Trial attorney Michael Neff is a nationally known premises liability lawyer who's obtained verdicts of $47 million, $35 million, and other substantial verdicts and settlements in premises liability cases. In Premises Liability: A Guide to Success, Neff offers a clear and practical step-by-step guide to trying and winning premises liability cases.
Using lessons and examples gained from cases with six-, seven-, and eight-figure premises verdicts, Neff walks you through every aspect of a premises liability case. He begins with important issues in case selection and discovery and moves you through to negotiating settlements and trial. He offers a unique guide to addressing issues found in larger and more complicated lawsuits by demonstrating how they differ from smaller auto accident cases, and how newer attorneys can expand their practice to incorporate larger premises cases.
As the distillation of decades of success, this book has lessons and insights for trial lawyers who want to improve how they handle their next premises liability case.
Do you want the eBook and print book? After you complete your purchase of the print book you will receive a coupon code via email to purchase the eBook for $20.
- Introduction
- Starting off Right
- An Introduction to Premises Liability Cases
- Review Court-Approved Jury Charges
- Finding and Using Standards
- Pleading the Complaint and Written Discovery
- The Empire Strikes Back: The Defendant's Answers
- Understanding the Defendant's Knowledge
- Selecting, Preparing, and Using the Plaintiff's Liability Experts
- Deposing the Defendant's Record Keeper
- 30(b)(6) Deponents and Defense Fact Witnesses
- Deposing the Defendant's Expert
- Trial Consultants and Focus Groups
- Surviving Summary Judgment
- Mediation and Settlement
- A Look at Trial
- Epilogue
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What Legal Leaders Are Saying
— Gregory Cusimano, recipient of AAJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Leonard M. Ring Champion of Justice AwardMichael Neff’s book is full of important information for those of us who desire to achieve excellence in premises liability cases. As we say in Alabama, Michael ‘puts the hay down where the goats can get to it!’ Read this book and enjoy learning from one of the best!
— Mark Kosieradzki, author of 30(b)(6): Deposing Corporations, Organizations, and the GovernmentThis book is the road map to all premises liability cases. Michael identifies the case critical documents, operational policies, and rules that lay out the core of any premises case. Using Michael’s technique, you can use the defendant to prove your case in a single 30(b)(6) deposition.
— Phillip Miller, coauthor of Advanced Depositions Strategy and PracticeIf you represent people with personal injury claims, you’re probably going to talk to people who have premises liability cases. Over my career, I’ve talked to hundreds of people with premises liability claims without great results. After reading Mike’s book, I know the problem was me. Mike covers every aspect of making a successful premises liability claim, from the initial screening of a claim to selecting experts, conducting discovery, case evaluation, and trial. You’ll never approach a premises case the same again; Mike’s insights will make a difference.
— Dorothy Clay Sims, author of Exposing Deceptive Defense Doctors. Sims has spoken and published internationally on cross-examinations and is the only lawyer in the nation who limits her practice to cross-examining doctors for other attorneysThis book is laid out in a way that makes it easy to read and reference. As busy practitioners, it seems as though the days of reading an entire book are behind us. This publication makes it simple to determine what information you need and where to find it. I learned quite a lot from this, and I actually thought I already understood premises liability. Turned out I was wrong!
— Francis X. Shen, associate professor and McKnight Presidential Fellow at the University of Minnesota Law SchoolExpert witnesses are essential to success in the courtroom. Yet few resources are available to teach advocates how to work with scientific experts. In this excellent book, Michael Neff shows attorneys how to effectively work with experts from start to finish. Attorney Neff has achieved tremendous success through his effective and creative use of expert witnesses—readers of this book will learn to do the same.
— Anthony Romanucci, chair of the AAJ’s Police Misconduct Litigation Group and past chair of the AAJ’s Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation GroupAs the current chair of AAJ’s Police Misconduct Litigation Group and past chair of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, I am very familiar with the requirement of having a basis in knowledge of a broad spectrum of practice areas, as there exists crossover in almost everything we do on a daily basis to serve justice to our clients. Mike’s book perfectly fills that requirement as it effortlessly guides the practitioner through the essentials of proving liability in what are inherently difficult cases to prove. Without knowing what Mike Neff outlines in his book on premises liability a practicing attorney never even gets to present the damages that will restore the hole in a victim’s life.
— Adam Malone, past president of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association and past president of the Melvin M. Belli SocietyMike Neff’s Premises Liability is a master-work for successfully navigating this challenging area of the law. It is destined to become the go-to manual for real trial lawyers in search of fresh ideas and a brilliant perspective on old ones. You would be wise to read it—and read it again!
— Randall H. Scarlett, diplomate of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and board member of the Brain Injury Association of CaliforniaIf you have been looking for a roadmap to the successful handling of a premises case, look no further! From case selection through case evaluation and from case presentation through handling the defenses, Michael Neff has absolutely nailed it, providing a practical treatise that will help us all!