Excel spreadsheets are powerful tools for business and financial analysis, but spreadsheets can be difficult to understand and to explain. In trial, we often help litigators present spreadsheets and the underlying data. Here are some tips to think about for your next trial to make your data more digestible. Using
The best trial attorneys quote liberally from the trial transcript in closing argument. Particularly in a long trial, you need to remind jurors of the key evidence they heard and how it leads to the verdict you want. For example, in a recent asbestos wrongful death trial in Alameda County
If you have not heard, California recently amended the California Code of Civil Procedure Section 2034.415 to read as follows: An expert described in subdivision (b) of Section 2034.210 whose deposition is noticed pursuant to Section 2025.220 shall, no later than three business days before his or her deposition, produce
Attorneys should avoid the need to apologize for unreadable text in their timelines by planning ahead, editing timelines carefully and presenting electronic versions of the timeline.
For those of you interested in more information on the use of drones and laser scans for capturing scenes, I recommend you check out my recent article in Plaintiff Magazine, which can be found here.
Some sources estimate that as of 2009 there were over 30 million surveillance cameras in the United States recording over 4 billion hours of images per week — let alone the number of images/videos taken by a vast number of high-definition cameras, embedded within every modern-day smartphone! I certainly have no idea if such
An upgrade to Windows 10 worked well. Trial Director and Sanction work fine, and the improvements to the Windows interface are appreciated.
77,000 photos!!! I admit to being shocked when the key expert on a recent construction defect case told us that over the last couple of years he and his staff had taken over 77,000 electronic photos of the scene. The photographic documentation started when the plaintiff identified defects in 8-
Many attorneys rely on Google Earth as the primary source for finding visual information for specific locations, all over the world, involved in litigation (see my prior post discussing how to use Google Earth for images and obtaining archival images). However, when finding great images, or determining precise locations based on GPS coordinates, the next question is
Judge Grewal spoke of the importance of early and good graphics to help a court understand a patent case.
People often ask why I stopped litigating cases and created a litigation graphics firm specializing in visual communication for attorneys in mediation and trial. The answer is simple: the work is creative, fun and very satisfying. There is no better feeling than taking a great deal of complex information from an attorney
When you hear the word “drone,” it’s hard not to think about the unmanned attack drones flown from airbases and used to hunt down suspected terrorists. The term conjures up something close to the steely death machine of the Terminator seeking its prey. However, despite that reputation, drones are actually
When you’re preparing a case for trial, a great deal of time goes into developing the major themes of your case. Sometimes the case is stunningly complicated, such as in a business dispute that takes place over years with many interlocking claims at issues. Sometimes it’s as simple as a
With the introduction of larger screens for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus, attorneys now have another powerful tool in the world of presentation equipment. Whether planning a presentation for court or mediation, it’s worth trying to use your iPhone while presenting. Having your phone in the palm of
While a picture is surely worth a thousand words, there are times when photographs of a scene don’t cut it for case presentation. In many cases, the scene may have substantially changed from before the incident occurred. This is most common in personal injury cases when a car is damaged beyond recognition,
Morgan C. Smith, president and founder of Cogent Legal, is an attorney who litigated complex, high-value cases for almost two decades.
Michael Kelleher is a registered patent attorney and former partner at the firm of Folger Levin & Kahn where he litigated IP and complex business cases for 16 years.
Andrew Walker is the Co-Executive Director of the Sacramento office, and an attorney with many years' experience in mock trial work.
Deep Athwal is Co-Executive Director in Sacramento, and also an attorney with extensive mock trial experience.
Please note: Cogent Legal provides litigation consulting services to attorneys. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice on any matters.
