Expert Witness Report Writing Workshop
Expert Witness Report Writing Workshop
June 19, 2007
Four Points by Sheraton Hyannis Resort |
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.
Here's what past attendees have to say!
“Well structured and great examples”
“Every bit as good as I had hoped for!”
“Extremely effective”
“Very practical, open to answering questions”
“Kept everything anchored to the main objective”
“Good information combined with and applied to practical experiences”
“Very helpful”
“Excellent program, well executed”
“Great job of pointing out weaknesses in the reports and line of questioning, nice educational strategy”
“Great, engaging, and informative”
“Awesome, I appreciate seamless transition between attorney and lecturer”
Distinguished Faculty
Nadine Nasser Donovan, Esq.,
is a former trial lawyer with extensive litigation experience. She iscurrently 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.
Tuition
The $395 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.
Click here for registration information.
Continuing Education Information
Note: If your
specialty does not appear below and you desire credits, please
contact Karen Babitsky (781-261-9972 or 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
7.0 CEUs.
Accountants:
Earn 7.5 CPE credits in the field of study of Specialized
Knowledge and Applications. SEAK, Inc. 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
introductory/intermediate group live program. No advanced
preparation is required.
Appraisers:
The American Society of Appraisers will accept 6.0 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 Babitsky (781-261-9972, Karen@seak.com) with any questions.
Engineers:
SEAK, Inc. has been reviewed and approved as an Authorized Provider
by the International Association for Continuing Education and
Training (IACET), 1620 I Street, NW, Suite 615, Washington, DC
20006. SEAK, Inc. will award .62 CEUs to participants who
successfully complete this program.
Nurses:
6.2 Contact Hours. This continuing nursing education activity
was approved by the Ohio Nurses Association (OBN-001-91) an
accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s
Commission on Accreditation. ONA assigned #13,147. Approval valid
through October 26, 2008.
Physicians:
SEAK, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for
physicians. SEAK, Inc. designates this educational activity for a
maximum of 6.25 AMA PRA Category 1™ Credits. Physicians
should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their
participation in the activity.
Psychologists:
6.5 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
introductory/intermediate group-live program.
Click here for Continuing Education Information.
Scheduleclick here to view the complete schedule
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
8:00-8:30Continental Breakfast
8:30-9:00Introduction
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.
9:00-9:30Legal
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.
9:30-10:00Formatting
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.
10:00-10:30Documents 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.
10:30-10:45BREAK &
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
10:45-11:15Qualifications
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.
11:15-11:45Properly
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.
11:45-12:00Catching
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.
12:00-1:15LUNCH PROVIDED
WITH FACULTY
1:15-2:45Drafting 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.
2:45-3:00BREAK &
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
3:00-4:00Defending 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.
4:00-4:30Takeaways,
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.