Westin Casuarina Las Vegas Hotel, Casino & Spa
Las Vegas, NV
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Cosponsored by AAJ’s Nursing Homes Litigation Group
AAJ’s Litigating Nursing Home Cases Seminar brings together experienced plaintiff trial lawyers to share their insights and knowledge on topics vital to achieving a full recovery of damages for your clients. This year’s program will focus on exposing and understanding juror attitudes in nursing home cases. The theme for the first day is “Land Mines, Legal Issues, and Ethics”. Lectures will address juror bias based on recent polling, the top ten reversals in voir dire, ethical issues in voir dire, pretrial contact with jurors, and theories of jury selection. The theme for the second day is “Voir Dire & Focus Group Demonstrations” which will include several live voir dire panels and a structured focus group demonstration.
Along with excellent content this seminar offers attendees a chance to meet and network with fellow plaintiff trial lawyers who practice in the nursing home area. Whether you are a seasoned veteran or new to the game, you will find camaraderie in AAJ’s Nursing Homes Litigation Group and their AAJ Education programs. You will leave Las Vegas with new techniques and tools to enhance your practice along with new colleagues and friends to support you and your practice.
Open Only to AAJ Plaintiff Members (Regular, Life, Sustaining, President’s Club, and Leaders Forum) and AAJ’s Paralegal Affiliates.
“I am always impressed by the knowledge, skills, and insights freely shared by our AAJ peers. This collegiality is what my membership in AAJ is all about.”
—Thomas S. Howard, Hackensack, NJ, 34 years in practice
“It re-energized my practice and pumped me up to fight for my clients. It is great to find out how others are dealing with the difficulties.”
—Lincoln M. Wright, Mesa, AZ, 12 years in practice
Thursday, October 13
Registration
(Continental breakfast provided)
8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session
8:30 am – 12:45 pm
Theme: Land Mines, Legal Issues, & Ethics
Nursing Home Specific Jury Research
Amy Singer, Ph.D.
What Are the Fixes to Common Juror Attitudes and Beliefs?
- Short life expectancy
- Dementia
- Comorbidities
- Corporate shell game
- Money
- Circumstantial evidence
- Family
Lance D. Lourie
What’s the Legal Framework for Jury Selection?
Deborah R. Gough
Pretrial and In-Trial Jury Research
- Supplemental juror questionnaires (SJQs)
- Social networking
- How does this apply to the federal system and states without voir dire
Denns Elias, Ph.D.
Lunch
(On your own)
12:45 – 1:45 pm
Afternoon Session
1:45 – 5:15 pm
Are There Ethics in Jury Selection?
Derrick L. Walker
Voir Dire: Deselection
Jacob G. Vigil
Persuasion Through Voir Dire
Kenneth L. Connor
Voir Dire Panel Demonstration: Guiding Jurors into Their Role As Heroes
Carl Bettinger, M.D., J.D.
Networking Reception
5:15 – 6:15 pm
Friday, October 14
Morning Session
(Continental breakfast provided)
8:30 am – 12:50 pm
Theme: Voir Dire & Focus Group Demonstration
Explanation of How Panel was Screened, Recruitment, and Selection of Juror Demographic
Moderator Introduction to Panel
Voir Dire Panel Demonstration: Empowerment
Carl Bettinger, M.D., J.D.
Voir Dire Panel Demonstration: Deselection
J. Thomas Rhodes, III
Voir Dire Panel Demonstration: Persuasion
Kenneth L. Connor
Lunch
(On your own)
12:50 – 2:00 pm
Afternoon Session
2:00 – 5:30 pm
Structured Focus Group Demonstration in a Nursing Home Case
Debriefing
