Building Trial Skills: Florida

As a participant in Building Trial Skills you will use NITA’s learning-by-doing method to practice and perfect your skills in the challenging arts of trial advocacy and persuasion.

In a simulated trial setting you will be performing:

• Opening statements and closing arguments
• Impeachment
• Direct & cross examinations
• Introduction and use of exhibits

Following your live and videotaped performances you will be given feedback and critique from the renowned NITA faculty. To conclude the program you will conduct a jury trial, getting to watch real jurors deliberate via closed circuit TV then have a chance to ask them questions and hear their feedback.

Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, Building Trial Skills will change the way you approach trials, improving your performance exponentially.

* Qualifies as one credit toward the NITA Advocate Designation. This program also qualifies as one of the 15 required trials for applicants to the Florida Trial Lawyer Certification

• Mark Dobson
  Nova Southeastern Schl of Law
  Program Director
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

  
  Dobson, Mark M.
  
  Mr. Dobson directs the following program: Building Trial Skills: Florida Regional
  
  Mark Dobson is a Professor of Law at the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University. He teaches criminal law, trial advocacy techniques, criminal justice, and criminal procedure courses. Dobson is admitted to practice in Florida, Maryland, and Kansas.
  
  Contact Information:
  dobsonm@nsu.law.nova.edu

• Theodore Roberts
  Univ of Oklahoma Colg of Law
  Team Leader
  Norman, OK

• Charles Morton Jr.
  Broward County State Attorney
  Asst Team Leader
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Mindy Solomon
  17th Judicial Circuit of Florida
  Asst Team Leader
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

  
  Mindy Solomon
  
  J.D., Nova Southeastern Law Center
  
  Mindy Solomon graduated law school in 1981. She   was an Asst. State Attorney until Nov of 1993. During those years she took numerous depositions and tried numerous jury trials to verdict.  She spent her last 5 years in that office trying Murder cases involving death penalty litigation. In 1993 she joined the Public Defender's Office. Ms. Solomon defended serious cases including and representing clients facing the death penalty. She was the Chief Assistant in charge of the Major Crimes, County Court and the Juvenile Division. Currently, she is a Broward County Court Judge. Ms. Solomon is an adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University Law Center teaching Trial Advocacy, Intensive Trial Advocacy, Psychology of Jury Selection, and the Criminal Clinic. She has been an instructor, assistant team leader and team leader in the NITA Florida Regional Program for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and also has been an instructor and program director for the NITA Deposition Program. Additionally she has taught in many in-house NITA trial programs, fact investigation programs, motion programs, expert deposition programs, and deposition programs.

• Dina Biblin
  
  Faculty
  Alexandria, VA

  Dina Biblin
  
  Dina Biblin is a 1978 graduate of George Washington University Law School.  After three years in private practice, she joined the federal government as a trial attorney for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to prosecute what was at that time, the largest futures Ponzi scheme in history.  Over the course of her career, she has worked as a litigator with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, where she now serves as Senior Litigation Counsel.   Ms. Biblin has twenty six years of trial litigation experience in a variety of areas, including real estate, torts, and contract litigation both in the private sector and, for the past twenty years, representing primarily the FDIC and other bank regulatory agencies. 

  She has served as an instructor in trial techniques on the faculty at NITA, ALI-ABA, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and the U.S. Department of Justice National Advocacy Center. 

   

• Robert Diaz
  Broward County Courthouse
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Elizabeth Scherer
  Broward County State Attorney
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Gail Levine
  Dade County State Attorney
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

  

  Gail Levine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1981 from Florida Atlantic University.  Her major was broadcast communications.  Thereafter, Ms. Levine entered and completed her Juris Doctorate at Nova University Law School in 1984.  Ms. Levine worked for a brief period of time specializing in family law at Saunders, Curtis, Ginestra and Gore in Ft. Lauderdale.  Ms. Levine was hired by the Miami Dade State Attorney at the time, Janet Reno (who went o to be appointed Attorney General of the United States).  Ms. Levine worked for two years in the child support enforcement division before moving on to prosecute misdemeanors, juvenile cases and then felony crimes.  Ms. Levine has worked in the criminal division since 1987. She has held the position of Assistant State Attorney in career criminal division and division chief of felony divisions.  Since 2001, Ms. Levine has specialized in prosecuting high publicity murder cases, complex litigation and death penalty cases.  Ms. Levine has participated in many death penalty cases and has been instrumental in having place eight men on Florida’s death row.
  
