Author: elarrickbrand

Many successful attorneys learned to be successful by being louder and stronger. And for women, being louder and stronger doesn’t necessarily mean success. Sometimes louder and stronger means aggressive and shrill. 

In today’s episode, Rena Cook joins us to talk about how she helps women attorneys command a great deal of authority and strength without being shrill, and how you, too, can improve your voice as a trial lawyer.

Rena Cook is a TEDx speaker, author, trainer, coach, and the founder of Vocal Authority, a training consultancy serving corporate clients – attorneys, politicians, teachers, sales teams, and CEOs – who want to use their voices in more commanding and authentic ways. 

Rena is the author of Empower Your Voice: For Women in Business, Politics, and Life; Her Voice in Law published by the ABA; and Voice and the Young Actor, used in drama programs throughout the US and the UK. She co-edited Breath in Action: The Art of Breath in Vocal and Holistic Practice. Rena taught high school drama for 16 years before she graduated to higher education. 

For the next two decades, she taught professionally bound actors, many of whom can be seen on Broadway, film, and television. Through Vocal Authority, Rena adapts actor training techniques to help individuals and groups be more confident and dynamic communicators. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• Breathing deeply to keep the brain engaged
• The importance of the last word of sentences
• Techniques using breath and space to improve your voice
• The power of change and variety
• Common mistakes people make with their voice
• How to plan out your movement on transitions

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Rena Cook

Email: renacook@cox.net 

Website: www.myvocalauthority.com 

Book: Her Voice in Law Purchase here

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

One of the most effective ways lawyers and other businesses can reach their audience is through podcasting. But without the right tools, the right people, and a clear purpose as to why you’re doing this, it can be so easy to get overwhelmed and lose focus on why you started the podcast in the first place.

Joining us today is podcast producer Danny Ozment and he talks all about podcasting – the benefits of having a podcast, how you can maximize your content, and some strategies to make sure you’re able to produce content consistently. 

As a business owner himself, Danny is aware that he can’t do everything on his own, otherwise his business is never going to grow. And so, he has been advocating for people to do the same, regardless of the industry they’re in.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Reasons many podcasts don’t make it past 15 episodes
• How to deal with a creativity block
• What is ordinary to you is magic to someone else.
• The value of repurposing content and how it works
• Tools you can use to help you with repurposing content
• How podcasting can help you with the trust factor
• The power of niching down your podcast to a specific audience

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple ‘+’ in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know I sent you.

As trial lawyers, we can’t be stagnant. People change, cultures change, our jurors change, and how they process information changes. And so, as trial lawyers, our profession is one where we have to keep working on it until we decide we’re done.

Joining today’s episode are Patricia Kuendig and Tanya Ortega to talk all about cross-exam – the importance of sequencing your cross-examination chapters, the basic structure of a cross-exam, and how to deal with objectors. They also share the value of a game plan with your cross-exam, which allows you to be much more organized and quicker. 

They also talk about women empowerment and how they’re creating a collaborative community of women trial lawyers, because there’s so much comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. Hopefully, these women can tap into the magic that they can create in the courtroom, which is also very different from their male counterparts. As women lawyers, there’s something that we can bring to trials and to our practice, that men cannot. And so, we need to harness that, live the truth, and be the future of the practice.

Patricia has a diverse practice in almost every field, helping a lot of folks all over the country. Whereas Tanya does a lot of Personal Injury cases and Trust Litigation. She also handles Personal Injury, with a specialty in brain injuries.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The importance of sequencing your cross-examination chapters
• How to keep your tone 
• Advice on how to deal with super objectors
• Collaborating with other women attorneys
• How to put together a cross-examination

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you are interested in attending the September 28 – Oct 1, 2023 cross-exam workshop “She Crosses” please email Patricia or Tanya directly. 

Patricia Kuendig

Email: Patricia@kuendiglaw.com

Learn more: https://www.doddandkuendig.com/our-attorneys/patricia-kuendig/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tanya Ortega

Email: Tanya@theortegafirm.com

Learn more: https://theortegafirm.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Creating opening statements is one of the common problems we see as trial lawyers. Opening statements are the first look that the jurors have at the case. Naturally, you would talk to them about principles, circumstances, and maybe some rules in jury selection. But a lot of times, once we get to the opening statement, it can get long and drawn out.

In this episode, I will talk about some questions you can ask yourself as you’re fine-tuning your opening statement to ensure you get your message across to the jurors without leaving them confused and frustrated. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The “mousetrap” opening statement
• Understanding the depth of information, knowledge, or experience of the jurors with the facts and circumstances of the case
• Checking how many times you’re repeating things
• The importance of identifying your strongest points

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

For a more detailed analysis of the Mouse Trap opening Statement check out this blog. 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

In today’s episode, we talk about focus groups to do for trial, whether that’s 30 days or 60 days before your trial date. You may also choose to do this earlier. But most of the time, there are pending motions that need to be rolled on, such as mediations that people need to get through to get to the point and for them to really speak their minds. 

