Byline: By Anapol Weiss | Firm News | Trial Advocacy
Strong trial attorneys do not arrive at their skill by accident. Years of preparation, hundreds of hours in courtrooms, and consistent feedback from seasoned litigators are what transform a capable lawyer into a confident advocate. That ongoing commitment to growth is exactly why Anapol Weiss is proud to share that associate Dominique Montoya once again took the lectern as faculty for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy's Building Trial Skills program in New York City.
Dominique serves as Adjunct Faculty with NITA, one of the most respected names in trial advocacy training in the country. She taught the full week of the Building Trial Skills NYC course, working directly with practicing attorneys as they refined openings, closings, witness examinations, exhibits, objections, and full mock trials. If you would like to learn more about Dominique's background or speak with our team about a potential case, call Anapol Weiss at 215-735-1130 or reach out through the online contact form on our website.
Trial Advocacy Faculty In New York City: What Is NITA's Building Trial Skills Program And Why Does It Matter?
NITA, short for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, has trained generations of litigators across the United States. The organization is widely regarded for its learning-by-doing approach. Instead of relying on lectures alone, attorneys take the lectern, examine witnesses, argue motions, and try their cases in front of seasoned faculty.
The Building Trial Skills course in New York City was a multi-day immersive program. Practicing attorneys at every level, from newer associates to seasoned trial counsel, work through a realistic case file in small groups. They perform, receive critique, perform again, and watch each other grow over the course of the week.
For a working trial attorney, serving as faculty at NITA is more than a credential. It is a commitment of time, energy, and craft. Faculty members are selected because they have something practical to teach, and because they can deliver feedback that helps a fellow attorney become a sharper advocate the next day.
Anapol Weiss has long supported its attorneys taking on these kinds of roles. The firm has built its reputation on courtroom results in personal injury, medical malpractice, and mass tort matters, and we believe that the strongest trial attorneys are the ones who teach, mentor, and stay close to the craft.
Dominique Montoya: How Does Her Trial Experience Shape Her Approach To Teaching?
Dominique is an associate at Anapol Weiss in our Philadelphia office, where her practice focuses on representing people harmed by dangerous products and medical negligence. She has first-chaired multiple jury and bench trials to favorable verdicts, and her background covers both plaintiff and defense work, giving her a well-rounded view of how civil litigation actually unfolds.
Before joining Anapol Weiss, Dominique handled every stage of civil litigation at well-known Philadelphia firms. From early intake and written discovery to depositions, motion practice, and trial, she has done the work most lawyers only read about. That depth is what makes her teaching valuable.
A trial attorney who has stood at counsel table, picked a jury, examined witnesses, and addressed a judge during a tense sidebar can teach in a way that textbooks cannot. The feedback is not abstract. It is grounded in what works inside a real courtroom, what falls flat in front of a real jury, and what an opposing attorney will try to use against you.
Her teaching background also includes serving as a coach for Temple University Beasley School of Law's National Trial Team, where she helps law students prepare for national-level mock trial competitions. Many of those students go on to clerk, work as prosecutors and defenders, or join civil litigation practices throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and beyond.
Trial Advocacy Mentorship: Why Does Ongoing Faculty Work Benefit The People Anapol Weiss Represents?
It can be easy to view trial advocacy training as something that only matters to other lawyers. The truth is that when an attorney steps back into a NITA classroom as faculty, the people who ultimately benefit are the clients she returns home to represent.
Trial advocacy is not a static skill. Jury communication evolves. Courtroom technology evolves. The way attorneys present medical evidence, biomechanical evidence, and economic damages continues to develop. The attorneys who stay close to that evolution by teaching it, watching it, and breaking it apart with peers, are the ones who walk into a Philadelphia courtroom prepared.
For our clients, that translates into a few practical things: faster issue spotting during discovery, stronger storytelling at trial, sharper cross-examination of defense witnesses, and more thoughtful decisions when a case approaches the point of resolution.
Building Trial Skills In NYC: What Does An Immersive Week Of Trial Advocacy Actually Look Like?
The Building Trial Skills program is built around a realistic case file provided to participants in advance. Attorneys spent the week working through every component of the trial in small groups led by faculty members like Dominique. Each performance was followed by critique, supported by video review so participants could see themselves the way a jury would.
The week included performances on opening statements, direct and cross examination, exhibits and demonstratives, and closing arguments, culminating in a full mock trial before real jurors, who then deliberated and offered direct feedback to participants.
Faculty members delivered feedback in real time, structured around concrete advocacy principles that attorneys could apply immediately in their own caseloads. Anapol Weiss is glad to have had Dominique representing our Philadelphia office in that room.
Mentorship And Leadership: How Does Anapol Weiss Support Attorneys Who Teach The Next Generation Of Trial Counsel?
Mentorship is part of the culture at Anapol Weiss. Many of our partners came up under the guidance of senior trial counsel and continue to pay that forward inside the firm. We encourage our attorneys to serve as coaches, faculty members, board members, and pro bono counsel because that work makes them better at the work that matters most: representing injured people.
Dominique's ongoing role with NITA, her coaching work with Temple Law's National Trial Team, and her pro bono service with the Support Center for Child Advocates all reflect the kind of attorney we want at the table for our clients. The same person who is willing to spend a week in Midtown teaching attorneys how to cross a medical witness is the person you want on your case when a defendant's witness has to face that cross.
Across our offices, this same approach holds. Our attorneys are encouraged to stay close to the broader trial bar. The connections, ideas, and feedback strengthen the firm and, more importantly, the cases we bring forward for clients.
Talk With The Trial Attorneys At Anapol Weiss
We are proud of Dominique's continued leadership in trial advocacy education, and proud of the broader culture at Anapol Weiss that supports our attorneys serving as faculty members, coaches, and mentors. Most of all, we are proud of what that culture produces inside the courtroom for our clients.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured and you want to be represented by a team that takes trial preparation as seriously as we do, we are here to help. Call Anapol Weiss at 215-735-1130 or reach our team through the online contact form on our website to schedule a free consultation. There is no obligation to move forward, and there are no attorney fees unless we recover compensation in your case.
Disclaimer: This blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. It should not be considered as legal advice. For personalized legal assistance, please consult our team directly.
