Grab Jurors’ Attention by Opening With a Compelling Theme
Excerpted from Trial Preparation Tools by Beth D. Osowski Consider beginning your next opening statement with your case theme. A good case theme will reduce the case to unifying principles that are...
View ArticleBusiness Ethics Voir Dire
Better Voir Dire in Business Litigation Cases The term “business litigation” is a catch-all phrase that encompasses a broad array of claims arising out of a commercial transaction or business...
View ArticleMake Sure Your Expert Understands These 8 Key Points Before Testifying at...
Excerpted from Personal Injury Handbook by Larry and Roger Booth Experts are a tool to help you win your client’s case and maximize damages. Period. You should use only the experts who will help you...
View Article5 Tips for More Powerful Criminal Cross-Examination
Apply these proven strategies — excerpted from Relentless Criminal Cross-Examination, by Kevin J. Mahoney – to amp up your cross-examination in your next criminal case: 1. Visit the Scene It is not...
View ArticleTips From the Bench: Making and Responding to Objections
Success at trial requires deliberate and detailed preparation well in advance of trial, combined with quick thinking in the heat of battle. To present your strongest case, you must know the rules of...
View Article10 Ways to Prove Pain And Suffering to a Jury
Excerpted from Insurance Settlements By Ronald V. Miller Economic damages are subjects of rather precise calculation. On the other hand, it takes immense skill, imagination, and sensitivity to prove...
View ArticleCross-Examination Tactics Part 1: Phrasing Questions; Pace & Demeanor
Excerpted from New York Trial Notebook By Edward L. Birnbaum Carl T. Grasso Hon. Ariel E. Belen (Ret.) On direct examination, you want the jury’s focus to be on your witness. He or she is furnishing...
View ArticleCross-Examination Tips Part 2: Probing the Foundation; Impeachment; New Evidence
Excerpted from New York Trial Notebook By Edward L. Birnbaum Carl T. Grasso Hon. Ariel E. Belen (Ret.) When cross-examining a lay witness, you should have in mind one or more of the following three...
View ArticleUsing Charts, Diagrams, Graphs, & Maps in the Courtroom
Excerpted from California Objections: Civil and Criminal By Judge Gregory H. Ward (Ret.) Lawyers commonly use charts, diagrams, sketches, graphs, and maps to explain, simplify, or supplement oral...
View ArticleVoir Dire in Domestic Violence Cases
Although domestic violence is a hot topic in the national media right now, these cases are deeply personal and raise highly sensitive issues, about which many jurors will have strong feelings. To help...
View ArticleSignificant Damages Awards — 6 Opening Remarks to Set the Stage in Voir Dire
Most jurors today simply accept that there are too many frivolous lawsuits, and that plaintiff’s lawyers are greedy individuals looking for another “McDonald’s” verdict. You can begin to overcome this...
View ArticleCourtney Love Cobain Case Could Set Precedent for Online Libel
Celebrity Courtney Love Cobain received good news from the Los Angeles Superior Court, which ruled that she was not guilty of libel against her former lawyer, Rhonda Holmes. The plaintiff had accused...
View ArticleNew Evidence Shows That an Involuntary Confession May Have Led to an Innocent...
An involuntary confession by a jailhouse snitch might have led to the death of an innocent Texas man who was convicted of murdering his three daughters and burning his house to the ground. Since the...
View ArticleEffective Voir Dire Strategies Are Vital in Highly-Publicized Cases
When criminal trials are besieged by publicity and media coverage, juror bias always becomes an issue. That’s why lawyers for James Holmes – the defendant accused of killing 12 people when he opened...
View ArticleDefense Expert Testimony in Pistorius Trial Discounted as Unreliable | Free...
In the trial of Oscar Pistorius, the South African Olympian accused of murdering his model girlfriend, media and the prosecution severely reproached an expert witness for providing unsubstantiated...
View ArticleOur Gift to You– Free Reference Chart for Criminal Jury Charges
For legal practitioners in Texas, it may require extensive time to research various criminal jury charges, along with underlying case laws. For a quick reference guide for criminal jury offenses,...
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