Advocacy

Lawyers have to move on from witnesses who won't budge

Do you have some purpose in mind in your persistent questioning? Are your questions a tactical gambit with a strategic goal you can articulate, at least to yourself, and hopefully it becomes apparent to others? Or are you just belaboring the obvious?

Sep 1, 2017 1:45 AM CDT

How lawyers can effectively cross-examine psychiatrists and psychologists

Psychatrists or psychologists are among the toughest witnesses to challenge because their testimony can have elements of hearsay as well as subjectivity.

Jul 1, 2017 1:30 AM CDT

6 more leading trial lawyers share secrets of effective opening statements

Most of us know the elements of an effective opening statement: Tell a good story, weaving the evidence with themes that will resonate with the jurors’ common sense and life experiences. But what’s the best way to do that? Bang the table or shoot the breeze? Attack immediately or hold your fire? Most important, how can you connect with the jury—a panel of strangers who can’t talk back but who will determine the fate of your case?

Mar 1, 2017 3:30 AM CST

Legendary litigators share their advice on crafting your best opening statement

Read what the most renowned trial lawyers in the United States say are their secrets to a great opening.

Feb 1, 2017 2:20 AM CST

Your body language during trial can be just as important as what you say

Law schools don’t have classes in body language, and a surprising number of trial lawyers never learn this lesson.

Dec 1, 2016 2:40 AM CST

How to appear confident and self-assured, even when you’re not

Into your mind pops the image of a lawyer. Is it Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird? Is it the Atticus Finch of Go Set a Watchman? Vinny Gambini in My Cousin Vinny?

In other words: Who is your role model? And how do you measure up?

Dec 1, 2015 2:40 AM CST

How clients’ backgrounds may shed light on their motivation for litigation

I once represented a shopkeeper whose husband died when he fell off the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge into the Delaware River. The police had declared it a suicide. An insurance policy on her husband’s life provided that if he committed suicide within the first six months of the policy, the insurance company…

Sep 1, 2015 2:10 AM CDT

How should you handle a bad news client?

Is there anything you wouldn't do for a paying client? Whether you are a solo practitioner or a lawyer in a firm, the realities of the legal business cause money to loom large in your thought process. Clients whose personalities or line of business might have sent up red-flag warning signals to us 20 years ago are now too precious for us to let them walk out the door.

Jul 1, 2015 6:35 AM CDT

Goodwill is a precious resource for you and your clients, so follow the Golden Rule

If I told you that you should obey the ethic of reciprocity, you’d look at me as if I had two heads. Most people know it as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I prefer the ethical formulation because it tells you…

Jun 1, 2015 3:00 AM CDT

Earning respect comes with the way you handle certain situations

The late, great Rodney Dangerfield always used to complain: "I don't get no respect." He then proceeded to make fun of himself for this little problem, like this: "When I was born, I was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother." Or this: "When I played in the sandbox, the cat kept trying to cover me up." His stories were never about finally getting the respect he wanted. His humor was loser humor.

May 1, 2015 6:00 AM CDT

Chicago lawyer pieces together a missing couple’s story to obtain a court ruling that they died

When Malaysia Airlines flight 370 vanished after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014, it never occurred to Richard Campbell that he'd be involved in some of the earliest litigation over the disaster—or any missing-plane-related litigation, for that matter.

Mar 1, 2015 6:20 AM CST

Why you should do your own legwork before putting your trust in a client

I was raised to be a naive and trusting person. This is not a good mindset for a lawyer. People sometimes lie, and being cautiously skeptical is a good thing. Being lied to is unpleasant, but it is much worse when the liar is your client, because those lies might get you sanctioned or disbarred. So the first rule of good lawyering is: Don't trust your client until you know he or she is telling the truth. I'll tell you about one of my first clients, and you'll see why I made up my mind to become a skeptic instead of a believer.

Mar 1, 2015 6:11 AM CST

Lawyers have to move on from witnesses who won't budge

How lawyers can effectively cross-examine psychiatrists and psychologists

6 more leading trial lawyers share secrets of effective opening statements

Legendary litigators share their advice on crafting your best opening statement

Your body language during trial can be just as important as what you say

How to appear confident and self-assured, even when you’re not

How clients’ backgrounds may shed light on their motivation for litigation

How should you handle a bad news client?

Goodwill is a precious resource for you and your clients, so follow the Golden Rule

Earning respect comes with the way you handle certain situations

Chicago lawyer pieces together a missing couple’s story to obtain a court ruling that they died

Why you should do your own legwork before putting your trust in a client

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