  Ms. Levine has also been an active member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy where she has taught throughout her career Trial Advocacy and Advanced trial Advocacy. In addition, Ms. Levine provides training to other Assistant State Attorneys on death penalty issues and jury selection training.
  
  Ms. Levine won the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation, Broad of Directors Trial Advocacy Award, 2008-2009. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University teaching Criminal Law, Advanced Criminal Law and Special Topics including Fourth and Eight Amendment Constitutional issues

• Stephen Binhak
  
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

• Carmen Pintado-Arasi
  Sharp General Contractors
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Ted Daus
  Broward County State Attorney
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Randy Rosenblum
  Freidlin & Dobrinsky PA
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

• Andrew Feldman
  Feldman Law
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

• Raul Ruiz
  Nova Southeastern Schl of Law
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Aimee Ferrer
  Off of the Fed Public Defender
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

  Aimee Ferrer

  Aimee Ferrer is an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Office of the Federal Public Defender, Southern District of Florida.  Aimee graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center. She began her legal career advocating for low-income victims of domestic violence at Ayuda, Inc. in Washington, D.C.  She then worked as an associate at Allen & Overy, LLP in New York, where her practice focused on white-collar criminal
  defense and complex civil litigation.   She returned to her hometown of
  Miami in 2008 to serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Paul C. Huck, United States District Judge in the Southern District of Florida.  After completing her clerkship, she joined the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

• Robert Vaughan
  Ward Kim Vaughan & Lerner LLP
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

  
  Robert C.L. Vaughan

  Robert C.L. Vaughan is a Partner with Kim Vaughan Lerner LLP, and
  focuses his practice on commercial litigation and international dispute
  resolution, including litigation and arbitration. He represents clients
  with matters pending in US state and federal courts as well as with
  matters pending before Caribbean courts. Mr. Vaughan is rated AV
  by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for professional excellence.
  In 2011, 2012 & 2013, Mr. Vaughan was named a “Top Attorney for
  Business Litigation” by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine. In 2009 he
  was listed in ICABA’s inaugural directory of the Top 100 Blacks in
  Healthcare and Law and Florida Trend magazine has listed him among the Legal Elite
  each year since 2007.
  Mr. Vaughan is a past president of the Caribbean Bar Association and a Member of the
  Caribbean Bar Foundation Board. He has also served on the board of directors of the
  Dade County Bar Association. In 2007 he received the prestigious Presidential Volunteer
  Service Award for his Board service to Hands on Miami.
  Mr. Vaughan is a trial advocacy instructor at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy
  (NITA) where he has taught trial advocacy skills in domestic and international programs
  to Judges and attorneys.

• Tania Williams
  Nova Southeastern Schl of Law
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

  

  Tania Williams

  Tania Williams is an instructor with the Critical Skills Program at Nova Southeastern University.  Before teaching at Nova, Williams was a civil litigation associate at Liebler, Gonzalez & Portuondo in Miami, Florida where she managed a portfolio of over 100 foreclosure matters in various circuits throughout the State of Florida.  Prior to entering civil practice, Williams served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando for three years.  Williams has an LL.M. in Media and Entertainment Law and is licensed to practice in Florida, California and the District of Columbia.  She is also a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

   

• David Baron
  Baron & Herskowitz
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

• Neil Kodsi
  
  Faculty
  Plantation, FL

• Thomas Coleman
  Broward County State Attorney
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Abraham Laeser
  
  Faculty
  Weston, FL

  Abraham Laeser

  Abraham Laeser is a 1973 graduate on the University of Miami School of Law.  Mr. Laeser is presently the Chief Special Master for the City of Miami Beach, and also maintains a diverse consulting and private practice, primarily in criminal defense and investigative matters.                                                                                                                                                   His primary career has been as a prosecutor, from which he retired in 2009.  During his tenure, he was a Chief Assistant State Attorney, and supervisor of all homicide prosecutions in Miami-Dade County for the decade of the 1980’s.  After that, he was named the first Senior Trial Counsel for the Office of the State Attorney.                                                                                   Mr. Laeser has been chairman of the Executive Counsel of the Criminal Law Section of the Florida Bar and also of the Supreme Court’s Criminal Rules Committee; among a wide range of Florida Bar activities.  He has taught Trial Advocacy at his alma mater for over 15 years, as well as at Advocacy courses throughout the United States and in England.   In addition, he is Board Certified in Criminal Trial Practice.

