When the patient at the center of a medical malpractice case dies following a relatively routine medical procedure, the defense must often overcome a natural tendency among jurors to believe the healthcare staff involved must have committed some error. During closing arguments of Bailey v. Corso, Daniel Huff delivered a powerful appeal to reason that convinced jurors his client, an Emory Healthcare surgeon, was blameless in the procedure that punctured his patient's heart. 

Rebuttal of a closing argument can be one of the most difficult elements of trial for a plaintiff's attorney. It's your last opportunity to speak on behalf of your client and the last words jurors will hear from either side before they deliberate. However, the rebuttal's focus on a defense argument typically given moments earlier means you don't have the preparation time you have for your initial summation. In Van Zyl v. Fain, Keith Mitnik delivered a powerful rebuttal to the defense's damage argument, and ultimately won nearly $19 million for his client. 

A closing argument in a medical malpractice case is a rhetorical highwire act, requiring a good attorney to ensure jurors understand key medical concepts while arguing how those concepts apply to the the specific case at hand. Spend too much time reiterating general medical concepts and risk losing the jurors' attention. Spend too little time on those topics and risk confusing the jury as you argue the evidence. In a $10 million trial over the stroke-related death of an emergency room patient, Mary Jaye Hall's closing efficiently combined complex medical information with powerful argument to strike at the theory of plaintiff's case. 

While strong testimony from an expert witness can be the linchpin to a favorable jury verdict, the converse is also true, as one ill-timed statement from an expert can destroy even the best-prepared case. In Morse v. R.J. Reynolds, an expert’s reference to the September 11 World Trade Center attacks led to a mistrial in a wrongful death tobacco case potentially worth millions.