Words Matter: Expert Advice on Effective Language (Part 2 of 3)
In my last blog post, I dusted off an old favorite, my dog-eared copy of Dr. Frank Luntz’s “Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear” and shared three of his “Ten Rules of Effective Language,” along with some insight into how those rules apply in the world of litigation and... Read More
Cast Your Vote for Texas’ Best Jury Consultant
Once again, CourtroomLogic Consulting is up for Best Jury Consultant in Texas Lawyer’s annual survey of the state’s legal services vendors. Last year we placed in all three regions, and we’d love to keep up our winning streak! If you’ve worked with us (or you’ve heard through the grapevine that we offer stellar support), please vote for CourtroomLogic Consulting... Read More
Words Matter: Expert Advice on Effective Language (Part 1 of 3)
Every now and then, I pull out an old favorite off my bookshelf for communications inspiration, and a reminder to keep it real. Lately, I’ve been perusing the highlights and notes I made in my worn copy of Dr. Frank Luntz’s “Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear.” It’s an... Read More
A Salty Season Finale for ‘Bull’ Offers Great Tips for Witness Examination
When most television shows are wrapping up a season, they aim to hook the viewer into returning after the long summer hiatus. The “Bull” season finale ended with a bang, but for me, that bang was closer to a laugh. Even my 85-year old mother texted me to say, “Good luck writing about that one.”... Read More
Bull ‘Rains’ on Reality
When it rains, it pours. And on this week’s “Bull,” the rains—both figurative and literal—came with a vengeance. In the episode “When the Rains Came,” Taylor Rentzel—Bull’s ex-Homeland Security cyber hack—has a situation: her brother-in-law, Ralph Kelly, has just been charged with two counts of manslaughter. Mr. Kelly is a 28-year-old prison guard at a private,... Read More
Good Strategy or Unnecessary Risk? ‘Bull’ Team Rolls the Dice in High-Stakes Case
This week’s episode of “Bull” — “The Good One” — involves a New York organized crime family. The patriarch, Donovan McCandless, is in prison, just days away from his sentencing hearing, which is expected to be a life term. This upsets Brendan, his oldest son, who clearly inherited the crime gene. The matriarch, Colleen, senses that Pops... Read More
Are Rhetorical Questions Effective?
If you read the title, you likely thought about it for a millisecond and formulated an answer or opinion. Whether you realize it or not, you became an active participant in my attempt to communicate. And not only did you actively participate, you did it of your own volition: I didn’t tell you to participate; it... Read More
A ‘Bounty’ of Lessons in This Week’s ‘Bull’
In this week’s episode of “Bull,” Dr. Bull and team are representing Trent Bolton, a retired FBI-agent-turned-bounty-hunter whose first gig goes wildly off the rails: He finds his mark, threatens him with a gun, knocks him unconscious, zip-ties his hands and tosses him into his trunk for a secure delivery to the bail bondsman. Unfortunately,... Read More
May It Please the Court: Things to Know When Using Trial Technology
Technology is an absolute given in the courtroom. No matter your venue, jurors expect to see multimedia, digital images, and a big screen (or at least a decent sized flat screen monitor). I always make a recommendation to my clients to pony up the extra cost for trial technology, and while some balk in the... Read More
Ethics, Secrets and Social Media! Oh My!
This episode, we find Dr. Bull consulting in the good ol’ Lone Star State on a custody matter. He and his team – lead attorney Benny Colón and former Homeland Security agent Taylor Rentzel – are representing grandparents who are suing for full custody of their grandchildren after the death of their daughter. SPOILER ALERT.... Read More