Jim Richardson's talk "Attorneys: How to Humor WINS both Clients and Juries"

Image of California raisin puppet with microphone in one hand, rhetorical gesture with other hand held dramatically above his head

The great lawyer's calculated rhetoric
exploits the ancient limits to what
we can actually hear and understand.
To see and hear Jim's insights
into this age-old quandary,
please click on the above figure's face.

Jim Richardson's All Day Program: "Jump-Starting Creativity for: Attorneys"

Keynote Speech, 20-90 minutes:
"How Humor WINS both Clients and Juries"

Half-Day Program, 1-6 hours:
"Interactive Skills:
seducing people into creative co-operation"

Half-Day Program, 1-6 hours:
"Summations: Putting the Kernel of your Case into a
Sound Bite that Convinces the Jury"

Jim complements your legal consultants

Audio Clips from Jim's Talks

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
EXAMPLE: "Did OJ's getting off the first time really have anything to do with 'shadow of a doubt' in death penalty cases?"

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Keynote (20-90 minutes):
"How Humor WINS both Clients and Juries"

Jim served on a jury a few years ago. During deliberations, every juror took turns trying to top each other.
How?
By compare/contrasting those deadly moments when the D.A. and the Defense outright offended the jurors.
Conclusion:

Both the state and the defendant were getting pathetic representation.
The general feeling was that both lawyers were stupidly and blatantly talking down to their audience.
Worse: the lawyers were not commenting on what -- to the jurors -- were obviously the most important aspects of the case.
- Moot Court has nothing to do with the way real people will hear what you think you are saying: the jury is not made up of 100% lawyers.
- Whenever Jim speaks, Jim asks the audience, "Who here has served on a jury?"
  (PAUSE.) Then, Jim continue with: "What did you think of the lawyers?"
  No pause for reflection is necessary: every audience boos--loud and long!
Solution: well, let Jim tell ya in person.
- At first, you won't believe how simple it is.
- Then, it will all suddenly -- in a flash -- make a lot of common sense!
- We will spend the rest of the day cementing in your self-discovery so you will be able to act from your new perspective:
  - How to WIN over reluctant clients and justify your fees
  - How to convince juries whose decisions determine your ultimate career path

Back to Jim's "Attorneys" menu

Half-Day Program (1-6 hours):
"Interactive Skills:
seducing people into
creative co-operation"

Most attorneys fail to maximize their interactive skills.

Whether or not you are comfortable with clients in the controlled atmosphere of your office, you change as soon as you are in court.
The audience throws you off, and you become too "school-teacher-y":
- Death with audiences.
- But an easy and fun fix!

Back to Jim's "Attorneys" menu

Half-Day Program (1-6 hours):
"Summations:
Putting the Kernel of your Case into a
Sound Bite
that Convinces the Jury"

What, specifically, is a sound bite?

sound bite/'saond bait/noun;
A short, pithy extract used for maximum punchiness;
also, a one-liner.
First appeared in print in the early eighties
. . . public will not follow more than a few seconds of speech.
"Anything more than that and you're losing them."
Washington Post 22 June 1980.
--The Oxford Dictionary of New Words

How can sound bites help WIN trials?

They are crucial:

Tired of all those day-long summations? Just want to get them over fast, fast, fast?
- Try sound bite messages that burn.
- Get your message across in under 12 seconds
  - Full comprehension forces listeners into immediate action: deciding on the right verdict
  - Control:
    - how the jury foreman will see the case's priorities
    - how the character of the defendant is perceived
    - what the other side of the case must present next

On the world wide web's superhighway, the future is NOW, and information is POWER

Open up your law office on Main Street in the global village
The fastest way that your web site can grab the world's limited attention span?
- Sound bites
- Score major points on the universal fast track of the "Information Age"
- The most memorable sound bites use HUMOR

Jim will show you how to add the warmth that wins over listeners: the long-lost art of "making love" to your audience

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Jim complements your legal consultants

Years of training actors, stand-up comics and business speakers in motivational analysis has sharpened Jim's intuitive edge.
While your experts are trying to figure out the legal arguments, Jim will aim his arrows at the sensibilities of the jury.
Jim has had many attorneys in his classes over the years, and they have praised his improvements to their courtroom presentation skills.

