Join the Litigation Section’s Trial Practice Inn of Court

Meet judges, learn from experienced trial practitioners, enjoy camaraderie, and make good friends for life.

In England, the Inns of Court are responsible for training barristers, Britain’s trial lawyers. For centuries, would-be British barristers have been required to do more than just study the law; they must participate in training that includes a series of dinner meetings with barristers and judges to develop a sense of esprit de corps, of proper and effective conduct by trial lawyers.

LACBA’s Litigation Section has its own American Inn of Court—the Trial Practice Inn of Court. Its goals include developing litigation skills, professionalism, ethics, civility, and camaraderie among the trial bar through regular meetings in each Inn—a closely knit group of lawyers practicing in the same community. The Litigation Section’s “community” will be limited to 100 attorneys. Should you join the Inn, you will have various opportunities for mentoring, camaraderie, and a meaningful eight MCLE credits.

This year’s subjects are dedicated to improving every trial lawyer's skills and scope. (See the program schedule at the end of this article for dates and the tentative schedule of topics.) The Inn convenes the first Wednesday of each month from October through June (except January) in a private room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, starting at 5:30 p.m. with an informal no-host cocktail hour. The monthly program follows dinner and offers an hour of MCLE credit, ending promptly at 8:30 p.m. Annual membership dues, which include all eight dinners, are $375, with a special rate of $195 for government lawyers and lawyers in their first-through-third year of practice.

If your vision of being a trial attorney or jurist involves how well you do it—and not just that you do it—the Inn may be for you. Come to the FREE RECEPTION at 5:30 p.m. on September 10, 2008, at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 W. 7th Street, in downtown Los Angeles, and give it a try. Contact the Member Services Department at (213) 896 6560 to R.S.V.P. by September 3, 2008 (registration code #10153) or click here.

Submitted by Max Factor III, president, LACBA Litigation Section Trial Practice Inn of Court, and mediator, Factor Mediation and Arbitration Services.

Litigation Section Trial Practice Inn of Court 2008-09 Schedule

September 10, 2008
FREE Reception at L.A. Athletic Club with Judges and Experienced Practitioners

October 1, 2008
Class Actions

November 5, 2008
Electronic Data: Discovery and Admissibility

December 3, 2008
Finding and Developing Your Case Theme

February 4, 2009
What Every Litigator Needs to Know about Bankruptcy

March 4, 2009
Provisional Remedies Can Make It All Worthwhile

April 1, 2009
Get Your Passport Ready: Conducting Discovery out of State and Overseas

May 6, 2009
Practical Advice for Building Your Practice

June 3, 2009
Inside Scoop on a Case in the News