80. The Core Four: Opening, Direct, Cross, and Closing, with NITA Faculty

Opening statement, direct and cross-examination, and closing argument are the most basic elements of advocacy that a trial lawyer must know. To announce that *May the Record Reflect* can now be heard on YouTube, we revisited the “Core Four” from our archives. NITA faculty members share their best insights and tips on these four critical competencies. **Topics** 4:00  Creating your opening statement 6:23  Workshopping the opening 8:38  Struggling with the right story 10:12  Engaging jurors’ imagination during opening 13:26  Using visual aids 16:47  Objections on openings 19:10  Making your case in direct examination 20:16  The challenges of direct 23:56  How to keep direct interesting 26:34  Humanizing a despicable witness 33:52  Fundamentals of a zinger on cross-examination 40:28  Preparation versus spur-of-the-moment 43:08  The challenges of cross 48:28  Women and cross 53:42  Your advantage in closing argument 55:54  When to start thinking about your closing 56:47  Using visual aids 57:45  Jury instructions 1:00:11 Closings for plaintiff versus defendant **Quote** “Something I always do is I talk to jurors like they are a friend that I’m having a martini with and I’m sitting across the table from. And I’m just talking to that friend about something that’s a very serious, very important issue — and I’m keeping it simple, I’m keeping it concise — so it’s a serious tone, but it’s casual.” *Brooke Latta* **Resources** **May the Record Reflect** on YouTube (link) *The Secrets of Opening Statements*, with **Brooke Latta** (podcast episode) *Direct Hit*, with **Mike Beckwith** (podcast episode) *The Tense Trio*, with **Hon. Amy Hanley** and **Cheryl Brown Wattley** (podcast episode) *Closing Time*, with **Luke Cass** (podcast episode) NITA Women in Trial (program)