The Top 5 Tips for Effective Courtroom Presentations from Trial Consultants

Trial consultants have mastered the art of storytelling, thanks to their years of study and experience in the field of communication. Their expertise has proven invaluable to law firms all across the country that appreciate the notion that winning a case is not just about having all the facts; it’s also about telling the right story in the most effective way.

Here are some tips from seasoned trial consultants:

Develop a solid theme.If there’s one thing jurors should take away from an attorney’s presentation, it’s their theme. The theme can be easily answered by the question, “What is the case all about?” It should be simple and easy to remember, yet at the same time, be able to move jurors to see the case from the client’s perspective. The theme should then be repeated throughout the different stages of the trial, from opening statements all the way to to closing arguments.

Show, don’t tell. Litigators should never underestimate the power of demonstrative aids. Well-crafted videos, illustrations, and infographics, among others, can go a long way in getting jurors to understand the client’s position better. The most effective visual aids adhere to the principles of information design and are the results of meticulous research. It’s also important to keep equipment current to avoid hitting any snags during the presentation, which can cause attorneys to lose momentum.

Know the audience. Any attorney worth their salt will conduct exhaustive research on their jurors. This research should allow them to develop themes and arguments that are tailored to move even their staunchest juror. Apart from helping attorneys craft their content, knowing the audience also allows them to determine the best way to deliver it, from determining the type of language and tone to use to striking the right balance between logic and emotion.

Test and practice. When deeply invested in something, it can be hard to view things objectively. This is why themes and arguments need to be tested, whether during voir dire, or through focus group discussions and mock trials. Once these have been refined and possibly even revised, then attorneys need to keep practicing their presentations so they can deliver these compellingly even without any visual aids.

Be respectful. It takes a certain level of self-awareness to accomplish in a high-pressure environment like a courtroom. Some litigators donot realize that things that appear trivial on the surface - such as the choice of words or a spike in tone - can rub people the wrong way. Jurors are human, and showing disrespect in the courtroom - whether to them, the judge, or even opposing counsel - can run the risk of them developing a bias against the client and their position.

Enlisting the services of trial consultants is the first step in crafting effective courtroom presentations. With over 10 years of experience working across multiple practice areas, Dubin Research & Consulting (DRC) is the trusted partner of many of the top litigators in the country. For more details, log on to DubinConsulting.com.

Trial Strategy: How Demonstrative Evidence and Trial Technology Can Help

Today’s age is marked by the advent of more and more tools to ease people’s workload, and tasks in the courtroom are no exception. Not surprisingly, lawyers are beginning to adopt innovations into their trial strategy, especially when planning their presentations.

Below are two of the many ways technology can benefit lawyers and their clients.

It helps organize and simplify information. Every case involves enormous amounts of data, that lawyers need to be able to summarize when they distill their arguments, and present to the jurors at trial. The use of computer and mobile applications allows the swift organization of information, for the presenter to conveniently refer to. Exhibits can be pulled up and set aside in a second, at any point during trial.

Moreover, technology can transform data and make it more easily digestible for the audience. Visually, the details can be presented according to an outline, but the transition would now be much more smooth and quick, with just the click of a button, instead of having jurors leaf through thick stacks of evidence. More visual cues will also help the general themes stand out: on a slideshow, for example, this can be achieved through using a different background for all the slides under each theme. Font size changes, highlights on the text, and zooming in or out may also be helpful in emphasizing points – and these are not possible to do with the old generation of visual aids.

It can tell stories more effectively.During trial, lawyers and witnesses are supposed to tell the story of what happened, and recreate scenes. It is not always easy to accomplish this through words. Thankfully, today’s digital visual communication solutions have become much more advanced, making them an effective tool when helping jurors imagine. These can also show timelines, comparisons, distributions, and extrapolations, all of which can support the presentation of arguments by letting the viewers visualize what would have been a long list of numbers, or dates and corresponding events, or every possible permutation of an incident.

Infographics can, for instance, make survey resultslook more interesting and story-like, by juxtaposing them against the location and class or race demographic of the participants. For a case involving an accident, trial presentation technology can demonstrate what would have happened for changes involving each factor – alcohol intake of the defendant, the speed of the car, the presence of another vehicle, etc. – based on predictive modelling.

Truly, trial technology can save people in the courtroom a lot of time and effort, so much so that many judges and jurors expect lawyers to use them at any possibility. Law firms that seek to be a step ahead of the opposing party must then invest in these innovations, or partner with legal consulting firms that specialize in learning about them.

New York-based Dubin Research and Consulting, led by Josh Dubin, Esq. constantly monitors trends in trial technology and demonstrative evidence, and masters these for seamless adoption into their clients’ legal strategy. Get in touch with DRC today to know more.

What is Approach Play?

Golf is one of the oldest sports in the history of this planet.  The origins date back to 1457 when the Scottish Parliament mentioned it in one of their legal documents.  But since then, not much of how the actual game has changed at all. Granted, there have been vast improvements in the equipment (i.e. clubs, golf balls, golf shoes, golf carts, etc.) but how the game has been played hasn’t changed. It is hard not to mention the evolution of the golf clubs in particular.

