The Litigation Consulting Report

As the mattress sales wrap up from Presidents' Day, I thought it might be valuable to pause and reflect on this little-known gift from the first president. Apparently, in his youth, Washington was assigned a penmanship exercise of copying the rules of civility as drafted by others before him, and perhaps he editorialized in that process. Everyone likes to think that a 16-year-old Washington wrote these rules, but I think it is more likely that they were associated with Jesuits hundreds of years earlier. I've always felt a special connection to George Washington, having grown up on property that was once his farm, part of his Mount Vernon estate. In my downtime, I collect and write about historical items related to the history of the Alexandria area and George Washington. See https://ourhistorymuseum.org/blog/tag/george-washington. In this lengthy article, I have rewritten these rules of civility to apply to courtroom presentation, persuasion, jury consulting, courtroom technology, and general decorum for the trial lawyer. My general disposition as a litigation consultant is to win at all costs, so many of these rules are also aspirational. Unless the original rule fits, I am presenting my courtroom-translated rule, followed by the original rule. "George Washington's" 110 Trial Lawyer Rules of Civility 1. Every action done in the courtroom ought to be with some sign of respect to those who are present. That especially means not reading bullet points to your judge or juror. It wastes their time. See 5 Alternatives to Persuasion Killing Bullet Points From Our Litigation Consultants. Original rule: Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect, to those that are present. 2. When in a courtroom, don't do anything embarrassing with technology or otherwise. See Today's Tech Failure at the George Zimmerman Trial Takes Center Stage and 12 Ways to Avoid a Trial Technology Superbowl-style Courtroom Blackout Original rule: When in company, put not your hands to any part of the body, not usually discovered. 3. Show nothing to opposing counsel during opening statements that (unexpectedly) draws an objection. See 7 Times When Litigation Graphics Hurt Youand21 Secrets From an Opening Statement Guru. Original rule: Show nothing to your friend that may affright him.