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Words of Wisdom for Young Lawyers – Humility
Yesterday a law student from Phoenix asked for this article (written about a decade ago). Trial Lawyers are often perceived by the public as arrogant and phony. This is because the art of...
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When to keep our mouths shut
Today, someone does something that really ticks me off. Actually, two someones do. Inside, am gnashing teeth. Mumbling non-swear words. Like Elmer Fudd aims at Bugs Bunny. Outside, do nothing....
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Top 10 Tips from a Voice Coach
I teach trial advocacy with Judith Shahn who is a voice coach. Judy has been a senior lecturer at the University of Washington’s School of Drama since 1990. Here are Judy’s top suggestions for more...
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The biggest mistake trial lawyers make
Flashback 1991 Tom Chambers has summoned me. I walk down the hall past Sheila – Tom’s right hand office manager whom we have nicknamed Sheera Princess of Power. Enter his fake office. The one where...
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The day after…a crappy jury verdict
The day after. Oprah talks about the power that our bad secrets hold over us. The amount of time and energy we spend keeping them hidden. The worrying that others will find out. The feelings of...
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On Keeping the Faith
These are thoughts and feelings of fellow trial lawyers who sent emails following the day after a crappy jury verdict post. With the “wins” we think that everything we did was brilliant and it was...
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Tips for attorneys – how to defeat a motion for summary judgment
The dreaded motion has arrived. The defense has moved to prematurely dismiss your client’s case on some legal technicality. Even though you’ve probably seen this coming, your first instinct is to...
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To Agree or Not To Agree…That is the Question: On dealing with defense counsel
There’s a well known “rule” that has floated around for years amongst litigators. It goes like this. If your opponent asks you for something, it’s okay to say yes. But only if they give you...
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Tale of the ski bunny: why copying your mentor doesn’t always work
Flashback. We are up at the mountain. John, my then husband, his best friend Dale, and me. Our mission – teach John to ski. He is a basketball player. This means skiing has not been encouraged over...
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More is not always better: minimizing the histrionic overuse of adjectives
“Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts.” – Chapter 7 of To Kill a Mockingbird Her right leg was catastrophically smashed, causing excruciating and unrelenting pain. The limb...
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Keep your head to the sky
Judges don’t like it when us attorneys can’t stop bickering. They are irritated by having to deal with our exchanges of snipes, digs and downright insults. Last month after a trial ended, two jurors...
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