I can not exaggerate the power of the opening, the first minute, even the first sentence, of a speech. The speaker must capture the attention of the audience. If not...

As I wrote in my last post, recency, the last words the jury hears, carries persuasive power. John Guy made the most of it in his concluding sentences: “We are...

My advice to trial lawyers – throw out the trial advocacy books filled with old wives' tales, and study human behavior. The opening arguments in the Zimmerman trial are a...

The best examples for teaching trial advocacy come from actual trials. Concrete always trumps abstract for learning. The George Zimmerman trial opening statements provided a lot of grist for my...

I have written several times about the first minute of an opening, a final argument or a public speech. The sad fact is that people stop listening quickly if you...

I am enjoying the Conrad Murray case, not because of its substance, but because it provides concrete examples which give me loads of opportunities to comment on. One reason I...

I switched between CourtTV (sorry, Tru TV) and HLN leading up to the start of court yesterday. They were interviewing right in the middle of the crazies waiting outside for...

It is a performance. The opening argument is the first act of a drama. For a long time, the opening argument was underrated and neglected by trial lawyers. It was...

Begin strong and add drama to your first paragraph to hook the jury into your words immediately. In this post are some examples of oral presentations with dramatic openings.

Do not waste the power of the opening moments. Get your audience involved immediately. Let them know you won’t waste their time. Their attention naturally high, they are spending the...