Podcast - The 3 Core Themes of Trial Law: Do the Right Thing
Podcast - Drowning in Complexity
Podcast - Presentation is Paramount
Living Without Feedback
Trial Advocacy in the Modern World
Closing Argument: Opportunity and Challenge
Direct Examination: Looping and Bookending
Innovative Jury Strategies and the Power of Preparation — FCRA Focus Podcast
Opening Statements: Telling the Story
Openings of Openings
The Basics of Opening Statements
Effective Trial Language Part 3: Jargon
Podcast - Effective Trial Language Part 2: Legalese
Why Demonstrative Aids Are Critical in Every Case
Showing Exhibits to the Jury
Key Lessons and Takeaways for Jury Trials
Overcoming Safetyism & the Plaintiff Media Machine - IMS Insights Podcast Epsiode 66
Podcast - Basic Courtroom Etiquette
Podcast - The Five Most Common Faults of Trial Lawyers
In this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small talks about his experience working in the Hyattsville, Maryland, Magistrate's Court and handling everyday cases involving ordinary...more
Key Points: Effective April 1, 2025, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has amended Pa.R.C.P. 220.3, pertaining to voir dire of jurors....more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small discusses how complex trials often leave jurors feeling overwhelmed and disengaged. He emphasizes that lawyers frequently...more
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's damage to western North Carolina, a new conspiracy theory gained traction. This conspiracy held that the federal government manipulated the weather as Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina...more
Early on in the jury selection process, the judge will often ask the panel, “We all know that jury duty can be inconvenient, but who believes they would experience an unreasonable hardship by serving in this case?” Hands will...more
In this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook," litigation attorney Dan Small discusses the art of persuasive delivery in the courtroom. He shares invaluable strategies emphasizing the significance of factors such as...more
Perhaps one of the most quintessential concerns for corporate defendants in the last decade is that of nuclear verdicts. In just a decade, from 2013 to 2022, there were 115 verdicts of $100 million or more. The Institute for...more
Here’s a scenario we often see when watching deliberations in a mock trial: The subject of the defendant’s alternate damages number comes up, and jurors see it as a weakness...more
In Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” the final act is brought by the spectral Ghost of Christmas Future who shows the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge the vision of those he mistreated in life celebrating his death after...more
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have taken the world by storm, with many industry leaders and technology optimists eagerly anticipating its integration into processes and solutions across nearly every...more
When I received my jury summons a month or so ago, I was elated. But the feeling was brief, as I quickly concluded my service would likely end as quickly as it would begin. I’m a Litigation Consultant, I work for a law firm,...more
With the 2024 election now in the rearview mirror, many Americans are still processing the results. The Presidential contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was widely seen as close by both pollster and pundit, and...more
In this episode of "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small explores the importance of feedback for trial lawyers and the challenges they face in obtaining it. Mr. Small explains that trial...more
As I write this, it is finally and mercifully Election Day, 2024. For many of us on the edges of our seats awaiting the returns, we might be considering the question, “What brought us to this?” The answer is that recent...more
I know, I know, there’s a very good chance that every election in your lifetime has been billed as the “most important election in your lifetime.” But when it comes to next week’s election, that hyperbole just might be...more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small explores three pivotal trends that have significantly impacted courtroom advocacy in recent years: the digital revolution,...more
As your juror hears testimony from a banking executive, is she thinking that banks are secretly controlling society? As another juror hears from a medical expert, is he thinking that experts like that are the ones who caused...more
By Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm: With fewer than 30 days to go until one of the most pivotal elections in our history, do you believe the polls? Many would say “No.” Even when our favored candidate is ahead, we all seem to believe...more
The right to a trial by jury in Ohio is one of the most fundamental rights in our judicial system. In civil cases, the Ohio Constitution requires concurrence of no less than three-fourths of the jury. Ohio Const., art. I...more
This is the conclusion to a two part article. Please read Part One first. There must be legal recourse to stop this kind of fraud and so protect our basic freedoms. People must have good cause to believe in our judicial...more
On September 5, 2024, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued a ruling addressing the application of the same-juror rule in negligence cases in Hild v. Samaritan Health Partners, deciding whether the defendant-hospital was negligent...more
Mediation is often guided by predictions made by each side, as well as by the mediator: if this case went to trial and faced a jury, what would that jury likely do with it? Naturally, each of these three actors will have a...more
On April 19, 2024, the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules for federal courts faced a critical question: Does AI-generated evidence, including deepfakes, demand new rules? The Committee’s surprising answer—’not yet.’ Was...more
As a presentation technology consultant, I have been sitting in the hot seat for almost 25 years. I average one trial a month with about 75% being medical malpractice (med mal) cases. I work with both plaintiff and defense...more
Cross-examination is a big deal for a key witness. I’ve noticed in trial that it gets some added attentiveness from the jury. Knowing that they’re now seeing one side pitted directly against the other, jurors will sit forward...more