Kristi Harrington is a trial consultant with First Court, Inc. As a retired circuit court judge, Kristi presided over hundreds of jury trials. Kristi is a Distinguished Visiting Professor and former Director of Advocacy at Charleston School of Law.
The closing statement is a critical moment in any trial. It is the attorney's final opportunity to persuade the jury, leaving a lasting impression and influencing their decision. A well-crafted closing statement can tie together the evidence, highlight key arguments, and deliver a compelling ...
For some, the pronunciation of “voir dire” alone produces great debate. With an etymology rooted in Old French and Latin, “voir dire” is translated as “to speak the truth.” What typically comes to mind when this phrase is thrown about in the legal world is not “truth-speaking,” but rather the ...
In our last blog, the discussion focused on “Slaying the Reptile” or dismantling a plaintiff attorney’s reptile theory arguments. Doing so paves the way for the defense attorney to give the GOOD news about the plaintiff. Once the jurors are not under the tight grip of fear implanted by the reptile ...
In our last article (Every Trial Argument Needs a Theme - Here's Why & How to Create One) the discussion focused on how defense counsel must create a theme to present the case for the best possible outcome. Current trends have shown that juries tend to vilify the corporate defendant, oftentimes ...
Last week, continuing through Robert Tyson’s Nuclear Verdicts: Defending Justice For All, the discussion focused on how to place a value on a life. One of the suggestions, “Get to Know the Decedent,” is useful in developing your theme for the case. Your case theme tells a larger tale; it “goes ...
