Personal Injury, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Law Practice Products & Services

How to Use Technology Effectively in Mediation

by Cogent Legal on 9/17/2012

Recently, I co-presented a CLE webinar on "Technology for Better Mediation" along with two San Francisco trial attorneys, Miles Cooper of Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn, and Jeff Smith of Abramson Smith Waldsmith. This post...more

California Net Verdict Calculator for the iPad

by Cogent Legal on 8/24/2012

One of my first posts on this blog discussed all the complications involved with calculating a verdict in California for personal injury cases, especially when a workers’ compensation lien and/or prior settlement must be...more

How Storyboards Helped Make a Complex Case and Could Help Yours, Too

by Cogent Legal on 8/16/2012

This post spotlights one of the best and most convenient types of litigation graphics: Storyboards. What I mean by a “storyboard” is basically a series of images that are used to show how an incident occurred, what could have...more

What Attorneys Need to Know About the Cal. Supreme Court’s Important Ruling on Animation Admissibility

by Cogent Legal on 8/8/2012

On Monday, the California Supreme Court issued a thoughtful opinion that finally provides strong guidance on the use of animations in trial, affirming their proper place in supporting expert testimony. The decision People v....more

Keynote for Attorneys: Tips to Try This Alternative to PowerPoint for Case Presentation

by Cogent Legal on 7/18/2012

In my mind, there is simply no question that Keynote is superior to PowerPoint for many reasons, including: (1) it’s a Mac program, so it’s well integrated with all aspects of the Mac laptops and iPad; (2) it embeds videos in...more

The Beauty of Data: How to Use Adobe Illustrator with Excel to Show Complex Data for Litigation

by Cogent Legal on 7/10/2012

Most people don’t find data beautiful, but it really can be. I am definitely not talking about endless pages of numbers, but rather about data that is visualized in an appealing manner, which actually can be an exciting and...more

What Trial Lawyers Can Learn From a Songwriter to Strengthen Their Case

by Cogent Legal on 6/13/2012

At the American Society of Trial Consultants annual conference in New Orleans last week, I had the opportunity to be on a panel discussion about social media and blogging for the legal profession. There, I saw one of the...more

When and Why Your Case Needs an Animation for Litigation

by Cogent Legal on 4/23/2012

More often than not, litigating a case boils down to persuasively explaining your theory of what happened. The best way often is to create a 3D animation. Nothing is more powerful to enhance the visualization and...more

Demonstrative Evidence: Half the Battle Is Keeping Out the Other Side’s

by Cogent Legal on 4/16/2012

Generally speaking, there are two ways to prevail at trial: (1) have better evidence and demonstratives than your opponent, and (2) keep your opponent’s evidence out. This article describes a couple of Cogent Legal's recent...more

How Attorneys Should Use Graphics in a “David v. Goliath” Case

by Cogent Legal on 3/12/2012

Having myself been a partner at a small five-attorney plaintiff firm for years, I certainly know the feeling of going against the big firms on cases that can attempt to overwhelm you with discovery, but that often have more...more

How Big Infographics Can Make a Big Impact in Litigation

by Cogent Legal on 2/28/2012

This post spotlights three informational graphics that Cogent Legal created and describes how we wrestled with a mountain of data to present a large amount of information in a way that is instantaneously understandable and...more

e-Briefs on the iPad: An Exciting New Tool to Give Attorneys an Edge

by Cogent Legal on 2/15/2012

There’s been a lot of hype about the iPad’s apps for the legal profession. I’m going to add to it with a prediction that may seem far-fetched, but I believe stands a strong chance of coming to pass: The iPad will...more

4 Tips to Use “Show & Tell” to Improve Your PowerPoint for ADR or Trial

by Cogent Legal on 2/9/2012

Many trial or ADR PowerPoint presentations could benefit from recapturing the craft of the “Show & Tell.” Too often, what we should be “telling” we put on the screen. And sometimes, what we should be “showing” we ignore all...more

Litigation Tip: The Best Way to Get Demonstrative Evidence Admitted at Trial

by Cogent Legal on 1/23/2012

I always want to support attorneys using demonstrative evidence and trying new things in terms of design and tech. Demonstrative evidence is pretty much any evidence other than testimony that is presented during the course of...more

Legal Media and Tech Skills for Attorneys: Advice to Help You Get Hired and Improve Your Practice

by Cogent Legal on 1/12/2012

The advice I often give to recent law graduates is, in a nutshell: Get tech savvy. Develop skills in information design and presentation. Become a whiz with document management. Find your inner geek streak. At a time when...more

How Attorneys Can Recognize and Present a Traumatic Brain Injury Case

by Cogent Legal on 12/15/2011

Unlike a case of a broken bone that might easily be seen on an X-ray, traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases are often much more difficult to diagnose and ultimately present to a jury. Having worked on many of these types of...more

