Advocacy News and Views
I am a Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Seattle University Law School where I have taught Pretrial Advocacy, Trial Advocacy, Essential Lawyering Skills, and Visual Litigation and Today's Technology. I was a career prosecutor and Chief of the Criminal Division of the King County (Seattle) Prosecutor's Office, and later Senior Training Counsel at the National Advocacy Center. I have written over a dozen books including: Pretrial Advocacy; Trial Advocacy; Lawyer Humor Handbook; Visual Litigation; Cross-Examination Handbook; Addressing the Jury; Powerful Presentations; Evidence; Appellate Prosecutor; Jury Selection Handbook; and Roadways to Justice. VISIT THE BOOKSTORE HERE: http://www:ronclarkbooks.com
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Persuasive Opening
Issue #1 Advocacy News & Views Opening statement is a trial lawyer’s best time to persuade the jury. It is a best opportunity for three reasons. First, you can provide the jurors with the story of your case in your own words. Opening statement will aid jurors in organizing and understanding the evidence as it is presented during trial, creating a sketch on the jurors’ mental canvas. Brushstroke by brushstroke, the sketch gains color, and the jury can visualize the picture you want them to...
READ POSTNew Evidence Book - a Preview
Advocacy News & Views New Evidence in Practice Second Edition - Coming Soon We now have both the front and back covers for the second edition of Evidence in Practice: Skills and Strategies for Pretrial and Trial with Practice Exercises. In February of next year, Aspen Publishing will publish our new edition and we are excited. The back cover explains what this new edition offers and why we are so excited about this book and its companion website that offers videos and much more. Here is the...
READ POSTExtracting the Truth on Cross-Examination - Part 1
Advocacy News & Views Extracting the Truth on Cross-Examination BOOK: Redeeming the Dream: Proposition 8 and the Struggle for Marriage Equality In the book Redeeming the Dream: Proposition 8 and the Struggle for Marriage Equality, the authors David Boies and Theodore Olson recount their battle as trial lawyers to bring marriage equality to gay and lesbians. It is a superb insider’s look at the case, and a must read for trial lawyers. In an earlier piece here, David Boies’s methodology for...
READ POSTTrump Conspiracy Filing
Advocacy News & View On October 2, 2024, Special Counsel Jack Smith filed the government’s motion for an immunity determination –Were Donald Trump’s acts done in his official capacity or as the government contends, “At its core, the defendant’s scheme was a private criminal effort.” Story The 65-page brief, which is worth reading for a full understanding of Trump's conduct and culpability, succinctly lays out what the defendant Trump did and the alleged three conspiracies as follows: “When...
READ POSTAdvocacy News and Views: Inquests - What are the good for?
Issue #2 Advocacy News & Views Inquests - What are they good for? Story #2 If the question is: “Inquests into police officer-involved deaths, what are they good for?” The answer came with a front-page article in The Seattle Times (9/20/24) about inquests held into police officer involved deaths in King County (Seattle). And, the answer in the article is: “Absolutely nothing.” Indeed, the newspaper article’s headline is “Critics: Inquests ‘horrific in every way”. The Seattle Times article...
READ POST6 Ways to Use Visuals on Cross-Examination
Issue #1 Advocacy News & Views Welcome to the first Advocacy News & Views - target is to make this a weekly newsletter that you'll enjoy. Story #1: 6 Ways to Use Visuals on Cross-Examination At Seattle University Law School I teach an online course entitled “Visual Litigation and Today’s Technology”. Cross-examination visuals are featured because they can be extremely powerful weapons for cross-examination. They can be used to gain concessions either supporting your case theory or undermining...
READ POSTHumorous Writing Tips Checklist
ADVOCACY NEWS AND VIEWS! Hi Reader My newsletters are focused on advocacy, particularly pretrial and trial advocacy and beyond. They are intended to help aspiring law students and lawyers as well as practicing lawyers and law professors and others interested in our justice system. The newsletters also will venture into other topics including humor, writing skills, overcoming the fear of public speaking, crafting and delivering a powerful presentation and more. WANT TO BE A BETTER WRITER? Read...
READ POSTADVOCACY NEWS & VIEWS: Judicial Wit
You do enjoy a bit of wit and wisdom because this newsletter will be providing both along the way. Here is a gem of judicial wit in a pretrial ruling on a motion. In Presidio Group, LLC, vs. GMAC Mortgage, LLC. In the case, the defendants moved for a more definite statement in the Complaint. In his Order granting the motion, the Honorable Ronald B. Leighton, United States District Judge, Western District of Washington at Tacoma began with William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2, Line 90:...
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