Thursday, June 25, 2020:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.   CANCELLED - To view onlinie class, please CLICK HERE.

More than 90% of civil cases settle or are dismissed prior to trial, yet most litigants spend very little time thinking about whether or how to settle their cases. Learn when settlement makes sense, what resources and tools are available to you and how to negotiate effectively to get the best possible result without the uncertainty, time, and expense of taking a case all the way to trial.

Class covers:

• How to frame your case in the best light
• Whether settlement makes sense for your case
• The role of a settlement officer or mediation
• How to prepare for a negotiation
• How to negotiate effectively
• When to make an offer
• How to decide what is a fair result
• Documenting your settlement so you are protected

Class approved for Court Interpreter Minimum Continuing Education (CIMCE) credit.

Presented by Sandra Levin and Barrie Roberts:
Sandra Levin is the Executive Director of LA Law Library, responsible for the conduct and oversight of its operations, including direction and implementation of programs, activities and policies. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Ms. Levin was a civil litigator for more than 25 years, practicing in administrative, state and federal courts. Ms. Levin was a founding principal of Colantuono & Levin, a law firm specializing in the representation of local government agencies. While at the firm, she served as the City Attorney of several local municipalities and as special and general counsel to other public agencies, including the Law Library. Earlier in her career, Ms. Levin also served as Mayor, Councilmember and Planning Commission Chair for the City of Culver City. Ms. Levin received her J.D. from the University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1987 where she was a member of the California Law Review.

Barrie Roberts, ADR Administrator, LA Superior Court

Registration fee: FREE
Registration reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, July 9, 2020:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - CANCELLED

Trial is the culmination of a civil lawsuit, where evidence is presented and a decision made by either a jury or a judge (i.e., a "bench trial"). In this class, an experienced trial judge will provide basic rules, strategy and tips about how to present evidence and handle your own trial in a California state court.

Class covers:

• Presenting testimony from friendly witnesses
• Cross-examining unfriendly witnesses
• Getting documents admitted into evidence
• How to stop improper evidence by making effective objections
• Making opening and closing arguments

Class approved for Court Interpreter Minimum Continuing Education (CIMCE) credit.

Presented by Judge Mark A. Juhas:
Judge Mark A. Juhas sits in a general family law assignment on the Los Angeles Superior Court and has done so since November 2002. He attended the Colorado College and received his JD in 1979 from Seattle University School of Law. He is the chair of the California Commission on Access to Justice, and is member of several committees for the Los Angeles Superior Court including chair of the Access and Fairness committee. For the Judicial Council he is currently on the CJER Governing Committee and chairs the Family and Juvenile Advisory Committee for the Judicial Council. He was a member of the Elkins Family Law Task Force, Elkins Family Law Implementation Task Force and the Self- Represented Litigant Task Force. He regularly teaches for, among others, the Los Angeles Superior Court's education program, CJER, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and Southwestern Law School.

Registration fee: FREE
Registration reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, July 23, 2020:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

What happens if a party refuses to, or can't, pay a civil judgment? In this class, learn about the procedures and methods involved in getting paid on a money judgment in California, and the legal protections available to those who have had a judgment entered against them.

Class covers:

• Typical steps to enforcing a judgment (getting paid)
• Characteristics of different enforcement tools, including liens, levies and more
• When different methods of enforcement may be appropriate
• Exemptions and other legal protections for judgment debtors who can't afford to pay

Class approved for Court Interpreter Minimum Continuing Education (CIMCE) credit.

Presented by Anahit Petrosyan:
Anahit Petrosyan joined LA Law library's Patron Services Department as a Reference Librarian in February of 2018. She participates in the delivery of Platinum program and other LA Law library Members Program services, and provides reference assistance in-person, and via phone, e-mail and chat at LA Law library's main and branch locations, including Van Nuys/North Hollywood and Pasadena public libraries. Anahit also teaches introductory legal research classes, such as Finding Forms, Types and Sources of Law, and Legal Research on the Internet, among others. She previously worked in various library paraprofessional capacities, for over fifteen years, at the University of Southern California libraries, including USC Gould School of Law (Asa V. Call) library. Anahit received her Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Southern California and earned her Master's in Library and Information Science degree from San Jose State University.

Registration fee: FREE
Registration reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Thursday, June 13, 2019:  12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

A civil lawsuit starts with the filing and service of a written complaint. The complaint serves many purposes, including the identification of the parties involved in the lawsuit, the plaintiff's reason for filing a lawsuit, and the type of relief that is sought. The defendant must then respond to the complaint by filing an answer or another type of response. The complaint and the defendant's responses are called pleadings, and they set the stage for all that comes afterward in the lawsuit. In this class, learn how to prepare, file, serve and respond to civil case pleadings in California state courts.

Class covers:

• Is filing a lawsuit a good idea?
• Identifying possible legal theories
• Drafting the complaint
• Service of summons and complaint
• Answers and other responsive pleadings

Presented by Ryan Metheny:
Ryan Metheny is the Managing Librarian, Legal Education at LA Law Library. After graduating from UCLA School of Law, Ryan practiced First Amendment law at a public interest firm in Berkeley. He then transitioned to librarianship to focus on his passions of research and education, and earned a master's degree in library and information science from the University of Washington. When not on the reference desk, Ryan coordinates the educational programming at the law library, the law student internship program, and the Members Program. He also teaches legal research at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Parking options available during registration

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.