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In today’s legal world, there has been a steady decline in civil trials, leading to the near disappearance of common civil trial skills and preparation skills in attorneys. Keegan Miller had a front row seat to this trend as a judicial law clerk for Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr.

In his article for SC Lawyer, “It’s the Final Countdown", Miller offers a quick refresher on these rules and requirements of pretrial proceedings in federal court, with some especially helpful information and tips on how various judges operate pre-trial matters and like to receive information. (Hint: Look for the “Judges’ spotlight” and “Pro tip” headings throughout).

“Initially, I came up with this article idea while practicing at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd where I discovered that many associates, including myself, struggled to get real trial experience as the number of jury trials has been steadily declining in recent years,” says Miller. “Then, when I transitioned back to clerking for Judge Anderson, we had a string of cases set to be tried before a jury and continuously experienced the same problems with the attorneys handling the cases. Namely, very few of them complied with the pretrial requirements.”

This spurred the collaboration between Miller and Anderson to help fill the gaps that attorneys may have when it comes to trying civil cases in federal court. The colleagues each penned an article for the July issue of SC Lawyer, where Miller advised on the technical aspects of trial and preparation for a case and Anderson took on substantive trial techniques to improve the flow and quality of the case.

While the two consulted on each other’s respective articles and exchanged drafts, they were unaware both of their pitches were to be published in the same edition.

“Although Judge Anderson is obviously my superior, we work hand-in-hand in almost all matters,” says Miller. “We collaborate daily on our cases and consult with one another throughout the civil litigation process.”

Judge Anderson’s article “Calling Albert Einstein to the Stand, describes seldom-used, but effective, trial tactics to drive home the point that moving a case quickly to conclusion will ultimately help move the jury in your favor.

“We were glad to see the articles published together as a useful aid to practicing litigators,” says Miller. “My hope [for these articles] is that it would ease the trial process for attorneys and judges alike.”