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Quick Trial Checklist

This chart provides a quick reference regarding motions and objections that may be made immediately prior to, during, and immediately after trial to preserve issues for appellate review. ...more

Off The Record. Or Not?

In November 2007, an article titled “Off the Record,” which was co-authored by one of this article’s authors, was published in this Journal. It began by saying “[e]very good appellate lawyer knows that an appeal is...more

The Reply Brief: Turning "Getting the Last Word" into "Getting the Win"

When you are the appellant, you always have the burden of persuasion in seeking a reversal. Even on a de novo review, you are starting at least a step behind, psychologically. A reply brief may be the last word and the...more

12/21/2015  /  Appeals , Litigation Strategies

Practical and Ethical Considerations in Confessing Error on Appeal

A new client calls and hires you to uphold on appeal the splendid order its trial counsel obtained in its favor. You eagerly read the order but quickly realize, to your horror, that the trial judge got it wrong. What should...more

A Timeless Lesson: Building a Record to Prove that Something Did Not Happen

Have you ever found yourself without record proof of a negative—in other words, that you or opposing counsel did not take certain action in a case—only to then have to prove it at a later stage at trial or on appeal? In an...more

2/6/2015

National Union Prevails on $40 Million Coblentz Enforcement Action in D&O Case

On October 20, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted summary judgment to National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., in BondSafeguard v. National Union, 6:13-cv-561. The court held...more

Application Of The Judicial Estoppel Doctrine In Florida, Georgia, And Federal Courts

Florida’s Use of Judicial Estoppel - Under the “universal rule,” accepted in Florida and “in every other jurisdiction,” a party is “estopped” to assert inconsistent positions in litigation. Salcedo v. Asociacion...more

Pitfalls Of The Verdict Form And The Two-Issue Rule

1. Florida’s “two-issue rule” generally holds that an appellant cannot show reversible error when an error relates to one claim or defense and the verdict does not reveal whether the appellee prevailed on that basis or...more

11/11/2013  /  Appeals , Jury Verdicts , Reversible Error

Number Of Employees As An Element Of Florida’s Private Sector Whistle-Blower Act: Guidance From Federal Employment Case Law

This article discusses a potential pitfall or opportunity for parties litigating a claim under the private sector Florida Whistle-blower Act (“FWA”), §§ 448.101, Fla. Stat., et seq. The FWA applies only to employers who...more

23 Tips For Improved Jury Instructions

Jury instructions are important in winning the case before the jury. They can also provide grounds for appeal if errors are properly preserved. The following points address the most common problems we appellate lawyers see...more

10 Appellate Commandments For Trial Lawyers

1. Always bring appellate counsel into the case before trial. If the case is important enough to try, it almost certainly will be important enough for the loser to appeal. 2. Always, at the very least, involve...more

8/27/2013  /  Litigation Strategies

New Twists On Florida’s ‘Tipsy Coachman’ Doctrine

A recent Florida appellate decision examines some new twists on Florida’s “tipsy coachman” doctrine. Before we discuss the new decision, though, it may be useful to discuss what the tipsy coachman doctrine is and where it...more

8/27/2013  /  Appeals , Trial Court Orders

22 Tips For Improved Jury Instructions

Jury instructions obviously are important in winning the case before the jury. ...more

Tips For Preserving The Record: The “Opening The Door” Opportunity And The Art Of The Proffer

Trial courts make evidentiary rulings both before and during trial, and trial lawyers should be alert to the opportunity to request the court to revisit its earlier rulings during the course of trial. ...more

Comparison And Contrast: Differing Standards For Inferences In Federal And Florida State Courts

Direct evidence of a matter at issue will not always be available; consequently, civil litigants may sometimes establish facts effectively and conclusively with circumstantial evidence. Nielsen v. City of Sarasota, 117 So. 2d...more

The CAFA Year In (Appellate) Review: A Look Back At The Class Action Fairness Act In The Circuit Courts Of Appeals In 2012-2013

On January 1, 2012, we published “The CAFA Year in (Appellate) Review: A Look Back at the Class Action Fairness Act in the Circuit Courts of Appeals in 2011.”...more

Fourth Circuit Court Of Appeals Puts Teeth Into The "In Fact" Exclusions Of A D&O Policy

In Farkas v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, No. 12-1481, 2013 WL 1459248 (4th Cir. Apr 11, 2013), the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision that put teeth into the "in fact" exclusions of a...more

Tips For Trial Counsel On Planning, Preparation And Preservation: Creating Defensible Jury Instructions And Planning For A Charge...

Jury instructions are the mechanism that provides the jury with the proper legal structure to analyze the evidence that has been presented at trial. Without proper guidance through good instructions on the law, the jury is...more

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night on October 9, 1837, when Hardy Croom and his wife Frances, together with their three young children, all died in the wreck of the steamboat “Home” on their passage from New York to Charleston,...more

Tips For Trial Counsel On Planning, Preparation, And Preservation: The "Opening The Door" Opportunity And The Art Of The Proffer

Trial courts make evidentiary rulings both before and during trial, and trial lawyers should be alert to the opportunity to request the court to revisit its earlier rulings during the course of trial. See Persaud v. State,...more

Tips For Trial Counsel On Planning, Preparation And Preservation

Litigants settle lawsuits and claims every day, for a multitude of different reasons, including purely economic ones. Litigation is costly and, as a practical matter, it may be better to pay something to make a claim go away...more

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