11.3

Preparing the Trial Notebook

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INTRODUCTION

Every lawyer will have his or her own form of trial notebook. This section is intended to introduce you to the concept. If a future employer asks you to set up a trial notebook, your first response should be, "How do you like it organized."

Lecture Notes . . .

TRIAL NOTEBOOK
Again, every attorney will prepare a trial notebook differently. Some common types of trial notebooks include:

Standard 3-ring binders. The binders will have tabs inside to organize the different sections, such as Plaintiff's Discovery, Defendant's Discovery, Pleadings, etc.

Expandable folders. Each folder would hold a collection of related documents, just as the tabs in the binder above would separate collections of related documents.

Some attorneys will even just use cardboard boxes to collect documents.

In any case, the primary function of a trial notebook should be easy accessibility to the material contained within. Be flexible, and attempt to follow the organizational system your attorney uses. If possible, ask for an example of a previous file.

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Exercise

Exercise

Trial Notebook