I've had a bunch of questions lately about what kind of lawyers I work with and the different ways to work with me, so I thought it might be a good time to send out this summary. Who do I work with? criminal defense lawyers civil plaintiffs lawyers family law attorneys in states where cases are tried to juries I do not work with lawyers who work for governments, insurance companies, or large corporations. What do I help lawyers do? I help lawyers use creative and compelling stories to...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
As a young lawyer, I received plenty of bad advice. I learned many bad trial habits that I ultimately had to unlearn. I've spent a lot of time wishing that I'd had better resources and better mentors early on in my career. So when I see bad advice being given to other lawyers, it gets under my skin a bit. There's one piece of bad advice that I see given often that really grates on me: Cross examination is about "poking holes" in your opponent's story. If you're a lawyer and you're reading...
over 1 year ago • 5 min read
Let’s rewind 2 decades to one of my early trials. My client is accused of trying to run his estranged wife over with his truck. A major pretrial issue is whether the prosecutor will be able to get my client’s criminal history into the trial. I file a motion in limine to exclude it, which the judge hears on the morning of trial. We spend 30+ minutes arguing about the issue, and the judge rules in my favor. My client is watching the show, and I assume that he understands the judge’s ruling -...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
I'm a huge podcast nerd. If I'm in the car, doing laundry, making dinner, putting on my makeup in the morning - there's a podcast going. And one of my favorite podcasts is The Free Lawyer. The host, Gary Miles, is one of the kindest humans I've ever met. He's a lawyer with 40+ years of experience who now provides coaching and mentoring to other lawyers, along with being an author and podcast host. So, when he asked if I would be a guest on his podcast, I was over the moon. I'm really proud of...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
My teenage son, Jack, likes to practice difficult conversations with me. We role-play how he might start the conversation, and how he might react to the possible responses he'll get. This morning, on the way to school, we discuss one of the most difficult conversations he'll face. He likes a girl. A girl who he's developed a friendship with all year. We'll call her Olivia, because that's her name. Jack would like to ask Olivia to move from the friend zone into the girlfriend zone. He doesn't...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
My most popular jury consulting service = FOCUS GROUPS. There's good reason for that. First, when you hire me to conduct your focus group, it's a done-for-you process. Low stress. I do the preparation. You show up, perform, and learn. Second, focus groups give you an opportunity to practice presenting your client's story that you can't get any other way. Third, you learn things from the mock jurors in your focus group that will help you win your case. This weekend, as I was catching up on my...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Check out the demo video by clicking here. Easily organize your cross examination chapters, prepare for impeachment, and anticipate your responses to your opponent's objections. Unlimited reuse and downloads. For use with Adobe Acrobat only. Purchase for $49.99 "You've had it before and you liked it." Just last week I talked about how I get my son to eat things by "reframing" them: onions are "vidalias" and sauce is "gravy." Getting my son to eat things is apparently a theme in my life. Now...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Get my on-demand course The Science and Art of Storytelling in Opening Statements. In this 2-hour course, you'll learn how to: induce curiosity by utilizing story structure frame your story using the villain build your opening using a five-act story structure create moral outrage in your jurors that will motivate them to help your client BUY NOW Framing is important. For example, if I were to describe my parenting to you, I'd call it "creative." That's a reframe from my son's description,...
almost 2 years ago • 3 min read
I hate robins. Yes, the cute little state bird of Michigan. I hate them. Today is the first day of spring, which means that these intolerable creatures will inevitably be showing up to terrorize me for another year. A few years ago, I'm sitting in my living room enjoying my Saturday morning coffee when my son Jack comes upstairs from his bedroom looking quite distressed. He says, "Mom, there's a bird that won't stop flying at my window. I'm trying to sleep and it just keeps hitting it over...
almost 2 years ago • 3 min read