Using Defense Witnesses to Prove Damages

Using Defense Witnesses to Prove Damages

In this excerpt from Damages Evolving, trial lawyers Nicholas Rowley and Courtney Rowley discuss how to use defense witnesses during cross-examination to advance your damages case.
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Trial Guides Founder Aaron DeShaw Wins $77.5M Verdict in Amputation Case

Trial Guides is announcing a new customer success story for one of the largest personal injury verdicts of 2023.

Trial Guides Founder Aaron DeShaw has obtained a $77.5 million verdict in a recent amputation case using multiple influences from Trial Guides. His $77.5 million compensatory damages verdict is the largest personal injury verdict in Oregon history, and believed to be the highest single leg amputation verdict in the United States.  As with other customer success stories, we asked Aaron for some insights on how he obtained the verdict that might help other Trial Guides customers.

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Deeper Cuts Book Review

Reviewed by Ezra Smith  Originally published in the Spring 2022 issue of ATLA Docket, a quarterly publication from the Arkansas Trial Lawyer Associ...
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$91 Million Verdict on $25k Offer

A verdict from Eric Fong, Port Orchard, Washington A man named Will walks into a convenience store for a Gatorade. Unbeknownst to him, the store is...
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Trial Guides Author Rick Friedman Obtains $185 Million Jury Verdict

Trial Guides Author Rick Friedman Obtains $185 Million Jury Verdict

Trial Guides author Rick Friedman has obtained a $185,000,000 trial verdict against Monsanto in PCB litigation.

A Friedman Rubin, PLLP trial team led by Rick FriedmanHenry Jones, and Sean Gamble obtained a $185 Million Dollar verdict today in the case of Erickson et. al. v. Monsanto. The case involved three public school teachers who sued Monsanto and its corporate successors for poisoning teachers, students and parents who attended Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe, Washington between 2011 and 2016. The three teachers were the first plaintiffs to reach trial against Monsanto from a group of over 200 teachers, students and parents exposed to leaking PCB ballasts in fluorescent light fixtures at the school. The verdict follows years of hard-fought litigation between Monsanto, now owned by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and a group of parents, students and teachers who would just not give up in their quest for justice.

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10 Tips on Conducting a Winning Cross Examination

10 Tips on Conducting a Winning Cross Examination

What you learned in law school and most CLEs about cross examination won't help you much because much of what is taught is long outdated, ineffective, and potentially dangerous for your case.  In this in-depth dive into cross examination we address historical teachings on cross examination, why they are no longer relevant, and  how new methods will help you succeed in deposition, arbitration and trial. This article is intended to help everyone from law students to 40 year veteran trial lawyers. 
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$9.5 Million Verdict after Two Day Trial with Limited Voir Dire & Opening

$9.5 Million Verdict after Two Day Trial with Limited Voir Dire & Opening

A $9.5 million judgment was awarded on April 23, in a wrongful death case in Hampden County, Massachusetts. The trial team consisted of Nicholas Rowley and Benjamin Novotny of Trial Lawyers for Justice and Charlotte Glinka and Karen Zahka of Keches Law Group, P.C.

Trial attorney Nick Rowley was kind enough to share a few details from the case:

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Polarizing the Case Rick Friedman Trial Guides

Calling the Defense Expert's Bluff

In "Polarizing the Case: Exposing & Defeating the Malingering Myth," Friedman provides what he calls "a guidebook for wrapping the malingering defense around the defense lawyer's neck and strangling him with it."
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Advanced Depositions - Trial Guides

Settle Your Case with Advance Depositions

With over 99% of civil legal cases settling before jury verdict, Trial Guides asked some of its authors to comment about how their book can be used...
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Becoming a Trial Lawyer: Forget Playing it Safe

Becoming a Trial Lawyer: Forget Playing it Safe

The way to play it safe in law school was to raise and explain every possible issue. If five arguments supported a particular result, you had better discuss them all. Civil and criminal classes support this type of issue spotting, and some law firms believe this works in litigation. But, this law school training works against you at trial.

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Becoming a Trial Lawyer: Trying your First Case

Becoming a Trial Lawyer: Trying your First Case

Trial lawyers have no established standards for determining when someone is ready to try a case. As you wrestle with the question of whether you are ready, remember that this awkward situation is not a result of any inadequacy on your part—the profession has let you down.
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Trial in Action by Rick Friedman - Trial Guides

Becoming a Trial Lawyer: Beyond Technique

Lawyers with nearly flawless technique can lose case after case, while lawyers who appear clumsy and bumbling can win repeatedly. To be a good trial lawyer, be willing and able to give yourself to the jury. Not the self you wish you were or the self you think the jury might wish you were, but your actual self, the part of you that is scared, angry, or tired and the part of you that feels the justness of your case.
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$13.3 Million Verdict During COVID-19 Using From Hostage to Hero

Plaintiffs’ attorney Chris Madeksho shared with us strategies from From Hostage to Hero that he used to win the case:

Sari’s book helped me organize my voir dire so that I could examine the panel in an organized way given the time constraints (30 minutes per panel) that parties were given. Further, Sari’s book gave clear advice on how to “make it about the jury” by using their language and their ideas in opening and closing. The jury “got it” because of this advice.

