Closing Argument: Opportunity and Challenge
How to Make Clear, Quick and Effective Objections
More on Cross-Examination: Building a Case Brick by Brick
Podcast - Cross-Examination: Don't Ask One Question Too Many
Podcast - The Ten Commandments of Cross-Examination
Podcast - Refresh vs. Impeach: Know the Difference
Podcast - Impeaching with a Deposition
Podcast - Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses
Cross-Examination: The Three C’s of Impeachment
Cross-Examination: How to Effectively Impeach with a Prior Inconsistent Statement
Cross-Examination: Finding Control
Podcast - Cross-Examination: Don't Argue - Elicit Facts
Cross-Examination: Asking the Right Leading Questions
Podcast - Cross-Examination: The Importance of Organization
Work This Way: A Labor & Employment Law Podcast - Episode 20: Tips for Court Cases with Judge Dennis and Judge Wilkins of Maynard Nexsen
Understanding When to Cross-Examine
Podcast - Cross-Examination: Basic Approaches
The "Why" of Cross-Examination
Basic Points to Consider in Redirect Examination
Direct Examination: Offering Exhibits
As a trial attorney, you’ll often enlist expert witnesses to evaluate claims, clarify complex evidence, write an expert witness report, and offer authoritative opinions. Because time and money can be tight during trial prep,...more
In recent years, 3D animation has emerged as a powerful tool for teaching and transforming complex information into a digestible and compelling visual. Animation brings a case to life and can have a greater impact on juries,...more
On December 1, 2023, the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) 702 will undergo several changes designed to reinforce federal judges’ role as gatekeepers for admitting expert testimony. The changes reinforce the preponderance of...more
From the now decades old asbestos litigation to pharmaceuticals and product liability cases to the newly developing PFAS or “forever chemical” lawsuits, mass tort litigation has increasingly become the tool of choice by which...more
Why Expert Credibility is Crucial - The adversarial nature of a jury trial leads many of our clients to ask, “Will my expert come across better than theirs?” This is a justifiable concern since jurors’ decisions about...more
IMS Senior Jury Consulting Advisor Dr. Merrie Jo Pitera joins podcast host and IMS Client Services Advisor Adam Bloomberg to discuss the goals of witness preparation, what makes a witness credible, and how witnesses can...more
It comes as no surprise that when a witness is perceived as being credible, their messages will be more persuasive to the jury. Much academic research has been conducted to determine the primary characteristics that measure...more
On June 7, 2022, the Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved amendments to several of the Federal Rules of Evidence—including Rule 702, which governs the admissibility of expert witness...more
In a year where COVID-19, social injustice protesting, a contested national election, and even murder hornets challenged our sense of normalcy, Illinois courts decided medical malpractice disputes befitting a truly...more
It has been a tough year for science. On the social-science front, it seems that we have entered a phase where no one believes the polls. To conservative Trump supporters, the consensus of data showing the President well...more
As of press time for this post, 173,094 Americans have died from the novel coronavirus. If the United States had followed the example of other developed countries by taking earlier and more decisive actions against the virus,...more
As a twice-weekly blog writer focusing on the social science of legal persuasion, I am thankful that during this medical emergency, the research has kept coming. Even as restaurants, bars, beaches, and schools have been shut...more
What makes an expert witness persuasive to a jury? Is it their background and training? The work that they did on the case? Their communication skills in teaching the jury? The research suggests that expert influence depends...more
In the fifth episode of his "Powerful Witness Preparation" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small shares the seven most common mistakes lawyers make when preparing witnesses for trial. Along with summarizing these...more
The big moment finally arrived. After two years of investigations and fast-churning news cycles, Robert Mueller, the former Special Counsel who focused on Russian election interference and obstruction claims involving the...more
You have completed your discovery, you have designated your expert witnesses, and you have even deposed the other side’s experts. Now what? One of the tougher skills in conducting trials is being able to effectively conduct a...more
Jurors sometimes need to grapple with science, and given the constraints of the trial process and the often-complex nature of the testimony, “grapple” is probably the right word. Whether it involves working through detailed...more
Remember Carl Sagan and the original show Cosmos? It was a beloved series in the late 70’s, not just for its accessible explanations of something as complex as the history of the universe, but also for its ability to evoke a...more
It was another big moment yesterday as Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, testified publicly before the House Oversight Committee. Widely seen as an opening act prior to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s...more
So you’re picking an expert witness for your case. What kind of person do you want? Someone with the highest credentials from the best institutions? Someone with a lot of on-the-ground experience in this area? Someone who is...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
On August 10, 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office published a Federal Register notice announcing updates to the Office Patent Trial Practice Guide (TPG). The TPG was first published in August 2012 to provide...more