
Set the Tone for Trial with Your Opening Statement
Your opening statement should set the tone for what the jury can expect from you for the rest of trial. Tone has several dimensions. Disposition – whether your presentation of the case will be aggressive or agreeable. Demeanor – are your affable and charming or all business? Delivery – whether you’re engaging or monotonous. How I present my case and myself to the jury changes with each trial and is dependent upon the facts and my arguments. In January, we tried a case in which the parties agreed about how the car-motorcycle wreck had happened. We agreed what the plaintiff’s injuries...