On June 26, 2026, Bennett & Belfort’s senior associate attorney Zak Hammond moderated and spoke at a panel titled, Winning Trial Strategies from Recent NELA Member Victories, at the National Employment Lawyers Association’s annual convention in New Orleans. NELA is a national group of attorneys who represent employees.
Attorney Hammond and his co-panelists, Attorneys Victoria Williamson of the AARP Foundation and Clara Coleman of Nichols Kaster in Minneapolis, MN, gave insights, tips, and winning strategies for jury trials and bench trials involving individual plaintiffs and class actions.
As moderator, Attorney Hammond guided the conversation among his co-panelists and the audience, asked questions to facilitate the discussion, and drew key insights to assist attendees in applying winning approaches to their own cases. Attorney Hammond focused on jury trials involving individual plaintiffs and a trial team of two lawyers, offering tips and strategies useful for lawyers trying single-plaintiff cases. Panelists also addressed trials in the context of class actions with large trial teams.
“We all emphasized the importance of beginning trial preparation as early as possible in the litigation process,” Attorney Hammond said. “Skilled employment lawyers know how important it is to begin developing themes and identifying evidence for trial at the beginning of the litigation process.”
