I Jury and other cool legal apps

There are many apps out there designed to make your legal life easier. One such trial presentation tool that looks like it has real promise over the tried and true Post-It note method is i-Jury. i-Jury is almost like having facebook for your jury. You can input data from your juror questionnaire and give it a positive, negative or neutral rating. The app will generate bar chats based on the data to provide valuable trends in the juror pool. It is 14.99. A full review of the app is available here. For reviews of other useful legal apps, check out the ABA's Tech Show article that includes a recap of some of the more popular apps out there.

Products and services mentioned included case management software and workflow wizards; HotDocs and Pathagoras for document assembly; remote collection devices for electronically stored information; TextMap and LiveNote as transcript management software; TrialDirector for evidence presentation; whiteboard apps that allow drawing on a simulated canvas, and jury selection apps like iJury, Jury Duty and Jury Box.Products and services mentioned included case management software and workflow wizards; HotDocs and Pathagoras for document assembly; remote collection devices for electronically stored information; TextMap and LiveNote as transcript management software; TrialDirector for evidence presentation; whiteboard apps that allow drawing on a simulated canvas, and jury selection apps like iJury, Jury Duty and Jury Box.

Creativity in Stillness

Presentation Zen is a great blog and book on the new and improved presentation. Garr Reynolds's books and blog are a breath of fresh air when looking for solutions to presenting information in dynamic new ways. Here is Garr Reynold's Blog Post on A John Cleese video on creativity...as it turns out, while our laptops and the constant hum of the universe can lead to ideas, Cleese suggests that slowing down is the key to being creative...He suggests we can generate creative ideas better by avoiding interruptions and being mindful of our mode of thinking. After all, the Kubla Khan was left unfinished because its' author, Samuel T. Coleridge, was interrupted during its' writing. As Cleese suggests, "We have to create boundaries of space and boundaries of time":

More from Presentation Zen (full article here):

There is some evidence that insights, for example, are best captured when we slow down, clear the noise and do not think about the problem at hand. In David Rock's book Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, he says "Having insights involves hearing subtle signals and allowing loose connections to be made. This requires a quiet mind...." In a world that is always online and always connected, it's helpful to close your computer as much as possible. Remove the distractions. As Cleese says, "We don't know where we get our ideas from. We do know that we do not get them from our laptops."

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization | Video on TED.com

This video is awesome if you have to do data presentation for a case. One can work the data to tell a story, make it relative to our world, present the data in a way that is meaningful to the viewer.
David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization | Video on TED.com

Cross Examination the Easy Way

This interesting post (from civil attorneys at Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Tips) is worth a perusal. Entitled, "Five Steps of Preparation for Cross Examination", it's worth a read for investigators as well given that it is often the investigator that is helping the attorney get the information needed to do a good cross examination.

The Five Steps?
* Determine the goals.
* Divide goals into individual topics.
* Document the cross examination.
* Use Role Reversal.
* Divide the cross examination into chapters.

There is also a worthy post on cross examination principles that includes tips such as don't get lost in the details (because the jury surely will), approach from a big picture point of view, be brief, and make your point then quit.

Attorneys need help getting their cross examinations put together and that help includes both investigating the facts necessary to have a good cross as well as helping your attorney not get lost in the details and miss the big picture.

Tech Tips for Trial Practice

Need to know how to stretch your research dollars? Want to get a walk through of dealing with discovery in the electronic age? Need help effectively implementing scanning? Look no further than the Trial Practice Blog which posted some great articles from the ABA magazine this month.

Trial Advocacy Book or How to Do a Trial in (several easy) Steps

While looking at information on the latest trial prep materials, I saw this recommendation from the Trial Practice Tips Weblog

The Book, Trial Advocacy: Planning, Analysis, and Strategy, while written for students, is also an excellent resource for practitioners, especially younger lawyers working on their first trials.

Described as a "how-to book for trial lawyers," Trial Advocacy is full of practical information about all the areas of trial you'd expect: jury selection, opening, exhibits, direct, cross, experts, instructions, closing. The book also includes a DVD in which "experienced trial counsel present" a mock trial based on the materials in the book.

Here's a sample tip from the book, chosen pretty much at random from a chapter titled "Cross-Examination of Experts"--

The expert's opinion may be vulnerable in the following areas:

* The time the expert had or used in analyzing the data (the doctor examined the patient for ten minutes; psychiatrist did not examine criminal defendant until ten weeks after the crime);
* Information was incomplete (the engineer did not receive all the blueprints);
* Expert is making an incorrect assumption about the data (the expert assumes that the core soil sample he was given was from "quadrant 4";you will present evidence that the sample was from "quadrant 3," which invalidates the expert's calculation);
* Expert received faulty or biased data (much of the data is from an interested party);
* Expert's procedures or experiments for analyzing the data faulty, unreliable, left undone, or wrong (a metallurgist failed to heat the metal to the appropriate temperature).

At almost 600 pages, it's a hefty book. You'll find a trailer for the DVD, sample documents, and ordering information at the book's companion website. You can also find the book at Amazon.

How to Do a Trial In 4 Easy Steps

Link to Blonde Justice's Four part trial series. The series of posts makes for a pretty good step by step guide worth a look for investigators and lawyers alike. It has tips for pretrial investigation and motions, outlining, planning exhibits, witnesses, and being ready for the game.

A sample from step four:

Get a good night's sleep, dress nice for the trial, wear your lucky underwear, get up early (but, let's face it, you weren't sleeping anyway), then leave for the office early to avoid any transportation snags (then, later, pace your office for a half-hour, imagining that you could have slept a half-hour later.)

Then, put on your game face and head to court.

Good advice!

Technology in the Courtroom-Spiff up those presentations

As many an investigator knows, its not always easy to being part of the entourage in the courtroom...dealing with (sometimes crazy) attorneys and their (sometimes crazy) technology needs in the courtroom can tax even the most savvy and capable investigator. When you next find yourself in a trial or other proceeding dealing with courtroom presentation, check out the Trial Presentation Blog. Among the highlights...tips and resources on PowerPoint especially making your PowerPoint less common, courtroom presentation tips, and litigation software options. For example, a quick read is "PowerPoint in the Courtroom" which "is an 'easy read' reference guide that all attorneys [and their entourage] relying on PowerPoint should review."
Of course, the creator of the blog, Charles Perez, is available for hire for all your consultation and presentation needs. Luckily, Mr. Perez gives those who might not be able to afford his service, e.g. public defenders and the like, tips and advice on how to be better presenters in the courtroom. A worthy addition to the blogroll.