• Kieran Fallon
  Kieran P Fallon PA
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

  KIERAN P. FALLON, ESQ.
  
  B.A., Boston College
  J.D., Boston College Law School
  
  PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
  
  Law Clerk             1980-1981
  United States District Court District of Massachusetts for United States District Judge David S. Nelson
  
  Law Clerk            1981-1982
  State of Rhode Island Supreme Court for the Associate Justice Thomas F Kelleher
    
  Assistant State Attorney          1982-1985
  Miami Dade County Court, Florida - Narcotics Division, Police Corruption / Organized Crime Division
  Division Chief: Robbery Division & Organized Crime Division
  
  Principal Attorney           1988-Present
  Law Firm of Kieran P. Fallon, P.A.         
  Complex Civil Litigation and Criminal Defense
  
  PROFESSIONAL LICENSES:
  
  U.S. District Courts:        
  Massachusetts District Court
  Florida Southern District Court
  Florida Middle District Court
  Florida Northern District Court
  North Dakota District Court
  Ohio Northern District Court
  Michigan Eastern District Court
  Virginia Eastern District Court
  
  U.S. Court of Appeals:
  First Circuit,  Third Circuit,   Fourth Circuit,   Seventh Circuit,   Ninth Circuit,   Eleventh Circuit, 
  US Supreme Court
  
  EDUCATION:
  
  Boston College           B.A. - 1977
  Major:  Philosophy and Political Science,  Magna Cum Laude
  
  Boston College Law School          J.D. - 1980

   

• Brian Lerner
  Kim Vaughan Lerner LLP
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

  

