Brennan-Vanderbilt Inn of Court Founding
Principles
The Brennan-Vanderbilt Inn of Court, based in Essex County, New
Jersey, was formed by the 2007 merger of the William J. Brennan Inn
of Court and the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Inn of Court. The Inn seeks
to promote legal excellence in civil litigation and fidelity to the
highest standards of professionalism. The Inn offers its pupils the
guidance of its Masters in monthly presentations on specific areas
of practice, supplemented by the opportunity to practice their
skills in smaller pupilage groups hosted by some of the pre-eminent
firms in the area. Masters and Barristers enjoy the opportunity to
discuss issues in the law in an informal setting with their peers
as well as members of the Essex County Judiciary.
Brennan-Vanderbilt Meeting Schedule
- March Pupillage:
Instruction on how to pick a jury
- March General:
2 Teams of Masters, Barristers and Pupils will be selected
to pick a jury in our mock case. Masters and Barristers will
serve as the jury pool. Each Teams' thought processes will be
voiced out loud as jury selection occurs.
- April Pupillage:
Instruction on Opening Statements. Direct and
Cross-Examination of fact & party witnesses
- April General:
Master demonstrations of Openings, Direct & Cross
Examination
- May Pupilllage:
Pupil preparation of Opening, Direct & Cross
Examination
- May General:
Pupil demonstrations of Opening; direct & cross of
co-worker fact witness and defendant manufacturer's
representative
- June Pupillage:
None
- June General:
Early June meeting - Date to be announced. Instruction
on the direct and cross-examination of liability
experts.