Handling a Personal Injury Case from Start to Finish 2025

  • OnDemand seminar
  • Civil Litigation Law
  • New Lawyer
Up to 6.5 Credit Hours
View schedule and faculty
Handling a Personal Injury Case from Start to Finish 2025

Endorsed by the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Wisconsin

Perfect your personal injury practice

With countless deadlines, complex legal issues, and procedural pitfalls, personal injury cases are demanding. Regardless of your experience level, keeping a personal injury case on track requires familiarity with substantive law plus extensive tactical know-how.

At Handling a Personal Injury Case from Start to Finish, seasoned trial attorneys will guide you through each step in a personal injury case, covering both plaintiff and defense perspectives. You’ll receive practical strategies for:

  • Screening potential clients effectively
  • Determining when expert witnesses are necessary
  • Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a case
  • Filing notices and claims
  • Conducting discovery
  • Navigating subrogation issues
  • Preparing for mediation

8:30 am
Screening, Accepting and Signing Up Personal Injury Cases

Whitney A. Healy

  • Initial client contact – screening, client interviews, CCAP and other research
  • Eventual value vs. true potential for recovery
  • Placing proper emphasis on damages vs. liability
  • Keeping costs and time in proper proportion to value and risk
  • Eventual fees vs. risk of loss
  • Public duty and pro bono representation
9:00 am
Defense of Personal Injury Cases From Retention Through Trial

Heather L. Nelson

  • Initial case information
  • Who are my clients?
  • Initial analysis and strategy
  • Defendant’s perspective: jury or non-jury considerations
  • Client communications
  • Witness preparation for discovery: the defendant, fact witnesses, experts
  • Defense expert witnesses: damages and liability
  • Trial: theme of the case, liability, damages
  • Demonstrative evidence – what to use and how to offer it
  • Motions in Limine, Jury Instructions, Special Verdicts
  • Closing arguments
9:30 am
Pre-Suit Investigation

Kristen Scheuerman

  • Witness statements, record collection, physical evidence
  • Finding coverage
  • Will you need experts?
  • Where to find them
  • What if your expert doesn’t agree?
  • Evaluation of the case: strengths, weaknesses, viability
  • Case theme
  • Do you need further investigation?
  • Presenting a demand letter
  • If and when a suit would be advisable
  • The value of the case: how to find this information
  • In a perfect world: what should be in the client’s file? (And what shouldn’t?)
10:00 am
Statutes of Limitation, Notices of Claim/Injury, and Other Traps for the Unwary

Eric J. Ryberg

  • Requirements for government claims
  • Traps to avoid in filing notices and claims
10:30 am
Break
10:45 am
Discovery – Formal and Informal

Kristen Scheuerman

  • General Considerations
  • Authorizations
  • Interrogatories
  • Depositions
  • Preparing for your first deposition
  • Dealing with the difficult witness
  • Should you try to win the case? Or set it up for trial?
  • Requests for Admission
11:15 am
Subrogation/Section 102.29/ERISA/Medicare Set-Asides

Kristen S. Scheuerman

  • Collateral source rule
  • Made whole rule
  • Health insurance liens
12:00 pm
Alternative Dispute Resolution

Heather L. Nelson

  • Wis. Stat. sec. 802.12(2)(a)
  • Mediation Best Practices
  • Attorney's role
    • Preparing the client
    • Preparing submission
    • Heads up to mediator
  • Mediator’s role
    • Can depend on mediator and parties
    • Communication
    • Confidentiality
    • Preparation of Mediation Agreement
    • Payment
12:15 pm
Lunch
1:15 pm
Preparing for Trial

Catherine A. La Fleur

  • Pre-trial motions including motions in
  • Scouting the courtroom for technology
  • Jury instructions and verdict
  • Preparing a trial notebook
  • Jury selection
  • Opening statement
  • Presentation of evidence
  • Direct examination of witnesses
  • Cross examination of witnesses
  • Proving specials
  • Proving pain, suffering and disability
  • Closing arguments
  • Post-trial relief
2:15 pm
Break
2:30 pm
Behind the Curtain: What they don’t tell you about practicing PI in law school

Jacob R. Reis

  • Reading medical records
  • Saving money on medical records – use of the HITECH Act
  • Pretrial stipulations
  • Scheduling conferences
  • The importance of understanding the local rule
  • Jury instruction and verdict conference
  • Getting along with the other side
3:30 pm
Program Concludes
Whitney A. Healy
Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. · Appleton
Catherine A. La Fleur
La Fleur Law Office S.C. · Milwaukee
Heather L. Nelson
Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm S.C. · Green Bay
Jacob R. Reis
Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. · Appleton
Eric J. Ryberg
Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. · Madison
Kristen S. Scheuerman
Weiss Law Office S.C. · Appleton

Sponsored by

Interested in sponsoring this program? Find out more.

  • Receive step-by-step guidance through every stage of a personal injury case
  • Understand challenges and strategies from both plaintiff and defense perspectives
  • Discover best practices for client selection, pre-suit investigation, mediation, and trial preparation
  • Avoid traps for the unwary in filing notices and claims
  • Acquire sample documents, practice tips, and tools to simplify your workflow and keep you organized
  • Attorneys seeking to add personal injury to their practice
  • Experienced personal injury lawyers seeking a refresher
  • General practitioners
  • Paralegals

YLD Discount!

Young Lawyers Division members receive a $20 discount on tuition.* Discount applied automatically upon log-in.

*Young Lawyers Division Members are State Bar member attorneys 36 years of age or younger, or within five years of admission to the State Bar of Wisconsin. If you’ve opted out of YLD, you will not receive this discount. The $20 discount only applies to in-person, live webcast, and webcast replay versions of this seminar – not CLE OnDemand. YLD members with Ultimate Passes, other CLE passes, or PINNACLE discounts are not eligible for this discount.

Book Bonus!

Wisconsin Civil Procedure Before Trial
Save 15% on Wisconsin Civil Procedure Before Trial.* It’s your roadmap to the pretrial civil litigation process in Wisconsin courts, from accepting a client to pretrial motions. Use discount code CA3773 when you order online or by calling (800) 728-7788.

*Discount applies to both print and digital Books Unbound editions of this title and cannot be applied to previous purchases. Offer valid through 12/31/26. For Books Unbound users, discount may be applied to purchase of individual Books Unbound title only and may not be used on the purchase of libraries. Discount cannot be combined with any other offers.

BYP

The Build Your Practice Series from State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE® introduces you to the fundamentals of various practice areas. Gain the tools and information you need to develop a new area of practice and expand your firm's offerings. Build Your Practice Series programs are endorsed by the State Bar's Young Lawyers Division.