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$10.8 Million Medical Malpractice Verdict during COVID-19

On August 25, 2020, Blair County, PA, attorneys Brendan Lupetin and Greg Unatin received a $10.8 million-dollar verdict for their clients in a medical malpractice case. Plaintiffs’ attorney Brendan Lupetin shared with us strategies from Trial by Human, Voir Dire and Opening Statements, and Nick’s recorded lectures that he used to win the case.
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From Hostage to Hero Book Review

From Hostage to Hero Reviewed by Jason Skuda

“Jurors are, for all intents and purposes, hostages.” This concept begins Sari de la Motte’s advice on approaching jury trials. As hostages, jurors are the trial’s first of two “victims.” They arrive unhappy, discombobulated, and, more often than not, scared. The plaintiff’s lawyer must free the jurors by creating a safe space for jurors to express themselves in voir dire and to act on the plaintiff’s behalf when they deliberate.

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$3.42 million Noneconomic Damages Verdict in Hidalgo County, Texas

$3.42 million Noneconomic Damages Verdict in Hidalgo County, Texas

In Hidalgo County, Texas, attorneys Michael Cowen and Malorie Peacock of Cowen Rodriguez and Peacock obtained a just multimillion-dollar verdict for the widow of a man who died during a trench collapse. Read more about how they obtained the verdict.

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$21 Million Verdict in a Contested Motor Vehicle Case

$21 Million Verdict in a Contested Motor Vehicle Case

Nick Rowley has done it again, this time obtaining a $21 million verdict in a contested liability motor vehicle case.

The Collision

Nick’s client, Danielle Laws, was a European fitness model who had just moved to California on a work visa. Humble and soft-spoken with no family and few friends nearby, the twenty-eight-year-old had just begun to make a name for herself in the states. She had lived frugally in her tiny apartment, a small motor scooter her only means of transportation. The same scooter she was driving the day Dr. Andrew Chen struck her with his Range Rover. She had been in America for only four months.

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Rick Friedman obtains $21 million verdict in Hausman v. Holland America

Rick Friedman obtains $21 million verdict in Hausman v. Holland America

Last week, Trial Guides author Rick Friedman obtained a $21.5 million verdict in a difficult traumatic brain injury case. We wanted to share how Rick obtained the outcome despite extremely challenging facts.

Rick’s client was a fifty-seven-year old self-made multimillionaire on a cruise with Holland America Lines. He, his wife, and his daughter were scheduled for an eight-month around-the-world cruise. One day on the ship while he was walking through a doorway, the door closed suddenly and struck him in the head.

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Rick Friedman, Michael Haddad, and Julia Sherwin Obtain Record $8.3 Million Dollar Settlement

Rick Friedman, Michael Haddad, and Julia Sherwin Obtain Record $8.3 Million Dollar Settlement

Rick Friedman and co-­counsel Michael Haddad and Julia Sherwin (Haddad and Sherwin, LLP) have settled a difficult case with the largest reported civil rights wrongful death settlement in California history after almost four years in litigation. The case settled for $8.3 million after the first week of a ten ­week trial. Trial Guides interviewed Rick Friedman to share his insights on the case.
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Increasing Neck Injury Settlements

Increasing Claim Value on Neck Injury Cases video

Many personal injury practices center on spinal soft-tissue injuries. Most lawyers do not view these as valuable cases, but other lawyers obtain six-figure settlements and verdicts on the same type of soft-tissue injury cases. What would happen to your practice if you could spot more serious injuries, and then obtain objective evidence proving that these cases are worth much more than a few thousand dollars?
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Show the Story book review

Show the Story reviewed in Trial News

Book review of Show the Story in Trial News:

Veteran Seattle trial attorney William S. Baily and his brother Robert W. Bailey, a California-based trial consultant, have produced Show the Story, an indispensable guide to visual presentation during trial. They teach attorneys how to think in pictures and diagrams—as well as words—in order to present their case in the most compelling manner possible. To do so, the Baileys mine their own extensive trial experience, but they also turn to other experts for added insights: plaintiff and defense attorneys, judges, law professors, graphic-production artists, and consultants. The result is a compendium of advice on what works visually in a trial setting and, just as importantly, what does not.

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New Reptile in MIST Cases Webinar by David Ball and Gary Johnson

New Reptile in MIST Cases Webinar by David Ball and Gary Johnson

Auto cases the insurers designate as "Minor impact" due to minimal visible vehicle damage are amongst the most difficult plaintiff cases to win, despite there being no correlation between vehicle damage and occupant injury.

