Lightfoot Partners Chris King and Harlan Prater Speak at 2018 Alabama Defense Lawyers Association’s Trial Academy

August 13, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (August 14, 2018) — Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partners M. Christian King and Harlan I. Prater, IV  recently spoke at the 2018 Alabama Defense Lawyers Association (ADLA) Bibb Allen Memorial Trial Academy.

King spoke to the young attorneys about the importance of adhering to ethical and professional standards when it comes to building a career as a successful trial lawyer.

Prater presented a lecture on closing arguments alongside U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala of the Northern District of Alabama. The talk focused on how to empower the jury to find for your client and ways to remind jurors about key evidence.

The two-day Trial Academy was held on August 9 and 10 at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham. The annual event allows young attorneys the opportunity to "learn by doing" through trial exercises in front of experienced defense lawyers and judges. Participants also attend lectures on almost every aspect of a trial.

King is one of the founding partners of the firm and its former managing partner. After practicing law for more than thirty years, he remains passionate about solving his clients’ problems, whether through pre-lawsuit advice, negotiation or trial. King handles high-stakes litigation, often involving derivative or class action allegations or significant punitive damages claims. Much of his work is for Fortune 100 companies, including those in the financial services, manufacturing and energy sectors.

Prater’s three decades of law practice have been devoted to all types of high-stakes civil trial work, with a focus on product liability and pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. A Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, he has served as national and regional counsel for various product manufacturers. Prater is one of fifteen Alabama lawyers selected as members of the Product Liability Advisory Council.