More than 120 years ago, the coroner’s inquest into “Wild West” lawman Wyatt Earp ended with no criminal charges filed. Earp walked away scot free in the infamous O.K. Corral gunfight that only lasted 30 seconds, but is remembered as the day “when blood flowed like water,” according to the next day’s newspaper. While that gunfight and the incidents leading up to it have fascinated history buffs for more than a century, there was never a criminal or civil trial instituted against Wyatt Earp.

The gunfight and aftermath leading to no prosecution has long intrigued trial lawyers: How did Wyatt Earp walk away without indictment? Did the prosecution really play the cards at their disposal, or was Mr. Earp’s defense that good? What if here had been a civil trial such as a wrongful death case instituted by family members of those mortally wounded, like Tom McLaury?

At the eighth annual Litigation Institute for Trial Training program, or LITT — also known as a boot camp for young lawyers – we explored the nuances of an imaginary wrongful-death trial. Our special guest was Wyatt Earp himself, or rather, a descendant of the original Wyatt Earp, who was named after his famous ancestor. Our case was based on the testimony presented at the original investigation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The material we used was created by attorney Jeff Willis of Phoenix, who helped assist in getting the original Wyatt Earp’s descendant to portray his namesake on the witness stand.

I created the LITT program eight years ago, in conjunction with the ABA Section of Litigation, to teach the basics of courtroom advocacy to young lawyers, and more importantly, to inspire them to seek further learning and study of trial, as well as arbitration advocacy. Currently, the LITT program is co-chaired by Dallas attorney Michael Lynn and me, and it was Michael who suggested we use the Wyatt Earp trial as our historical case of the day. We had presented a similar program in Dallas the year before and that event had been presented, to wide approval, before a packed house of 500 young lawyers and law students.

At the LITT program in Phoenix last month, Mr. Earp was joined by some of the leading trial lawyers in the country, many of who gave demonstrations of each facet of a trial, from opening statement, to direct and cross examination, to closing argument.

I won’t tell you whether or not the legal proceedings surrounding the original Wyatt Earp would have ended any differently had he appeared before the “jury” of this year’s LITT program rather than the justice of the peace who presided over the coroner’s inquest, but I can tell you the original Wyatt Earp would have been proud of his descendant’s convincing performance.

Renée Lane-Kunz, the Firm’s Chief Operating Officer and co-chair of its Employment Law Group,has been named President of the Association of Legal Administrators, Maryland Chapter.

Ms. Lane-Kunz’s term as President of the Maryland ALA will continue until April 2015. To read her President’s Message on the ALA site, click here.

Since 2008, Ms. Lane-Kunz has served Shapiro Sher as its chief administrator while practicing employment and business law. In her legal practice, she offers ongoing employment counsel to small and mid-sized companies as well as schools and institutions. She works with clients in diverse industries, including hospitality, manufacturing, education, technology, and government contracting. In addition to employment law, she advises companies on licensing, copyright and trademark registration, and general corporate matters. Super Lawyers® recently identified Ms. Lane-Kunz as a “Rising Star” in Maryland.

The Maryland ALA was chartered in 1972 and serves approximately 100 members from over 40 law firms throughout the state. The Chapter provides educational opportunities to help its members become better informed on a broad array of legal management issues. The Chapter has been awarded a Platinum designation by the National Association of Legal Administrators in recognition of its having met the highest level of achievement in chapter management, communications, education, and Business Partner relations.

Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler (www.shapirosher.com) is based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an additional office in Washington, DC. Founded in 1972, the Firm is nationally known for its practices in business law, banking and finance, litigation, bankruptcy, and creditors’ rights. For the past three years, Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler has been named the Top Mid-sized Law Firm in Maryland for Business and Transactions by Super Lawyers®, a division of Thomson Reuters.

Chambers USA, a preeminent guide to the U.S. legal industry, has cited Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler among the leading firms in Maryland for bankruptcy, litigation, and corporate law in its just-released 2014 guide. Joel I. Sher, Firm Chairman and Bankruptcy Department Chair, and Paul Mark Sandler, Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department, were named Band 1 attorneys, the highest distinction available.

All together the following partners were recognized in the 2014 Chambers USA guide:

• William E. Carlson, Corporate/M&A
• Richard M. Goldberg, Bankruptcy Litigation
• Paul Mark Sandler, General Commercial Litigation; White-collar Crime & Government Investigations
• Joel I. Sher, Bankruptcy Litigation

Chambers USA’s 2014 guide states that Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler “has deep experience in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 bankruptcy litigation, antitrust, commercial loan workouts and white-collar criminal cases.” The guide quotes sources as saying that the Firm is, “very experienced from a legal and business side, and understands the business issues” and that it is “certainly one of the top firms for bankruptcy.” Another source states that Mr. Sandler is “one of the finest trial lawyers in Maryland.”

Chambers USA is a division of Chambers & Partners, which publishes annual guides to the most respected law firms and lawyers in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Its rankings are read by industry-leading companies and organizations worldwide.

Shapiro Sher partner Matthew Esworthy has been appointed to the American Bar Association’s Cybersecurity Legal Task Force for a one-year term beginning in August 2014.