Clarity for a trial lawyer can come, often, far from the courtroom or a law office.  For example, on a beach in Florida, just after sunrise, running with a colleague.  And it was in such a place, running along the Gulf of Mexico, that some clarity came to what I...

I am in my first week of Trial Advocacy, and this Professor keeps repeating that I should “look good.” The way to do that is to know the story inside out, and to present it in a convincing way. To practice, he gave us the infamous State v. Alexander case. The first...

Today, the use of security cameras and “smart doorbells” is common by private homeowners. A smart doorbell is an internet connected doorbell that sends alerts to a homeowner’s cellphone via an app.[1] A smart doorbell is capable of video and audio recording. Some...

Introduction One of the first people I met in Law School was Colt Watkiss. Colt and I have talked at length about our undergraduate majors. We both felt that our majors would not serve us in our paths to becoming attorneys. Colt majored in theater, and I majored in...

The business of baseball is grounded in finding the best players to field teams and win championships. After those players complete their first three seasons of play, they are eligible to negotiate with clubs for a salary that is worth their performance, output, and...

You are in court face-to-face with a panel of judges. The judges care about the facts, the law, and the impact their decision will make. Your job is to tell the judge why they should rule in your favor and to convince them that this is the right decision to make. The...

Like many law students at Pace, I will never forget my experience with the 1L Moot Court Competition. In some ways, it was memorable for less savory reasons due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic but nonetheless – still a law school memory. While I didn’t excel in...

Congratulations, you have been accepted to compete on a mock trial team at your law school! How exciting! Perhaps you’ve joined to become a champion, become better at the rules of evidence, or to meet new people. Either way, you should be ready for an experience that...

Between the nerves dawning the night before the big day or the resilience that comes with hours of digesting witness testimony in hopes of impeaching the witness on cross examination, there is a lot of excitement that goes into preparing for trial. While preparation...

A drunk driver terrorizes a quiet neighborhood in the middle of the night, almost killing an eight-year-old boy and causing a head-on collision. Before the case was submitted to the criminal court for arraignment, less than 12 hours after the Defendant was arrested, I...