What’s your emergency plan for jury trials?
In every football game, coaches make decisions about whether to take a timeout, to accept a penalty, or to go for it on 4th down. These decisions must often be made in a split-second, and can affect the entire outcome of the game. Anyone who’s watched football has probably heard the old mantra, "Every second you leave on the clock unnecessarily may be the one your opponent uses to beat you." That’s why football coaches spend so much time studying clock management...
Read MorePractice with your courtroom props!
Jack Bauer may be an expert with firearms, but Kiefer Sutherland, the actor who portrays him on the hit show 24, isn’t. To make sure that the character looks like he knows what he’s doing when he handles a weapon like the Sig Sauer P228 9mm (either with or without the silencer), you can bet that Kiefer spent a significant amount of time familiarizing himself with the prop before they started filming. Before your next trial, it’s essential that you familiarize yourself with your props,...
Read More“How to Get Your Evidence Admitted” Manual
What problems are you encountering when trying to get your exhibits admitted into evidence? Do you have specific evidentiary issues or topics that you’d like me to address? Before I create a step-by-step manual for getting your evidence admitted, I need to know whether it’s something you’d be interested in and what topics you’d like me to address. Please do me a quick favor and take 30 seconds to let me know if you’d be interested (“Yes, I’m interested,”...
Read MoreCan Jurors See and Hear Your Most Important Evidence?
If you try enough cases, you’ll eventually get your hands on “It.” “It” is that amazing piece of evidence that makes or breaks your case. “It” takes on many different forms: The “Are you lying then or are you lying now?” prior inconsistent statement The “I did it, and I’d do it again!” confession The video of the “disabled” plaintiff easily lifting 50 lb. bags of mulch or participating in semi-professional wrestling matches The “smoking gun”...
Read MoreAre jurors ignoring your documents?
It was a paper-intensive trial, one of those cases where the phrase “Plaintiff’s Exhibit #2,598,124” doesn’t seem to shock anyone. Because the stakes were high, it was a well-financed operation, and both parties brought a lot of technology with them. One of the gizmos the plaintiffs brought with them to help present their evidence was a computer projector and a visual display program like Sanction or Trial Director. If you try document-intensive cases, you know the...
Read MoreResources for Trial Lawyers
