Delivering an opening statement from an unusual point of view can be a powerful way to grab jurors’ attention and pull them into the narrative of a case. In a recent webinar with an all-star panel of trial pros, Karen Koehler detailed her approach to creative openings, including how one eye-popping opening statement set up a $123 million verdict at trial over a crash that killed five and injured dozens.

Video: Karen Koehler delivers her opening statement in the role of a duck boat captain during trial over a boat crash that left five people dead and dozens injured. 

Delivering a compelling opening can be a challenge in product liability trials, where equipment specifications and similarly dry material are often central to a case. However, in openings at trial over a fatal duck boat crash, Karen Koehler artfully channeled a duck boat captain to detail her case and set the foundation for a nine-figure verdict.