Tag: skills

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Judge High School Mock Trial in Philly or Online: FREE CLEs

INVITATION

Judge High School Mock Trial in Philly or Online: FREE CLEs

The Ask

On behalf of 500+ incredible high school students, including Brooklyn Tech and Central Islip HS, Empire Mock Trial is excited to invite you to volunteer as a judge or juror at one of two prestigious international mock trial competitions:

  • Empire Philly: The Constitution Classic on 9/28 or 9/29 at the Center for Criminal Justice (1301 Filbert St, Philadelphia, PA)
  • Empire Online on 10/17-10/20 online

Not only does Empire Mock Trial offer great perks for volunteering (free CLE, free meals, networking) and a great mission (investing in young people), but the case is also really interesting: it involves a public official, an informant, and a perjury charge. 

**No experience is required as both capable judges (i.e. trial lawyers) and jurors (i.e. non-trial lawyers) are needed**

About Empire Mock Trial 

The program is run by Empire Mock Trial, a nonprofit founded in NYC that has impacted more than 10,000 students over the past decade through its mock trial competitions. Having previously hosted competitions in five (5) states and two (2) countries, this is the organization’s inaugural program in Philadelphia. Their founder started the nonprofit in 2007 and held competitions in New York for 14 years consecutively before the pandemic. 

How to Help

You can support their students by (1) signing up to serve as a judge or juror, or (2) by sharing our information with colleagues, a bar association, or on social media. 

CLEs

There are great opportunities to earn CLE:

  • Philly – (1) ethics credit before each round by attending workshop (descriptions here) and (3) non-transitional skills credits for judging (capped a three credits)
  • Online – (3) non-transitional skills credits for judging (capped a three credits)


Mock Trial Judge Perspective: New York born
Over the last three years, Cook County Circuit Court (IL) Judge James Shapiro has volunteered with Empire Mock Trial and had this to say about his experience: 

“Before Empire, I had never judged a high school mock trial competition. Quite frankly, I was a little skeptical as to how good they could possibly be at the high school level. I am no longer a skeptic. These high school kids are better at trial advocacy than many lawyers I see. The competition is run in an extraordinarily professional manner. Empire has it organized down to a science. I had no idea this could be possible at the high school level… I heartily recommend participation as a judge in this competition. You will be blown away by the quality of much of the trial advocacy.”

Contact Empire Mock Trial

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. They can be reached at 646-481-2332 or simply email [email protected]

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AABANY Litigation Committee and KALAGNY Host Deposition Skills CLE Panel at Haug Partners LLP

On Tuesday, April 20th, AABANY’s Litigation Committee and KALAGNY hosted a Deposition Skills Panel at Haug Partners LLP’s New York Office. The panel consisted of Aakruti Vakharia, Antitrust Associate at Haug Partners LLP and Co-Chair of AABANY’s Litigation Committee (as moderator and speaker), Gene Kang, Partner at Rivkin Radler LLP and President of KALAGNY, and David Sohn, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Co-Chair of AABANY’s In-House Counsel Committee. The CLE took place in the boardroom of Haug Partners LLP’s New York office.

The panelists shared their wisdom on the purpose of a deposition, how to prepare to take or defend a deposition, how to deal with difficult witnesses and opposing counsel, and how to prepare your own witness to be deposed. Following the discussion, Haug Partners provided dinner and dessert, and attendees had the opportunity to network with the panelists and each other.

If you wish you could have been there, you can view a recording* of the panel here.

The Litigation Committee plans on hosting several more CLEs this coming year and values the ideas of our Committee membership. If you would like to see a CLE on any particular topic, please share your idea with the co-chairs. Go to the Litigation Committee’s page on the AABANY website to learn more about the Committee and how you can get in touch.

*Please note that CLE credit was only granted for attending in person. Credit will not be granted for viewing the recording.

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AABANY and SABANY Co-Sponsor Careers in Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) Panel

On Monday, July 15th, AABANY, along with SABANY, co-sponsored a panel on Careers in Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) at the JAMS office located on the 16th floor of the New York Times Building at 620 8th Ave. The panel featured Dr. Kabir Dhuggal, Senior Associate at Arnold & Porter, Robyn Weinstein, ADR Administrator at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Rebecca Price, Director of the ADR program at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and Chris Kwok, mediator and arbitrator at JAMS, ADR Services. Chris Kwok is a Board Director of AABANY, Co-Chair of the Asia Practice Committee, and Chair of the Issues Committee. The panel was moderated by Amit Kumar, Managing Attorney at the Law Offices of William Cafaro. 

After a brief introduction of the panelists, Kumar first asked panelists, “How did you become involved in ADR?” The panelists’ responses ranged from studying it early in law school to falling into the realm of ADR later. Price noted her background as a social worker in helping to make the transition to working in ADR more naturally. Kwok affirmed that and humorously added, “When I try to describe mediation, I sometimes tell people that I’m a psychologist with a law degree.”

The panelists also spoke on key skills for thriving in a career in ADR. These skills included patience, engaged listening, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a genuine passion for the work. Dr. Dhuggal especially emphasized the necessity of robust legal writing skills. He advised, “Legal writing is an art that needs to be finessed. Make every effort you can. A simple way to do this is to find a senior whose writing you particularly admire and tell them that you’d like to co-author a piece with them.” Everyone commented on the importance of meaningful networking as well—be it through organizations such as AABANY and SABANY to even organizing panels with professionals you’d like to reach out to. 

Other topics discussed during the well-attended panel included improving diversity in ADR, domestic ADR vs. international ADR, and predictions on future trends in the career pathway. Afterwards, attendees munched on assorted snacks from Cafe Zaiya while networking—as discussed during the panel. Thank you to all of our accomplished panelists for sharing their valuable insights! 

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