Gus Brown Teaches Attorneys Nationwide via ZOOM — Technology allows national education without travel expenses.
With many “normal” education situations drastically changing due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, Augustus F. “Gus” Brown, a principal in the law firm of Brown, Brown & Young, P.A., carries on instruction of other attorneys all around the country, now with a significant change — Brown teaches “remotely,” using Zoom video conferencing.
For example, on May 7, 2020, Brown led a national instruction on witness preparation for depositions and trial testimony; on April 13-14, 2020, Brown used on-line focus groups to instruct trial lawyers on how to present and facilitate their cases so as to secure a more-favorable jury.
All sessions were “zoomed” directly from Brown’s office in Bel Air, Maryland, under the auspices of Keenan Trial Institute of Atlanta, of which Brown is a faculty member.
“Teaching via remote video is very interesting,” says Brown. “It’s slower than doing it live, and the interaction can be a little stilted when doing role-playing, but it has advantages, too — you don’t have the expenses of travel or staying in a hotel!”
Brown’s “students” — all practicing attorneys in the field — logged into the video sessions from all over the country; participating attorneys were from Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia and Pennsylvania, among others. “Focus group participants are recruited via on-line sites and are selected based on demographics, because diversity is important,” Brown adds.
In Brown’s Focus Group on Jury Selection, he instructed trial lawyers on how to present and facilitate their cases so as to secure a more-favorable jury. “The process is very secure,” Brown relates. “Interested attorneys enter the Zoom ‘room,’ where they first are given a brief presentation by other attorneys, playing the roles of witnesses and potential jurors. We then discuss their reactions, and critique both the presentation and the dynamics.” According to Brown, there were an average of seventeen in each “room.”
Brown expects that all participating attorneys find these sessions valuable. “It is eye-opening to see a different point of view than you might expect, as attorneys see the reactions of clients or witnesses.”
In order to keep everything under control, lawyers who were not participating in the case being facilitated muted their microphones and web cameras, but were still able to hear and observe everything that was going on, so as to learn from others’ mistakes.
Augustus F. “Gus” Brown practices in Federal and State Courts in the fields of Personal Injury, Auto Injury, Defective Products, Highway Construction Crashes and Workers' Compensation Claims. He also defends clients in criminal cases both in State and in Federal Courts. Augustus Brown is certified by the Courts to conduct mediation of Personal Injury Claims, Medical Malpractice Claims and Litigation Claims, and serves as a privately chosen arbitrator and mediator in these types of cases.
Mr. Brown frequently facilitates jury focus groups for other trial attorneys on medical malpractice, negligence and auto liability case issues. He teaches other attorneys trial practice techniques, how to negotiate insurance settlements, and other relevant parts of the Personal Injury legal area. He trains other attorneys in jury selection, witness preparation and crafting legal arguments — topics in which he is an acknowledged expert.
In recognition of his expertise and commitment, Brown was named the Keenan Trial Institute 2019 Faculty Member of the Year.
The law firm of Brown, Brown & Young, P.A., founded in 1901, has been in practice longer than any other law firm in Harford or Cecil County, Maryland. The firm is ranked by the Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory as “A/V" — its highest rating: the "A" signifies the highest level of legal ability, and the "V" denotes very high adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence. Brown, Brown & Young is also included in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, which lists only those distinguished practices which "have been designated as outstanding in their field.”
Brown, Brown & Young, P.A., is proud to display the SECURE INSIGHT “Trusted & Verified” Registered Agent seal, meaning that our firm has passed Secure Insight’s rigorous verification and evaluation process as a Closing Agent for real-estate transactions.
The Secure Insight process delivers the most advanced closing fraud-risk analysis in the industry, and meets all risk management requirements for third-party vetting of vendor relationships, as outlined by CFPB, OCC, HUD, FDIC, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the National Credit Union Administration.
Secure Insight is the first company to offer a standardized risk management process and information database of fully vetted mortgage closing professionals that protects both consumers and lenders — reducing fraud and ensuring that federal regulatory requirements are met.