Join trial consultant David Ball and veteran trial lawyer Gary Johnson for a webinar called "Reptile in MIST Cases." This webinar will discuss the use of the Reptile method to win "Minor Impact Soft Tissue" cases.

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Twelve Heroes - Legal Storytelling

Legal Storytelling: A Review of Twelve Heroes One Voice

Book Review: Twelve Heroes argues that all humans—including jurors—are "wired" to use stories to make sense of the world around them. But to effectively appeal to jurors’ story sense, attorneys must first understand story structure itself. To that end, Twelve Heroes elucidates the most fundamental components of story such as: heroic story structure and classic story characters and elements like the Hero, the Villain, the Victim, the Mentor, and the Lie.

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Twelve Heroes Legal Storytelling Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College

Storytelling for Lawyers

As trial lawyers, we are storytellers. Most law schools, however, do not offer classes in storytelling. We are very lucky that Carl Bettinger, one of the best and most innovative trial lawyers in the country has answered these questions and more in his new book on storytelling in the courtroom entitled Twelve Heroes, One Voice. The great power in Bettinger’s book is that his approach forces us to shed the chains of litigating a case in favor of telling a compelling story.
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Dynamic Cross Examination Jim McComas Trial Guides

Winning Hard Cases with Dynamic Cross-Examination

Book Reviews of Case Analysis and Dynamic Cross Examination: If you do not buy, read, and re-read Case Analysis and Dynamic Cross-Examination after hearing Rick Friedman describe the method they explain as the "biggest break of my legal career," then nothing I could say will make you do so. And yet there are many more reasons to read them!
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12 Heroes 1 Voice

The True Heroes in the Courtroom - a review of Twelve Heroes, One Voice

Book Review of Twelve Heroes, One Voice: I recently finished a fantastic book by one of the best trial lawyers in the country, Carl Bettinger. Every lawyer who presents his or her client’s case to a jury should read Twelve Heroes, One Voice. Buy this wonderful book. Learn to empower your jurors to become heroes. Tell them the story that lets them write the last chapter of justice for your clients.
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Case Analysis Jim McComas

Case Analysis reviewed in The Champion

Book Review: Cases are won and lost long before trials begin. A lawyer begins earning a not guilty verdict the moment the lawyer takes the case. The ability to perform well is intricately connected to the process of Case Analysis. It is an art that author James McComas honed as a public defender. Through this book, he passes this critical methodology on to each reader.
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Show the Story William Bailey Robert Bailey

$20 million verdict obtained using Show the Story

Trial Verdict Success: I am an attorney in Texas and I cannot speak highly enough of your recent publication Show the Story by William and Robert Bailey. I just used the visual strategies outlined in this book to win a unanimous jury verdict of $20 million in Houston, Texas. This verdict was twice what we asked for throughout voir dire and all the way through closing arguments.
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"Trial In Action" reviewed in The Colorado Lawyer

"Trial In Action" reviewed in The Colorado Lawyer

Book Review: Trial in Action presents a unique twist on the trial lawyer’s art. The authors strongly believe that, as a trial lawyer, "your goal is to help your juries hear, see, and feel your client’s stories." As a means to this end, they present the technique of legal "psychodrama," in which the lawyer prepares for trial through dramatic role playing.
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Trial in Action Trial Lawyers College

Trial In Action reviewed in the Whatcom County Bar

Book Review: From David Ball on Damages to Rules of the Road, numerous books written by experienced trial attorneys give perspective on how to successfully conduct jury trials. What persuades juries? What turns them off? Trial In Action: The Persuasive Power of Psychodrama is one of the newest books to broach the subject. In short, the authors explain how to use psychodrama in trial practice.
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Trial in Action - The Power of Psychodrama Trial Lawyers College

Trial In Action reviewed in Trial Talk®

Book Review: Every now and then, a book comes along with new and revolutionary ideas that break the monotony of the traditional way of preparing and trying a case. Trial in Action: The Persuasive Power of Psychodrama is such a book. You’ve read Rick Friedman; you’ve read David Ball; you’ve read Gerry Spence. If you want to take the next step in your development as a trial lawyer, you owe it to yourself to read Trial in Action.
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Trial in Action - National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Trial in Action Reviewed in The Champion

Trial in Action: The Persuasive Power of Psychodrama is a primer on psychodrama and an exceptional manual on trial skills. It is hard to sit still as you work your way through this book. The authors believe in the power of connection that comes from knowing ourselves and our clients and our willingness to confront the hard questions in our cases. The premise of the book is that "the power of psychodrama lies not in the intellect but in emotion, connection, and realization that as human beings we share many universal stories and are not alone."
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Trial In Action Psychodrama Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College

Trial in Action: The Persuasive Power of Psychodrama

Book Review: Trial in Action: The Persuasive Power of Psychodrama is not a book that be­longs on your bookshelf where it can be ignored. It is not meant to collect dust while the trial lawyer tries his or her cases in the “ordinary” way. It is a book that should be read immediately and often be­ cause the better you know and under­ stand the principles, the more effective you will be as you try your next case. As an added bonus, the more you will enjoy trying cases.
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Book Review: Grief & Loss - Identifying and Proving Damages in Wrongful Death Cases