How Attorneys Can Recognize and Present a Traumatic Brain Injury Case

by Cogent Legal on 12/15/2011

Unlike a case of a broken bone that might easily be seen on an X-ray, traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases are often much more difficult to diagnose and ultimately present to a jury. Having worked on many of these types of...more

Three Tips for Attorneys to Present Economic Data (and Not Be Boring)

by Cogent Legal on 11/29/2011

This post will provide a few key tips on how to transform economic data into engaging, easy-to-understand visual presentations. One of the most difficult parts of presenting any case involves economics, especially when it...more

Social Media Ethics for Lawyers: 4 Things Attorneys Should Not Do Online

by Cogent Legal on 11/17/2011

Attorneys’ seemingly benign social media activity can and sometimes does collide with the rules of professional conduct. Recently I attended a panel discussion called “Legal Social Media Gone Wild: A Look at the Ethics...more

The iPad vs. the Yellow Pad at the ABOTA Mock Trial

by Cogent Legal on 10/25/2011

Last week, the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) put on a full one-day mock trial in San Francisco in front of a large gathering of attorneys to show how the masters of trial do their trade. The mock trial turned out...more

Tips and Tricks for Attorneys to Use Google Maps and Google Earth

by Cogent Legal on 10/12/2011

You’ve probably used Google Maps for driving directions. But have you tried using it for your case? From a litigation standpoint, there is no quicker and easier way to start building useful demonstratives for your client than...more

How to Avoid Information Overload When Presenting Your Case

by Cogent Legal on 9/27/2011

How much information is “overload” for a juror or mediator? Psychological studies and neuroscience show that we possess inherited built-in limitations to our working memory—a so-called mental bandwidth. As an attorney, you...more

Why It Pays to "Visualize an Injury" for Mediation or Trial

by Cogent Legal on 9/20/2011

In litigation, it’s one thing to talk about an injury in dry medical terms, and quite a different and more powerful thing to show what actually happened anatomically at the time of injury. In a personal injury case, attorneys...more

Tech Tradeoffs in Litigation Presentation Tools: Pros and Cons of PowerPoint, TrialDirector, Video Formats, Timeline Programs and...

by Cogent Legal on 9/6/2011

The benefit of the ongoing digital revolution in litigation is that so much more is possible than ever before for the creation and presentation of graphics for cases. But for every step forward with better technology and more...more

Why Attorneys Should Develop Graphics for Their Case--The Sooner, The Better

by Cogent Legal on 8/23/2011

It’s the eleventh hour before trial and you’re feverishly preparing your case when you realize you need help creating a visual presentation. You enlist the expertise of a legal graphics consultant. Not a bad idea, but there’s...more

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Personal Injury › Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) › Law Practice Products & Services

How to Use Technology Effectively in Mediation

California Net Verdict Calculator for the iPad

How Storyboards Helped Make a Complex Case and Could Help Yours, Too

What Attorneys Need to Know About the Cal. Supreme Court’s Important Ruling on Animation Admissibility

Keynote for Attorneys: Tips to Try This Alternative to PowerPoint for Case Presentation

The Beauty of Data: How to Use Adobe Illustrator with Excel to Show Complex Data for Litigation

What Trial Lawyers Can Learn From a Songwriter to Strengthen Their Case

When and Why Your Case Needs an Animation for Litigation

Demonstrative Evidence: Half the Battle Is Keeping Out the Other Side’s

How Attorneys Should Use Graphics in a “David v. Goliath” Case

How Big Infographics Can Make a Big Impact in Litigation

e-Briefs on the iPad: An Exciting New Tool to Give Attorneys an Edge

4 Tips to Use “Show & Tell” to Improve Your PowerPoint for ADR or Trial

Litigation Tip: The Best Way to Get Demonstrative Evidence Admitted at Trial

Legal Media and Tech Skills for Attorneys: Advice to Help You Get Hired and Improve Your Practice

How Attorneys Can Recognize and Present a Traumatic Brain Injury Case

How Attorneys Can Recognize and Present a Traumatic Brain Injury Case

Three Tips for Attorneys to Present Economic Data (and Not Be Boring)

Social Media Ethics for Lawyers: 4 Things Attorneys Should Not Do Online

The iPad vs. the Yellow Pad at the ABOTA Mock Trial

Tips and Tricks for Attorneys to Use Google Maps and Google Earth

How to Avoid Information Overload When Presenting Your Case

Why It Pays to "Visualize an Injury" for Mediation or Trial

Tech Tradeoffs in Litigation Presentation Tools: Pros and Cons of PowerPoint, TrialDirector, Video Formats, Timeline Programs and...

Why Attorneys Should Develop Graphics for Their Case--The Sooner, The Better

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