The Jury is Out offers insight, experience, and mentorship to trial attorneys who want to better serve their clients and improve their practice with a focus on client relations, trial skills, and firm management.
Episode: 409
Presenting Damages in Wrongful Death Cases
December 7, 2022
What price should we put on a life lost? Whether it’s a father, mother, or child, jurors need guidance, context, and motivation when deciding damages. John Simon and Tim Cronin offer several examples of powerful ways to present damages in wrongful death cases and share Tim Cronin’s moving closing argument in a recent case regarding the tragic death of a five-year-old girl.
Episode: 408
Quantifying Emotional Harm in Closing Arguments
November 30, 2022
Significant physical injuries may be visible to the jury, but emotional harms are not. Are you doing everything you can to help the jury understand and compensate your client’s emotional damages? This episode addresses ways to communicate emotional harm and strategies to diffuse defense challenges to your claims in closing.
Episode: 407
Presenting Damages in Closing Arguments
November 23, 2022
When you ask for damages, you expect jurors to put a tangible number on an intangible loss. How can you help them decide upon a full and fair amount? In our continuing series on closing arguments, we offer a framework for presenting damages that provides a compelling rational basis for damages, shows what the law requires, and puts the client’s losses in perspective the jury can understand.
Episode: 406
49 Tips for Closing Arguments Part Two
November 16, 2022
Part Two of John Simon and Tim Cronin’s 49 Tips for Closing Arguments examines a range of issues including whether your close should suggest a range for damages vs asking for a specific number, strategies to make the jury’s job easier, and case framing that helps jurors feel better about taking money from the defendant if they are having a hard time giving it to the plaintiff. Take a tip from the pros and help the jury rule in your favor with a more persuasive closing argument.
Episode: 405
49 Tips for Closing Arguments Part One
November 9, 2022
The Simon Law Firm has earned over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements since the firm’s founding in 2000, so these attorneys obviously know how to close. John Simon and Tim Cronin offer 49 tried and true tips for strengthening your closing argument, such as how to handle life care plans and ways to make your issues more personal for jurors. Part One covers the first 25 tips which will help young lawyers and seasoned pros craft more effective closing arguments.
Episode: 404
Three Keys to a Winning Closing Argument
November 2, 2022
Are you using your close to restate the obvious or educate on the unknown? Jurors may already know how they are going to rule in your case, but they probably don’t know how to apply the law, assign damages, or wade through 40 pages of instructions. You can help. Today’s episode discusses three keys to a winning close: arm the jurors to argue on your behalf, explain the law, and engage their interest. Tune in and turn your next close into a persuasive legal education that helps jurors better understand their role when deciding your case.
Episode: 403
Typography for Lawyers
October 26, 2022
Are you creating self-defeating typography by using underlines, caps, and fonts that make your argument less inviting to your reader? Author and attorney Matthew Butterick shares key points from his book Typography for Lawyers on how to make your next brief or email easier to read, which helps your reader stay focused longer and reduces annoyance. Matthew believes that small positive mental shift could sway a decision in your favor. Once you recognize that you are a legal publisher, you’ll see why font matters.
Episode: 402
Old School Cool with George Fitzsimmons Part Two
October 19, 2022
If you’re looking for wise words from a respected mentor, this episode is for you. Through 33 years of trial experience and years as a mediator, George Fitzsimmons has distilled his cases to their essence and established basic tenets on how to treat experts, colleagues, and clients in ways that build credibility for you and your client. George also reminds us that the most important thing you bring to your case is your reputation. Wise words indeed.
Episode: 401
Old School Cool with George Fitzsimmons Part One
October 12, 2022
George Fitzsimmons has tried more than 250 jury cases on both sides and handled more than 500 mediations. His experience spans decades and his wisdom has schooled dozens of prominent attorneys, including John Simon. Tune in for classic courtroom stories, tips on why you should consider taking bad cases, and what remains the same in the courtroom from one of the Midwest’s most respected attorneys.
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