Why Attend?
- Explore major evidentiary issues in civil and criminal trials
- Understand the rules most encountered at trial and how best to employ them
Many factors can affect the outcome of a case, but often it comes down to the evidence, or more specifically, the rules of evidence. Knowing the rules is essential to counsel’s ability to assess the value of a case, form pretrial strategies, and present your client’s case to a judge or jury. That is why trial lawyers develop a playbook for admitting evidence and laying foundations. These valuable strategies should be second nature to any litigator. This program will focus on the most common techniques that every lawyer should be able to use effectively in civil and criminal cases to introduce or exclude evidence.
Topics will include:
- Hearsay—what does it mean to say evidence is not “offered for the truth,” and foundations supporting the common exceptions
- Laying an evidentiary foundation with witnesses
- Foundations for impeachment of a witness
- How to bolster your own witness before impeachment
- How to get an email or text message into evidence without calling someone from a cell phone company or email service to testify
- Foundations for expert witness testimony
- Authentication of business writings
- Authentication of oral statements such as: testimony by voice print or sound spectrography expert, caller identification, lay opinion testimony of a witness familiar with the speaker's voice, and the telephone directory doctrine
- Laying a foundation for the admissibility of voice recordings
- Options when evidence is excluded
- How to challenge your opponent’s lack of proper foundation with voir dire of a witness and a motion to strike
COVID-19 POLICY FOR LIVE-ON-SITE ATTENDANCE
By attending a live-on-site Virginia CLE® seminar, you acknowledge the health risks associated with COVID-19 and that you MUST follow all Virginia CLE® COVID-19 policies. You may NOT attend a live-on-site program if you have tested positive for COVID-19, if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or if you are under any self-quarantine orders per CDC guidelines.
Click here for details about the Virginia CLE® COVID-19 policy. Please revisit the webpage routinely for updates as we are monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation. All updates to this policy will be emailed to registrants.
(Last updated March 2, 2022)
| Registration Deadlines: |
| Webcast: |
10 minutes prior to seminar. If you register for a webcast the day of the seminar, your e-mail receipt will include a link to launch the seminar and download the materials. |
| Telephone: |
Online registration ends at 11:59 p.m. the day preceding the seminar
Call (800) 979-8253 to register up to one hour prior to the seminar |
| Live on Site: |
Online registration ends at 11:59 p.m. the day preceding the seminar
Walk-in registration is permitted on a space-available basis |
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $40 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE.
Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.
MCLE Credit Caveat: The MCLE Board measures credits by the time you spend in attendance. If you enter a seminar late or leave it early, or both, you must reflect those adjustments accurately in the credits you report on your credit reporting form. A code will be given at the end of the seminar, which must be written on your MCLE form.
Can't Attend? E-mail
distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an On Demand or USB seminar.
E-mail
publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program's seminar materials are made available for sale.