News, views and tips on litigation graphics, trial strategy and the law.

How to Avoid Information Overload When Presenting Your Case

September 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This post is written by Cogent Legal’s Senior Producer Dave Nugent.

Whenever I begin to conceptualize a visual presentation for a client, I try to be sensitive to information overload—that is, where the bell curve of retention and cognition takes a steep dive toward Hades. But how much information is “overload” for a juror or mediator?

Psychological studies and neuroscience show that we possess inherited built-in limitations to our working memory—a so-called mental bandwidth. As an attorney, you need to keep these limitations in mind when preparing your case for presentation. [Read more...]

Why It Pays to “Visualize an Injury” for Mediation or Trial

September 20, 2023 by 1 Comment

In a personal injury case, attorneys on both sides might focus so much on the issue of liability that they give short shrift to thoroughly understanding the injury itself. This often happens in catastrophic cases where the serious consequences of an injury are undisputed.

During the many years in which I handled and tried PI cases, I myself often fell into the trap of spending so much time focused on liability issues that I didn’t fully visualize and grasp the nature of injury itself. I now recognize that this is a mistake and have since become a big fan of what I call “Visualizing the Injury.” Here’s why, and how to do it: [Read more...]

Case Study: Why You Should Develop Graphics For Your Case—the Sooner, the Better

September 9, 2023 by Leave a Comment

(I wrote this post for a blog I follow and respect: The Matte Pad Marketing Know-How for the Legal Profession. It was published there two weeks ago, and I’m reposting it here for Cogent Legal Blog’s audience. Image courtesy of The Matte Pad.)

It’s the eleventh hour before trial and you’re feverishly preparing your case when you realize you need help creating a visual presentation. You enlist the expertise of a legal graphics consultant. Not a bad idea—but there’s a much better way to go: Make that call, and start preparing visuals, as early as possible in each and every case.

A recent case of mine shows how multimedia graphics—such as 3D animations, 2D infographics, interactive PDFs, medical illustrations or video-enhanced PowerPoints—can help an attorney develop, test and refine theories of liability or defense. The end result is you’ll be as prepared as possible for mediation or trial, with an airtight case to present in the most clear and compelling way. [Read more...]