Articles Posted in Trial Tips and Strategies

People! Do not let the statute of limitations slip past on your personal injury cases in North Carolina.  I’ve had three calls this week from people who did not have lawyers and who waited until the last second, or past the last second, to call for advice. None of these calls ended on a happy…

The NC AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts) website is often hard to navigate and because it is open to the general public, can be sparse on the email links. This can make scheduling trials and motions difficult. Here is a link to the names, adresses and emails of the TCAs and TCCs in North…

Please find below the “problem set” for the NCBA Middle School Mock Trial Competition. You will also find the 2014 rules of the competition. Chris Nichols

This post is somewhat of a departure from my “usual” posts about liens and other important (but dry )material and it is also a huge departure from my normal practice of completely ignoring “friend spam.” What’s “friend spam”? Well, you know how you get those “chain emails” from Friends or Friends of Friends about a…

As I’m getting ready for a trial, I’m constantly reminded that the “reason the case is going to trial” has more to do with the defendant’s insurance company than anything else. It’s frustrating as an attorney fighting for justice because I have the burden of proof for the “facts” of the case, but what the…

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak this morning at the NC Paralegal Association in New Bern, NC. Because I could not get all my materials printed in time, here are the materials for download: The PowerPoint Slide Show in PDF format:  Download nichols_preparing_your_client_for_trial_presentation.pdf Here is the actual PowerPoint Show: Power Point Here is the…

In North Carolina, pursuant to NCGS Chapter 1A Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 8(A), when a Plaintiff files a lawsuit, the Plaintiff may not state a specific amount of relief sought other than to specify that the case seeks either less than $10,000.00 (District Court) or an amount exceeding $10,000.00 (Superior Court). Under Rule 8A(2),…

Have you rasterized today? I have been given a tip on how to make HUGE enlargements for exhibits from a recent law school graduate, and I want to pass it on to everyone. The process is called “rasterizing” and it pretty much is breaking a picture into parts, and printing each part on a sheet…

New DWI Laws Allow Speed Testimony under Rule 702(i) As of December 1, 2006, the new Rule 702(i) will allow accident reconstructionists who have been qualified as experts to give an opinion as to the speed of a vehicle, even if they did not observe the moving vehicle(s). Please note that this should apply to…

I stumbled across a neat little site by Professor Douglas Linder, a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.  You can view Professor Linder’s website here: Famous Trials – UMKC School of Law – Prof. Douglas Linder. Would John Brown have fled in a white SUV? Linder teaches a class on “Famous…