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Author: Paul Luvera

Luvera practiced plaintiff law 55 years. He is past President of the Inner Circle of Advocates & Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Member ABOTA, American College of Trial Lawyers, International Academy, International Society of Barristers and the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. Book Luvera on Advocacy available at Trial Guides Publishing Email paul@luvera.org
THOUGHTS ABOUT CROSS EXAMINATION

THOUGHTS ABOUT CROSS EXAMINATION

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What are the goals for  cross examination? As a generalization they might be summarized as was done by Paul Stritmatter in his article Conducting Cross-Examinations https://www.plaintiffmagazine.com/recent-issues/item/conducting-cross-examinations  Paul wrote: “Wigmore said that the goal of cross-examination should be to “soften the impact of a witness by confrontation.” Persuading the fact finder by softening the impact of the witness may take many forms, including: Forcing the witness to admit certain facts or agree with certain basic principles; •  Destroying all or a…

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ADVICE FOR NEW LAWYERS THEY DON’T TEACH IN LAW SCHOOL

ADVICE FOR NEW LAWYERS THEY DON’T TEACH IN LAW SCHOOL

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. You are probably thinking to yourself “not more advice from some older lawyer who assumes that they know something younger lawyers don’t know?” You may be right, but my interaction with new and inexperienced lawyers is that they are prone to making mistakes in their professional work and relationships with others that are correctable. Hopefully, these are some ideas that might be of benefit and even, possibly, to experienced lawyers. . . Let’s start with a brief outline of…

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A FEW LIFE STORIES TO MEDITATE ABOUT

A FEW LIFE STORIES TO MEDITATE ABOUT

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There are times when trial lawyers need to step back from their stressful work and reflect on life. Here are a collection of items you may find refreshing and perhaps helpful. LIFE LESSONS: Alexander Chalmers has said “the three grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.” LESSONS FROM FAILURE In the 1929 Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day Georgia Tech fumbled the ball and California’s Roy Riegel picked it up and…

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