Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers an online video tutorial service to help lawyers prepare clients for depositions, mediations, and trials (see article below). In addition, you'll find links to the previous 11 TL NewsWire features, including our coverage of cloud billing software for small firms seeking a standalone solution without practice management bells and whistles, a legal research service that helps you get up to speed in a new area with checklists, interactive forms, and practice notes, and much more. Don't miss the next issue.
Every litigator knows that client preparation can make or break a case. Yet thoroughly preparing a client for a deposition, mediation, or trial can be difficult and time-consuming. Because many people learn better by seeing realistic examples, abstract descriptions and warnings often fall on deaf ears.
EmpowerLegal Litigation Suite … in One Sentence
EmpowerLegal's Litigation Suite (EmpowerLegal) is a series of streamable video tutorials designed to help attorneys prepare clients for depositions, mediations, and trials.
The Killer Feature
You often hear that "content is king." This is especially apt for EmpowerLegal. Each video consists of professional actors in realistic legal event settings. EmpowerLegal's CEO and Founder, Alan S. Fanger, has more than 30 years of experience as a litigator. He worked with a film production team to audition professional actors and create the videos.
As the actors play out realistic situations, Fanger narrates, pointing out errors and what clients need to remember when they face similar circumstances. After each lesson, the actors reenact the scene to demonstrate the correct way to testify.
For example, the deposition video covers the importance of not explaining yourself but instead answering only the question asked. In the video, a witness in a business dispute is asked who was present when he signed the agreement. He starts his answer with unnecessary testimony about meeting with his lawyer beforehand. Fanger points this out after which the witness in the reenactment simply lists the people present at the signing and says nothing more.
"EmpowerLegal videos allow my clients to be more prepared," says attorney Mark V. Larson of Larson Law Firm P.C. "I absolutely have seen clients do a better job in mediations and depositions after viewing the videos because they know what to expect and how to answer. Using EmpowerLegal videos to prepare clients, I am getting some of the best depositions from clients that I have seen in my entire career. The videos do a bette
Other Notable Features
Your EmpowerLegal subscription includes administrative tools for sharing videos with clients and tracking which videos they view. Your clients gain access to a portal with the videos you make available. Below each video, clients can take notes and securely send you questions.
Each video runs for about 35-40 minutes, covering all the key topics likely to arise. For example, the trial video begins with jury selection, showing how the judge and attorneys conduct voir dire. The video then cuts to trial where your clients see opening statements, how evidence is introduced, what to do when an attorney objects during testimony, what's happening during a sidebar conference, how direct testimony and cross-examination differ, closing arguments, jury instructions, jury questions, and delivery of the verdict.
"During my long career, I realized the crucial need to prepare clients for reliable performance in major legal events such as mediation, trial, and deposition," Fanger says. "The EmpowerLegal Litigation Suite of streamable video tutorials provides realistic portrayals of these events, with helpful do's and don'ts, to help clients increase their chances of a favorable outcome."
What Else Should You Know?
Subscription packages depend on the number of litigators in your firm, the videos you want to use, and whether you opt to pay monthly or annually. You can price a subscription for your firm using the simple form on the website.
Learn more about EmpowerLegal Litigation Suite.
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