By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: At this point, coronavirus precautions in America seem to be on the honor system. With the CDC’s new guidance last week indicating that fully vaccinated Americans could go without masking or distancing in most indoor and outdoor situations, we now face a conundrum when we see someone going about unprotected: […]
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney has just been stripped of her leadership role as the number three Republican in the House. The precipitating incident seems to be that she would not silence her claim that the 2020 Presidential election was not stolen and continuing to criticize the former President for leading
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: With the extended pandemic restrictions and the resulting court backlogs across the country, we have moved tentatively into the world of online trials and hearings, with participants joining from different locations. In that distributed setting, many critics have argued that the resulting process just cannot possibly be the same. The
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The idea is a merger of pop culture with academics. In pop culture, “truthiness” refers facetiously to the feeling of something being true, independent of its actual truth value (a term coined by late-night comedian, Stephen Colbert). Academics, however, have creatively adopted the term to describe the real phenomenon that occurs when
Witnesses, Add to Your ‘Truthiness’ by Showing Pictures Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend every day of a civil trial, and then interview all of the jurors at the end of their service. I planned out a very comprehensive interview for each of them, including running through the witness lists from all parties, and
Direct Examination: Start With a Goal, Not an Outline Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: I write this blog principally for litigators, but sometimes it is worth remembering that transactional attorneys are also advocates who, depending on the circumstances, may also have persuasive goals. The point of seeking to influence, particularly when the transaction may become the subject of future legal battles, is a place
Tell a Story with Your Transactional Documents Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: In the lead-up to trial, a good trial lawyer has many checklists. Some deal with motions to the court. Some deal with disclosure deadlines, some with witness notifications. In this article, I would like to address the broader question of preparation for your jury: What is the checklist to make
Complete Your Jury-Prep Checklist Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The courtroom trial is one setting where lawyers feel they can sometimes dial up the dramatic delivery. In the hands of some, that liberty can lead to an overbearing style. One question with the newer Zoom environments is whether there is less room for that style when the communication is
Disrupt Your Zoom Narcissist Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: We’ve all heard the standard language in drug commercials: After a string of increasingly dire warnings about risks and side effects (a list that seems to nearly always end in “death”), a cheery voice will urge you to, “Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you!” While the
Ask Your Doctor If a Jury Is Right for You Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: “Looking back at this situation, what if anything would you do differently?” Witnesses can be asked that question in a variety of case types: medical malpractice, products liability, contract, fraud, and really anything that involves a conceivably questionable past decision. And this question can be tricky to answer. For the
Don’t Enter That Time Machine: Carefully Answer “What Would You Have Done Differently?” Read More »