I recently participated in a seminar conducted by Mark Mandell on the importance of case framing in our trials. Here are some of the PowerPoint slides used in my talk which was about the science of case framing. Research shows how quickly we form impressions. In one study, it was found that we form an impression of the other person within 1/10 of a second after we meet them. In another, university students were shown very brief video of the…
During one of Comedian Lenny Bruce’s performances in 1966 he was arrested for saying words which were deemed public profanity. They included words like “ass, piss, shit, and balls” In 1972 George Carlin released an album entitled Class Clown which had a track based on Bruce’s use of the words called “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” and made fun of a law that prohibited their use on television. In 1973 a New York radio station played Carlin’s…
While the following points are well known to almost all of us, it is important, from time to time, to review the basics involved in the trial of the case. Here are a few of the well-known and well-established ideas to keep in mind. I appreciate these may be overly simplistic, but we often forget the basics of good trial tactics. FOCUS ON THE DEFENDANT – NOT THE PLAINTIFF. START THE STORY TALKING ABOUT THE DEFENDANT. In 1999 Lawyers Weekly…