Skills Imparted by Laying Foundations and Meeting Objectiions

 A trustee for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) since 1988, Deanne Siemer draws on her decades of experience as a lawyer to assist clients and prospective and established members of the profession. In her book Laying Foundations and Meeting Objections: How to Succeed with Exhibits at Deposition and Trial, Deanne Siemer imparts wisdom on performing effective depositions.

Laying Foundations and Meeting Objections offers more than just advice on creating watertight depositions, which is difficult to object to defendants. It addresses the four most common and damaging objections during a deposition: competence of the witness, identification of the exhibit, relevance, and authentication.

The book also presents examples of depositions that follow versus ignore these objection considerations in a readable, cognitive, and visual format. The examples’ format eases inclusion in paper documents and digital presentations, so others may learn from them.

Laying Foundations and Meeting Objections’ fourth edition was published in 2013. It is available through traditional book vendors’ platforms and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s website. NITA also allows purchasers to buy select sections as ebooks, and Amazon offers the same flexibility, except in an audio format.

Carmel Total Fitness’ Services

 Outside of her professional work as the managing director at Wilsie Co. LLC, Deanne Siemer supports businesses that promote health in local communities. As a 50 percent partner in Carmel Total Fitness (CTF), Deanne Siemer grows the fitness facility’s ability to help clients meet their fitness goals.

Founded in 2006, CTF stems from manager and personal trainer Scott Visser’s desire to improve Carmel, Indiana residents’ health in a supportive environment. From the beginning, he wanted the over 20,000 square-foot facility to welcome clients of all ages and fitness levels and for clients to receive workouts overseen by qualified trainers. About a quarter of the facility is open use, with weights and resistance training equipment, while the rest contains bookable cardio rooms, a swimming pool, and basketball and rackets courts for rent.

CTF offers in-person and online training to accommodate residents’ busy schedules. Though each option contains similar services, like nutrition education and creating workouts personalized to each client, the online version focuses on debunking common diet and exercise misinformation. Via sessions with trainers and on-demand materials, online CTF clients can learn how to integrate exercise and healthier eating into their lives without sacrificing time or the foods they love.

About the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands

 The general manager of Goose Hill Farm, LLC, Deanne Siemer is also the finance director at SRS Online, LLC. She manages the firm's books and records and has published over 30 trial-skills and deposition videos since 2011. Alongside work, Deanne Siemer's interests include Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) history. She served as a hearing officer in the CNMI Department of Labor in Saipan earlier in her career.

Before forging its future, the CNMI was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) under the administration of the United States for the United Nations from 1947. Palau, a member of the TTPI, sought independence and self-governance. Though recognized as a US territory, the CNMI has its own constitutional government. However, the territory abides by the US federal minimum wage, immigration laws, and border controls. Also, the United States negotiated a delay in maintaining strategic military bases.

Composed of 14 islands in the Pacific Ocean, the CNMI also enjoys federal grants from the United States, alongside its tax revenue. However, it remains the only U.S. territory not represented in Congress, as that was not included in the official agreement plus amendments. However, a non-voting status was awarded in 2008 pursuant to a bill by Delegate Donna Christensen.

Section One of Laying Foundations and Meeting Objections

 Deanne Siemer is an elected life member of the American Law Institute who has served as managing director of the Washington, DC-based law firm Wilsie Co. since 1995. Among her other publications, Deanne Siemer authored the book Laying Foundations and Meeting Objections.

Released by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Laying Foundations and Meeting Objections explains how to justify court exhibits, protect them against oppositional objections, and ultimately ensure that the court admits them into evidence. The first section of the book outlines the basics of these processes for new and inexperienced attorneys who are structuring their deposition or trial notes.

Drawing upon the guidelines presented in the Federal Rules of Evidence of the US Supreme Court, this opening section recommends using transcript excerpts from previous court proceedings that show how similar exhibits became admitted as evidence. It also aids attorneys with witness questioning and objection responses that are designed to streamline the evidence admittance process.