Every trial lawyer learns the rules of evidence. Fewer learn how to make twelve strangers care about what the evidence means. That second skill, turning facts into a story a jury can carry back to the deliberation room, is where cases are often won or lost.
On Wednesday, October 21, HGD was glad to open our Birmingham office to the Alabama Association for Justice (ALAJ) Emerging Leaders for their October Lunch and Learn. Our founding partner Steve Heninger was the guest speaker, presenting "The Art of Trial Storytelling: Connecting with Jurors Through Persuasive Case Presentation."
Who are the ALAJ Emerging Leaders?
The Alabama Association for Justice is the state's organization of trial lawyers who represent injured people and families. Its Emerging Leaders group brings together newer attorneys and gives them a regular place to learn from experienced trial lawyers, sharpen their skills, and build relationships across the plaintiffs' bar. The monthly lunch and learn series is one of the ways the group does that, one hour and one practical topic at a time.
What did the session cover?
Steve's talk focused on the gap between knowing your case and presenting it in a way jurors can follow, remember, and believe. The session centered on a few core ideas:
- Building the case around a clear, human story rather than a stack of exhibits
- Seeing the trial through the jurors' eyes, including what they need to hear first and what they will remember last
- Using plain language so the message lands without a translator
- Letting the client's experience be told with dignity, not drama
Why is Steve Heninger the right person to teach this?
Steve has spent his career in the courtroom on behalf of injured clients, and he has spent a good part of it teaching others to do the same. He teaches Persuasive Trial Techniques at Cumberland School of Law, and he is the author of Trial Worthy: Last Responders, a book about trading "paper wings" for toolbelts in courtroom persuasion. In other words, he is less interested in theory that sounds good in a classroom and more interested in tools a lawyer can pick up and use on Monday morning.
That practical streak is a good fit for an audience of emerging trial lawyers, many of whom are only a few years into trying cases of their own.
Why does this matter to HGD?
Hosting a room full of young trial lawyers is not a detour from client work. It is part of it. The habits that serve a jury well, clarity, preparation, and genuine respect for the person whose story is being told, are the same habits that serve our clients from the first phone call to the final resolution.
It also reflects something we believe as a firm: the plaintiffs' bar is stronger when experienced lawyers make time to teach. Our 14 attorneys and 30-person support team benefit every day from people who invested in us early. Opening our doors to the next generation is one way we return the favor.
Our thanks to the ALAJ Emerging Leaders for bringing the group to HGD, to everyone who spent their lunch hour with us, and to Steve for sharing what decades in the courtroom have taught him.
Have questions about an injury case?
If you or someone in your family has been hurt and you are unsure what comes next, we are glad to talk it through. Contact HGD to speak with an attorney about your situation.
