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Harnessing authenticity, narrative, and cultural awareness to command the courtroom and connect with diverse juries.
Great trial lawyers do more than present evidence—they command attention, build trust, and create meaningful connections with juries.
Drawing inspiration from the performance techniques that captivate audiences far beyond the courtroom, this program explores how presence, authenticity, movement, voice, pacing, and storytelling can elevate your advocacy.
Learn practical strategies to engage jurors, project confidence, communicate with purpose, and make your message not just heard, but remembered.
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The NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers is the largest statewide trial bar in the US with 5,700+ lawyer and judge members. We are committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system. Our highly acclaimed CLE programming features extraordinary presenters covering the most timely and important topics.
Judge at New York County Civil Court
Honorable Betty Lugo-Martinez is a New York Civil Court Judge assigned to New York County Civil Court. She previously served in Kings County (2022) and the Bronx (2023-2024). Judge Lugo has presided over conferences, hearings, and bench and jury trials, and has written decisions, some of which have been published in the New York Law Journal and State reporter. Before joining the bench, she began her legal career in 1985 as the first Latina Assistant District Attorney in Nassau County, after graduating from Albany Law School of Union University in 1984. In 1992, she co-founded Pacheco & Lugo, PLLC, the first New York State Latina law firm, where she led the litigation practice in general and commercial liability, construction, criminal defense, labor law, and real estate. She tried numerous cases to verdict in State and Federal courts and provided pro bono legal services to vulnerable and underrepresented populations. She is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is also a National Institute for Trial Advocacy instructor. Judge Lugo is Co-Chair of the NY County Civil Court Subcommittee of the Equal Justice Implementation Committee. She served as Chair of the NYSBA Trial Lawyers Section (2021), Co-Chair of the NYSBA Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (2013), and President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association (2015-2017), and she is a founding member and Vice President of the National Puerto Rican Bar Association. She is also a member of the American Bar Association Unaccompanied Minors Working Group.
Assistant Dean of Graduate and Leadership Studies and Executive Director of Latino Initiatives at Virginia Union University
Eli Valentin is Assistant Dean of Graduate and Leadership Studies and Executive Director of Latino Initiatives at Virginia Union University. For over sixteen years, Valentin served as a political advisor to numerous elected officials across the nation. He is the author of Politicking in the Barrio: Essays on Latino Politics in New York. His next book, A History of Latino Politics in New York, is under contract with Palgrave Macmillan. Valentin writes regular columns for City Limits, largely focusing on Latino politics in New York City, and is a frequent guest political analyst at Univision NY. For the last two years, Valentin has been named by City and State as one of the top 100 Latinos in politics and policy in the state of New York.