Litigation
Cal. Litig. 2017, Volume 30, Number 3
Content
- A Transitional Center: The California Supreme Court 2016 - 2017
- Book Review of Give Us The Ballot: The Modern Struggle For Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman
- Editor's Foreword: The Curtain Rises for the CLA
- From the Section Chair
- Give Your Persuasive Writing A Diamond's Sparkle
- How To Lose Your Appeal During Trial
- Litigation Section Executive Committee Past Chairs
- Masthead
- MCLE Test Questions for Self-Study Test (1 hour of credit)
- Past Editors-in-Chief
- San Francisco v. Trump: Defending Our Sanctuary City
- Table of Contents
- The ABC's of the TCPA
- The Party Line: Gerrymandering at the Supreme Court
- The Closing Statement For The Defense
The Closing Statement For The Defense
By John Conti
The moment of highest tension for trial lawyers and litigants is when the silence of the courtroom is broken by the reading of the jury’s verdict. Barring appellate reversal, everyone involved will have to live with the decision for the rest of their lives.
As the ultimate arbiters, jurors have the most decisive role yet the most abstract connection to the case. While the parties are invested personally, and the attorneys both personally and professionally, jurors are not affected by the verdict other than on an emotional level. As they walk from the courthouse for the final time, they hope to have a sense of confidence and pride in their decision, sen-
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