Advanced Appellate Advocacy Seminar

This program is also being presented on Zoom. Please register here in order to receive your link to joing the program:

Approved for 4.5 general and 1.5 professional conduct hours.

Info: Preserving an accurate record is an essential prerequisite to a thorough appeal of any case. Staff from the Eighth District Court of Appeals, the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Court’s Office
and the Cuyahoga County Court Reporters along with Judge Brendan Sheehan from the Cuyahoga County Court of Court of Common Pleas will take a deep dive into the best practices for ensuring that the record is properly maintained and secured for appellate review. The panel will discuss best practices both inside and outside the courtroom to ensure all
record items, particularly exhibits, are properly maintained for appellate review.

Info: Appellate advocacy is hard. Courts tend to affirm, but we ask them to reverse. How can we do that? How can we persuade Judges to rule the other way? From Aristotle to Scalia, advice on
persuading judges abounds. Yet all writers tend to agree on one thing: Persuasion is an art, not a science. In this segment, we'll try to refine our skills at the art of persuasion, while also gaining some practical, battletested techniques to do so.

Info: Oral argument is an advocate’s last opportunity to make your case. Make the most of your chance to address and be addressed by the court that will be deciding your case. Former Ohio
Supreme Court Justices Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart will share their insights and experience on what they found to be effective and persuasive during their years on the bench. Guided conversation led by Judge Lisa B. Forbes of the Eighth District Court of Appeals.

Info: This engaging 60-minute session—moderated by Judge Mary J. Boyle—will map the AI landscape for appellate and trial lawyers, from how generative models work to where they fail, with highlights from recent ethics opinions addressing the use of generative AI in the practice of law. The distinguished panel will demystify AI “hallucinations” (why large language models fabricate outputs), review real-world sanctions and litigation missteps (including the surge of AI
use among pro se litigants), and survey emerging court rules that require AI-use certifications. This AI session will also explore the growing problem of AI deepfakes and how they affect all lawyers and courts. The discussion will include real-life examples of AI deepfakes and their
consequences. Attendees will come away with concrete takeaways to prevent, detect, and respond to AI hallucinations and deepfakes.

Info: The Social Determinants of Health (“SDOH”) are conditions in which people are born, live, work, learn, and play that affect population health, functioning, quality of life and risks, health
equity, and overall well-being. The SDOH often play a role in bringing litigants into the judicial system. Jasmine Howard will present an introduction to the social determinants of health. Wendy Parmet will present on the ways in which the SDOH interact with the law and ways
in which the appellate practice may be impacted by the SDOH.

Info: In this moderated panel discussion, Ohio’s newest appellate judges in Northeast Ohio will provide an up close and personal perspective on their respective appellate courts and share recommended best practices for appellate practitioners.

Info: Judicial and staff attorneys from the Eighth District Court of Appeals will recap relevant developments in appellate law including important decisions from the Eighth and the Ohio Supreme Court. Topics include final appealable order decisions, updates to local appellate rules, the use of issue bootstrapping in appeals, the party presentation rule, confrontation clause decisions and an update on the legal status of mandatory firearm specifications.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

CSU College of Law, 1801 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, United States