  Brian Lerner
  Brian Lerner is a partner with Kim Vaughan Lerner LLP, practicing in all areas of commercial and corporate litigation, with extensive experience in employment litigation.  Mr. Lerner has litigated cases at all stages and in all types of forums—including administrative proceedings before government agencies, injunction hearings, bench trials and jury trials in state and federal courts, and final arbitration hearings.  Mr. Lerner strives to implement strategies designed to achieve the client’s desired results—whether early resolution, aggressive litigation, or resolution by trial.
  Mr. Lerner’s employment litigation experience includes representing individuals and employers in investigating, prosecuting, and defending the following:  (1) EEOC charges of discrimination; (2) discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims; (3) Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims; (4) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claims; (5) Title III claims for denial of equal access to public places; and (6) collective and class actions brought for wage and overtime violations under local, state, and federal laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
  Mr. Lerner also has extensively litigated employment contract disputes including claims for breaches of employment agreements, severance agreements, change of control agreements, non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements, and confidentiality and trade secret agreements.
  Mr. Lerner’s representative employment experiences include, among others, the following: (1) represented a pro bono client in a five-day federal jury trial in a case involving claims of disability discrimination and retaliation against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The jury awarded significant monetary damages to the pro bono client and the court awarded permanent injunctive relief for the pro bono client.  The case was selected by the Daily Business Review as its “Most Effective Lawyers Pro Bono Case of the Year; (2) represented a national mortgage lending institution, three of its affiliates, and three former high-level executives by obtaining partial summary judgment and then an arbitration defense award after a five-day AAA domestic arbitration final hearing in a matter alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, defamation, negligence, and tortious interference; (3) represented a major financial institution in a federal jury trial where the plaintiff claimed she was terminated after twenty years of service because of her age, race, and national origin; (4) represented retail, construction, hospitality, and travel-industry entities, among others, in collective and class actions for unpaid wages or overtime under theories of “off the clock,” missed or docked rest and meal breaks, miscalculation of overtime pay, and failure to pay minimum wage brought by former employees and the Department of Labor; and (5) represented a international media company in a lawsuit where the former employee alleged race discrimination and retaliation, and obtained summary judgment against the former employee, which was affirmed on appeal.
  Mr. Lerner also has counseled companies regarding their employment agreements, severance agreements, and other contractual arrangements for executives and other highly skilled employees.  Mr. Lerner has drafted and reviewed employment policy manuals, conducted audits of company employment practices and policies, consulted on workforce reductions, conducted internal investigations, provided training to executives, managers, and other employees in regard to employment practices, equal employment opportunity, and diversity, and day-to-day counseling on workplace issues.
  Mr. Lerner has been quoted in major publications such as The Miami Herald, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the South Florida Business Journal, the Daily Business Review, the National Law Journal, and the Legal Times on various legal topics.  He also is a frequent lecturer and author.
  Honors:  Chambers USA, Labor and Employment: Florida, 2010, 2011, 2012; Lawyers to the Rescue, Lawyer of the Month, June 2010; Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employment Litigation: Defense, 2009; South Florida Legal Guide, Top Up and Comer, 2009, 2010 , 2011, 2012, 2013; Florida Trend, Florida Legal Elite Up and Comer, 2008; Daily Business Review, Most Effective Lawyers, Pro Bono Case of the Year, 2007
  Bar / Community Involvement:  Co-Chair, Website Subcommittee for Florida Bar Labor and Employment Section; Co-Chair, Social Media/Advertising Committee for Florida Bar Labor and Employment Section; Committee Member, Long Range Planning Committee for Florida Bar Labor and Employment Section; Chair, Florida Bar Grievance Committee, 17th Judicial Circuit; Board Member, Federal Bar Association, Broward County Chapter; Member, Young President’s Club, Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation; Member, Florida Bar Labor and Employment Section; Member, Federal Bar Association; Member, Broward County Bar Association
  Bar Admissions:  Florida; District of Columbia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; U.S. District Court, District of Colorado; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
  Previous Positions:  Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells), Partner; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Associate; Steel Hector & Davis LLP (now Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP), Associate
  Education:  University of Miami School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude; University of Michigan, B.A., with distinction

• Jeffrey Harris
  Jeffrey M Harris PA
  Faculty
  Fort Lauderdale, FL

• C. Ryan Reetz
  DLA Piper LLP
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

• Jon Herskowitz
  Baron & Herskowitz
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

• Rae Shearn
  
  Faculty
  Miami, FL

  
  Rae Shearn
  
  B.A., Florida State University
  J.D., Nova University Law Center

  LEGAL EXPERIENCE:
  1997-2009 
  PRIVATE PRACTICE

  1986-1994 
  ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY, Miami, FL
                       
  State Attorney, Office of Janet Reno

  Division Chief
  Responsible for the work output of entire division, including supervision of Assistant State Attorneys.  Responsible for first degree homicide cases from scene investigation, indictment, trial
  and post conviction motions including death penalty cases.

  Special Division - Narcotics
  Responsible for case from pre-information through post conviction relief

  Felony Assistant State Attorney
  Handled cases of first, second and third degree felonies

  County Court Assistant State Attorney
  Misdemeanor and traffic cases

  TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
  1998-2008
  NATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR TRIAL ADVOCACY:
  Notre Dame University, Nova Southeastern Law School

  1997-2008     
  NOVA SOUTHEASTERN LAW SCHOOL:
  Adjunct Faculty for Intensive Trial Advocacy, Florida
  Adjunct Faculty for Constitutional Law class for Master’s Progran

  1996-1998
  ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY: Adjunct Faculty
  Law and Criminal Justice, Women In Law; Juvenile Delinquency

  1992-1993
  UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW
  Taught Trial Advocacy Seminars at the University of Miami for
  Assistant State Attorneys and Assistant Public Defenders

  1990-2002 
  FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
  Guest Lecturer in Criminal Justice classes: Corrections; Judicial Policy Making; Introduction to Criminal Justice; Women in Law; Transition class for Life Inmates who are being released.

  WORK EXPERIENCE:
  1985-2001 
  CHRISTOPHER GRILLO, P.A., Ft. Lauderdale, FL  
  Researched and wrote motions to suppress, dismiss, arrest of judgment,
  trial, post conviction release, illegal sentence and various other motions
  in criminal defense cases.  

