National Institute for Trial Advocacy

08/14/2026

NITA is excited to bring its phenomenal Women in Trial program to Kansas City this fall. Join Judge Amy Hanley and her cadre of some of the best women in trial law September 16–19 at the offices of at Husch Blackwell, and learn advocacy skills from the crème de la crème. It’s a learning experience you’ll never forget. This program sells out every year, so register today at https://info.nita.org/WTP926.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNmwvAXewk4

NITA is excited to bring its phenomenal Women in Trial program to K...

08/14/2026

🤠 Everything's bigger in Texas, including the opportunity to elevate your trial skills.

Join NITA for Building Trial Skills: Houston, a hands-on advocacy program designed for attorneys who want to become more persuasive, confident, and effective in the courtroom. From opening statements and witness examinations to exhibits, impeachment, and closing arguments, you'll learn by doing, not by simply watching.

Hosted in a new state-of-the-art facility, the program includes a one-hour ethics CLE presentation and concludes with a mock bench trial using actor-witnesses, giving you the chance to put your skills to the test in a realistic setting.

Whether you're new to trial work or looking to sharpen existing skills, this is an experience you won't want to miss.

📍 Building Trial Skills: Houston
📅 Dec 16–19 ⚖️
🔗 Register now: https://info.nita.org/HSTS1226_SM

08/13/2026

🌟 Faculty Spotlight: Liz Tipping

We’re proud to spotlight Liz Tipping, an accomplished trial attorney, construction law advocate, and educator who serves as Program Director for Deposition Skills: Nashville.

👉 https://info.nita.org/TNDP926

With more than 20 years of litigation experience, Liz has represented clients in civil, commercial, and criminal matters, with a primary focus on construction law. She has successfully tried cases before juries and judges in state and federal courts and has advocated for clients at every level of the judiciary, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

Liz brings deep industry knowledge and a practical, business-focused approach to her work, helping construction companies and small businesses navigate contract negotiations, risk management, dispute resolution, and litigation.

An active leader in both the legal and construction communities, Liz is affiliated with the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel, National Women in Roofing, and the Lawyers' Association for Women. She is also a longtime NITA faculty member, teaching advocacy skills to attorneys nationwide and leading the annual Deposition Skills: Nashville program.

Beyond her legal career, Liz is passionate about mentoring and creative writing. In 2019, she co-founded the SCBWI MidSouth Mentorship Program alongside #1 New York Times bestselling author Sharon Cameron, helping support and develop aspiring writers.

Whether you're looking to strengthen your deposition strategy or sharpen your advocacy skills, Liz brings exceptional experience, insight, and practical wisdom to every program she leads.

👉 Learn more: https://info.nita.org/TNDP926

08/12/2026

🤠 Everything's bigger in Texas—including the opportunity to level up your deposition skills.

Join NITA in Houston for Deposition Skills, a hands‑on training experience built for litigators at any experience level. Over two days, you'll practice questioning witnesses, handling objections, using exhibits effectively, gaining key admissions, and preparing and defending witnesses with confidence.

Held at the University of Houston Law Center, the program features realistic mock depositions with actor‑witnesses, real‑time faculty feedback, and a one‑hour ethics CLE presentation.

If you're looking for practical skills you can immediately apply to your cases, this is a program you won't want to miss.

📍 Deposition Skills: Houston
📅 Dec 14–15 ⚖️
🔗 Register now: https://info.nita.org/HSDP1226_SM

08/11/2026

🌟 Faculty Spotlight: Michelle Méndez

We’re proud to spotlight Michelle Méndez, a nationally recognized immigration advocate, educator, and litigator who serves as Program Director for Advocacy in Immigration Matters.

👉 https://info.nita.org/AIST926

Michelle is the Legal Director of the National Immigration Project, where she helps advance and defend the rights of immigrant communities nationwide. Prior to this role, she led CLINIC's Defending Vulnerable Populations Program, providing training and support to immigration practitioners across the country, engaging in federal litigation, and overseeing the organization's role in the Dilley Pro Bono Project.

Earlier in her career, Michelle represented detained and non-detained immigrants before Immigration Courts, USCIS, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Fourth Circuit. She began her legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by DLA Piper.

