Best tips and tricks for a senior associate who is second-chairing a trial for the first time? Help!

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Have you been on a trial team before and are you personally handling any of the witnesses?

Been on trial teams before, but have not second-chaired and have not personally handled witnesses, which I have 2 for this trial. Any tried and true tips are welcome!

Your performance/involvement depends largely on how well the first chair does. I've seen it happen where the first-chair (usually a partner) is much less prepared than his/her associate. Preparation, preparation, preparation.

Help them out as much as possible by keeping things organized. Preparation is key to succeed.

Few tips:

1. Master the facts and the exhibits. Your speed with those is so helpful to lead counsel.

2. If you are prepping witnesses, talk to the lead the second you see a witness thinking about going rogue or seeming unprepared. The look the lead will shoot you during trial if you don’t is awful.

3. Add value. This is ambiguous but you are a second chair not to just sit there but to be valuable. Argue strategy, play devils advocate, ask to have responsibility, etc. if you don’t, respectfully, I could have probably tried the case with a paralegal.

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