Book Review: Grief & Loss - Identifying and Proving Damages in Wrongful Death Cases

A book review of Grief & LossGrief and Loss is an invaluable educational resource and deserves a spot on the bookshelf of any lawyer who represents families in wrongful death cases. The book will
help lawyers of all experience levels better 
understand their client’s grief and emotional suffering and, in turn, enable them to better communicate that pain to a jury.
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Announcing A New Relationship between Trial Guides and AAJ

Announcing A New Relationship between Trial Guides and AAJ

Trial Guides is proud to announce an exciting new relationship with the American Association for Justice ("AAJ") as publisher for future AAJ Press publications. This relationship continues Trial Guides’ tradition of providing the most comprehensive, cutting-edge publications available to help you improve your practice and better represent your clients.
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Rick Friedman: Taking it to the Next Level with Moral Core Advocacy

Rick Friedman: Taking it to the Next Level with Moral Core Advocacy

If you have the nuts and bolts of your trial strategy down and are concerned about the jury's perception of your credibility, consider Rick's new CD/DVD set Moral Core Advocacy. Many Trial Guides customers tell us they love listening to this lecture repeatedly during their commute. It is inspiring for plaintiff lawyers, and helps inspire both new and old trial lawyers for their next trial.
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Now Available: Theater Tips and Strategies for Jury Trials

Now Available: Theater Tips and Strategies for Jury Trials

Today's jurors are bombarded with media images of handsome and sexy lawyers, heroically solving crimes and winning in the courtroom. In reality, the courtroom is nothing like TV's "win in a 60-minute episode" format, but your performance can be just as appealing, passionate, and valiant.

From David Ball's theatrical background comes Theater Tips and Strategies for Jury Trials, a practical guide to improve your performance in the courtroom.

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New Rules of the Road Second Edition

New Rules of the Road Second Edition

Trial Guides is proud to announce a new, fully revised and expanded version of its best selling book Rules of the Road by Rick Friedman and Patrick Malone.

This best selling text on proving liability has helped lawyers throughout the country win six, seven, and eight figure verdicts. 

In the five years since its release, we've learned invaluable information on the benefits and difficulties of using Rules of the Road in trial. The result is an improved methodology for trying your cases.

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Rules of the Road Second Edition Is Released

Rules of the Road Second Edition Is Released

Trial Guides #1 book Rules of the Road is now available in a revised and expanded Second Edition.  

Authors Rick Friedman and Patrick Malone significantly revised this groundbreaking work. In addition to revisions throughout the book clarifying concepts in the first edition, Friedman and Malone added six new chapters and three appendices. They cover the differences between rules and principles, how to troubleshoot your rules, and how to fit Rules of the Road™ techniques into your case themes.

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Becoming a Trial Lawyer by Rick Friedman Trial Guides

ATLA review of Rick Friedman's Becoming a Trial Lawyer

Book Review: Clarence Darrow once said, "The only real lawyers are trial lawyers, and trial lawyers try cases to juries." Increasingly, trial lawyers find it more and more difficult to follow that maxim. The number of jury trials completed each year continues to decrease. Jury trials are more complicated to prepare and more complex to present. Given these difficulties one may realistically ask, "Why become a trial lawyer?"
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Reptile Don Keenan David Ball

Reptile Endorsed by Leading Experts

There has been an incredible reaction in the trial lawyer community regarding Reptile: The 2009 Manual of the Plaintiff's Revolution. The book received unprecedented pre-orders, and lawyers using the techniques have already obtained six, seven and eight figure verdicts across the country.
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Become a Trial Lawyer - Trial Guides

Plaintiff Magazine Reviews Rick Friedman's Becoming a Trial Lawyer

Book Review: In his new and enthralling book, Becoming a Trial Lawyer, Inner Circle of Advocates member, Rick Friedman, presents not so much the by-now-common memoir of a dazzlingly successful trial lawyer, as much as direction for the individual who would be or remain a trial lawyer while maintaining an individual’s internal golden ratio – the necessarily delicate balance of the unique demands of that discipline and a well-proportioned life.
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Polarizing the Case Rick Friedman

ATLA review of Polarizing the Case: Exposing and Defeating the Malingering Myth

Book Review: Polarizing the Case should be required reading for every plaintiff’s lawyer. Not only does Rick Friedman do a masterful job of formulating and describing a cogent, well-rounded and effective strategy for aggressively defeating the malingering defense, he shows the reader how to go about doing it in the real world. The reader understands immediately that the author has been in the trenches and is speaking from that experience rather than from an ivory tower.
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Becoming a Trial Lawyer Trial Guides

Becoming a Trial Lawyer review by Howard Nations

Review of "Becoming a Trial Lawyer" by Howard Nations in AAJ's Trial Magazine:

Trial attorney Rick Friedman’s latest book, On Becoming a Trial Lawyer, offers useful advice to those who wish to pursue success as a trial lawyer without forfeiting a fulfilling life as a family member, friend, and member of society. The book has value for the prospective lawyer as well as the trial attorney who wants to better understand and cope with increased professional and personal pressures.

