12:30pm: Registration

Harris County 1910 Courthouse
301 Fannin, Room 245
Third Floor
First Court of Appeals Courtroom
Houston, TX 77002

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Detailed Program of Events

1:15 - 1:30pm: Welcome

Dean Darby Dickerson

Chief Judge Kem Frost

1:30 - 2:30pm:

Giving Clients What They Want: Clear, Concise Communication

Executive summaries, PowerPoint presentations, status reports, and the like often contain too much information.  Unnecessary detail defeats the purpose of a summary and sometimes obscures critical data points. Reader-focused writing gives clients the crucial information clearly and concisely. Learn what lawyers can do to make this genre of legal writing more effective.

Giving Clients What They Want  PowerPoint

Bill Buck, General Counsel

ExxonMobil Upstream 

Companies

Chuck Boettcher,

Vice President & 

General Counsel,

Waste Management

2:40 - 3:25pm:

Reader-Focused Legal Writing for Arbitration

For lawyers making a case, audience matters. Communicating with industry experts takes a special set of skills. Whether preparing submissions or other requests for relief, writing for arbitration presents unique challenges.  Learn the most effective ways to get the client’s message across in arbitration. 

Read-Focused Legal Writing PowerPoint

Ann Ryan Robertson,

International Partner,

Locke Lord, LL.P.

3:35 - 4:20pm:

Motion-Drafting in Trial & Appellate Courts

What is the best way to tell the court what you want and why you are entitled to it? Learn the secrets to effective motion-drafting from the experts as they provide practical tips for honing this important skill.

Effective Motion-Drafting PowerPoint

Erin Glenn Busby

Hon. George Hanks,

United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Hon. Jane Bland,

Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas