Civil Cases Gone Wild
Andrew H. Friedman to Speak on Civil Cases Gone Wild
July 9, 2025 – Helmer Friedman LLP is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Andrew H. Friedman will speak for The Rutter Group on a panel entitled Civil Cases Gone Wild: How to “Plan” for the Unexpected.
Mr. Friedman will be speaking with the Hon. Samantha P. Jessner. Judge Jessner was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2007. She is the former Presiding Judge of the Court. She previously served as the Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, the Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, and the Supervising Judge of the Mental Health Courthouse. She also served in the Criminal Division. Judge Jessner also serves on the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions (“CJEO”) and the Executive Committee of CJEO and is the Vice-Chair of the Information Technology Advisory Committee and Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council.
Michael D. Stein will moderate their discussion. Mr. Stein is a trial attorney and Tisdale & Nicholson, LLP partner in Los Angeles. A 1983 magna cum laude graduate from UCLA and 1987 graduate of Boalt Hall (U.C. Berkeley) Law School, Mr. Stein has represented clients in matters involving a multitude of subject areas including commercial contract, fraud/negligent misrepresentation, civil rights, landlord-tenant, FDIC insurance coverage, securities, unfair business practices, real estate, franchise agreements, mortgage banking, intellectual property/trade secret, legal malpractice, employment discrimination and construction defect. In a case that made headlines in the National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly U.S.A., and The Los Angeles Daily Journal, Mr. Stein obtained one of the largest jury verdicts in San Bernardino Superior Court history, $9.9 million, on behalf of a young child severely shaken by a former daycare center operator.
The Rutter Group described their presentation as follows:
| Benjamin Franklin once observed, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” While this maxim’s applicability to civil practice is undeniable, it is equally true that sometimes (in fact, almost always), the attorney’s case doesn’t quite go as planned. In this program designed for novice and experienced practitioners, the former Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court and two experienced plaintiff and defense trial lawyers offer effective and ethical ways to deal with the unexpected based on hard-to-believe but true actual incidents during deposition and trial. Program highlights include: |
| The Deposition Bully | |
| · | Handling the obstinate opposing counsel |
| · | When to suspend the deposition or seek immediate judicial assistance |
| · | How not to become a bully when responding to a bully |
| The Unhinged Trial Witness | |
| · | Helping your witness get back on track |
| · | Avoiding the temptation to argue with your opponent’s illogical answer |
| · | Using your closing argument to capitalize on jury’s disdain for foolishness |
| The Jury at War | |
| · | Dealing with prospective juror misconduct during voir dire |
| · | When and how to replace jurors during deliberations |
| · | What to do when the jury’s “verdict” isn’t a verdict at all |
| The Unethical Adversary | |
| · | Preserving your client’s right to pursue a malicious prosecution claim |
| · | Complying with the Rules of Professional Conduct’s reporting requirement |
| For more information about this program, go to https://www.theruttergroup.com/index.cfm?p=142 | |
