Before the advent of trial video, attorneys looking for pre-trial intelligence on how opposing attorneys worked the courtroom had two options: watch the opposition in person at another trial or glean information from colleagues that faced them. 

Neither alternative provided a very good solution.

Mark Belasic delivers closing arguments on behalf of R.J. Reynolds in Doris Ewing's suit against Reynolds and Philip Morris for the respiratory disease and death of her husband, James "J.R." Ewing. Jurors awarded $240,000 in damages against Reynolds, but found James Ewing 98% responsible for his COPD and absolved Philip Morris of any liability. 

Pensacola,FL—A jury Thursday largely cleared the nation’s two largest cigarette manufacturers of responsibility for the respiratory disease and death of a decades-long smoker, awarding $240,000 in unreduced damages but finding the smoker 98% at fault. Ewing v. R.J. Reynolds, 2009-CA-002791.

Better trial practice clinics and CLE seminars have spread the word about effective closing argument tactics and techniques. Most attorneys today use some sort of visual aid, from posterboard to computer simulation during their closing, for example, giving jurors a clearer summation of a case. 

But the difference between a workmanlike summation and a closing that compels a jury is the way in which these tactics and techniques are used. The tips below, as shown by three of the country's top trial lawyers, can help seal a verdict in your favor.