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Rick Friedman's Winning Trial Strategies

Rick Friedman's Winning Trial Strategies

You've heard about his string of impressive jury verdicts. You've read Rules of the Road and Polarizing the Case. The nation's leading lawyers discuss Rick Friedman's trial methods in CLEs throughout the country. Maybe his strategies have already helped you win. Now it’s time to deepen your understanding of these important trial techniques.
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$84 Million verdict using Rules of the Road and Reptile

$84 Million verdict using Rules of the Road and Reptile

A jury in Dallas County Texas recently returned an $84 million verdict against U-Haul Corporation in a negligence case for failure to inspect, warn of dangers, and repair its trucks. Plaintiff's trial attorneys Marquette Wolf and Ted Lyon of Texas argued the case. 

Attorney Wolf patterned his arguments after the "Reptile" research in David Ball and Don Keenan's newest book, Reptile: The 2009 Manual of the Plaintiff's Revolution. When used in conjunction with the technique outlined in Rules of the Road, this research has the power to negate tort reform. Wolf suggested to the jury that corporations must follow the rules, and added that corporations know how to be careful, but only choose to do so when protecting their money rather than people.

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Polarizing the Case - Rick Friedman - Trial Guides

United Policyholders reviews Polarizing the Case

Book Review: Polarizing the Case is a book for trial lawyers written by Richard Friedman, one of the most successful trial lawyers in the United States. But anyone who has ever been a victim of an insurance company’s tactics designed to deny or underpay a legitimate claim might also find it interesting.

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New Trial Guides Book - Moe Levine on Advocacy

New Trial Guides Book - Moe Levine on Advocacy

Moe Levine is perhaps the most influential source for America's leading trial lawyers. His books and videos have been their secret weapon for decades - well before Trial Guides existed.  This book took Trial Guides founder Aaron DeShaw three years to compile and edit, in cooperation with Levine's children.  The book collects all known material - much of which was unpublished during his life, and will make his ideas accessible to a larger audience of lawyers at a much lower price. Moe Levine on Advocacy is an incredible treasure trove of ideas for your future as a lawyer. Buy your copy today.
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Trial Guides

Trial Guides Points the Way

I have started going to more seminars, reading more books, watching more video—trying to get beyond "the law" and generic trial techniques, and focusing specifically on how to win plaintiffs’ personal injury trials. It soon became apparent that a new publishing company predominates this niche, publishing and distributing some of today’s most important plaintiffs’ trial materials—Trial Guides.

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Secrets of $1,000,000 Child Injury and Wrongful Death Verdicts

Secrets of $1,000,000 Child Injury and Wrongful Death Verdicts

In association with trial lawyer Don Keenan, we are proud to offer you Closing Arguments Child Injury and Child Wrongful Death Cases, Vol. II, a collection of closing arguments by the nation's finest trial lawyers, all of which generated substantial verdicts. This book and document CD package contain fool proof closing arguments from Inner Circle of Advocates members including Rick Friedman, Brian Panish, Thomas KlineJoseph A. Power, Jr.Pat Malone, Rex CarrDennis Donnelly, and many more, along with an introduction by David Ball, Ph.D.
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$7.05 Million verdict credited to David Ball's Welcome to the Revolution

$7.05 Million verdict credited to David Ball's Welcome to the Revolution

Attorney Chris Stombaugh of Wisconsin recently obtained a $7.05 million verdict on a construction site accident verdict in Iowa. He credits a substantial factor of his success to David Ball's "Uber Rule" discussed in his Trial Guides Welcome to the Revolution CLE.

In his own words:

"I listened to your Trial Guides presentation [Welcome to the Revolution].

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Nuisance value offer becomes $4.6 million verdict

Nuisance value offer becomes $4.6 million verdict

How can you get great verdicts? By framing your case story to speak to the jurors.

Attorney Michael Doyle of Houston, Texas has obtained a string of consecutive multi-million-dollar verdicts using the techniques outlined in Eric Oliver's Facts Can't Speak for Themselves.

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New! Moe Levine: The Historic Recordings

New! Moe Levine: The Historic Recordings

Trial Guides is proud to release all known audio recordings of Moe Levine, one of the greatest trial lawyers in American history.

In this unique CD set, you'll hear Moe Levine's voice as he spoke to trial lawyer organizations in the 1960s and 70s. This CD set is a valuable companion to Moe Levine on Advocacy, Trial Guides' book of Levine's collected lectures and summations. One of the lectures in The Historic Recordings is included in Moe Levine on Advocacy, but the rest are only available on CD. The Historic Recordings together with Moe Levine on Advocacy give you a complete set of all of Levine's material.

