Trial Strategy Insights

March 30, 2026

Most young PI lawyers freeze when it's time to say the number. Here's how to ask for what your client deserves — with confidence, not apology.

March 30, 2026

Defense medical examiners are hired to say your client is fine. Here's how to expose that in front of the jury without getting into a medical debate you can't win.

March 30, 2026

Defense just showed the jury a photo of your 'disabled' client hiking. You didn't know it was coming. Here's how to make sure that never happens again.

March 30, 2026

Most lawyers treat the defendant's deposition like a fact-finding mission. It's not. Here's how to use it to build your liability story before you ever step into a courtroom.

March 30, 2026

The witness just contradicted their deposition. You have the transcript. Here's exactly what to do next — without fumbling it in front of the jury.

March 30, 2026

Defense shows the jury a photo of a barely-scratched bumper and asks why your client is claiming six figures in injuries. Here's how to defuse that argument before it lands.

March 30, 2026

Your client had a prior back injury. Defense just found the records. Here's how to get ahead of it before it becomes the only thing the jury remembers.

March 30, 2026

The client who moved you in your office went silent on the stand. Here's why over-coaching kills authenticity — and what to do instead.

March 30, 2026

There's a juror in your panel who has already decided pain and suffering isn't real. Here's how to find them before they become the foreperson.

March 30, 2026

One 'personal responsibility' juror can tank a case you should have won. Here are the questions that smoke them out before it's too late.

February 22, 2026

Before you build your entire trial around a theme, run it through these four questions. Finding out it fails now is a lot better than finding out during deliberations.

February 19, 2026

Every plaintiff case has a weakness. The lawyer who names it first controls how the jury thinks about it. Here's how to inoculate before the defense gets there.

February 15, 2026

Without a structure, opening statements drift toward chronology and the wrong starting point. Moment, Choice, Cost gives you a repeatable framework that works for any PI case in 90 seconds.

February 12, 2026

If you can't name your case theme in one word, you're not ready for trial. This diagnostic exercise reveals whether you truly understand the story you're trying to tell.

February 10, 2026

The first two minutes of your opening matter more than the next two hours. Most plaintiff lawyers waste them by starting at the beginning instead of starting at the moment.

February 5, 2026

Juries form preliminary verdicts during opening statements. By the time you give closing, you're confirming a decision — not making one. Front-load your best material.

January 29, 2026

A complete trial narrative has two themes: a liability theme and a damages theme. Without both, the jury has half a story — and your verdict will reflect it.

January 22, 2026

The best trial themes don't come from the medical records. They come from your first reaction to the facts. Here's how to use that anger to find the story your jury needs to hear.

January 15, 2026

Most lawyers confuse legal theory with trial theme. They're not the same thing — and mixing them up is one of the most common reasons solid cases end in low verdicts.