Verdict and Appeal

The closing chapter follows a case from verdict through appeal, the stretch students rarely see in trial-skills courses but must understand to litigate competently. It covers the jury-instruction conference and judge’s charge, deliberation procedures, the polling and discharging of juries, juror misconduct and verdict impeachment, and the full taxonomy of post-trial motions in civil, criminal, bench, administrative, and arbitration contexts. Subsequent sections address judgment entry, enforcement, costs and fees, and the structure of judicial, administrative, and arbitration appeals — including standards of review and the strategic question of whether to appeal at all. The chapter pairs naturally with an appellate-advocacy course or a trial advocacy capstone that follows a case to its institutional conclusion.