Timothy W. Kelly
Kelly Law Offices PC, Bloomington/Chicago
Author of Laying Foundations for Introducing Evidence 2013 QuickGuide

Hon. Ronald D. Spears
Illinois Circuit Court, Fourth Judicial Circuit, Taylorville
Past president of the Illinois Judges’ Association

Practical Training
Develop sensible pre-trial and trial skills for both civil and criminal practice. Through direct instruction and practical demonstrations for evidentiary foundations, this program can improve your ability to:

• effectively prepare evidence for trial;

• anticipate and resolve admissibility issues before trial;

• relate the new rules of evidence to foundations for proper introduction of evidence;

• apply observed demonstrations on laying foundations for various forms of evidence to your cases;

• implement a structured and organized trial preparation system;

• appreciate the role of the judge in the evidentiary process; and

• feel more confident about making effective objections and preserving the record for purposes of appeal.

Getting Your Case Prepared for Trial
Learn how to prepare evidence and deal with admissibility issues before trial by establishing a solid trial preparation system, identifying potential evidence, and deciding when and how you should present it. General rules governing admissibility will be reviewed, as well as resolution of common questions of admissibility.

General Rules for Laying Foundations
Review general rules and laws for laying foundations as well as the underlying policy concerns. Work through the process and mechanics of introducing evidence and laying a foundation, from marking the exhibit for identification and showing it to the opposing counsel, to laying the foundation, offering the exhibit into evidence, publishing it to the jury, and eliciting the testimony of a witness.

Judge’s Perspective
What does the judge think? Learn directly from Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Ronald D. Spears about the impact of providing a courtesy copy of the evidence to the judge and the practical reality of different courtroom techniques.

Practical Applications
Interactive demonstrations of how to lay a foundation for common and not-so-common forms of evidence, including:

• Medical records

• Medical bills

• Summaries

• Computer-generated documents

• Photographs

• Computer animations

• Accident diagrams

• Reconstruction testimony

• Self-authenticating documents

• Certified records

Objections & Preserving the Record
Use your knowledge of laying foundations to make effective objections and preserve the record for purposes of appeal.

QuickGuide Resource
Gain a practical addition to your practice library with the newly updated release of Laying Foundations for Introducing Evidence 2013 QuickGuide as the program materials. This handy reference walks you through obtaining evidence while considering the value of the case and admissibility issues before trial.