Public Interest Attorneys Participate in Three-Day Trial Advocacy Training

PHILADELPHIA – 33 local public interest attorneys participated in the Philadelphia Bar Foundation's R. Gimbel Fund for Legal Excellence Trial Advocacy Training Program. The three-day training was facilitated with Rutgers Law School from December 10th through 12th at Pepper Hamilton LLP. 

The Trial Advocacy Training program provides a unique opportunity for public interest lawyers to learn and practice techniques such as opening statements and closing arguments, direct and cross-examination, as well as case analysis and preparation. The program utilizes a variety of teaching methods including lecture, demonstration, and courtroom role playing that are videotaped and critiqued. The program faculty consist of some of the best trial lawyers and teachers from the Philadelphia region and throughout the country.

The Gimbel Program embodies the Philadelphia Bar Foundation’s commitment to equal justice for all. Public interest lawyers learn essential trial skills that allow them to continue to successfully work toward this mission. The attorneys return to their own agencies renewed and strengthened, helping many individuals and families struggling with poverty, abuse, and discrimination.

The R. Nicholas Gimbel Fund for Legal Excellence was created with contributions from friends, colleagues and loved ones to honor Nick Gimbel’s memory and support for legal aid, his love of the law, and his desire that it be practiced at the highest levels of excellence. The Philadelphia Bar Foundation is honored that Mr. Gimbel's family, friends, and colleagues have entrusted the Fund to its care.

Through programs, grants, and partnerships, the Philadelphia Bar Foundation removes barriers to justice, engages the community in support of civil legal aid, and builds system-wide capacity in order to strengthen the provision of quality legal services and to ensure that all individuals understand their rights to equal justice under law.

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