One of the newest services available from Huseby in terms of litigation support services is for trial presentation. Many of our clients are trial attorneys that must use every technological advantage to get ahead in a case. Whether it is one day long or three weeks, making your point is crucial. Giving out all the information a jury needs is not enough. They need to be able to absorb it to give your client the verdict desired. PowerPoint presentations are helpful in court because they not only educate the jury about the case but when done well, hold their attention.
Attract Attention
One of the disadvantages to having a long, technical trial is that the jury panel gets bored by a long flow of information. Their minds wander and sometimes people even doze off during very important testimony. They find more interesting things to do, like watch the court reporter. This is a great reason to use PowerPoint. A visual aid not only helps explain terms and facts, it can be quite compelling.
Visual Aids
Break down complex information into simple graphs of comparison. Use maps to explain who was where. When talking about people and locations, use pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words – really. Use before and after photos in medical malpractice cases or car accidents. It’s one thing to say someone was hurt. It’s quite another to see how hurt they are. When jurors have something to look at, they are more focused. They identify better with witnesses and information. They have better recall of facts and testimony.
Timelines
When bringing a jury through a sequence of events that is very important to the case, use PowerPoint. Spell it out. Show them what happened when. When they see it clearly written and displayed before them, it will be easier to understand and follow. An attentive jury is crucial to a fair verdict.
