The 19th annual Honorable Ralph W. “Buddy” Nimmons Jr. Federal Practice Seminar is scheduled 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. April 3 at the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse in Jacksonville.
This year’s seminar, with four hours of Florida CLE credit anticipated, features several speakers with a choice for a breakout session.
“Preparing a Witness and the Art of Cross Examination” is a practical skills primer on the importance of witness preparation for direct examination, techniques used to help a witness feel confident, tools to cross-examine a prepared witness and how to exploit the ill preparation of a witness.
Gunster shareholder Michael Tanner will provide best practices for ensuring a witness is fully prepared for an effective direct examination.
Assistant Federal Defender Maurice Grant II will share his decades of experience on the art of cross-examination.
“Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals” will detail the latest on the law governing the admissibility of expert testimony.
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Chief Judge Timothy Corrigan and U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Barksdale will present an update on the governing principles for eliciting expert opinions and disclosures.
Breakout sessions:
• “The Threat of Deep Fakes in Litigation” will cover use of synthetic media and artificial intelligence in the legal practice.
Jerry Bui, managing director with FTI Consulting, will discuss synthetic media, also known as deepfakes. Topics include technological progress and how artificial intelligence and programs such as ChatGPT may begin to impact litigation.
• “Investigative Genetic Genealogy” will be presented by Paula Armentrout from Parabon NanoLabs Inc.
The session will cover the use of investigative genetic genealogy and the power of DNA, including its use in generating leads, solving cold case investigations and in exonerating innocent defendants.
• In “Eramo v. Rolling Stone LLC,” partners from the plaintiff’s defamation law firm, Clare Locke LLP, will explain how they investigated and secured a multimillion-dollar verdict for false and defamatory statements in Rolling Stone magazine’s discredited article, “A Rape on Campus,” on behalf of University of Virginia Dean Nicole Eramo.
The seminar fee is $85 for members of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association; $55 for government, nonprofit and Criminal Justice Act Panel attorneys; $25 for court staff attorneys and judicial law clerks; and is free for judges and first-year judicial law clerks. Nonmembers may attend for $135.
The price includes breakfast, lunch, presentations and instructional materials.
Registration closes March 24 online at www.jaxfedbar.org.
Contact Maria Daniels at [email protected] or Nimmons Seminar Chair Kelly Karase at [email protected] or 904-301-6360 with any questions.