  1985-1986 
  FEDERAL MAGISTRATE PETER L. NIMCOFF, Miami, FL – Law Clerk work.  Research and wrote pre-trial and post-trial memoranda of applicable law.

  1984  
  NEIL CHONIN, J.D.- Miami, Fl - Law Clerk
  Assisted in pre-trial preparation for personal injury suits.
  Title VII employment discrimination suits and Title 1983 law suits.

  PUBLICATIONS:
   “CPA- Client Confidentiality.  The New Federal Privilege” Co-author,
  published by “Florida CPA Today,” a publication of the Florida Institute
  of CPAs, November, 1999.

  “CPA-Client Confidentiality.  The New Federal Privilege” Co-author,
  published by “Lagniappe”, a publication of The Society of Louisiana
  Certified Public Accountants, January/February 2000.     

  ACTIVITIES, HONORS:
  2000 Florida CPA Today Editorial Committee Award for Writing Excellence: Most Popular Technical Article, Pro bono service for Women in Distress,  1997-98;  Judge for A.T.L.A. Negotiation Competition, 1997-1998; Recipient of Nova Law Center Alumni Scholarship; Dean’s List, 1984; Goodwin Scholarship Award 2nd and 3rd years;  Freshman Moot Court Finalist; Public Relations Officer for Florida Association of Women Lawyers, 1984-1985; Justice on Honor Court, 1984-1985; Chief Justice of Honor Court, 1985-1986; Selected to compete in National Brooklyn Evidence Moot Court Team, 1985-1986; Recipient of Arthur Goldberg Award, 1985-1986.

   

• Daniel Kaufman
  Asnis Srebnick & Kaufman
  Faculty
  Sunrise, FL

• Sarah Rathke
  Squire Sanders LLP
  Faculty
  Cleveland, OH

  Sarah K. Rathke

  Sarah Rathke, partner in the Cleveland, Ohio office, is a trial lawyer who has argued and tried cases in state and federal courts around the country and before international tribunals. Her practice focuses on commercial and civil matters, product liability defense and international dispute resolution – and especially on taking such cases to trial, when appropriate. She has represented sovereign governments and national and multinational corporations in forums throughout the US and globally.

  Sarah has litigated a broad variety of cases for a diverse group of clients. Her skills include the ability to present complicated business, financial and scientific concepts to juries. Her trial victories include the representation of NBA star LeBron James in a breach of contract action, the representation of a savings and loan company in a US $500 million action asserted by the FDIC, defending a business partner in a dispute with other partners that resulted in an affirmative counterclaim win for the client, as well as others. Recently, Sarah was retained as substitute trial counsel four months before trial by a financial institution seeking to enforce surety bonds investment guarantees. That case was then settled favorably shortly before trial.

  Sarah has also successfully litigated a variety of non-jury trials, arbitrations and hearings. Selected experiences of this sort include representing the Republic of Ecuador and the Czech Republic in bilateral investment treaty proceedings before tribunals constituted under the auspices of the World Bank and representing corporations in private, commercial arbitration proceedings.

  Sarah has disposed of numerous cases favorably prior to trial as well including through successful pre-trial motions – particularly in products liability and consumer class action matters – and through favorable settlements.

  Sarah has been recognized as a Rising Star in five out of the last seven editions of Ohio Super Lawyers magazine, naming her one of the top 2.5 percent of Ohio lawyers age 40 or under or in practice for 10 years or less. In 2012 she was also one of three lawyers nationwide appointed to the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) Next Generation Faculty. Sarah has lectured on trial advocacy at the Cleveland Marshall School of Law.

  Articles and Publications
  • Author, “Serving Non-US Civil Defendants With Process; There May be An Easier Way,” Cleveland Bar Journal, November 2007.
  • Co-author, “Presenting Bankruptcy Concepts To Juries,” The Bankruptcy Strategist, October 2011.

   

• Federal Rules of Evidence, Dec. 2011
• BMI v. Minicom Inc., 9th Ed, Trial
• Lang v. Anderson, 2nd Ed

Materials are included in the price of tuition.