Advanced Trial Advocacy School

Alexander Blewett III School of Law

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Overview

Prepare to step into the court room with confidence. The Advanced Trial Advocacy Program sharpens your trial skills. It provides an immersive, hands-on learning environment with opportunities to practice and perfect skills based on guidance from experienced and well-respected Montana judges, trial lawyers, and communications experts. This program is designed for attorneys who are in the first five years of their practice.

The Alexander Blewett III School of Law has applied for continuing legal education credits with the Montana CLE Commission.

We are grateful to the State Bar of Montana for their sponsorship.

Registration

Seating is limited & early registration is encouraged.

Early bird registration ends May 9th: $1,650 No refunds after May 9th, 2025. Substitutions welcome.

Registration ends May 26: $1,950 No refunds. Substitutions welcome.

Optional: Reservation for Dorm Housing - Nonrefundable after May 26 - 6 Nights for $200

Room links will be 91��Ƶ soon.

Refund requests honored prior to May 9, 2025. We are unable to offer refunds after that date but substitutions are welcome.

Housing

Dorm Housing

University dormitory housing is 91��Ƶ for a cost of $200 beginning Monday, June 1 with checkout on Friday, June 7, 2025. Reservation is nonrefundable after May 29. and email Lily.Soper@mso.umt.edu to request dormitory housing.

Hotel Block

We have rooms 91��Ƶ at the .

Hotel Costs
Rate	USD $139/night +Tax and Fees

Name: Block Advanced Trial Advocacy Program

Hotel Information:
Days Inn and Suites by Wyndham Downtown Missoula-University
744 E Broadway St
Missoula Montana
United States
406-5495134

Monday - June 2, 2025

Morning Schedule
8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Faculty Meet in Room 201	Faculty Meeting
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	General Assembly: Opening Convocation and Introductions Hon. Karen Townsend
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	How to Prepare your Case: Big Picture Guest Lecturer: Cliff Edwards Faculty: Mike Lamb
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Faculty Demonstration: Jury Selection Mike Lamb representing Lonnie Menninger; Natasha Jones, representing Ouchi Motors; Hon. Jason Marks, presiding
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Jury Selection A’s conduct voir dire for Lonnie Menninger B’s conduct voir dire for Ouchi Motors
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.	Break
3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Lecture: Ethics: The Commission on Practice and You; Ethics of Opening and Closing Mick Taleff

Tuesday - June 3, 2025

*Morning Schedule*
8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201.	Faculty Lecture: Courtroom Communications Samuel Boerbroom, Ph.D. Nikki R Schauble Melinda C. Tilton, M.A.
9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.	Break
9:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201.	Faculty Demonstration: Opening Statements Meghann Paddock for Lonnie Menninger Thorin Geist for Ouchi Motors Hon. Mike Menahan, presiding
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201.	Faculty Lecture: The Visual Trial Christina Yoshimura, Ph.D. Prof. Cynthia Ford
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Workshop: Opening Statements B’s for Lonnie Menninger A’s for Ouchi Motors
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.	Break
3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Demonstration: Direct and Cross Examination of Accident Reconstruction Expert Jill Laslovich on Direct Randy Cox on Cross Hon. Kathleen “Katie” Desoto presiding

Wednesday - June 4, 2025

*Morning Schedule*
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Lecture: Making and Meeting Objections Prof. Cynthia Ford
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.	Break
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Use rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for individual critique	Workshop: Direct & Cross of Evan McCarthy A’s on Direct B’s on Cross
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Direct and Cross of Terry Townsend B’s on Direct A’s on Cross
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.	Break
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Demonstration: Electronic Courtroom Susan Mayer

Thursday - June 5, 2025

*Morning Schedule*
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Direct and Cross of Kerry Eblem B’s on Direct A’s on Cross
10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m. - 12:15 a.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Direct & Cross of Gerry Gleason A’s on Direct B’s on Cross
12:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Panel on How the Sausage is Made: Settling Jury Instructions and Using Them in Closing Hon. Kathleen “Katie” Desoto Hon. Mike Menahan Hon. Jason Marks
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Demonstration: Closing Arguments Paul Ryan for Lonnie Menninger Adam Duerk for Ouchi Motors Hon. Mike Menahan, presiding

Friday - June 6, 2025

*Morning Schedule*
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Use rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for individual critique	Workshop: Closing Arguments B’s for Lonnie Menninger A’s for Ouchi Motors
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Reception and Certificates presented by Faculty

Program Directors

Judge Karen Townsend, 4th Judicial District (Ret.), Missoula County
Professor Cynthia Ford, Missoula Montana
Tasha P. Jones, Missoula, Montana

Presenters

Cliff Edwards
Judge Townsend

Faculty Roster

Hon. Kathleen L. “Katie” DeSoto, United States District Court, District of Montana
Hon. Jason Marks, District Court Judge, 4^th Judicial District, Missoula County
Hon. Mike Menahan, District Court Judge, 1st Judicial District, Broadwater & Lewis and Clark Counties

Karen Townsend, District Court Judge, 4th Judicial District (Ret.)
Natasha Prinzing Jones, Boone Karlberg
Professor Cynthia Ford, Blewett School of Law, The 91��Ƶ
Michael F. Lamb, Lamb Law Office
Adam Duerk, McFarland, Molloy & Duerk
Jill Laslovich, Crowley Fleck
Randy J. Cox, Executive Vice-President and General Counsel, Wildfire Defense Systems, Inc.
A. Clifford Edwards, Edwards & Culver
Mick Taleff, Taleff & Murphy, P.C.
Thorin A. Geist, Assistant Attorney General, Montana Department of Justice
Meghann F. Paddock, Director of Training, Montana Department of Justice
Paul Ryan, Ryan & Miller, PLLC

Communication Faculty

Samuel Boerboom, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Communications & Theater, Montana State University – Billings
Christina Yamaguchi, Ph.D. Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication Studies, The 91��Ƶ - Missoula
Melinda Tilton, M.A., Department of Communications & Theater, Montana State University – Billings
Nikki R. Schauble, Communications Consulting, Missoula

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