Listen in to know more about the different focus groups that are geared towards trial and what each focus group entails. The whole purpose of this focus group is because you’re going to trial. Therefore, you have to put in the commitment and the legwork needed for you to get the information you need.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What a mock trial looks like and its purpose
• A modified approach to a mock trial or an adversarial group
• Opening statements of the two parties and discussions based on them
• Examples of ways to prepare for trial
• The value of demonstrative evidence

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Having before and after witnesses is very useful to help tell your client’s story. These witnesses can talk about damages in a way that your client just can’t. Jurors can heavily criticize a client’s testimony and label them a “whiner” or “complainer.” A well-prepared witness is able to talk about the changes in your client’s life in an authentic way.

As trial lawyers, it’s important that we’re able to build a level of trust and comfort with our clients and witnesses. But building that relationship just doesn’t happen overnight. 

In today’s conversation, Courtney Wilson takes a deep dive into the three-step process for building trust with your before and after witnesses. Courtney currently practices personal injury law and medical malpractice law in Mississippi.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Finding two to three people talking about the client’s experience
• How to build trust with your before and after witnesses
• The importance of explaining why testimony is needed for the case
• Assignments for your witnesses to get more information
• Why stories are more compelling than an expert talking about the injury
• Managing the fears and concerns of before and after witnesses

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Courtney Wilson

courtney@tyneslawfirm.com 

Tynes Law Firm

Courtney Parker Wilson

 

 

 

 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

There are a ton of reasons that a trial could be delayed and reset, whether that’s continuances due to scheduling conflicts, the witnesses being on vacation, or whatever. At a certain point, after the second continuance, you start to get a little fatigued, almost burnt out on the case, and you begin to lose motivation. Burnout is real, and so is trial continuance fatigue. And so, how do we prevent this from happening as trial lawyers and keep the momentum of the case?

In this episode, we’re going to tackle trial continuance fatigue with our guest, Bijan Darvish, who practices employment law in Orange County, California. Prior to lawyering, Bijan was previously a police officer who was unfortunately wrongfully accused and had to go through the process that an employee would have to go through to clear his name. He went through the criminal process where he got fully acquitted, then he had to go through suing his employer, for which he also was successful in doing. All that experience and process that opened his eyes led him to go into law school.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What is continuance fatigue?
• The benefits of creating a schedule
• Switching things up for the focus groups
• The benefits of focus groups 
• How to shorten the opening statement
• The value of having a transcript

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions or would like to speak with Bijan Darvish, you can reach him:

Email: bijan@darvishlaw.net

Or if you’d like to learn more about his employment law practice visit: www.darvishlaw.net

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know I sent you.

Continuing this trial series today, we talk about trial management and organization, specifically, about organizing your team, organizing documents, and how to manage that day-to-day changes with your team. As you replicate trial organization over and over, it helps the trial team handle uncertainties and changes as well as focus more on the key things they need to prioritize.

Trials have different levels of management due to a number of variables – the number of witnesses, the duration of each trial, and even the types of trials (wrongful death, medical malpractice, or premises liability). But no matter what, applying the exact same strategy for organizing people and documents is one of the keys to achieving success.

When you start this organization at a smaller level, it’s just going to make it easier to apply it when it gets to a bigger level with more information, more people, and more documents to manage.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Forming the team and identifying each one’s designation
• Using the binder system for organizing people and documents
• The importance of team meetings after the trial
• The deposition designations and motions
• Managing the day-to-day life of a trial

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you have questions, email Elizabeth directly: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know I sent you.

Opening statements are one of the best opportunities because we (plaintiff lawyers) go first. The question is how can you take advantage of being first? 

In today’s episode, we discuss the ways that lawyers can lose the advantage of being first. Many trial lawyers have this tendency to have long, overly-detailed opening statements that can bore the jurors. Therefore, you don’t want to lose their attention, confuse them, or frustrate them. 

We also talk about how to craft a great opening statement. An audience will forgive your delivery if your content is good. But they can’t forgive you if both your content and delivery suck. So you want to make sure you’re able to plan out your content really well to make sure you don’t miss anything, 

In this episode, you will hear:

• Ways you can lose the advantage of being first
• The importance of writing your opening statement on paper
• The benefits of typing what you’ve handwritten
• Things to add to your content
• The benefits of running a focus group for your opening statement
• Examples of cases that highlight the power of a great opening statement

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Have a topic for a podcast episode? Question for Elizabeth? Email her directly: Elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com 

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

Preparing and working with the client is so critical to a good direct exam. Success starts with our clients going in with a mindset that the jury consists of smart people who can smell good versus bad. Therefore, they just have to set their fears aside and trust the process. We also have to ask enough questions to get the information we need while making them feel at ease and comfortable. The challenge is to keep the direct exam conversational and simple. 

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Jason Erlich, an employment attorney who exclusively represents workers who have been treated wrongfully. Jason handles cases related to workplace disputes, such as wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, sexual harassment, and class action lawsuits.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The three things that make a successful direct client exam
• Preparing direct exam questions
• Things to prioritize for the direct exam
• Making last-minute changes to your questions based on the opening statement and witness testimony
• Visual aids he used in the courtroom
• Free-flow questioning vs. sticking to a script

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 

We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

If you would like to learn more about Jason and his practice please visit his website: https://erlich.lawyer/attorneys/jason-erlich/

If you have questions or a particularly challenging client preparation, email Elizabeth directly for assistance: elizabeth@larricklawfirm.com.

Episode Credits:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their businesses and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com