Closing Argument: Opportunity and Challenge
Direct Examination: Looping and Bookending
Innovative Jury Strategies and the Power of Preparation — FCRA Focus Podcast
Opening Statements: Telling the Story
Openings of Openings
The Basics of Opening Statements
Effective Trial Language Part 3: Jargon
Podcast - Effective Trial Language Part 2: Legalese
Why Demonstrative Aids Are Critical in Every Case
Showing Exhibits to the Jury
Key Lessons and Takeaways for Jury Trials
Overcoming Safetyism & the Plaintiff Media Machine - IMS Insights Podcast Epsiode 66
Podcast - Basic Courtroom Etiquette
Podcast - The Five Most Common Faults of Trial Lawyers
Podcast - The “Five P’s” That Will Help Shape Jurors’ Emotions
The Strategic Advantages of Working with Jury Consultants – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 56
Uncovering Juror Bias, Counteracting Nuclear Verdicts, & the Future of Massive Damages – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 47
Integrated Case Themes & Nuclear Verdict Causes – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 46
An Inside Look as a Juror - FCRA Focus Podcast
Litigation attorney Dan Small shares insights and strategies for delivering a compelling closing argument in this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series. He explains the challenges of delivering a closing...more
Case preparation can take months of research, depositions, and strategic planning—all for that one high-pressure moment in court. Even learning how to write a good opening statement can take a considerable amount of time and...more
In this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small discusses the real-world challenges of direct examination, emphasizing that while the ideal scenario would be a perfectly coherent...more
In this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small outlines the importance of connecting with jurors from the beginning of the trial. He explains that an important aspect of drawing...more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small describes different approaches to opening statements in a trial, outlining three common styles: dramatic, theme-oriented and...more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, Holland & Knight litigation attorney Dan Small discusses the use of legalese in the courtroom. He advises attorneys to avoid using too much legal jargon...more
You’ve read countless legal articles on how to tactically improve your approach to litigation- like defeating Nuclear Verdicts and the Reptile theory. These topics address objective criterion without much consideration of the...more
As a litigator, my first legal position was as a Navy JAG, handling cases first as a defense attorney, then as a prosecutor. Since leaving from the Navy, my practice has focused on patent litigation. But I’ve never had an...more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small focuses on the five most common faults of trial lawyers. Mr. Small acknowledges that every trial is different, but steering...more
Social media is increasingly important in eDiscovery, employment investigations and jury research. Using social media in legal and HR matters raises significant ethical issues. Lawyers and other legal professionals should...more
On one end of the spectrum, there are specific beliefs jurors might hold on an issue. More generally, then there are attitudes that cover and predict many of those different beliefs. Even more generally, there is the...more
Lawyers tend to think of opening statement as the time for stories. But I think you’re telling a story in closing argument as well: not the same story, but a different one. And I don’t mean you should change the facts or...more
Nearly 40 years ago, in 1979, during the country’s energy crisis, President Jimmy Carter gave what is now called the “Malaise Speech.” Without using that word, he spoke of “a crisis of confidence” that “strikes at the very...more
Whenever I am running a mock trial and playing the role of the judge, I read the instructions out loud to the mock jurors while they also read along using their own paper copies. I sometimes think that is overkill: If it were...more
We know that when presenting to jurors, the goal is not just to present, but to engage, to relate, to adapt, and ultimately to persuade. You don’t want to simply lay information in front of jurors and hope they will pick it...more
“Epistimology,” or the question of how we know what we know, seems like an abstract rather than a practical idea. But when it comes to the practical task of assessing and persuading jurors, the epistemological habits of those...more
Experts have a tough job translating sometimes technical detail to lay audiences and working closely with a party to the litigation while still maintaining the role of “teacher” rather than “advocate.” Some excellent and...more
In the wake of recent verdicts, the Johnson & Johnson defense team might be seeing its hopes of convincing jurors to follow its scientific advice going up in a cloud of smoke…or perhaps a cloud of potentially carcinogenic...more
The two terms are often used interchangeably, but “rebuttal” doesn’t mean the same thing as “refutation.” The latter amounts to an attack on the arguments of the other side, and the former means rebuilding your own arguments...more
What do we expect of our leaders? If you think about it in a political context, and if you get past your initial cynical thoughts about self-interest and corruption, then perhaps what you hope for is that our leaders make...more
There is often something distinctive about the person bringing a case. Whether they are the victim in a discrimination or harassment case, a whistle-blower in an employment case, or a number of other case types, their act of...more
Lately, the nation has been divided, again, on a critical question of public policy. And, again, that division reveals some stark differences in the ways each side views the facts and understands the values at stake. This...more
How do you spot a racist? Or, to be more on point, in a legal case about racial discrimination, or another case where racial biases would matter to the assessment of the case, the parties, or the witnesses, how do you...more
Add this one to the list of reasons why sequestering the jury can be a problem, and more generally, to the “Juries can do strange things” category. The night before deliberations, at the end of a five-week murder trial, four...more
The jurors have made it through the trial, reached their verdict, received their thanks, and are headed to the exits. How do they feel about their experience? What do they think the lawyers did well, and what do they think...more