Combating Reptile Tactics in Employment Litigation
Strategies for Discovery, Voir Dire, Opening and Closing Argument, Direct and Cross-Exam
Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar with Q&A
This CLE course will guide trial counsel on combating the emerging trial strategy commonly known as the "reptile theory." The panel will discuss the increased use of reptilian tactics in employment litigation throughout the life of the case and how counsel can strategically confront the strategy.
Outline
- Reptilian tactics in litigation: history of theory and current trends in its use
- The particular application of reptilian tactics in employment cases
- Defense strategies: from discovery through closing argument
Benefits
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What is the underlying basis for the strategy often described as reptilian?
- How are plaintiffs' attorneys leveraging so-called reptile tactics to influence jurors' view of their cases?
- How can defense attorneys counter the increasing use of reptilian tactics?
Faculty
Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm, Ph.D.
Senior Litigation Consultant
Persuasion Strategies
Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm has provided research and strategic advice on several hundred cases across the country for the past... | Read More
Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm has provided research and strategic advice on several hundred cases across the country for the past 21 years, applying a doctorate in communication emphasizing the areas of legal persuasion and rhetoric. As a tenured Associate Professor of Communication Studies, he has taught courses including legal communication, argumentation, persuasion, and research methods. He has trained and consulted in 19 countries around the world and is Past President of the American Society of Trial Consultants.
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Nicole Rhoades
Shareholder
Davis Rothwell Earle & Xóchihua
Ms. Rhoades has been a litigator all 18 years of her career. She has tried and arbitrated numerous cases in Oregon and... | Read More
Ms. Rhoades has been a litigator all 18 years of her career. She has tried and arbitrated numerous cases in Oregon and Washington ranging in value from a few thousand dollars to more than twenty million dollars. She has also resolved more than a hundred cases through motion practice.
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