SEAK Expert Report Writing Workshop, June 2003

James J. Mangraviti, Jr., JD, has trained hundreds of expert witnesses across the United States and Canada. He is a former trial lawyer with experience in defense and plaintiff personal injury law and insurance law. He currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel of SEAK, Inc. Mr. Mangraviti received his BA degree in mathematics summa cum laude from Boston College and his JD degree cum laude from Boston College Law School. His publications include the texts Writing and Defending Your Expert Report: The Step-by-Step Guide with Models, SEAK Law School for Physicians, Law School for the Safety and Health Professional, The Independent Medical Examination Report: A Step-by-Step Guide with Models, The Successful Physician Negotiator: How to Get What You Deserve, How to Excel During Cross-Examination: Techniques for Experts That Work, How to Excel During Depositions: Techniques for Experts That Work, and The Comprehensive Forensic Services Manual: The Essential Resources for All Experts.

Registration Information
The $295 tuition includes continental breakfast, lunch with faculty, a seminar manual not available elsewhere, and a dynamic learning experience.

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

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 towrite 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
9:00-9:30	Legal Requirements of Expert Reports Students will learn the legally mandatedcontent 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
9:30-10:00	Formatting Students will learn the optimum ways to format an expert report and how this can assistthem 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. Models reports with superior formatting will be provided. Questions and Answers
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
10:30-10:45	Break (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
11:15-11:45	Properly Expressing Your Opinion The purpose of an expert report is the expression ofthe 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
11:45 - 12:00 pm	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
12:00pm-1:15pm	Lunch (Provided with Faculty)
1:15pm-2:45pm	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
2:45pm-3:00pm	Break (Networking Opportunity)
3:00pm-4:00pm	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
4:00pm-5:00pm	Report Critiques (Optional) Experts will have the opportunity to have an actual expert report of theirs critiqued by a colleague. Experts who wish to participate in this part of the program should bring one of their shorter reports with them to the seminar.

Preconference
Expert Report Writing Workshop	Schedule
Sheraton Hyannis Resort Hyannis, Massachusetts	Faculty
June 25, 2003	Registration Info
	SEAK's Expert Witness Directory

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 and will even be provided an opportunity to have an actual expert report of theirs critiqued by a colleague. Ample time will be set aside for questions and answers.
Learning Objectives At the completion of this seminar you will be able to: Dramatically improve your forensic report writing skills. Avoid the most common pitfalls in drafting expert reports. Understand the tactics attorneys use to attack an expert report and learn how to defend against each of these tactics. Be a more valuable expert witness.

SEAK in Hyannis -- June 2003
Registration Info	Testifying Skills Workshop	Advanced Cross-Examination Workshop	Expert Report Writing Workshop	Registration Form	SEAK's Expert Witness Directory



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