MG+M Launches Trial Advocacy Training Program

News

January 22, 2025

Overview

MG+M The Law Firm proudly announces the launch of an internal Trial Academy, a trial advocacy training program aimed at enhancing the skills and capabilities of future trial attorneys. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to introduce attorneys at various levels without trial experience to all aspects of a trial—from pretrial motions and filings to closing arguments. Through intensive workshops, the Trial Academy offers advanced, hands-on opportunities for training, peer collaboration, practical mentorship and feedback from members of our incredibly accomplished National Trial Team, who serve as faculty.

“The launch of MG+M’s Trial Academy underscores our firm’s ongoing commitment to providing elite trial capabilities and achieving optimal results for firm clients, especially in complex, high-stakes trials,” says MG+M Chairperson and Partner John B. Manning. “Our continued investment in the professional development of our attorneys fosters a culture of excellence and reinforces MG+M’s standing as a national trial practice leader and go-to litigation firm.”

More than a dozen of our seasoned trial attorneys, led by Partners Susan Cole and Max Swetman, developed the curriculum and oversee all facets of the program. More than 60 of our attorneys have volunteered to participate in the academy, which will be taught in 19 monthly sessions over the next year and a half. Each session focuses on a specific skill critical for trial success, and the full academy will cover every element of a trial, including:

Opening and closing statements
Direct and cross examination of fact witnesses and expert witnesses, as well as impeachment
Jury selection, instructions and charge conferences
Evidence rules and management, and motions in limine
Trial preservation depositions of fact and expert witnesses
Mediation

Following a lecture and demonstration by faculty members, academy participants practice the skill, employing fictionalized case materials based on real litigation our attorneys have managed. In addition to the fictionalized deposition testimony summaries, exhibits and background medical information, sessions will also involve a live judge, witnesses and jurors. These training sessions provide opportunities to practice and refine trial techniques and observe various approaches in a constructive and supportive setting. The curriculum also incorporates our firm-wide mentorship program, encouraging attorneys to engage with their assigned mentors and connect with more experienced trial attorneys in their respective offices.

The Trial Academy sessions are presented, recorded and broadcast across the firm from our National Trial Center located in our New Orleans office. This state-of-the-art courtroom is also used to fortify our clients’ defense strategies in preparation for actual trials.

Our distinguished Trial Academy faculty includes partners on our National Trial Team who have decades of demonstrated success at trial: