fall 2003 vol.9 no. 2                                                                                                                            Return to Contents
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Annual Meeting 2003

Our Annual Meeting Committee worked hared to arrange for a an excellent variety of CLE presentations at the Annual Meeting in Houston this year. The topics appealed to a broad audience and yet were of interest to all the paralegals who attended.
The first presentation was by Raphael (Rafe) Taylor, an attorney with the firm of Johnson, Spalding, Doyle West & Trent, who spoke on the topic of “How to Prepare Your Lawyer for Deposition.” Mr. Taylor not only provided a thorough overview of the deposition process, from who to depose and why, to types of witnesses, when and where (how) to take the deposition (providing an overview of the Rules of Procedure relevant to depositions), but also provided a vast array of internet sources for research regarding witnesses, informal discovery resources, and law sources. He also provided attendees with a handy list of reminders for details that might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Michael J. Lowenberg of the firm of O’Quinn, Laminack & Pirtle then spoke on “Preparing Your Lawyer for Mediation and Other Exciting Adventures.” The mediation process can be vital to resolving your client’s case and Mr. Lowenberg’s discussion centered on how the paralegal can be an integral part of this process. He provided a convenient Mediation Checklist to assist the paralegal in making certain that the attorney and the client are thoroughly prepared for mediation. He also discussed the necessity of confidentiality and exceptions (for example, the disclosure of information at mediation is discoverable in the case).
Justice Eva Guzman of the 14th Court of Appeals delivered the keynote speech at the Annual Meeting Luncheon. Justice Guzman inspired and amused all of us with the story of her personal journey and encouraged us to follow our dreams and to have the courage of our convictions.

Dianne Wilson, County Clerk of Fort Bend County, in conjunction with representatives from Texas Online and Bearing Point, provided an overview of the new procedures for electronic filing of documents. Currently available in only a few counties, electronic filing will no doubt become standard procedure soon. The presenters discussed how e-filing works, its advantages for both filers and the court clerks, and how the access to the courts is accomplished via the network of service providers and filing managers. They also went over the rules for e-filing and its various features. The discussion generated afterwards bore testament to the interest the attendees had in the topic.

The last speaker was J.J. Gradoni of Gradoni & Associates, an investigator who spoke on “Techniques for Interviewing Witnesses.” Mr. Gradoni discussed the art of interviewing and how to approach and talk to various types of individuals. Among the topics he covered were: setting a person at ease, the differences between men and women, personality characteristics, body language, and the use of “control questions” to determine if a witness is being truthful or not. He also provided useful advice on getting key questions answered and documenting your results, as well as taping interviews. A lively and realistic presentation.

Texas Paralegal Journal © Copyright 2003 by the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas.

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