PAAM Visual Trial School Version 4.0 

Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island, MI

Wednesday - Friday

October 19-21, 2016

Our next Visual Trial School will feature close to three full days of training. We will begin bright and early on 10/19/16 and run through 10/21/16. This course will consist mainly of lab sessions. We will have two PowerPoint lab groups (Beginner and Intermediate) as before. Attendees will select the group that they wish to be in and are free to switch between groups.  Visual trial skills can be used at any stage of a trial.  They can be applied to all types of trials from straightforward domestic violence cases to complicated vehicular homicide trials. 

For the first time we are planning a performance event for the attendees. Attendees will be asked to conduct a closing argument with technology. Faculty members will be present to assist the attendee with the use of technology and to offer feedback. Attendees should bring a case from their office to use or attendees can use a fact pattern from APA Muscat’s law school course (which will be available ahead of time).

We will also have a presentation and lab on the litigation software Sanction by Verdict Systems. This popular litigation software is used by the Department of Justice, the United Nations, and state prosecutors nationwide to organize and present complicated cases to a jury. If you choose to install the demo version of the software prior to the course, there will be opportunities for guided instruction on how to use it.

We will have a presentation and lab on the popular screen capture and video redacting softwareCamtasia as well as labs on Windows Movie Maker, Audacity, and Irfanview.

We will have a presentation on how to use a Windows 10 laptop (and the basic tools found on it) to present a non-linear, visual trial with no additional, expensive software—a low-budget approach to a high-tech trial.

Presentations will also cover two growing areas of the law—how to obtain and use digital evidence (recent Supreme Court decisions will be discussed) and how to avoid prosecutorial error when using PowerPoint in trial.

You will need to install some software programs in advance of the course. For questions about course content or software please contact APA Patrick Muscat of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office at pmuscat@waynecounty.com  or 313-224-6643. 

Registration is on line only.  Please click the  link above to register. Registration deadline is 4 pm, Friday, September 16, 2016.

Class Schedule (subject to change)

Tuesday October 18, 2016- Registration & Check-in 4:30pm - 7:00pm

Wednesday October 19, 2016- Class will begin approximately at 8:00am

Thursday October 20, 2016- Class will begin approximately at 8:00am  

Friday October 21, 2016- Class will begin approximately at 9:00am and conclude approximately 3:00pm  

Registration Fee:

Overnight accommodations included are 10/18, 10/19 & 10/20. 

Elected MI County Prosecutor & Staff w/overnight accommodations- $185*

Municipal & City Attorney/Other w/overnight accommodations- $400

Elected MI County Prosecutor & Staff w/out overnight accommodations- $100*

Municipal & City Attorney/Other w/out overnight accommodations- $125

*Overnight Lodging (2 nights) and meals (breakfast and lunch- 2 days) are provided to COUNTY PROSECUTORS and their employees courtesy of the Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council (PACC) Training Fund. Michigan County Prosecutors and their employees who attend are eligible to use these funds.  This does not apply to city/municipal prosecutors.  The registration fee listed is discounted to reflect the portion covered by PACC Training Funds.  A third nights lodging and a third days meals of breakfast and lunch have been added in the registration fee for this Visual Trial School as it is not covered by PACC.  This additional fee is to be paid by you or your agency.  A separate confirmation email will be sent upon registration approval, regarding reservation details for overnight lodging at Mission Point Resort.

Any questions regarding registration please contact Amy Gronowski at 517-334-6060 Ext. 808 or gronowskia@michigan.gov.