A dedicated educator, Michelle has taught at Catholic University Columbus School of Law, served as a Visiting Clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School, and worked with the University of Baltimore School of Law's Immigrant Rights Clinic. She is also the co-author of AILA's Trial Skills for Immigration Court: A Practical Guide to Effective Strategies and Tactics.

Whether you're new to immigration practice or looking to sharpen your advocacy skills, Michelle brings exceptional experience, insight, and leadership to the classroom.

👉 Learn more and register: https://info.nita.org/AIST926

08/06/2026

🎉 Faculty Reveal 🎉

As Building Trial Skills: New York heads into its final day tomorrow, we're recognizing the incredible faculty who have spent the week helping participants build stronger courtroom advocacy skills.

📅 August 3–7, 2026
📍 Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University

This hands-on program brings together litigators of all experience levels for practical training in trial advocacy, expert feedback, and NITA's learning-by-doing approach.

What makes the New York program unique?

✔️ A full day focused on financial expert witnesses
✔️ Ethics and diversity workshops that qualify for CLE credit
✔️ Training designed to strengthen skills that translate directly to better advocacy

Thank you to our faculty for making this week's program such a valuable learning experience.

08/05/2026

Warmest congratulations to NITA Trustee and Program Director Annie Deets, who was sworn in as an Associate Magistrate Judge for DeKalb County in Atlanta this morning. Judge Deets is pictured here with her family and Chief Magistrate Court Judge Berryl A. Anderson, who appointed her to the bench. The citizenry of DeKalb County will be well served by the wisdom, experience, and compassion of Judge Deets as she begins this exciting new chapter of her life in public service.

08/05/2026

🎉 Faculty Reveal 🎉

The faculty has been announced for Building Trial Skills: Seattle!

📅 August 12–16, 2026
📍 Seattle

This five-day program is built for new and experienced litigators alike, combining hands-on trial advocacy training with personalized feedback from experienced faculty.

What makes the Seattle program unique?

✔️ Ethics presentation by Washington State Supreme Court Justice Sal Mungia
✔️ Communication skills training with trial advocacy coach Laurie Gilbertson
✔️ A mock jury trial before a sitting Washington State judge and jury panel, plus the opportunity to observe jury deliberations

Sharpen your advocacy skills while spending a week in one of the country's most vibrant and scenic cities.

Learn more: 👉 https://info.nita.org/NWST826

08/05/2026

🎉 Faculty Reveal 🎉

The faculty has been announced for Deposition Skills: Seattle!

📅 August 10–11, 2026
📍 Seattle

Built for both new and experienced litigators, this hands-on program focuses on sharpening deposition skills through practical exercises, expert coaching, and real-time feedback.

What makes the Seattle program unique?

✔️ Ethics CLE presentation on witness preparation and deposition ethics
✔️ Hands-on training using court-certified interpreters
✔️ A Difficult Witness and Difficult Counsel Workshop designed to strengthen your ability to manage challenging situations in the deposition room

Join us in Seattle to build practical skills you can put to work immediately.

Learn more: 👉 https://info.nita.org/NWDP826

08/04/2026

“Thank you for offering this valuable program.”

“The instructors were 10/10.”

“I loved the ability to have smaller groups where we were able to break down our presentations and build the skills up.”

These are just a handful of the comments we received from the ABA Litigation Section-NITA 2026 Advocacy Training Course for legal services attorneys held at the offices of Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 16 and 17. Legal services attorneys came from eight different legal services agencies.

A lot of people helped make this happen. We thank the attorneys and support staff at Dorsey & Whitney. They were gracious hosts and really made us feel welcome while we took over five conference rooms for our training. We cannot do this training without the support of firms like Dorsey & Whitney. A special thanks to Shelby Rolf of Dorsey & Whitney for coordinating all the logistics involved in holding a course such as this.

Judge Mark Drummond served as the program director. NITA provided the case file, and The NITA Foundation provided travel funding for NITA trainers Judge Kate Sandlin and Judge Debra Seaton.

We had great support from local faculty members Amy Tamburino and Valerie Narcy. Thanks to longtime NITA faculty member, Judge Cynthia McCollum, for her assistance in recruiting Amy and Valerie.

Christine McHugh, Director of Custom and Public Service Programs, assisted from the NITA side, and Monica Reyes, ABA Litigation Program Specialist, assisted pre-program and on site.

Planning is already underway for our next training. If your law firm or law school has space for us to hold our next training, please reach out to Monica Reyes via LinkedIn.