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Powerful persuasion

April 2006 | Volume 42, Issue 4

Tap into the power of a PowerPoint storyboard
Cliff Atkinson and W. Mark Lanier

A storyboard is what filmmakers use to lay out pictures that tell the “story” of their movie. You, too, can tell your client’s story at trial in a series of vivid and compelling images. Best of all, the technology you’ll need is right at your fingertips.

What mediators really want to hear
Judith Meyer, John Leo Wagner, and Joe Epstein

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to read a mediator’s mind? Here’s your chance, as three highly regarded mediators share their thoughts and experiences about premediation planning, demonstrative evidence, negotiation tactics, and other parts of the process.

Five steps to persuasion in opening statements
Susan Macpherson and Jeremy Rose

Recent studies of psychology, memory, and group dynamics have turned up a trove of techniques that can help you capture and keep jurors’ attention. According to social scientists, it’s better to home in on the beliefs and viewpoints jurors already have than to try to force new ones on them. Use this and other findings to craft a memorable, convincing opening statement.

Make your case with a digital brief
Deborah Ausburn

Make it easy for a judge to work through your appellate brief by putting it in a digital format. Use hyperlinks to documents, photographs, exhibits, and other important materials, so they can be found quickly and read on the spot. And make it easy on yourself: A digital brief is much easier to carry around than stacks of paper. Here’s how to put this technology to work in your next case.

Picture-perfect settlement videos
Keith L. Kessler and Jay Syverson

A well-done videotape can give your client more clout at settlement, so make sure that yours gets across all the information you want to convey. This step-by-step guide will give you tips on finding videographers, selecting witnesses, and editing your video so that it includes only the most compelling images.

Features

Risking safety for school spirit
J. Craig Smith

Cheerleaders once did little more than deliver high kicks, shout peppy rhymes, and shake massive pom-poms. But cheerleading has become a much more competitive and acrobatic sport, with cheer-related injuries increasing more than 100 percent over the last decade. How much risk do cheerleaders assume, and who is responsible when they are hurt or disabled?

Perilous crossings
Robert L. Pottroff

Federal preemption can stop railroad grade-crossing cases before they even start. But there are ways to keep your case on track. Solid knowledge of state law and federal safety regulations can help you defeat the preemption defense and obtain justice for your clients.