It is the mortgage industry’s only third-party closing professional verification service, addressing warehouse bank, lender, and title underwriter risk management at mortgage closings. Secure Insight has established evaluation criteria, verified independently through public and private databases, with which it vets closing professionals.
The purpose is to create a national database of bank approved closing professionals to establish uniformity of risk evaluation and assist industry players in knowing their partners at the closing table.
Attorneys and settlement agents must pass a list of credentialing criteria that covers everything from E&O coverage, proven industry experience, valid licensing and bonding where required, clean credit, criminal and litigation backgrounds, trust account safety, and other proprietary criteria.
Professionals who are verified by Secure Insight are vetted annually, to elevate their practices to a level of trust and professionalism that benefits the consumer, the lender, and the entire mortgage industry.
For more information, visit https://secureinsight.com/.
Did you know — your attorney at Brown, Brown & Young is set up to do remote video conferencing, calling and presentations, using ZOOM technology!
Our clients can download the free ZOOM app at no expense to them. Simply call and ask us to host the meeting — it's easy to set up. You can attend by PC, laptop, a tablet or a smartphone!
How We Handle Estate Planning, Wills, POAs and Other Documents in These Times —
There are special circumstances respecting the estate planning area of our practice, and especially the requirements regarding IN PERSON signing and witnessing.
To learn more about this, please visit this special page: https://lawbrown.com/business-law.php?page=covid2
TO OUR CLIENTS:
You may already be taking steps to protect your health during the COVID-19 emergency. Be sure to also protect your identity from scammers by guarding your Medicare Number.
It's easy to get distracted and let your guard down during these uncertain times. Scammers may try to steal your Medicare Number. They might lie about sending you Coronavirus vaccines, tests, masks, or other items in exchange for your Medicare Number or personal information.
Protect yourself from scams:
Only share your Medicare Number with your primary and specialty care doctors, participating Medicare pharmacist, hospital, health insurer, or other trusted healthcare provider.
Check your Medicare claims summary forms for errors.
You can learn more about COVID-19 and your Medicare coverage on Medicare.gov -- ALSO, visit Medicare.gov/fraud for more information on protecting yourself from fraud and reporting suspected fraud.
BB&Y remains open as an essential provider of services, supporting the judicial system, as per Governor Hogan's executive orders.
Please call us as you need, at 410-879-2220 or 410-838-5500 or, in Cecil County, 410-392-3900.
Congratulations to Phil Kotschenreuter — Now Recognized as Certified Mediator by Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution!
Philip J. Kotschenreuther, Esq., has achieved designation by the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution (MCDR) as a Certified Mediator, a performance-based credential as a result of a nationally-recognized assessment and certification process.
The MCDR performance-based assessment rating scale is considered the gold standard for professional assessment and certification. It is recognized as a Qualifying Assessment Program by the International Mediation Institute (IMI).
To gain certification through the MCDR process, Kotschenreuther, a member of the Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence, completed a 40-hour training program and composed a self-statement describing his practice of mediation, after demonstrating that he had presided over sufficient qualifying mediation cases.
Kotschenreuter then underwent a videotaped 1-hour role playing which was observed and rated by two trained MCDR assessors. He achieved passing scores on all core mediator competencies, including evaluations on how he managed the process of mediation; how he managed the content of the mediation; and how he managed the relationships of the participants. The certificate was granted on December 12, 2020.
Philip J. Kotschenreuther joined Brown, Brown & Young, P.A. in 2004. A graduate of Loyola College in Baltimore and of the University of Maryland School of Law, he is a sought-after mediator who regularly handles child access mediation, property settlement mediation, and collaborative negotiation between married (divorcing) and unmarried couples. He habitually handles and is experienced in civil mediation, including business, real estate, commercial, construction, and general civil mediation.
Phil Kotschenreuther is a member of the Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections of the Maryland Bar Association, the Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence, and the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution. He has been approved to act as a court appointed civil mediator by the Circuit Courts for Baltimore County, Harford County, Howard County, Frederick County and Cecil County, and has been approved to act as a court appointed divorce mediator by the Circuit Courts for Baltimore County, Harford County, Howard County, Frederick County and Cecil County.