The Children’s Commission’s Trial Skills Training application deadline is extended to midnight on Friday, April 30, 2021. This will be the final opportunity to attend the training this year. Here are some FAQs about this unique opportunity:
Q: Who should apply?
A: Less-experienced attorneys handling CPS cases who want to improve their litigation skills for both virtual and in-person contested matters. The training is limited to 21 participants: 7 attorneys representing DFPS, 7 parents’ attorneys, and 7 children’s attorneys.
Q: What does Trial Skills Training include?
A: Up to 17 hours of free MCLE, including ethics, in the form of lectures, demos, and interactive strategy and practice sessions in small groups, that cover all stages of a CPS trial from voir dire to closing argument. The training is taught by seasoned faculty comprised of judges and trial attorneys, many of whom are TBLS Board Certified in Child Welfare Law.
Q: When and where is the Trial Skills Training?
A: The training will take place on August 26, 2021 and September 1 and 2, 2021 on Zoom.
Q: Why might attorneys want to apply to participate in the Trial Skills Training?
A: Trial Skills Training provides a focused opportunity for building litigation skills, including practice sessions with live lay and expert witnesses, in a fictional case where the stakes are low and there are unique opportunities for coaching, mentoring, and networking across practitioners and faculty. Judges and graduates report increased skills and confidence in court proceedings following completion of the Trial Skills Training.
