Reel Justice

Persuade one or two jurors to say “Yes,” the remaining jurors not to say “No,” and you will be a successful trial lawyer. Your challenge is to identify and to move the hearts and minds of the jury leaders and to motivate the others so that they will agree with the leaders—and with you—when decision time comes. Reel Justice and Dominic Gianna will show you how.

Gianna will engage you. Armed with the latest jury research and a successful career of trial experience, he connects jury studies, language studies, and decades of trial practice to define practical tactics.  Discover how to use powerful language; how to create “atmosphere” in the courtroom; and how to muster the jury to righteous indignation for your cause. Gianna will also demonstrate effective methods to harness and cultivate jurors’ expectations and preconceptions.

This dynamic presentation—punctuated by dozens of classic and popular film clips—offers inspiration for your creativity and reveals expectations that juries have for trial. Gianna uses film clips as points of departure for demonstrating realistic methods you can adopt to dramatize your opening statements; create visceral stories; and weave powerful, persuasive closing arguments.

During this seminar, Gianna will tak you inside the jury room to:

• inspect the methods jurors use to make decisions; 
• see how they construct stories;
• discover how they regard evidence; 
• see what they like; and 
• see what they ignore.

Attend Reel Justice if you’re serious about the craft of advocacy and are looking for an exciting, practical and entertaining way to updgrade your advocacy skills. You will leave with a refreshed and invigorated view of the process of a jury trial and with tools to immediately improve your practice. Guaranteed.

Program Outline & Schedule (6 hours)

[Part I: 90 minutes]

Power Passion and Persuasion in the Courtroom and How to Find It

• The Reel and The Real—My Cousin Vinnie and the Cambridge Jury Studies
• The New Generation Gap: Trial Before the X, Y & Ds
• The Language of Power, Passion and Persuasion
• How to be Childlike and Win

The Sources of Modern Persuasion

• The Visceral and Visual Trial
• Sources of Power and How to Use Them
• Jimmy Stewart’s Mystique, Paul Newman’s Dressing, Perry’s Magic and Sir Wilfred’s Charm
• Deflating and Destroying Your Power

[15 minute break]

[Part II: 90 minutes]

Applying Power and Passion –Creating the Cinematic Trial

• Dramatic, Directed Examinations
• The Actor’s Cross—The Secrets of the Actor in Us
• My Cousin’s Secret—The Magic Rules of “Why” and “Probability”

Winning in the Beginning— Creating The Visceral and Visual Trial in the Opening

• The 3 Magic “Cs”
• Jury Think and How to Use It
• Storytelling—The Essence of Visceral Communication
• Understanding How and Why Jurors Act and React
• The Powerful and Passionate Opening

[Lunch]

[Part III: 90 minutes]

Four Concepts of Preparation—The Ethical Limits of Persuasion

• Powerful Speech vs. Powerless Talk—The O’Barr Language Studies
• Concepts of Powerful and Ethical Witness Preparation
• The Power of Verbal and Non-Verbal Interviewing and Preparation

Voir Dire—From the Right Side of the Brain

• The First 90 Seconds
• The Model for Jury Selection in the 21st Century
• The Law of Salient Objects
• Influence Continuum in Today’s Jury Room
• The Four Magic Rules to Successful Voir Dire

The Inner Game of Advocacy—Becoming the Inner Advocate

• Learning to Use the “Right” Brain
• Visualization Techniques that Work

[15 minute break]

[Part IV: 90 minutes]

Modern Jury Deliberations

• Deliberation Styles—Verdict Driven and

Evidence Driven

• Certainty Principles
• The Modern Juror’s Deliberation Scheme
• 12 Very Angry Men

The Top 10 Lists—A View From the Inside

• What Jurors Enjoy Least
• What Jurors Enjoy Most
• The Eight Juror Maxims

The Powerful Passionate and Persuasive Closing Argument

• Ten Ways to Make a Powerless Closing
• Meeting the Jury’s Needs
• The Five Steps to Empowerment
• The 10 Steps to Power in the Closing Argument

[Adjourn]