Counsel for Mother Nature
Expanding Opportunities for Non-Environmental Lawyers
Kevin Thompson
Environmental concerns reach far beyond the headline generating mass class actions. The property, health and finances of your everyday clients are likely to be effected. You need to know how to identify the issues, raise the cause of action and effectively advocate your client’s position.
This seminar was born from the numerous questions Kevin Thompson has gotten and still gets on how he got into environmental law and what skills are required to be successful.
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Where and how do you find clients? What special ethical issues do you face when you engage an environmental client?
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What are the pertinent laws? How do you get your case to court?
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What techniques of the courtroom work especially well in environmental cases? How do you reach the jury?
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What’s all this I hear about “fracking?” How will I know if this practice has effected my client? Do I need special training to handle a fracking case?
Kevin Thompson made his name in the law as a master of courtroom technology. His life took a turn, though, when Hurricane Katrina drove him from his adopted home of New Orleans back to his roots in West Virginia. In a matter of months, he found himself representing the people of Rawl, West Virginia in actions against Massey Industries—a cause that would occupy him for much of the next decade. In the process, Thompson found that he needed to apply his knowledge of property law, health law, torts, financing and multiple fields of science. His courtroom skills would be crucial. After years of following leads from the hollers of West Virginia to the swamps of Louisiana, of fighting for a day (or months) in court , Thompson and his co-counsel negotiated a settlement for the people of Rawl that got them the medical coverage they so badly needed. Thompson’s battle for the people of Rawl led to his being named a finalist as Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2012, and his successful representation in a first-of-its-kind grave desecration suit brought the same recognition in 2013. Come learn from a leader in the field and a proven great teacher. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity!
Program Highlights
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Identifying environmental issues in the lives of your existing or newly engaged clients
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The laws that get you into court and the techniques that make you a winner once you’re there
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The cross-over issues that will lead you to expand your practice and the ethical snares that might derail you
Program Agenda & Detail
6 Hours Including 1 Ethics
[Part I: 90 Minutes]
How do I know if I’ve got a client with an environmental claim?
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Client issues that point to environmental concerns
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Identifying the tortfeasor
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Substantial ethics issues surrounding the engagement and prosecution of an environmental claim
15 Minute Break
[Part II: 90 Minutes]
How do I get to court?
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Statutory hurdles
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Federal claims
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Some not-so-obvious routes to your client’s day in court
Lunch
[Part III: 90 Minutes]
How do I reach the jury, or tribunal?
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Simple presentation techniques for compound/complex issues
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Helping your experts teach and making their experts look “wrong”
15 Minute Break
[Part IV: 90 Minutes]
Hydraulic Fracturing—”Fracking”
What types of client concerns point to a possible fracking connection?
Personal Injury and property claims
What does a fracking fight look like, how long might it last, and what obstacles must you overcome?
[Adjoun]
Unconditional Guarantee
If you are not convinced that your understanding of the course topic has
improved after completion of any P.E.G.® seminar, we will refund your course tuition.