Trial Lawyer Confidential

In This Episode:

I pull back the curtain on the legal rulings that result in cases being dismissed on a technicality. When a case is dismissed on a technicality in the criminal justice system, it usually means that a court has determined that the evidence sought to be used against the defendant was obtained in violation of his constitutional rights.

The disallowance of this evidence is the product of the exclusionary rule. This is the remedy the courts have fashioned for constitutional violations. Hear the history of the rule and why it became necessary to fashion this remedy for the flagrant violations of citizens rights.

TRIAL LAWYER MENTOR Quick Tip:

A brief discussion on the power of naming and defining themes on your terms.

LAWYERS and LAW STUDENTS:

Click here to sign up for our free newsletter where I share in depth tips and strategies for mastering the Art of the Jury Trial.

Download AUDIO here (MP3)

In This Episode:

I pull back the curtain on Circumstantial Evidence. Learn the major misconceptions about circumstantial evidence and how defendants and the general public often underestimate the power of this type of evidence in a trial. We will explore some high profiles cases over the last several years that were based mostly on circumstantial evidence such as: Casey Anthony, Robert Blake, Scott Peterson, OJ Simpson and another recently arrested professional athlete.

TRIAL LAWYER MENTOR Quick Tip:

Tips and strategies for finding several different ways to explain a complicated concept to your audience or jury. When an important point is somewhat complicated, the more options you give your audience to learn that concept, the more likely it is they will understand.

LAWYERS and LAW STUDENTS:

Click here to sign up for our free newsletter where I share in depth tips and strategies for mastering the Art of the Jury Trial.

Download AUDIO here (MP3)

In This Episode:

I pull back the curtain on cameras in the courtroom. What effect do cameras have on the participants and the viewing audience in a criminal trial? While the right to a speedy and public trial is guaranteed to us in the 6th Amendment of the United States Constitution, this does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that electronic media ought to be permitted in criminal jury trials.

When CourtTV first made its application to feature “gavel to gavel” coverage of jury trials, they claimed it would be an educational endeavor, offering viewers an insider’s look at the criminal justice system. Sadly, the coverage of trials now is more akin to gladiator contests where men’s lives are at risk and the media is standing in the arena, selling tickets and placing bets. Learn where the law stands now, how it has evolved and one solution that would balance the public’s right to know with the right of the accused to receive a fair trial.

TRIAL LAWYER MENTOR Quick Tip:

Tips and strategies for finding your own “focus groups” or what I like to call “The Poor Man’s Guide to Mock Juries.”

LAWYERS and LAW STUDENTS:

Click here to sign up for our free newsletter where I share in depth tips and strategies for mastering the Art of the Jury Trial.

Download AUDIO here (MP3)

In This Episode:

I reveal what happens to a person from the day they are arrested for a crime to the day their actual jury trial starts. If you cannot afford to post bail, you may spend up to 3 months in jail waiting for your trial to begin. Some trials take years to prepare. You will also learn about plea bargains and why they are necessary but are also how they are used to deny defendants their right to trial.

Do you ever wonder why you are sometimes called for jury duty only to spend a whole day in the waiting room and never get called into a courtroom? I’ll explain what may be the cause of that frustrating day.

TRIAL LAWYER MENTOR Quick Tip:

I offer some advice on tag lines and stories. Whether you are trying to persuade a jury to acquit or your boss to give you a raise or your prospective client to hire you, it all comes down to the story you tell. The best way to structure your story is to boil it down to the TV GUIDE taglines of old.

LAWYERS and LAW STUDENTS

Click here to sign up for our free newsletter offering in depth tips and strategies for mastering the Art of the Jury Trial.

Download Audio here. (MP3)

In This Episode:

I pull back the curtain on Jury Nullification. Jury nullification occurs when a jury acquits a defendant even though they believe the case was proved beyond a reasonable doubt. This can happen when they believe the law itself is unjust or it would be unjust to apply it in this particular case.

While nullification is a powerful and awesome power, it is not codified in the law and jurors are never instructed that they have this power. In fact, lawyers are not allowed to openly ask jurors to nullify.

However, once a “Not Guilty” verdict is entered, short of a claim of jury misconduct, the court will never inquire into the WHY of that verdict. The 5^th Amendment’s protection against double jeopardy means that this verdict is sacrosanct and it is the final judgment. This makes nullification one of the most mysterious yet powerful principles in our criminal justice system.

Learn the historical basis for this principle as well as a potential real life recent examples of when a jury may have engaged in this practice.

TRIAL LAWYER MENTOR Quick Tip:

I offer a quick introduction to the concept of “seeding” your speech or persuasive presentation in order to compel your audience to act without coming right out and asking them to act.

LAWYERS and LAW STUDENTS:

Click here to sign up for our free newsletter where I share in depth tips and strategies for mastering the Art of the Jury Trial.

Download AUDIO here (MP3)