Have you heard about the latest proposal from California lawmakers?

The California Assembly passed a bill the other day that would allow non-citizens (who are in the country legally) to serve as jurors. According to this bill, California jurors would no longer be required to be citizens of the United States.

Talk about a touchy topic.

Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski believes his bill will help California “widen the pool of prospective jurors” and “help integrate immigrants into the community.”  Other lawmakers supporting the bill believe there is no correlation between being a citizen and a juror, and implied that because

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Social acceptance is a fundamental human need, and consumers spend a significant amount of time and money to ensure that they stay connected, feel accepted, and have a social support system in place.

But what about folks who struggle with social connections and, as a general rule of thumb, feel excluded and disconnected from others? A recent study suggests that these people are more likely to engage in risky financial decisions.

In a study published by the Journal of Consumer Research, research participants were asked to recall a social

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In a perfect world, we’d all have innate communication skills that would magically transform any audience into a group of attentive, interested and engaged listeners. Unfortunately–as we know all too well– we don’t live in a perfect world and all too often, audiences flip the ignore switch.

Whether you’re a natural speaking in front of an audience, or a works-in-progress, each and every one of us has one persuasive tool available 24/7: our voice. And the bonus? It’s free!

When it comes to using our voice as a persuasive tool, variety is the key. Acting coaches and communications experts teach

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Imagine you’re sitting in a jury box, and the trial attorney sounds just like Morgan Freeman. Or James Earl Jones.  Or Matthew McConaughey.  Or even Kathleen Turner or Judi Dench.

Then imagine that we can clone that attorney and make a “twin” who is 100% identical in look, style, demeanor, presentation, diction– everything but for the pitch of voice. One is a baritone and the other, a tenor.

Who do you think the audience would deem more trustworthy?  More competent?  As the better leader?

Research suggests that the baritone (or bass) speaker would have an edge over the tenor.  And

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All too often, “trial themes” and “taglines” do not enter into one’s stream of consciousness until settlement fails and the jury trial is weeks away.  In a more perfect world, themes would be on every attorney’s radar from Day One.  After all, there are numerous advantages to incorporating them into your case from the get-go.  [See our prior post: Using Case Themes Effectively in an Original Petition]

Themes and taglines are vital and powerful tools that can be utilized effectively by each and every person who hopes to persuade another.  Writing a motion for summary judgment (or any

The post Finding Themes and Taglines on A Dime Store Budget appeared first on CourtroomLogic Consulting.

When is the last time you filed an Original Petition with the court and had already started developing your case themes?

Many (dare I say most) attorneys really don’t give case themes much thought until discovery is well underway, or (gasp) weeks before trial when the realization that settlement isn’t gonna happen hits them like a ton of bricks.  But sometimes?  Well…sometimes, attorneys approach theme development from the get-go.  And in the SCA Promotions, Inc. v. Lance Armstrong, et al. case that’s exactly what happened.

On Thursday of last week, Plaintiff counsel filed its Original Petition in Dallas

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What do a local gym, Zumba, and prostitution have in common?

Apparently, a lot.

The names Mark Strong, Sr. and Alexis Wright have been tickling the the ears of local Kennebunk, Maine residents for quite some time now.  Strong, 57 years old, is accused of conspiring with Alexis Wright to use her Zumba fitness studio for prostitution. Wright allegedly kept very detailed records of more than 100 customers, including some well-known folks in the Kennebunk community– which is very small at 35 square miles and a population of around 11,000.  Can you even imagine the press and water-cooler gossip?

Wright is

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Remember the Wheaties commercials from your childhood?  Athletes from every sport longed to see their smiling face on the Wheaties box, and many succeeded.  Michael Jordan.  Mary Lou Retton.  Muhammad Ali.   Clay Matthews.  The list is long and impressive and the message was clear: be prepared for your big event.

You may be wondering what on earth a box of Wheaties has to do with your legal practice.  Consider this:

The post Feed Your Brain, Fuel Your Focus appeared first on CourtroomLogic Consulting.

It’s been just about a month since the presidential election and I’ve finally recovered from my (somewhat manic and time-consuming) addiction to the presidential polling data.  What can I say?  I became a political polling junkie.  I found the disparity between the various polls to be absolutely fascinating.  And the talking heads?  Even better.  The very nature of polling is an attempt to predict the unpredictable:  human behavior.

Hindsight being what it is, we now know that the polling methodology used by the Obama campaign was more accurate than that used by the Romney campaign.   I mention this not to open

The post Political Polls and Mock Juries :: The Sample Group Matters! appeared first on CourtroomLogic Consulting.

I often read Michael Maslanka‘s “Work Matters” blog, and if it’s not on your short list of reads… it should be.  Recently, he authored a post that piqued my interest and caused the wheels in my head to spin:  The Ghosts of Childhood Haunt Witness Preparation.

In the post, he pondered on the unique dynamic that is present when an attorney prepares a witness for testimony: the disparity of power and the witness’s need for approval.  We’ve all seen it before, but make no mistake– it’s not just a witness need, it’s a human need.  In

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