E D I T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J i m W i m s a t t – H a r r i s , H u n t & D e r r , P . A .
ContinuingEducation : takeadvantage ofExcellentopportunitiesavailable tomembers
seminarssuchastheseareinvaluableforprovidingfeedback thatyouwillactuallyuseinyourday-to-daypractice .
Readers of my column have probably realized by now that I am a huge fan of the programming that the HCBA organizes and puts on each year . The CLEs , luncheons , speakers , and charitable events that the HCBA presents on an ongoing basis is second to none in the State of Florida , and arguably the entire country . This month , however , I wanted to address some of the other programming that is out there for attorneys that allows them to hone their skills and refine their craft .
This July , the Florida Bar ’ s Family Law Section held their excellent Trial Advocacy Seminar . This advanced seminar is only offered once every two years and features seasoned advocates presenting on practical topics such as openings , closings , and examinations of both expert and lay witnesses .
Attorneys looking to gain experience and feedback are given a challenging fact pattern , a client , and goal . Over the course of four days , they put together a pretty complete trial presentation that is delivered to small groups of their peers and more experienced facilitators . The participants receive feedback from their cohort and their mentors , allowing them to refine their arguments and skills . Importantly , observing their classmates allows them to really see what works and what doesn ’ t .
Additionally , the access to trial seasoned , actual subject matter expert witnesses gives them the opportunity to really figure out how to both get their expert ’ s opinion into evidence in the most effective way possible and how to attack the weaknesses of the opposing expert .
The Florida Bar ’ s Trial Lawyers Section puts on a similar Advanced Trial Advocacy Seminar , an intensive four-day interactive training seminar , where the lawyers learn
through participatory exercises . National organizations offer similar practical seminars where attorneys can learn from actually doing the work in a low-risk environment . Coming from the perspective of a litigator , if you really take advantage of the opportunity , seminars such as these are invaluable for providing feedback that you will actually use in your day-to-day practice .
While I have focused on litigation , there are continuing education courses that can be found for most areas of law that concentrate on practical skills where participants learn through hands-on experience and feedback from more experienced practitioners . If you cannot find what you are looking for , then take advantage of your fellow HCBA members and Sections and create it . As you can see in each issue of this magazine , there are countless attorneys in Hillsborough County and the surrounding locales who are willing to give of their time and talents to mentor fellow attorneys to raise the level of expertise in their practice areas . n
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