Articles
Ten Rules for Depositions: Must-Know Evidence Rules for Effective Examinations
“If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.” - Yogi Berra
When it comes to effective depositions, the examining attorney must master a handful of skills to ensure he or she is discovering new and necessary facts, exhausting (and pinning down) the witness' memory, and succinctly capturing key admissions. Our online Depositions Skills Clinic takes a close look at these issues and unpacks real-life examples of famous (and some infamous) depositions...
Policy or Habit Evidence: Statewide Class Action or Single-Plaintiff Arbitration
When it comes the rules of evidence, there can be a big difference between a "policy" and a "habit" (or "custom," when it comes to a business entity). A decent (albeit nonlegal) illustration of the difference is the late Howie Sugden.* Howie had a policy of fighting anyone during pickup hockey games who, in his opinion, "played cheap." So while there was a decent chance his gloves might come off whenever he took the ice, it wasn't necessarily guaranteed. But when it came...
The Admissibility of Character Evidence: Demystifying the Rules and their Application
Character evidence is similar to hearsay in that there is a general rule of inadmissibility followed by so many exceptions that they often gobble up the general rule. But what can make character evidence trickier is that even when it is admissible, there are specific rules about the type of character evidence that is allowed. This article provides a road map so that trial lawyers can know the what, when, and how of character evidence.
What is...
David Sugden
Dave is a business trial lawyer who is an ABOTA member and has been recognized from 2020 - 2023 as one of the “Top 50 Super Lawyers in Orange County,” and previously recognized by California’s Daily Journal as one of “California’s 20 Top Attorneys Under 40”.
He has represented business entities both as a plaintiff and defendant throughout the country.
Recent Posts
