Total Credits: 1.0 CLE
This seminar will discuss the history of the APJI Committee and its mission, the "plain language" project and use of instructions.
| Jury Panel HO.pdf (887.1 KB) | 14 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING SEMINAR AND RECEIVING CLE CREDIT2.docx (11.7 KB) | 1 Pages | Available after Purchase |
A designated advocate and diplomat of the National College of Advocacy, Mr. Cusimano practices in the areas of product liability, fraud, bad faith, personal injury and death, and general civil litigation. A graduate of the University of Alabama and its law school, he has lectured to trial lawyers associations and bar associations in 26 states, Mexico, and Canada. Mr. Cusimano served as president of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association (1985-86) and on the executive committee of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (1998-2000). He received ATLA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. A prolific author, Mr. Cusimano has written for law reviews, legal periodicals, and CLE organizations, and has edited the Alabama Tort Law Handbook and Alabama Tort Law, Second Edition. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1993.
Bill earned his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1969. He practiced law until he was appointed a district court judge in Montgomery County in 1977. In 1978 he was appointed Circuit Court Judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit, and he remained in that position until retiring as Presiding Circuit Court Judge at the end of his third term in January 1999. While serving as a circuit judge, he was appointed to or chaired several statewide judicial committees; he served on several Bar committees and received the Alabama State Bar Award of Judicial Merit in 1994. After retiring, Bill served on Bar committees and as Chairman of the Alabama Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution Committee from 2012-2014. He was co-recipient of the Alabama State Bar Award of Merit in 2007, and in 2010 he was recognized for his efforts volunteering in the Montgomery and the River Regions. Bill was appointed to the Supreme Court of Alabama’s Pattern Jury Instructions Committee (Civil) in 1997. He has served as the primary drafter for the Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions Committee (Civil) since 2012. He remains a committee member and is the hearing officer for the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners and the Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama.
Mr. Stephens received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and his law degree from The University of Alabama. Before entering private practice, Mr. Stephens served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Birmingham. Since entering private practice, Mr. Stephens has handled a broad range of civil litigation both at the trial and appellate level. He has been involved in a wide array of employment termination and discrimination claims. Mr. Stephens is past chairman of the Litigation Section of the Alabama State Bar. He has also participated extensively in mediation of employment related matters as both advocate and mediator. He is a member of the Alabama Academy of Attorney Mediators and the Panel of Neutrals for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Mr. Stephens has mediated a variety of cases including employment cases, personal injury claims and commercial litigation
Ms. Watson earned her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin and her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. She served as Law Clerk to Associate Justice Janie L Shores, Alabama Supreme Court from 1983-1984. She has had a diverse practice that started with two years as a criminal defense attorney, then shifting to an all-plaintiff practice in mass torts, single events and appellate practice across all types of cases, and now focuses on pharmaceutical and other product liability, abuse cases, medical issues and premises liability. Ms. Watson is a member of the Birmingham Bar; the Alabama and American Associations for Justice; the American Board of Trial Advocates; and the National Board of Appellate Lawyers. She is the chair of the Amicus Curiae Brief Committee for the Alabama Association for Justice and a member of the Alabama Pattern Jury Instructions Committee - Civil. She is the board chair at Studio By The Tracks and a member of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance Pre-K Task Force, and pro bono counsel for the Komen Race for the Cure.
