For Immediate Release

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Cobb County Prosecutors Train New Generation

The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC) presented its annual Basic Litigation Training Course from June 23-29, 2007 in Forsyth, Georgia at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC). Fifty-three newly hired prosecutors from across the state participated in an intensive six-day seminar. The course is devoted to in-depth lecture sessions as well as workshops that give prosecutors with little or no courtroom experience an opportunity to hone their skills.

 Ann B. Harris, Senior Assistant District Attorney of the Cobb Judicial Circuit, was selected as a Team Leader and Instructor for the training. Sam Lengen, Jason Saliba, Jason Samuels and Henry Thompson, all Assistant District Attorneys from Cobb County District Attorney Pat Head’s office, also attended the course as instructors. Todd Hayes, Assistant Solicitor-General for Cobb Solicitor-General Barry Morgan’s office was also an instructor.

“I recall how helpful the program was to me as a new and inexperienced prosecutor, and I want to provide assistance to those now where I was 12 years ago,” said Ann B. Harris. Faculty members use their experiences to assist with training and educating new prosecutors by placing a significant emphasis on the development of “Theory” and “Theme” based prosecution. And, with a faculty to student ratio of nearly 1-to-1, the Basic Litigation Course conducted in Georgia continues to be one of the most effective courses of its kind.

During the week-long training, instructors emphasized legal subjects such as: opening statements , direct examination, introduction of evidence, use of demonstrative aids , cross examination and impeachment, hearsay, motions, similar transactions and character evidence, expert witness, and closing arguments. The course culminated in a mock trial conducted in front of a volunteer jury.

Todd Hayes, one of this year’s instructors, has been an Assistant Solicitor-General for the Cobb Judicial Circuit for just over a year. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1998 and from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2002. “I have a real desire to do what is right for the people of the State and my local community. As an instructor for this program, I reviewed and critiqued students during workshops on all phases of trial presentation,” recalled Hayes. “My students were energetic and eager to learn. They learned how to analyze a case, formulate a strategy for presenting that case in an appropriate, persuasive and passionate manner, and then executed that strategy in the context of a mock jury trial,” said Hayes.

Ann B. Harris graduated from Auburn University in 1984 and from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1994. Harris became a prosecutor so that she could “give back to the community, use her law degree to serve the public interest, and seek justice.” And she continues to share her belief in “justice for all” with students.

“Students in the course learn, by doing, all aspects of prosecution at the trial level—from jury selection through closing argument,” said Harris. “They learn to recognize and deal with issues of law, trial strategy and ethics.” Harris has found that students at Basic Litigation training generally are highly motivated, well-prepared and eager to learn. Part of Harris’ job as an instructor is to recognize each student’s strengths and weaknesses.

“I found that my students had a great understanding of the assigned case study. They came with a good mastery of the facts of their case,” said Harris. “They had varying degrees of success at incorporating suggestions like tactics, style and content into their evolving case work and trial plan. They had the most difficulty with relating to sets of facts from one witness to another, and in reacting to evidence that is actually admitted during the mock trial, rather than reacting to what they think the evidence should be.” Harris says her students improved the most with style and presentation.

The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia presents its Basic Litigation Training Course to new prosecutors every June.