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New! Moe Levine on Advocacy

New! Moe Levine on Advocacy

After over three years of work, Trial Guides is proud to announce the release of Moe Levine on Advocacy, the most comprehensive book ever released on Levine's lectures, trial transcripts and articles.

Moe Levine practiced in New York in the 1940s to early 1970s, trying over 2000 civil trials.  He was one of the first members of the Inner Circle of Advocates, and was close friends with Inner Circle founder Richard Grand.  He helped create the concept of "qualitative damages" while helping Grand re-frame one of his cases by taking a concept from the Bible and using it as a way to describe the client's loss. (The case is discussed in the book.)

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Polarizing the Case Rick Friedman Trial Guides

NY Times Blasts Defense Medical Examinations

The New York Times released an investigative report on the strong bias of defense medical examinations - also known as "IMEs" (Insurance Medical Examination). These are doctors who trade the respect and moral obligations of their doctorate degree for massive payments from insurance companies to deny injury claims. This common practice in personal injury claims results in doctors denying real injury claims.
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Using the Story Narrative to Win in Trial

Using the Story Narrative to Win in Trial

In Winning with Stories, trial lawyer Jim Perdue analyzes narrative elements in detail, showing how to craft a story with a strong beginning, memorable scenes, believable characters, a logical plot, vivid action, and a moving conclusion. Beyond this, Perdue demonstrates how to tell the story to maximum effect, with concepts as broad as giving soul to the story, and as specific as what the speaker should wear.

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New: Eric Oliver - Case Story Theme Webinar Recording

New: Eric Oliver - Case Story Theme Webinar Recording

Introducing a webinar CLE by leading trial consultant Eric Oliver titled Case Story Theme: If Stories Give the Facts Their Meaning, What Gives Meaning to a Case Story?

Many trial attorneys are acquainted with the idea of a case theme. Certainly all trial lawyers know the critical importance of establishing and reinforcing the strongest possible theme for your case story.
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New! Reptile - Welcome to the Revolution CLE

New! Reptile - Welcome to the Revolution CLE

Since mid-2006, David Ball and three of America's top trial attorneys; Atlanta's Don Keenan, Kentucky's Gary Johnson, and Wyoming's Jim Fitzgerald; have been conducting a unique series of deep-research jury sessions across the country. The results have surpassed the team's most optimistic hopes, and will revolutionize the legal field's understanding of juror decision-making. They are working on a new book including this content tentatively called Reptile: Welcome to the Plaintiff's Revolution.  Without throwing out the tried-and-true David Ball on Damages methodology or any of a number of other effective approaches, the new methods transform even the worst of jurors into your allies. The playing field remains as steeply tilted as ever; but now the tilt is in our favor.

The results of the 2006-08 research mean that the long courtroom nightmare of "tort-reform" is finally ending. If you think this is an exaggeration, you have not yet learned the new approach.

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Becoming a Trial Lawyer Trial Guides

On Becoming a Trial Lawyer, an Introspective Journey of Self-Discovery

Rick Friedman has written what is arguably his most compelling book yet, Becoming a Trial Lawyer. Friedman examines reasons for becoming a trial lawyer, considers what psychologically is needed to succeed, and offers hope and encouragement for the burgeoning practitioner. This is a must-read for every trial lawyer.
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Lawyer Rick Friedman - Trial Guides

Lawyers USA Top Ten Jury Verdicts

Rick Friedman achieved four Top Ten Jury Verdicts, the most of any lawyer during the years Lawyers USA released the Top Ten Jury Verdicts. In 2008 his Top 10 Jury Verdict was a $60 million verdict against UnumProvident. Read the story here.
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New Lawyer Obtains $700,000 and $4 Million Verdicts Using Polarizing the Case

New Lawyer Obtains $700,000 and $4 Million Verdicts Using Polarizing the Case

In his book Polarizing the Case, Rick Friedman teaches us not to fear allegations or insinuations that our client is malingering or exaggerating injuries. Instead he provides, in his own words, "a guidebook for wrapping the malingering defense around the neck of the defense lawyer and strangling him with it."

Here is what one young lawyer did with his copy of Polarizing the Case:

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Closing Arguments in Child Injury and Child Wrongful Death Cases Volume 2 now available at Trial Guides

Closing Arguments in Child Injury and Child Wrongful Death Cases Volume 2 now available at Trial Guides

Trial Guides is now distributing "Closing Statements in Child Injury and Child Wrongful Death Cases Volume 2."

