Advanced Trial Advocacy School

Alexander Blewett III School of Law

trial_advocacy_school_June 1-5, 2026

Overview

Prepare to step into the court room with confidence. The Advanced Trial Advocacy Program sharpens your trial skills. It provides an immersive, hands-on learning environment with opportunities to practice and perfect skills based on guidance from experienced and well-respected ��ؿ� judges, trial lawyers, and communications experts. This program is designed for attorneys who are in the first five years of their practice.

The Alexander Blewett III School of Law has applied for continuing legal education credits with the ��ؿ� CLE Commission.

We are grateful to the State Bar of ��ؿ� for their sponsorship.

Registration

Seating is limited & early registration is encouraged.

Early bird registration ends April 20th: $1,762.51 No refunds after April 20th, 2026. Substitutions welcome.

Registration ends May 26: $2,082.63 No refunds. Substitutions welcome.

Refund requests honored prior to May 9, 2026. We are unable to offer refunds after that date but substitutions are welcome.

Monday - June 1, 2026

Morning Schedule
Time and Place	Event
8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Faculty Meet in Room 201	Faculty Meeting
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	General Assembly: Opening Convocation and Introductions Hon. Karen Townsend
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	How to Prepare your Case: Big Picture Guest Lecturer: Cliff Edwards Faculty: Mike Lamb
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Faculty Demonstration: Jury Selection Megan Paddock representing State of ��ؿ�; Paul Ryan, representing Bree Travino; Hon. Jason Marks, presiding
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Jury Selection A’s conduct voir dire for State of ��ؿ� B’s conduct voir dire for Bree Trevino
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.	Break
3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Lecture: Ethics for the Trial Lawyer Mike Lamb

Tuesday - June 2, 2026

*Morning Schedule*
Time and Place	Event
8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201.	Faculty Lecture: Courtroom Communications Samuel Boerbroom, Ph.D. Nikki R Schauble
9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.	Break
9:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201.	Faculty Demonstration: Opening Statements Thorin Geist for State of ��ؿ� Sean Goicoecea for Bree Trevino Hon. Mike Menahan, presiding
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201.	Faculty Lecture: The Visual Trial Christina Yoshimura, Ph.D. Prof. Cynthia Ford
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Workshop: Opening Statements B’s for State of ��ؿ� A’s for Bree Trevino
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.	Break
3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Demonstration: Direct and Cross Examination of Accident Reconstruction Expert Mike Lamb on Direct Natasha Jones on Cross Hon. Kathleen “Katie” Desoto presiding

Wednesday - June 3, 2026

*Morning Schedule*
Time and Place	Event
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Lecture: Making and Meeting Objections Prof. Cynthia Ford
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.	Break
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Use rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for individual critique	Workshop: Direct & Cross of Evan McCarthy A’s on Direct B’s on Cross
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Direct and Cross of Terry Townsend B’s on Direct A’s on Cross
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.	Break
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Panel on How the Sausage is Made: Settling Jury Instructions and Using Them in Closing Hon. Kathleen “Katie” Desoto Hon. Mike Menahan Hon. Leslie Halligan

Thursday - June 4, 2026

*Morning Schedule*
Time and Place	Event
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Direct and Cross of Susan Phillips B’s on Direct A’s on Cross
10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m. - 12:15 a.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Individual meeting rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for critique	Workshop: Direct & Cross of Dr. C. Pozza A’s on Direct B’s on Cross
12:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
Afternoon Schedule
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Faculty Demonstration: Closing Arguments Ryan Weldon for State of ��ؿ� Adam Duerk for Bree Trevino Hon. Mike Menahan, presiding
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Workshop: Closing Arguments B’s for State of ��ؿ� A’s for Bree Trevino

Friday - June 5, 2026

*Morning Schedule*
Time and Place	Event
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Each section meets in its scheduled classroom. (Room 203, 214, 211(moot court room) or 215) Use rooms 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 in Castles Center for individual critique	Workshop: Closing Arguments B’s for State of ��ؿ� A’s for Bree Travino
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. All participants and faculty meet in Room 201	Reception and Certificates presented by Faculty

Program Directors

Judge Karen Townsend, 4th Judicial District (Ret.), Missoula County
Professor Cynthia Ford, Missoula ��ؿ�
Tasha P. Jones, Missoula, ��ؿ�

Presenters

Cliff Edwards
Judge Townsend

Faculty Roster

Hon. Kathleen L. “Katie” DeSoto, United States District Court, District of ��ؿ�
Hon. Jason Marks, District Court Judge, 4^th Judicial District, Missoula County
Hon. Mike Menahan, District Court Judge, 1st Judicial District, Broadwater & Lewis and Clark Counties

Karen Townsend, District Court Judge, 4th Judicial District (Ret.)
Natasha Prinzing Jones, Boone Karlberg
Professor Cynthia Ford, Blewett School of Law, The ��ؿ�
Michael F. Lamb, Lamb Law Office
Adam Duerk, McFarland, Molloy & Duerk
Jill Laslovich, Crowley Fleck
Randy J. Cox, Executive Vice-President and General Counsel, Wildfire Defense Systems, Inc.
A. Clifford Edwards, Edwards & Culver
Mick Taleff, Taleff & Murphy, P.C.
Thorin A. Geist, Assistant Attorney General, ��ؿ� Department of Justice
Meghann F. Paddock, Director of Training, ��ؿ� Department of Justice
Paul Ryan, Ryan & Miller, PLLC

Communication Faculty

Samuel Boerboom, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Communications & Theater, ��ؿ� State University – Billings
Christina Yamaguchi, Ph.D. Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication Studies, The ��ؿ� - Missoula
Melinda Tilton, M.A., Department of Communications & Theater, ��ؿ� State University – Billings
Nikki R. Schauble, Communications Consulting, Missoula

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