I recently spoke at a CLE on things to think about when litigating a case from initial intake all the way through trial. My presentation on visuals was sandwiched between a presentation on voir dire and a presentation on opening statements. As I told the audience, that scheduling was ironically appropriate because that is the time when many attorneys first think about how to use visuals in their case. While I was joking, there was a nugget of truth in what I said. I am continually surprised at how late in the process most people begin to think about what

Every day we become more and more accustomed to receiving important information in short doses punctuated by striking visuals. Almost all of us carry around smartphones that deliver information in quick and often visually beautiful digital soundbites, but the legal world has stubbornly remained mostly analog. There are many reasons for that, many of them good, but it is increasingly important to think about how to present cases with compelling visuals that will capture the eyes and minds of mediators, judges, and juries. In this post, I’ll go through some ideas on how to analyze your case from a visual

My goal is to never create an image for my clients that they cannot use. As a former litigator, I understand that creating a beautiful, concise, compelling image is only half the battle – you still have to be able to use it. And for that reason, we here at Cogent Legal know the law that governs the admission of the images we create, and we share it with you. In this latest series of posts, I discuss the relevant law in federal courts. For the general rules, see Part One.  In this concluding Part Two, we address a few

My goal is to never create an image for my clients that they cannot use. As a former litigator, I understand that creating a beautiful, concise, compelling image is only half the battle – you still have to be able to use it. And for that reason, we here at Cogent Legal know the law that governs the admission of the images we create, and we share it with you. In this latest series of posts, I discuss the relevant law in federal courts. This Part One summarizes the general concepts applied by federal courts, which are largely consistent with each

Experts, Summaries, and Using Visuals Early Here at Cogent Legal, we create visuals that help you tell your client’s story as clearly and persuasively as possible. But as former litigators, we also understand that creating the visuals is only part of the battle – you also need to be able to use them. We continually ask ourselves not only what we can do to make your visuals as compelling and beautiful as possible, but also what we can do to make sure they are admitted. We also like to assist our clients in understanding how they will be able to

Part Two:  Relevance, Hearsay, and Foundation Here at Cogent Legal, we create visuals that help you tell your client’s story as clearly and persuasively as possible. But as former litigators, we also understand that creating the visuals is only part of the battle – you also need to be able to use them. We continually ask ourselves not only what we can do to make your visuals as compelling and beautiful as possible, but also what we can do to make sure they are admitted. We also like to assist our clients in understanding how they will be able to

Part One:  The General Rules Here at Cogent Legal, we create visuals that help you tell your client’s story as clearly and persuasively as possible. But as former litigators, we also understand that creating the visuals is only part of the battle – you also need to be able to use them. We continually ask ourselves not only what we can do to make your visuals as compelling and beautiful as possible, but also what we can do to make sure they are admitted. We also like to assist our clients in understanding how they will be able to use