5 Advanced Trial Lawyer Lessons

By: Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D. Tue, Oct 22, 2019 @ 03:44 PM

Trial Graphics, Litigation Graphics, Jury Consulting, Mock Trial, Jury Consultants, Visual Persuasion, Opening, Persuasion, Reptile Trial Strategy

This month A2L Consulting celebrated its 24th anniversary! I'm proud to say that we are at the top of the jury consulting, litigation graphics, litigation consulting, and trial technology industry in most national polls. In honor of all those top trial lawyers who rely on us every day, I want to add value to your practice today with the unique content of this article..

These five mini-series-style articles are some of the best of our 600+ trial-focused articles, and there is just nothing else like them available anywhere. Each takes a deep dive into a specific trial-focused topic.

Winning Before Trial focuses on actions one can take pre-trial to eliminate the need for a trial entirely. Throughout this series the importance of preparation is emphasized. In 24 years, there is no greater predictor of success at trial than the level of preparation for trial LONG in advance of trial.

The article on persuasion during opening brings together some of our most important material. As an organization, we believe most cases are won or lost during the opening statement. This article is written with winning your opening in mind. The storytelling article builds on this concept as does the article focused on being a great expert witness.

Finally, the article about the Reptile Trial Strategy is one of my favorites. This complex topic is tackled from the defense lawyer perspective. Without an understanding of this plaintiffs lawyer strategy, a defense lawyer experiencing a reptile attack for the first time will be overwhelmed by the strategy before they realize it's happening.

Top 5 A2L Mini-Series-Style Litigation Articles

1. 5 Ways to Maximize Persuasion During Opening Statements (4 Parts)

2. Repelling the Reptile Trial Strategy as Defense Counsel (5 Parts)

3. 10 Ways to Maximize Persuasive Courtroom Storytelling (5 Parts)

4. How to Be a Great Expert Witness (3 Parts)

5. Winning BEFORE Trial (5 Parts)

I hope you find a ton of value above. Most trial lawyers and litigation professionals do. Please let me know if you might have a trial on the horizon. We have a team of top former trial lawyers, top jury consultants, top hot-seaters, and top litigation graphics artists ready to support your team.

About Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D.

While attending the Delaware Law School in the early 1990s, Ken taught himself computer animation as a hobby. That hobby, combined with his law degree and a degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington, helped launch his career in litigation consulting.

In 1995, he founded his first company, A2L Consulting, where he served as its President/CEO for nearly 25 years. A2L provided litigation support services to all of the nation’s top law firms and their clients around the world. Often called upon when the dollars at stake are high, A2L’s services included helping to predict how judges and juries will react to a case (i.e., jury consulting and mock trials), the creation of sophisticated visual evidence used to persuade judges and juries (i.e., litigation graphics and 3D animation), and the deployment and use of state-of-the-art technology in the courtroom (i.e., hotseaters and trial technicians).

Ken launched LawProspecter in 2007, a first-of-its-kind software company that provided information about litigation and who was involved in it. In 2020, Ken launched OurHistoryMuseum, a crowdsourced history museum, which he continues to run.

Bestselling business author Dan Pink highlighted A2L in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, and Ken has been quoted by many news outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Inc., NBC News, Wired, the Washington Post, and the BBC.

Recently, the readers of LegalTimes voted A2L “best jury consultants” and “best trial consultants,” and readers of the National Law Journal voted A2L “Best Demonstrative Evidence provider” in the country. Many other publications have held similar votes and ranked A2L at the top of a key category. The American Bar Association named A2L’s blog, where Ken and his colleagues publish weekly, one of the top 100 blogs in the legal industry and one of the top 10 litigation blogs.

In 2013, Virginia’s Governor appointed Ken to a four-year term on the University of Mary Washington’s Board of Visitors. He has also served on the Dean’s National Advisory Board of Delaware Law School and various local and business boards and advisory groups.

In 2023 Ken launched Persuadius, a litigation consulting company that has picked up where A2L left off.

Despite an interesting and varied career, Ken still lists his top passion and proudest accomplishment as “father of triplet girls born in 2008.”

You can reach Ken Lopez at ken@persuadius.com

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