Public Service

We are committed to public service through pro bono assistance, continuing legal education programs, and efforts to promote equal opportunity in the law.

Pro Bono Assistance

For many years, Trial Practices, LLC has provided pro bono consulting services to Florida's Public Defenders and other defendants in death-penalty cases. (See example, the defense of a 15-year-old girl accused of masterminding her mother’s murder with the help of two friends. 

Continuing Legal Education

We provide free training to attorneys through “Lunch and Learn” and other continuing legal education programs. These programs include training in jury selection, effective storytelling at trial, using demonstrative evidence, and witness preparation. The company and its consultants have worked with the numerous local, state, and national legal organizations to provide continuing legal education programs to attorneys, including:
  • American Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • National Institute for Trial Advocacy
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America
  • Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers
  • The Florida Bar
  • Hillsborough County Bar Association ( Florida)
  • Southern Trial Lawyers Association

Promoting Equal Opportunity

Working with the American Bar Association’s Woman Advocate Committee, the company has worked to promote women’s full and equal participation in the legal profession. 

Options for the Opt-Out Revolution Program

Attorney Betty Dunkum Patten co-chaired and served as moderator for the program "Options for the Opt-Out Revolution: Strategies for Lawyers and Employers to Address Leave Taking and Re-Entry into the Legal Workforce", held at the American Bar Association Section of Litigation 2006 Annual Conference on April 20, 2006, in Los Angeles, California. 

Program Materials

To review materials prepared for the Opt-Out Revolution program, click on the appropriate link below:
  1. Article on the Opt-Out Revolution. Discusses the scope of the Opt-Out Revolution and what employers and individuals can do to address the issue. Click here to access article. 
  2. Overview Video: This video, prepared by Trial Practices' Anne McDermott, provides an overview of the issues relating to the Opt-Out Revolution. Watch Video and read transcript here.
  3. Interview wih Harvard Law School Dean: Former CNN correspondent Bob Vito and attorney Betty Dunkum Patten interviewed then- Dean of Harvard Law School Elena Kagan (currently an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court), regarding the significance of the opt-out revolution and how attorneys and law schools can partner to address these issues.  Watch Video and read transcript here.