King County Bar Association welcomes expert trial skills trainer, Cynthia Works, from Washington D.C. to host KCBA’s first interactive trial skills workshop on October 22 and 23, 2004. Cynthia is currently the director of training and advocacy for the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association (NLADA)--the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership association serving the broad equal justice community by providing training, services, and a national voice on public policy issues for the access to justice community.

The Trial Advocacy Training program is designed specifically to provide attorneys with the knowledge and skills to become outstanding trial attorneys--no matter what level of trial experience they currently have. The program will offer two days of Trial Advocacy training, blending lecture, theory and on your feet application of the knowledge presented. Following each lecture and demonstration, participants will move into small groups with faculty members. They will have the opportunity to demonstrate each of the various elements of a trial and receive constructive feedback from the faculty. Immediately following the program, participants and faculty will come together for a reception and awards ceremony.

At Howard University, Ms. Works coached the trial advocacy team which won the 1999 Tournament of Champions. This team was the first one from a historically black college to win the National Championship. Ms. Works other accomplishments include the 2001 Distinguished Faculty Author Award from Howard University. Ms. Works graduated from Texas A & M University in 1989 and from The American University, Washington College of Law in 1992. After a clerkship in the District of Columbia, she was a staff attorney with the distinguished D.C. Public Defender Service where she represented indigent persons in criminal matters at both the trial and appellate levels. She also worked for insurance and medical malpractice defense firms on behalf of corporations, including McDonalds and various health care providers.

She has been an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law teaching legal research and writing and professor at Howard University School of Law where she focused her work in the areas of evidence, criminal procedure, and clinical education.

Ms. Works will lecture at several points throughout the workshop and demonstrate opening statements and closing arguments. Joining her as workshop facilitators, presenters and interactive coaches will be: Richard M. Clinton; Dorsey & Whitney LLP; Carl E. Forsberg, Forsberg Umlauf P.S.; Robert F. Chadwell, McKay Chadwell PLLC; Michael Bolasina, Stafford Frey Cooper; Jefferey M. Thomas, Gordon, Murray, Tilden LLP; James R. Murray, Gordon, Murray, Tilden LLP; Blake Marks-Dias, Ridell Williams P.S; Vanessa Power, Stoel Rives, LLP; Dennis Brooks, Tsongas Litigation Consulting; R. Craig Smith Tsongas Litigation Consulting; Theodore O. Prosise, Tsongas Litigation Consulting; Steve Fredrickson, Northwest Justice Project; Hong Tran, Northwest Justice Project; Meg Sassaman; Northwest Justice Project, Jeanette Adams Gorman, Socius Law Group, Robert G. Chadwell, Nicholas Peter Gellert, Perkins Coie LLP, Lisa Ludwig, Attorney at Law, Portland and Bill Bailey, Attorney at Law, Seattle.