By: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm – U.S. District Court Judge G. Thomas Porteous, in his recent Senate trial, was called “something of a moocher.” Earlier this year, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was called “foolish,” and “not the sharpest knife in the drawer.” With comments like these coming from their own lawyers, it is enough to make you […]
By: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm – Reacting to new evidence of support in the public as well as the U.S. military for allowing lesbians and gays to serve openly, those who support a continuation of a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy continue to warn of a dangerous loss of troop cohesion and morale, as well as the potential loss
The Persuasion Strategy You Have to Fear…Is Fear Itself Read More »
By: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm For the litigator preparing a witness or working up an opening statement, there is an important question of whether you should just make your own case, or identify and respond to the arguments likely to be offered by the other side. For the witness, should you cover in direct what you expect will be hit on cross,
With Eggs and Arguments, Keep the Sunny Side Up, But Cook Both Sides Read More »
By: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm In the wake of November 2nd’s Congressional Mid-Term elections, and another change in the party in charge at the House — widely read as a referendum on President Obama — the focus of punditry has turned to the question of whether the President “get’s it,” or not. As President Obama, again,
Make Sure Jurors Understand That You “Get It” Read More »
by: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm The common wisdom is that closing argument it the time to, well, present arguments. However, a sensitivity to your audience and to what jurors are trying to do during your closing argument, suggests that straightforward argument may not be the best way to help jurors feel like they’re 1.) coming
Remember That Argument Isn’t The Most Important Part of Closing Read More »
by: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm At the close of the corruption trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich for, among other things, trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder, the defense surprised many by putting on no witnesses and by reneging on an earlier promise that Mr. Blagojevich would testify
Keep Your Burden of Proof in Your Back Pocket Read More »
by: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm So the company finally terminates the troublesome employee. “Problem solved,” right? In a litigious climate, the answer could be, “Wrong, the problem’s been replaced by a different problem” because what follows could be months or years of discovery, deposition, and developing strategy before you find yourself explaining that decision to
In Employment Cases (and All Cases), Keeping it Simple is Smart Read More »
by: Dr. Ken Broda Bahm Sigmund Freud is credited with having said that “analogies prove nothing, but they make us feel right at home.” Among litigators, there are two schools of thought on whether to deploy analogies in the course of legal persuasion. One side argues that the explanatory staying-power of an analogy makes it
Stop Searching for the Perfect Analogy (but Don’t Surrender a Communication Lifesaver) Read More »