Introducing your clients in a way that develops a powerful connection between them and the jury is a cornerstone to building a winning case at trial. And in the latest episode of Trial Technique Spotlight, Shane Read, one of the nation’s leading trial presentation experts, highlights the creative demonstrative Rachel Lanier used to ensure jurors remembered a plaintiff, en route to winning a major product liability verdict.

Some studies show jurors often make up their minds about a case by the conclusion of opening statements. It’s one reason why distilling your case to a brief, powerful statement during openings is so crucial. And in a new CVN video series, renowned trial presentation expert Shane Read analyzes how Mark Lanier used such a statement to set the stage for a blockbuster talc trial verdict. 

When questioning a witness, it’s crucial to highlight the key information you want a jury to take away from that testimony. Otherwise, you risk jurors becoming overwhelmed with information and missing the most important points that witness made. This is particularly true during questioning of expert witnesses, where testimony can run hours long and confuse the average juror. In a multi-plaintiff talc trial against Johnson & Johnson, the demonstrative “notes” Mark Lanier wrote to support his questioning powerfully distilled key pieces of testimony and helped win a blockbuster verdict.

Stock image. 

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect a $4.14 billion punitive verdict in the case. 

This is a developing story, and updates will be added as events warrant. 

St. Louis—Jurors Thursday slammed Johnson & Johnson with a $4.69 billion verdict, including more than $4.1 billion in punitives, for the role they concluded the company played in the ovarian cancer 22 women developed after years of using its talc-based products. Ingham v. Johnson & Johnson, 1522-CC10417.