This book is a “must have” for any lawyer representing injured children. This book is a compilation of closing statements in child injury and wrongful death cases by 15 of the nation's best personal injury lawyers. Each lawyer is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization comprised of the 100 best plaintiff trial lawyers in the United States. Most of the closing statements in this book came from cases in which the jury returned verdicts in excess of $1,000,000. The following trial lawyers who contributed to this text:

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Facts Can't Speak for Themselves Audiobook Eric Oliver

New! Trial Guides Releases Eric Oliver's "Facts Can't Speak for Themselves" on Audiobook

Trial Guides is proud to announce Eric Oliver's Facts Can't Speak for Themselves on Audiobook.  This audiobook is an unabridged reading of the book by Eric Oliver himself.  This is a 16 CD set.

About the audiobook:

Legal decision-makers construct their own version of the case story when they judge a case. In fact, they re-author their own version several times before arriving at the one they use to decide the case.

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Paul Luvera on Trial Strategy (DVD)

Paul Luvera on Trial Strategy (DVD)

Paul Luvera has obtained a $40 million verdict in Washington, $44 million in Oregon, $29 million in Idaho, as well as dozens of multi-million settlements, including one for $75 million. He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates and the Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.

Trial Guides is honored to announce the release of Paul Luvera on Trial Strategy, a four-DVD set, capturing his acclaimed lecture at the Fairmont Hotel in Seattle.

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New! Credit Damages: More Accurate Compensation

New! Credit Damages: More Accurate Compensation

Introducing a webinar CLE recording "Credit Damages: More Accurate Compensation" featuring speakers Geog Finder.

If you are familiar with the tactics outlined in David Ball on Damages and use the information regularly, you won't want to miss this cutting edge presentation on credit damages. Credit damages is a relatively understated field of damage compensation that will help you determine and receive the full extent of damages the plaintiff suffered—far beyond simple medical bills and wage loss.

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Books for lawyers on minor impact cases

David Ball on Handling Minor Impact Cases

While all of the national attention on From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves has focused on David Berardinelli's section on the McKinsey Documents, the new edition of the legal text contains Dr. Michael Freeman's chapters about the background and junk science used by insurers in minor impact cases, as well as information on dealing with defense biomechanists and accident reconstructionists.
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Trial Consultants vote Eric Oliver’s book #1

Trial Consultants vote Eric Oliver’s book #1

The American Society of Trial Consultants recently held a poll of their members on the subject of case themes. The poll asked: “What written work—books or articles—do you most often recommend to your trial lawyer clients to better aid them in constructing and delivering a case theme?”

The one source which professional counseling attorneys across the country listed more than any other, on the subject of persuasive themes and case delivery, was Facts Can't Speak for Themselves, by Eric Oliver.

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Paul Luvera comes to Trial Guides

Paul Luvera comes to Trial Guides

Paul Luvera has been described as "a role model" by Gerry Spence. His recent $40.1 million verdict made national headlines, but it is only one of many major verdicts that have marked his career. Now, Luvera brings his acclaimed December 2008 lecture at the Fairmont in Seattle to Trial Guides as Paul Luvera on Trial Strategy.
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Rick Friedman Polarizing the Case Hardback 1st Edition

Trial Guides Releases Rick Friedman's Polarizing the Case

With Rules of the Road™, Rick Friedman (with co-author Patrick Malone) changed the way thousands of plaintiff's lawyers try their cases. In the process, he established himself as one of the nation's leading tacticians in the battle for civil justice.

With Polarizing the Case, Friedman teaches us not to fear allegations or insinuations that our client is malingering or exaggerating injuries. Instead he provides, in his own words, "a guidebook for wrapping the malingering defense around the defense lawyer's neck and strangling him with it."

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Dr. Arthur Croft Reviews Polarizing the Case

Dr. Arthur Croft Reviews Polarizing the Case

The following is a review by Doctor and Epidemiologist Dr. Arthur Croft of the Trial Guides book Polarizing the Case.

The legal corner today is a book report. Rick Friedman is the author of some best-selling law books, including Rules of the Road and, the one in my hand: Polarizing the Case: Exposing & Defeating the Malingering Myth. These books are published by Trial Guides (www.trialguides.com).

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Trial Guides Distributes Winning Jury Trials: Trial Tactics and Sponsorship Strategy

Trial Guides Distributes Winning Jury Trials: Trial Tactics and Sponsorship Strategy

Trial Guides, in cooperation with NITA, brings you Winning Jury Trials: Trial Tactics and Sponsorship Strategy by Robert Klonoff & Paul Colby.

Winning Jury Trials covers a broad spectrum of issues likely to confront the advocate every day, and provides a "default position" on how to resolve most tactical issues arising at trial. Winning Jury Trials covers such topics as:

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Eric Oliver's Facts Can't Speak for Themselves Comes to Trial Guides

Eric Oliver's Facts Can't Speak for Themselves Comes to Trial Guides

Through a cooperative deal with NITA, Trial Guides brings you trial consultant Eric Oliver's book Facts Can't Speak for Themselves. Legal decision ...
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Lawyer Uses David Ball on Damages to Obtain $1.25 Million Verdict

Lawyer Uses David Ball on Damages to Obtain $1.25 Million Verdict

We recently received the following lawyer success story using the methods in David Ball on Damages.

