Author Index Hon. Ron Spears

Lawyers, Doctors and Matryoshka Dolls

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2012
Column
, Page 106
Fee contests over physician testimony reflect the tension between lawyers and doctors.

Contagion and the Courts

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2011
Column
, Page 588
Health care providers aren't the only ones who have to respond to public health emergencies.

A Visit to the Academy

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2011
Column
, Page 420
Dispatches from a four-day seminar on the impact of poverty and wealth on justice.

What Price Justice? The County Board Wants to Know

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2011
Column
, Page 260
How much process is due a criminal defendant? It's a dollars-and-cents question.

Character on Trial

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2011
Column
, Page 102
Judge Justice and his colleagues express their misgivings about character evidence.

Humpty Dumpty Child

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2010
Column
, Page 588
Healing broken children is hard but essential work.

Foreseeing the “Four C’s” (Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions)

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2010
Column
, Page 432
The collateral consequences of conviction are often the gravest.

Recipe or Disaster? Checklists Can Help

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2010
Column
, Page 268
Checklists can help us reduce avoidable errors.
1 comment (Most recent May 18, 2010)

Looking for “facts” in all the Wrong Places

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2010
Column
, Page 102
Social networking sites are great - unless jurors are using them in ways that threaten a fair trial.

Make Settlement Agreements a Centerpiece, not an Afterthought

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2009
Column
, Page 422
Careful planning for settlements can prevent bad results.

A Snipe-Hunter’s guide to Coaxing Answers from Hostile Witnesses

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2009
Column
, Page 260
Preparation and skillful questioning can help you bag your quarry.

Lincoln’s Teams of Legal Rivals

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2009
Column
, Page 100
Before he was President, Lawyer Lincoln drew on the strength of rivals.

The Five People You Meet in Wal-Mart

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2008
Column
, Page 586
Judge Justice learns how he has affected the lives of litigants.

Eyewitnesses and the Rashomon Effect

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2008
Column
, Page 424
Research indicates that eyewitness testimony is less reliable than people think.

Are Civility and Zealous Advocacy Compatible?

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2008
Column
, Page 260
Reason can change minds when rudeness won't.

Diogenes and the Testimonial Whopper

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2008
Column
, Page 104
What can we do to improve the accuracy and honesty of witness testimony? Not enough.

Burdens of Proof

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2007
Column
, Page 604
Defining burdens of proof can be hard. But they're easier to understand than to define.

If the Gloves Don’t Fit…

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2007
Column
, Page 436
Physical evidence can have a huge impact, but know whether it will help or hurt your client.

Attorney Independence? Remember the Alamo!

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2007
Column
, Page 272
Let's stand up for lawyers who represent unpopular clients.

Opening Statements: Soup for the Jury’s Soul

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2007
Column
, Page 102
A good opening statement will shape jurors' perception of the case.

Impaired Lawyers: Helping Before the Bell Tolls

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2006
Column
, Page 626
Don't take advantage of impaired judges and adversaries; help them

“You Have the Right to Avoid Litigation…”

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2006
Column
, Page 438
Should judges advise clients of their right to resolve their dispute before trial?

Throwing Stones at Cyclops

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2006
Column
, Page 260
Lawyers, who do battle with words, should strive to be warrior poets.

Serving a Litigation Banquet

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2006
Column
, Page 92
Make sure your preparation and presentation are first rate for your juror guests.

Thinking Outside the Roasting Pan About Peremptories

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2005
Column
, Page 594
Are you relying on stereotypes about jury behavior when you exercise peremptory challenges?

Jury Deselection

By Hon. Ron Spears
August
2005
Column
, Page 420
You don't pick who serves on your jury – you pick who doesn't.

Giving Jurors What They Want

By Hon. Ron Spears
May
2005
Column
, Page 260
Jurors want to do a good job. Let's help them.

Tee Ball and Trial Advocacy

By Hon. Ron Spears
February
2005
Column
, Page 92
All you really need to know about trial practice you learned in tee ball.

Larry the Lizard’s Near-Death Experience

By Hon. Ron Spears
November
2004
Column
, Page 600
The search for justice yields a solution worthy of Solomon.

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