The shafts have gone from sturdy wood, to strong aluminum, and now flexible graphite shafts all aiming to allow players to drive the ball further and further distances. But, what good is a long drive if you are not able to put the ball in the right positions to put yourself within shot’s reach of making into the hole. This is where approach play comes full circle and has become one of the most important concepts to understand for fantasy PGA. So what is approach play? Essentially it is how the golfer approaches each shot to put him in a better position to get the ball in the hole in as little strokes as possible. Granted, this seems like a no brainer but the technique and daily fantasy PGA strategy of actually carrying it out is much more difficult.

Some important aspects of approach play is having the bravado of knowing where the various hazards of the course (the sand trap, lakes/bodies of water, and tall-standing foliage). Being able to successfully navigate through, over, and around these different circumstances is imperative to a golfer’s success. By getting caught in any of the hazards mentioned above, it will cost the golfer multiple strokes setting them back behind the pace for the cut line.  This is why having the ability to set yourself up and put yourself in a good position to make it onto the green is one of the most underrated and hardest things about golf. You will soon realize that when you are on the links yourself and you find yourself taking an extra stroke or two just to be able to get on the green in hopes to make your putt.

Embrace Tradition in This Hawaii Oceanfront Home in Waikoloa

When an oceanfront home stays true to the Hawaiian aesthetic, it is something to be celebrated. So in this article, we will fondly speak of a $4,250,000 luxury home inside the gated neighborhood of Kolea in Waikoloa, Big Island that effortlessly embraces the Aloha spirit.

From the exteriors to the interiors, the home tries to live with nature and the Hawaiian heritage. Palm trees line the 23,463 sq. ft. property, and a pool offers a breathtaking view of the ocean as well as the scenic lava flows. The pool is dotted by huge slabs of rock that have been integrated in the exquisite landscaping that features rock fountains, waterfall, and tropical shrubs and ornamental plants.From the lanai, guests can even walk to ancient Hawaiian ponds.

One is welcomed to the property through pocket doors made of ornately carved wood and rock wall. The terrace of the house is supported by wooden beams, which stand alongside large black clay jars.

In the living room, the palette ranges from off-white, to chestnut, to dark mahogany. In true Aloha fashion, there is plenty of seating, for all those days – or nights – when loved ones are over for a loud party, or even quiet conversations at dusk. A long wooden table stands on carved legs, and is surrounded by a set of chairs covered in rattan weave. On one wall is a console table with clay pots on top, and a large wooden chest below. On the other side is an array of the remnants of windows which have been beautifully restored to make for a beautiful, solid-looking wall decor.Meanwhile, the vaulted ceiling is covered in thatched mat, and comes with a fan in tropical design: in place of blades are palm leaves in dark brown.

In one of the five bedrooms, a four-poster bed with a plush mattress promises a good night’s sleep. It has the same natural color scheme, the side table, the wall frame, the curtains, area rug, and Lawson chair are in different shades of brown.

The bath is just as thoughtfully decorated: marble was used on the floor, and countertops were made with granite. There is an antique looking mini-dresser, above which are framed artworks featuring fishes. Hallways, on the other hand, feature art about the island.

Guests can stay over at the expansive detached suite, which also comes with stunning ocean views. Meals can be prepared in the kitchen that has been equipped with Wolf gas stove and stainless steel appliances, along with agas grill, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, and wine storage. Or they can walk to the beautiful white sand beach that is just a few steps away, or to Kolea’s private club, where another set of Hawaiian adventures awaits.

Get in touch with Harold Clarke of Luxury Big Island today, to know more about this one-of-a-kind property in Kolea, Waikoloa. A leading name in Big Island real estate, Harold will help you find the perfect luxury home in Hawaii for you and your family.

The Immaculate Inning

If you have been an avid fan of MLB this season, you have noticed a handful of changes to it. First, and most noticeably, was the insurgence of advanced analytical statistics that have been welcomed with open arms by the daily fantasy baseball research community. The next thing goes right in line with the sabermetrics takeover and it is the sharp rise in popularity with a peculiar type of statistic/phenomena called an immaculate inning.  You must-have heard of it but not necessarily know exactly what it is.

By definition, an immaculate inning is an inning where a pitcher throws a total of nine pitches and faces the minimum of three batters. All nine pitches are strikes and the conclusion of each at-bat is a strikeout, either looking and/or swinging.  The reason it is called an immaculate inning because it is the literal definition of perfection for a pitcher by throwing the minimum amount of pitches but still getting the maximum upside of results back.

For any daily fantasy baseball player, one could only dream of their pitcher having such an inning because of the profound impact it will have on their outing.  Something that requires this amount of skill will do absolute wonders for a pitcher’s confidence and will give the highest upside for fantasy points and longevity of their start.  For an opposing team to go through something like this, strikes a great deal of fear in them and shifts the momentum of a game in an instance.

In baseball history, which spans over one hundred years, this has been quite the rare feat. In total, the American League has seen thirty four and the National League has accomplished a total of fifty five.  So if you roughly average those numbers over the entire history of the game, there is about an average of one immaculate inning a year.  But in the 2017-2018 season, we have seen much more than just one.  As of right now, we have seen a total of eight already. With a majority of them (five) being thrown in the American League and two different teams have had the feat against them on two separate occasions (Tigers & Brewers).  There is nothing better for a team than an immaculate inning and we have seen them at an astounding rate this season. Just goes to show how much the game has been changing.