, it shows. This was the take away that a significant number of my Seattle University law students noted in their reports on watching motions arguments in both state and federal court. I require that my Comprehensive Pretrial students attend a motion hearing and then write a report [...]

7 04, 2014

PRETRIAL & TRIAL ADVOCACY: GET THEM OUT OF THE CLASSROOM

By |April 7th, 2014|Motions, Pretrial Tips, Scene Visit, Seattle University Law School, teaching techniques|8 Comments

When teaching pretrial or trial advocacy, it is important to get the law students out of the classroom to experience the real life of a trial lawyer. For my Comprehensive Pretrial Advocacy course, the students have a minimum of three experiences outside the classroom. First, we go to the scene – the Garage tavern (the [...]

21 05, 2013

MOTION ARGUMENT – DOES IT PASS THE “LAUGH TEST”?: COURTROOM LESSON #6

By |May 21st, 2013|Courtroom Lessons, Motions, Pretrial Tips, Seattle University Law School|1 Comment

Maintain Your CredibilityNo matter how much you stress certain principles of pretrial practice in a law school pretrial advocacy class, the lessons don’t stick the way seeing them come live in a courtroom does. Students in my semester-long Comprehensive Pretrial Advocacy course go to court, watch a motion calendar and write a report about what [...]

4 03, 2011

SUMMARY JUDGMENT – WRITING AND ARGUING

By |March 4th, 2011|Judge John Erlick, Motions, p, Pretrial Tips, Writing|3 Comments

Writing and Arguing Motions – Tips from Judge John ErlickWhen Judge John Erlick, served as Chief Civil Judge of the King County Superior Court (Seattle), he created a column entitled “Tips from the Top” for the King County Bar Bulletin in which he answered questions posed by members of the bar. One lawyer wrote asking, [...]

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