Feb 19 2025 47 mins 4
NITA Program Director and former Resource Director Mark Caldwell joins the podcast to chat about how to effectively communicate with the various audiences in the courtroom to ensure they get — and comprehend — the information they need from you. He shares how to talk to jurors about unfamiliar courtroom procedures and substantive information, why sounding like a tv lawyer is a huge turn-off to jurors, and recommends some of his favorite lawyers from pop culture whose techniques can help trial lawyers refine their courtroom communication style.
Topics
3:05 The needs of the courtroom audience
7:14 What “talking like a lawyer” means
10:10 Juror impressions of “lawspeak”
13:53 Communicating procedural and substantive complexity
20:06 How not to sound like a lawyer
27:50 Pop culture examples of legal communication
29:00 Why my cousin Vinny is a great trial lawyer
31:42 Movies and a book to recommend
51:55 Implicit bias training
Quote
“Don’t be a tv lawyer, but take lessons from what you see on television.” Mark Caldwell
Resources
Mark Caldwell (bio)
Colorado Deposition Skills and Trial Skills (programs)
Films, shows, and book (list)