"Sussex County is rural and is arguably one of the most conservative counties in N.J.. Last night at 6pm following an 8 day trial and a 3 hour deliberation, the Sussex County Jury returned a verdict of $1.25m! This represents one of the largest personal injury verdicts in county history and will be front page news tomorrow. Our client Jill Yucius (age 27) sustained an injury to her low back requiring fusion surgery and sustained an injury to her shoulder requiring arthroscopic surgery following an auto accident. The defense attorney had valued the case at less than $200,000...

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Gerry Spence Win Your Case Audiobook Trial Guides

Gerry Spence Win Your Case Now Available on Audiobook CD Set

Trial Guides is now carrying the audiobook CD set of Gerry Spence's Win Your Case.  While many of Gerry Spence's books are written for the public, we believe this is Spence's best book for lawyers, discussing many of his methods before a judge and jury.
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Customer Obtains Excess Verdict Using David Ball on Damages

Customer Obtains Excess Verdict Using David Ball on Damages

Trial Guides received the following customer success story from David Ball.

"I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the method described in your book, CDs and seminars on Damages. Thank you for your help.

When I went to the ATLA Damages College I had already read your book on Damages, and listened to your CD. I was comfortable with your method and was looking to refine my skills. The case I worked on at the ATLA Damages seminar was a dental malpractice case where an oral surgeon severed my client's lingual nerve while extracting a lower wisdom tooth, leaving half of his tongue permanently numb.

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Lawyer Ken Allen Obtains a $20.8 Million Verdict Against Allstate Using From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves

Lawyer Ken Allen Obtains a $20.8 Million Verdict Against Allstate Using From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves

We recently received the following lawyer success story using the information in From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves - How Allstate Changed Casualty Insurance in America.

“David Berardinelli's book From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves is an essential tool for any trial lawyer handling bad faith claims against Allstate. The book details how Allstate redesigned its claims handling process to offer policyholders a very simple choice: accept less than fair value for your claims or face a battery of lawyers and years of costly litigation.

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Trial Guides Releases David Ball and Gary Johnson's Winning the Unwinnable Case

Trial Guides Releases David Ball and Gary Johnson's Winning the Unwinnable Case

Trial Guides is proud to release a new CD / DVD set featuring trial consultant David Ball and trial lawyer Gary C. Johnson titled Winning the Unwinnable Case.

From David Ball's intro to this disc set:

This DVD is about the inspiring story of how one of America's best trial attorneys, Kentucky's Gary C. Johnson, prevailed in a nearly impossible case. This discussion's original purpose was to help other attorneys see how to deal with some of the most common problems encountered in nearly every personal injury case. But, the discussion turned out to be more. One of the most inspiring stories behind a trial you have ever heard. You will find yourself playing this discussion over and over, before every difficult trial you ever face.

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Who Will Speak for the Victim

Jim Perdue's Who Will Speak for the Victim comes to Trial Guides

Trial Guides is proud to provide Jim Perdue's Who Will Speak for the Victim to its customers.  The book has often been out of print, and difficult to obtain, but is in stock at Trial Guides. 

Who Will Speak for the Victim is a practical book for practicing lawyers. Special chapters address methods of arguing liability and damages in various types of personal injury cases, emphasizing the most effective approaches to relating the evidence and argument to the specific questions the jury must answer.

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Winning With Stories Comes to Trial Guides

Winning With Stories Comes to Trial Guides

Storytelling is amongst the most important skills for trial lawyers.  Winning with Stories: Using the Narrative to Persuade in Trials, Speeches & Lectures, is an examination of the power of the story in the art of persuasion. Inner Circle of Advocates member Jim M. Perdue proves that the story, as our primary vehicle for learning and teaching, is as important today as it was to our ancient ancestors. “Since the beginning of time, narratives have carried the truths of hope and justice.”
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"Closing Statements" Featuring 23 Inner Circle Members, Now Available at Trial Guides

"Closing Statements" Featuring 23 Inner Circle Members, Now Available at Trial Guides

Trial Guides is now distributing "Closing Statements in Child Injury and Death Cases."

This book is a “must have” for any lawyer representing injured children. This book is a compilation of closing statements in child injury and wrongful death cases by 23 of the nation's Top Personal Injury Lawyers. Each lawyer is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization comprised of the 100 best plaintiff trial lawyers in the United States. Most of the closing statements in this book came from cases in which the jury returned verdicts in excess of $1,000,000.

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Rules of the Road First Edition Rick Friedman Patrick Malone Trial Guides

Trial Consultant David Ball reviews Rules of the Road

David Ball reviews Rules of the Road: If this book's methods do not significantly improve your courtroom results, then consider changing sides of the aisle because you must not have a plaintiff's bone in your body. Malone and Friedman take you step by step through trial preparation and trial itself to show you how to recast your cases in ways that even tort-'reformed' jurors will find hard to resist.
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