Tag Archives: Ken Lopez

Understand Group Psychology Patterns for Winning Trial Strategy.

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Implied Bias, Jury Persuasion, Jury Selection, Trial Tips and Techniques, Voir Dire

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Group Psychology, Voir Dire, Jury Selection and Jury Deliberations, by Ken Lopez, The Litigation Consulting Report

http://tinyurl.com/nugn68v

Since first being exposed to the group psychology work of Wilfred Bion 15 years ago, I’ve been completely fascinated by it. I think his theories perfectly explain the behavior of every group that I’ve ever encountered. From boards that I sit on to groups on reality TV shows, they all behave in the same predictable ways, especially when placed under pressure. . . . [Emphasis added.]

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Litigator’s Honey Pot – Top 9 Recent Litigation Posts From Ken Lopez.

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Exhibits, Jury Persuasion, Jury Selection, Litigation, Opening Argument, Technology, Timelines, Trial Tips and Techniques, Voir Dire

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Top 9 Litigation Consulting Articles from Q2-2015, posted by Ken Lopez, The A2L’s Litigation Consulting Report Blog

http://tinyurl.com/ob6ma8g

What luck! Ken Lopez kindly has gathered 9 of his recent top posts. There’s a little something for anyone who practices litigation – voir dire and jury selection, trial graphics, persuasive opening arguments, a discussion of the Reptile Trial Strategy, and more. Thank you, Ken! -CCE

It’s been another great quarter of publishing blog articles on A2L’s Litigation Consulting Report Blog. . . . Since we post 2-3 articles every week, I’ve heard from our readers that it is sometimes hard to keep up with the latest articles. To help remedy that and organize the information better, roughly six times a year we publish a mini-retrospective at the end of the quarter, at the end of a year and/or to celebrate blogging milestones.

This quarter, I’m listing the top nine articles from April, May and June of 2015 reverse sorted by the number of times each article was read. This way, this list serves as an excellent reader-curated guide to the very best articles we have published recently. . . .

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Research Your Judge!

26 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by in Judges, Research

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21 Ingenious Ways to Research Your Judge, by Ken Lopez, A2L Consulting, The Litigation Consulting Report

http://tinyurl.com/nsca2lu

For small town attorneys, it is possible to get to know a local judge quite well. Not only do you spend time in front of the local judges frequently, but you very likely see them socially as well.

Most of our clients, though, work in large and medium sized law firms in big cities. They likely try more cases outside of their home town than they do within it. They likely appear in court more often on a pro hac vice (temporary) basis than they do in the jurisdiction where they are admitted to practice. So for these lawyers and the teams that support them, it can be a real challenge to understand your judge’s likes and dislikes. . . .

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Avoiding PowerPoint Suicide At Your Next Presentation.

10 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Legal Technology, PowerPoint, Presentations

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12 Ways to Eliminate “But I Need Everything On That PowerPoint Slide,” by Ken Lopez, The Litigation Consulting Report

http://tinyurl.com/m5ozef8

Have you ever heard any of the following during a PowerPoint presentation?

  • ‘It may be hard to make out the details of this slide.’
  • ‘I’m not sure if you can read this in the back of the room.’
  • ‘In case you can’t read this, let me read it for you.’
  • ‘I know there is a lot on this slide, but bear with me.’
  • ‘Let me try to zoom in on this part of the slide [proceeds to fumble with remote]’

Of course you have heard these apologetic statements. If you are in the business world, you have probably heard them all. However, there is never an excuse to say these things whether in a boardroom or in a courtroom. As much as you may want everything you have to say about a key message on a single PowerPoint slide, as hard as it may be to imagine another way of doing things, I promise, you most definitely do not need everything (or even a lot) on one slide. And, you can still get your point across.

The number one video in my recent article The Top 14 TED Talks for Lawyers and Litigators 2014 as well as other articles I have written like 12 Reasons Bullet Points Are Bad and 7 Ways to Avoid Making Your PowerPoint Slides Your Handout describe methods for limiting the amount you put on your slide.

With all this said, it is important to remember that sometimes you just need everything on a slide. Sometimes it is an advantage. So, in this article, I want to offer twelve easy methods for eliminating PowerPoint slide clutter and focusing your audience’s attention on what matters – you and your message . . .

“How To” For PowerPoint Graphics.

14 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by in Legal Technology, PowerPoint, Presentations

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16 PowerPoint Litigation Graphics You Won’t Believe Are PowerPoint, by Ken Lopez, The Litigation Consulting Report

http://tinyurl.com/oosuacz

Litigators do not need to know how to create advanced PowerPoint litigation graphics. However, litigators do need to understand what a skilled artist is capable of producing using the program. Most will be surprised to learn what’s possible, and even veteran users of PowerPoint will think there’s an element of magic in some of the presentations shared in this article. . . .

What Do Soap Opera Writers and Master Litigators Have in Common? The Ability to Tell a Great Story.

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Legal Writing, Trial Tips and Techniques

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Are You Smarter Than A Soap Opera Writer?, by Laurie Kuslansky, The Litigation Consulting Report (with hat tip to Ken Lopez!)

http://tinyurl.com/qz8jqgj

As Ms. Kuslansky points out, “There’s always a story, but if you don’t tell yours, jurors will use their own.“ The same is true in documents submitted to the Court. Who else will tell your client’s perspective of events and interpretation of the law? You are the one who tells your client’s story, whether to the Court in a brief or motion or to the jury at trial. CCE

Believe it or not, soap opera writers are better at storytelling than some litigators. Why? Not because of their subject matter or their wisdom, but because they know how to activate more of the brain than some lawyers. They put events into a story context, and they know how to use language to activate the brain better. If they can do it, so can you.