Trial Consulting
Improve courtroom presentations with better case strategy and themes
As a litigator, you have a lot riding on every case. Satisfied clients, financial security and career advancement all come from wins, not losses.

But each case is only as strong as its weakest link and while lawyers may fret over
less-than-stellar witnesses or missing bits of evidence, the fatal weaknesses in most cases
rarely stem from these specifics. Rather, cases are lost due to two more global problems:
less-than-stellar case stories and missing (or ineffective) graphic evidence.

Judges tell us that the most consistent mistake lawyers make in court is in
failing to craft concise case stories. As one Appellate Court judge put it, litigators frequently “throw in everything but the kitchen sink” hoping to see what sticks. That merely overwhelms the jury…and annoys the judge.

Social science research reveals the second biggest mistake: failing to incor- porate graphics. Why are graphics so important? Because without them, research shows a jury will typically forget 65-85% of what it’s heard before deliberations begin.

The solution to both problems clearly starts with graphics. Graphics can simplify the most complex case story, condense reams of information and make jurors remember up to 85% of what they’ve heard in court.

But to win at jury trial, you must appeal to jurors’ hearts as well as minds and the key is to take a comprehensive, psychologically based approach.

At The Strategic Image, we begin by assessing the psychological “hot buttons” to which jurors and judges are likely to respond. Then we build both your case story and your graphics around them. By viewing your Opening, Case-in-Chief and Closing as one story told in three acts, we help you make a cohesive, emotionally compelling presen- tation that validates your client’s point of view and motivates jurors to vote in his favor.

The advantages of our strategic approach to graphics are well known to psychologists and jury consultants. But few legal graphics firms exploit them. Bent on doing volume turnover, most graphics firms simply regurgitate your hand-drawn sketches and deliver pretty pictures that do little to change hearts and minds in court.

We are a horse of a different color. We work strategically so that your graphic evidence actually helps you win your case. In our opinion, doing less simply leaves you at the mercy of your case’s weakest links.

We invite you to explore our range of Services, discover How We Work, then Contact Us to be the odds-on favorite on your next trip to court.