The first annual Orrin G. Hatch Distinguished Trial Lawyer Series, "The Art of Courtroom Advocacy," will be held at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School Oct. 29-30.
The series is named for Senator Orrin G. Hatch, who had a career as a trial lawyer before being elected U.S. senator from Utah.
Lectures and panel discussions on critical courtroom techniques and tactics covering all aspects of trial practice (jury selection, opening statements, direct examination, cross examination, difficult foundational issues and closing statements) will be led by a panel of expert trial attorneys and trial judges.
"The series presents a singular opportunity for our law students, our alumni and Utah's trial attorneys to be instructed by a panel of federal and state court judges and outstanding trial attorneys," said Law School Dean Kevin J. Worthen. "We are pleased to be able to sponsor this opportunity."
The keynote speaker will be Russ A. Herman, accomplished trial lawyer and former president of the American Trial Lawyers Association. Herman is one of the country's leading counselors for anti-tobacco litigation and serves as counsel in a number of state class actions brought on behalf of individual claimants, as well as the Louisiana suit to recover Medicaid benefits. He was a lead negotiator for plaintiffs in the $368-billion proposed settlement with the tobacco industry.
Other presenters include jurists Monroe G. McKay of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Dee V. Benson and Dale A. Kimball of the District Court, Utah, and California State Court Judge Douglas Miller, who will discuss the judge's perspective on trial practice. U.S. Attorney for Utah, Paul M. Warner, and BYU law professor Michael Goldsmith, former vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, will be joined by experienced trial lawyers James W. Parkinson, Maury A. Herman, David Schwendeman, Robert Davis, and Max Wheeler in presenting to students and lawyers.
For more information and a schedule of events, contact Professor Michael Goldsmith or his assistant Julie Buffington at (801) 422-4278.
