This two and a half-day program combines lectures, demonstrations (including two live focus groups), and interactive participation with nationally renowned trial lawyers, trial consultants and communication experts. Sharpen your skills in our new state-of-the-art, T. Gerald Treece Courtroom. Receive a wealth of new scientific data which you can apply to all persuasive situations immediately.

This course is designed to convey proven, state-of-the-art principles of persuasion and communications which apply to every lawsuit and every persuasive challenge. Refine your skills, become more confident, more skillful, and more persuasive. Apply these principles in the courtroom, in mediation, and in all other persuasive situations. You will also acquire the ability to recognize and overcome jury bias by using new research data.

This course invites your ACTIVE PARTICIPATION to hone the new skill-sets which you will learn. Due to the interactive nature of the seminar, registration is limited to 70 participants.

THE ENTIRE FACULTY, each bringing their own unique talents and perspective, will participate in teaching and commenting on each segment of the program.

Day One begins with a detailed discussion and demonstration of the persuasive principles that influence all decision-making, with the focus on judges and jurors. Today's principles are equally useful in mediation and settlement negotiations. An entire segment is devoted to understanding and utilizing the psychological causation principles that jurors use in deciding the all-important causation issues. This is followed by a discussion of how attorneys can provide the shortcuts which jurors seek and use in decision-making.

The lunchtime presentation will discuss communication and negotiation skills for effective settlement negotiations, including a demonstration of a mediation DVD settlement brochure and demand letter.

In the afternoon, focus will shift to important principles learned from both litigation experience and extensive research in jury bias. These principles aid attorneys to recognize and overcome jury bias. You will learn how to effectively tap into jury biases and influence the decision-making process.

Finally, Day One concludes with the Trilogy of Persuasion, the three times an attorney gets to directly address the jury: voir dire, opening statement and summation. Lisa Blue and Howard L. Nations apply the persuasion principles with critique and feedback from the communications experts.

Day Two begins with "It's all about storytelling." Learn the dramatic techniques of the theater as applied to the courtroom by professional actors and trial consultants, Katherine James and Alan Blumenfeld. Convey your evidence, your themes and your persuasive messages in the form of a story, the most powerful technique known to capture and hold the attention of the jury. This is an interactive workshop. Each participant should bring a summary of one of your cases to which you can apply the principles of this entire seminar.

The lunchtime presentation will be on the art and science of persuading on damages, including methods of evaluation, proof and persuasion.

Following the damages presentation, Eric Oliver, a communications expert and trial consultant, will lead the discussion on basic and advanced communication skills to use in all persuasive situations. The power of visual persuasion, witness preparation and examination complete the day.

Day Three is all about effectively utilizing focus groups. There will be a demonstration of a concept focus group and a structured focus group in an actual case, with a retrospective discussion and question and answer session. The program finale features a tribute to the legal profession by Shakespeare.