GED Partners James Dawson and Marc Eisenhart, along with GED attorney Claire Melehani, donated their time to teach practical skills to new attorneys at the Santa Clara County Bar Association’s First Annual Barristers Bootcamp on February 26, 2021, at Lincoln Law School. James Dawson and Marc Eisenhart gave CLE-eligible presentations.

Marc kicked off the event by teaching new lawyers the often-neglected aspects of the discovery process in a talk he titled “Everything You Learned About Planning Your Litigation Discovery is WRONG.” Marc’s talk covered mistakes to avoid making when drafting discovery, and how lawyers can use those same sticking points to their clients’ advantage when crafting objections. He also explained why each case’s discovery plan should vary, depending on the issues of the case.

James taught the Barristers “How to Craft Understandable Jury Instructions” since many of the young lawyers in attendance hadn’t yet conducted their first jury trial. He explained that lawyers should review the jury instructions early on in the case to gain a clear understanding of the key elements of the causes of action and affirmative defenses. James also explained why conflicting verdicts present an appealable issue, and how to avoid the issue during trial.

Claire Melehani, the President of the Barristers, taught her members “Social Media for Lawyers: How to Avoid Ethical Pitfalls.” Because many young lawyers post on social media, she taught attendees the relevant Rules of Professional Conduct, including when a post is considered to be an attorney advertisement and, if it is, what disclaimers must be included.

In all, 31 new and young lawyers attended the event. GED plans to continue sending its attorneys to future SCCBA Barristers Bootcamps, to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of legal talent.