Back to Jim's "Attorneys" menu

Audio clips from Jim's Talks

Jim will be updating this section constantly from his current speeches, beginning Tuesday, 06-Jun-2023 06:21:35 PDT.
If you would like to listen to Jim's newest audio clips right here on this web page, just as soon as they are available, then please get on Jim's e-mail list at: jim@jimrichardson.com
Jim's brochure, audio and video demo tape are available upon request.

These two audio clips are from Jim's talk to the Menlo Park Rotary Club in Menlo Park, California. Jim adds some notes to supplement each audio clip to help the reader better follow Jim's argument:

Jim how to use humor to:
- Keep your job
- Survive bad dates
- Get children to automatically agree with your point-of-view
"Bosses, Dates and New Moms"
Are you starting to feel the pressure from clients and/or juries, starting to get burned out?
Stress is often caused when we are pulled in too many directions at once. Like trying to hold back a team of wild horses who are all going off in different directions.
Jim's techniques help you regain control, get those horses pulling in the same direction.
Thinking metaphorically, you can use all the techniques Jim talks about on this audio clip; today, begin to compel:
- your clients
- judges
- juries
- other attorneys
- folks in your personal life
to agree with you; do it right, and they will have no choice.
Now, that's power!
(Look, just because you're lawyers doesn't mean you should use this information irresponsibly.)
Thinking humorously to convince everyone you are right!
(audio 422 K ".wave" file, playing time: 1 minutes, 46 seconds)
Audio clip begins in mid-discussion, Jim proving to the audience that the number one complaint about doctors: "Doctors don't listen!"
"How Better Listening Cures Patients Faster"
The first step in getting folks to come around to your way of thinking is getting them to trust you as much as they trust their family doctor.
(Assuming your family doctor is trustworthy.) How patients see the doctor during their examination
is the same way your clients, judges, juries, and other attorneys
initially see you
(audio 488 K ".wave" file, playing time: 1 minutes, 52 seconds)
Jim's unique analysis of Marcia Clarke's summation errors in the OJ Simpson murder trail are still relevant.
Why?
Although these coals have been raked cold by various legal pundits, Jim has still not heard anyone even hit a glancing blow at the core problem.

Frequently Asked Question:
Q: "Did OJ's getting off the first time really have anything to do with 'shadow of a doubt' in death penalty cases?"
A: No: after the verdict was announced, every juror interviewed on television revealed an alarming fact. They never heard key evidence, and such evidence would have weighed heavily against OJ.
Marcia Clarke never knew what the jury was actually hearing.
She was essentially up there talking to herself.
Back to Jim's "Attorneys" menu

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Today's date and Pacific Standard Time is: Tuesday, 06-Jun-2023 06:21:35 PDT

Date this page was last modified, Pacific Standard Time: Tuesday, 23-Apr-2019 13:07:16 PDT

Keynote (20-90 minutes): "How Humor WINS both Clients and Juries"

Half-Day Program (1-6 hours): "Interactive Skills: seducing people into creative co-operation"

Half-Day Program (1-6 hours): "Summations: Putting the Kernel of your Case into a Sound Bite that Convinces the Jury"

Jim complements your legal consultants

Audio clips from Jim's Talks

"Bosses, Dates and New Moms"

"How Better Listening Cures Patients Faster"

Frequently Asked Question:

Keynote (20-90 minutes):
"How Humor WINS both Clients and Juries"

Half-Day Program (1-6 hours):
"Interactive Skills:
seducing people into
creative co-operation"

Half-Day Program (1-6 hours):
"Summations:
Putting the Kernel of your Case into a
Sound Bite
that Convinces the Jury"