5 Key Tips for Trial: Judges Tell Attorneys What They Do and Don’t Like In Court

Judges really do get to see it all when it comes to the good, the bad and the just plain ugly of attorneys trying cases. Yesterday, I attended The Recorder Roundtable: “From the Bench – Outstanding Trial Work” in San Francisco, where sitting judges offered great tips for all level of practitioners about what judges do and don’t like to see in trial. The participating judges were the Hon. Teri Jackson of San Francisco Superior Court, Hon. Jo-Lynne Lee and Robert McGuiness of Alameda County Superior Court, and the Hon. Rise Pichon of Santa Clara County Superior Court. I’ve summarized their top five tips below:

1. Motions in Limine: Beware and Use Sparingly

Lawyers love ’em and judges hate ’em. Well, this is a bit of an overstatement, but the judges dislike some practices in this area. They cautioned attorneys that the Motions in Limine are often the first impression any judge has of an attorney, and as with everything, presentation, organization and content matter. (more…)