Some judges will allow PowerPoint presentations in opening statements. You likely will have to show it to the opposition before you can use it. They may agree, but do not count on it. Avoid argument in the PowerPoint. Use it in good faith. Opening is to be an overview. Confirm with the judge your right
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Gerry Spence perhaps one of the greatest trial lawyers of our times, not just because of his wins, but also because of his losses and the person he became through his personal trials and how they molded the man he is in a courtroom. Know thyself. Being real is tough let alone in a courtroom.
-> Continue reading Fooling yourself?
In the movie “Cheney” they point out that it was impossible to get rid of dreaded estate taxes until a focus group discovered calling them “death taxes” shifted the perspective and helped position the effort in the public eye to get rid of them. So, knowing what your case means to others, besides yourself or
-> Continue reading Seeds of Voir Dire
What did they do wrong? The best question and likely the one the jury is asking. Or what is the explanation? Lawyers think law, think motions, think prejudice and think they are so smart the jury is eating out of their brilliant hands. Ha ha! Been there, done that. lol. The trial delusion is like
-> Continue reading What the hell? What happened?
If eyes cannot see it, it is most likely they cannot believe it. You know that. But how do you deliver that for a jury? How does justice become a visual? To get to the brain through the eyes is the art. Visuals. Delivered in a professional, real, and honest way. Like most worthy productions
-> Continue reading Screenager feasts.
Casemap club For lawyers who do trials, in my opinion, one of the most effective tools for visual presentation in arbitration, mediation, and trial is Casemap suite. They do not pay me to say that. They do not even endorse me. It is just my opinion after looking around. If you have a better product
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See the trial from the first call. Prepare for trial from the first call. Think witness list, exhibit list, issues, and law. Start a timeline. Think visuals. Talk to witnesses early. Get their statements. Think not the fight, think presenting your case. Why spend substantial time with a demand letter. Put it in the form
-> Continue reading Prepare for the end up front.
Your big case. What do you want? A solution for the least amount spent. After all, you are not in it for sport. What do you look for in choosing who will handle your case? What criteria do you use? Big office? Big personality? A friend of a friend? Are you in a legal fight
-> Continue reading Focus on the facts.
Would you place your money in a boxing match on the pugilist who had read about boxing but never been in the ring? Consider that the great majority of lawyers will never do a trial. Few will do a jury trial. So how do those who have maybe had one class in moot court and
-> Continue reading First time in a knife fight
Start from the beginning of your case to write the story. There are three parts to every story. The story emerges from events sequenced in a plot. An event is a meaningful change in a character’s life, what that happens to transforms the world from one state into another. The main character(protagonist) goes through a
-> Continue reading Your Story