David Boies Ted OlsonBOOK: Redeeming the Dream: Proposition 8 and the Struggle for Marriage EqualityIn the book Redeeming the Dream: Proposition 8 and the Struggle for Marriage Equality, the authors David Boies and Theodore
Pretrial, Trial, Appellate & Evidence Blog
Latest from Pretrial, Trial, Appellate & Evidence Blog - Page 2
IMPROVING YOUR LEGAL WRITING SKILLS and FREE CHAPTER
In a book I edited, titled The Appellate Prosecutor: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Appellate Advocacy, the Honorable Paul Turner, who when the book was published was Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeals Second Appellate District of Los Angeles, California, contributed a chapter. Judge Turner’s chapter focuses on the art of…
FREE copy of ADDRESSING THE JURY: OPENING STATEMENT & CLOSING ARGUMENT
Get your FREE COPY of ADDRESSING THE JURY: OPENING STATEMENT & CLOSING ARGUMENTGet your FREE COPY of ADDRESSING THE JURY: OPENING STATEMENT AND CLOSING ARGUMENT – CLICK HEREAddressing the Jury: Opening Statement and Closing Argument offers an in-depth explanation of how to craft a winning opening statement and summation and how to persuasively…
GOVERNMENT’S WELL-CRAFTED BRIEF AGAINST TRUMP
On October 2, 2024, Special Counsel Jack Smith filed the government’s motion for an immunity determination –Were Donald Trump’s acts done in his official capacity or as the government contends, “At its core, the defendant’s scheme was a private criminal effort.”The 165-page brief, which is worth reading for a full understanding of Trump’s conduct and…
2 Techniques to Combat Public Speaking Nervousness
Nervousness or stage fright can interfere with an effective delivery of a presentation. Even experienced trial lawyers, politicians, presenters, actors, comedians and so on are nervous. We all get nervous.As comedian Bob Hope said, “If you’re not nervous before you perform, you’re probably dead.” We cannot make nervousness go away, but we can convert it…
INQUESTS – WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?
If the question is: “Inquests into police officer-involved deaths, what are they good for?” The answer came with a front-page article in The Seattle Times (9/20/24) about inquests held into police officer involved deaths in King County (Seattle). And, the answer in the article is: “Absolutely nothing.” Indeed, the newspaper article’s headline is “Critics: Inquests…
6 Ways to use Visuals as Weapons on Cross-Examination
At Seattle University Law School I teach an online course entitled “Visual Litigation and Today’s Technology”. Cross-examination visuals are featured because they can be extremely powerful weapons for cross-examination. They can be used to gain concessions either supporting your case theory or undermining the other side’s case theory. Visuals can also be very effective for impeaching…
Answer Tough Questions from the Bench
Concrete advice on how to field tough questions from the appellate bench, which applies equally well to fielding hard questions from a trial judge, is provided by Justice Paul Anderson of the Minnesota Supreme Court (ret.) in Chapter 16 of The Appellate Prosecutor book. Justice Anderson states:“Appellate judges enjoy asking questions. It is our lifeblood.…
Want to be a Great Communicator in Trial
Get your free GUIDE to being A GREAT COMMUNICATOR IN TRIALOratory has been defined as “the art of making formal speeches which strongly affect people’s feelings and beliefs”Learn the THREE CHARACTERISTICS of a GREAT COMMUNICATOR IN TRIAL in this ADVOCACY NEWS & VIEWS Newsletter.CLICK HERE GET YOUR FREE GUIDE
WANT TO BE A BETTER WRITER? Read this and have a laugh too.
As an advocacy you need those vital writing skills. Sally Bulford, a Utah lawyer, provided these humorous writing pointers under the title “How to Write Good”. 1. Avoid alliteration. Always.2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)4. Employ the vernacular.5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.6. Parenthetical…
