The Litigator’s Guide to Evidentiary Objections: When to hold them and how to avoid mistakes [Including 1hr of Ethics] (2026 Edition)

The mechanics of evidentiary practice have outpaced the templates most litigators learned in their first years at trial. Authentication of digital exhibits and ESI now turns on technical questions earlier generations never had to answer, the Confrontation Clause has been reshaped by Crawford and its progeny — most recently the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Smith v. Arizona, hearsay rulings cut harder against unprepared counsel, and the ethics rules covering spoliation, witness preparation, false testimony, speaking objections, and generative AI have expanded where a litigator can step wrong. Trial lawyers operating on aging outlines are exposing clients and themselves at deposition, in limine, and at the bench. This class rebuilds the core: foundation for real and demonstrative evidence, authentication of digital and ESI exhibits, proper form for objections and offers of proof, the hearsay and Confrontation Clause framework, and the ethical hazards surrounding discovery and trial. Attendees leave able to raise, preserve, and defend objections that hold on appeal.