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Overview
Essential Trial Prep Insights for New and Returning Trial Attorneys
Are you a new attorney preparing for trial or looking to dust off your skills? Don't let the complexities of trial preparation overwhelm you. This step-by-step program is designed to provide you with the fundamental skills and strategies you need to confidently navigate trial preparation - from organizing your materials to selecting the right jury and anticipating common rookie mistakes to avoid in the courtroom. By the end of this program, you'll have a clear, actionable roadmap for preparing for trial. Register today!
- Create a user-friendly trial notebook that will be your indispensable courtroom companion.
- Use motions in limine and stipulations to work out evidence issues before the trial begins.
- Free yourself from common and costly misconceptions about juror attitudes and biases.
- Avoid common trial missteps by hearing the lessons others had to learn the hard way.
Abbreviated Agenda
- Readying Trial Notebooks, Witnesses, and Exhibits
- Trial Lessons I Wish I'd Learned Sooner: Pitfalls to Anticipate and Avoid
- Motions in Limine and Pretrial Conferences
- Voir Dire and Jury Selection: Mastering the Basics
Credit Details
Credits Available
| Credit | Status | Total | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey CLE |
|
4 Total | 07-28-2026 |
| New York CLE |
|
4 Total | 11-11-2028 |
| Pennsylvania CLE |
|
3 Total | 11-11-2027 |
Select Jurisdiction
CLE
Agenda
-
Readying Trial Notebooks, Witnesses, and Exhibits
- Trial Preparation Timeline: What You Should be Doing and When
- Creating and Organizing Your Trial Notebook
- Readying Your Witnesses for Trial and Addressing Common Pitfalls
- Preparing Exhibits and Ensuring Foundational Elements Are in Place to Avoid Objections
- Contingency Planning for Unexpected Issues
-
Trial Lessons I Wish I'd Learned Sooner: Pitfalls to Anticipate and Avoid
- What NOT to Do in Your Opening Statements
- Direct Examination Mistakes I Made
- Evidence Presentation and Objections Gone Wrong
- Cross-Examination Traps - and How You Can Avoid Them
- Closing Arguments: Blunders That Will Weaken Your Final Appeal
-
Motions in Limine and Pretrial Conferences
- Motions in Limine: The Trial Lawyer's Best Friend
- Addressing Stipulations
- Finalizing Jury Instructions
- Reviewing Witness and Exhibit Lists
- Trial Logistics and Trial Management Issues
-
Voir Dire and Jury Selection: Mastering the Basics
- Misconceptions to Avoid About Jurors: What You Think You Know Could Hurt You
- Creating an Ideal Juror Profile and Investigating Potential Jurors
- Submitting Proposed Questions for Voir Dire
- Voir Dire: Reading Jurors' Responses and Asking Follow Up Questions
- Effective Use of Challenges for Cause
- Using Your Peremptory Challenges Wisely
Who Should Attend
This basic, 4-hour CLE online seminar covers essential topics every New Jersey trial attorney should master. Especially ideal for new attorneys, the course provides practical, skills-based training while satisfying one required subject area for the first full two-year CLE compliance period: Civil or Criminal Trial Preparation. Paralegals may also benefit.
Speakers
Speaker bio
Andrew J. Kyreakakis
is a partner at Weiner Law Group LLP. He is a certified civil trial attorney who has represented Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller corporations and individuals in a wide range of litigation matters. Mr. Kyreakakis has represented clients in commercial litigation, products liability, toxic torts, estate litigation, partnership and shareholder disputes, professional malpractice, business consumer fraud, manufacturer-distributor litigation, real estate litigation and personal injury matters. He has extensive trial and appeals experience, both in federal and state courts. Mr. Kyreakakis has 37 reported decisions, including cases in the New Jersey Supreme Court and New Jersey Appellate Division, and in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He represented a national company in several hundred cases in a major products liability matter captioned as the New Jersey Breast Implant Litigation. In 2012, Mr. Kyreakakis obtained an important victory from the New Jersey Supreme Court where the court set forth important guidelines as to the time a party has to file a claim for misappropriation of customer accounts and other proprietary assets of a business. He recently represented a major book publisher in a case filed under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Mr. Kyreakakis has won several multi-million dollar verdicts for his clients, some of which are reported decisions, and he has also obtained numerous dismissals and no causes for clients he has defended. He earned his A.B .degree, summa cum laude, from Rutgers University and his J.D. degree from Yale Law School. Mr. Kyreakakis is the author of “New Jersey Trial Evidence and Procedure” (ALM Media Books 2025).
Speaker bio
Joseph L. Messa, Jr.
is the founding partner of Messa & Associates, P.C. Mr. Messa handles cases involving medical malpractice, products liability, transportation accidents, construction and workplace injuries, fire, medical device, drug products liability, and other fields of complex personal injury litigation. He has represented clients from around the country and received seven and eight-figure verdicts and settlements in medical malpractice, products liability, fire, and construction/work injury matters. Mr. Messa also serves the legal community by presenting lectures on medical malpractice, products liability, managed care liability, drugs and medical devices, and transportation accidents. He is a member of the American Association for Justice, American Bar Association, fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Pennsylvania Association for Justice, Philadelphia Bar Association, New Jersey Association for Justice, Camden and Burlington County, New Jersey bar associations, and the Justinian Society. Mr. Messa has also served on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Trial Association since 2006 (secretary from 2009-2011, vice president from 2013-2014 and president from 2015-2016). He is a graduate of Tulane University and Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.
Speaker bio
Thomas J. Major
is the principal and chair of the business law and transactions practice in the Hackensack Office of Offit Kurman, Attorneys At Law. He maintains practices in real estate law and landlord representation, counseling clients in the multi-family and investment property industry. Mr. Major has served as a speaker in the past on real estate and landlord-tenant subjects. He earned his B.A. degree from Grove City College and his J.D. degree from Rutgers University School of Law.
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