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Overview AI Webinar Summary

Priming & Demonstrative Evidence

In this fun, fast-paced CLE, we’ll explore how smart visuals can sharpen your advocacy across the board — at deposition, in motion practice, in settlement talks, and at trial. You’ll learn practical, repeatable techniques for building clear demonstratives, running effective in-court demonstrations, and “priming” your audience so the most important details stand out the moment they see them. Expect usable tools, a few war stories, and ideas you can put to work in your very next case.

Topics covered include:

Trial Skills Discovery Law Practice Negotiation, Mediation, & Arbitration

Agenda:

Introductory Overview

Welcome + framing
Why visual

Humans are wired for visual storytelling
~80% of sensory input to the brain is processed visually

Rules as Creative Constraints

Structure your client’s story or argument around admissible evidence.

Building Scenes and Demonstratives in Discovery + Priming

Visual aids used during depositions and discovery responses help orient jurors and witnesses visually at trial.
This can also be done for path of travel in auto-wreck cases.
Where perception and timing are critical, jurors and witnesses do better when they see what’s happening.

Building Scenes in the Courtroom & Re-Enactments

Technical advice and pointers for getting the witness off the stand to do a demonstration in the courtroom during testimony.
Always have a backup plan!

More Evidentiary and Admissibility Considerations

Always lay foundation for trial demonstratives or visual aids early in the case.

Practice Principles — How Do You Choose? Animation v. Demonstration

Choosing key points of tension and/or decision focus your decision-makers where you want them to look.
Medical and surgical testimony is ideal for animations. Liability scenes are ideal for demonstrations – especially where people are talking or meeting to make a decision.

Thinking Outside the Box — Using Music and Silence

Silence in the courtroom can be deafening.

Choreography, Orientation & Priming

Never turn your back on jurors.
Use principles of priming to orient jurors to what they’re going to see before they see it.

Focus Groups & Other Tools

Focus groups are critical for testing visuals or demonstrations before using them in front of jurors or during depositions.

Closing — Hand the Decision Makers the Right Lens

Persuading with framing, sequencing, and visuals is the new age of trial work where people’s attention spans are short, and juror fatigue can easily result in a decision against your client.

Q&A (As Time Permits)

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: March 5, 2026 10:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction

The focus of the webinar is on the importance of visual storytelling in the courtroom, especially in the context of personal injury cases. The speakers discuss the importance of visual processing in the brain and how it influences the practice of law. They emphasize the need to incorporate visual elements into legal communications, such as depositions and briefs, to make them more impactful. Allowing the case to come to life for jurors by using visuals helps them connect with the case on a deeper level.

11:08 Demonstrative Evidence Techniques

The speakers discuss the creative use of visuals in the courtroom while adhering to the rules of evidence and procedure. They highlight the use of scene setting and demonstrative evidence to clarify complex scenarios, such as auto versus pedestrian cases. They explain how visual representations can lock in a client's story and prevent inconsistencies during trial. The discussion includes practical tips for using visuals in depositions and the importance of clear documentation for potential appeals.

30:52 Scene Setting and Client Testimony

The speakers discuss the use of psychodramatic tools to help jurors understand and feel the events of a case. They emphasize the importance of setting the scene in the courtroom to make the jurors visualize the scenario effectively. They discuss the psychological impact of visual storytelling and how it can solidify the scene in jurors' minds. The conversation touches on the importance of practicing with clients to ensure they can confidently convey their story during trial.

38:43 Handling Sensitive Cases and Reenactments

The speakers discuss handling sensitive cases, particularly those that might retraumatize clients, by using other witnesses to provide different perspectives. They emphasize the importance of storytelling choices and understanding the perspectives of multiple parties involved in a case. They highlight the art of storytelling in trial lawyering and the importance of leaving some aspects of the story unfinished for jurors to interpret. The conversation stresses the need for backup plans in case demonstratives are objected to and the importance of adapting quickly during trial.

48:50 Technicalities and Focus Groups

The speakers discuss the technical aspects of using visuals in the courtroom, emphasizing the need to lay the foundation for visuals early in a case. The discussion includes the strategic selection of demonstratives based on where the most tension exists in a case. The speakers highlight the importance of focus groups in testing the effectiveness of visuals and storytelling techniques. They discuss the use of music and silence as powerful tools in courtroom presentations to enhance storytelling.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Speakers

Eric Ganci Trial Attorney
The Ortega Firm, Inc.

Eric Ganci is a seasoned trial attorney who has dedicated his career to representing people whose lives have been disrupted by serious injury, injustice, or wrongdoing. Known for his courtroom experience, strategic insight, and relentless advocacy, Eric has tried more than 70 cases to verdict. He began his legal career as the founder of his own practice, where he quickly established himself as a formidable trial lawyer. Over the years, he has represented clients in complex and high-stakes matters, ultimately recovering millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on their behalf. Read More ›

Noah Moss Founder
Shepherd Law

Noah Moss is the founder of Shepherd Law, a national trial firm dedicated to representing families and individuals in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and civil rights cases. Noah’s work as a civil lawyer over the last 14 years has earned him the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego “Game Changer Award,” Daily Journal Top 40 Under 40, and Super Lawyers Rising Stars honors. He also presents nationally, including at the AAJ Annual Conference alongside fellow TLC graduate Eric Ganci. For further resources, email Noah - noah@shepherdlaw.co.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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Alaska CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: March 4, 2031

California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

Hawaii CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: March 4, 2028

Illinois CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: March 4, 2028

New Jersey CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.20 General

Earn Credit Until: March 4, 2027

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2027

Ohio CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2026

Pennsylvania CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure

Earn Credit Until: March 4, 2028

Texas CLE

Status: Pending

Credits: TBD

Earn Credit Until: TBD

Vermont CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 General

Earn Credit Until: March 5, 2031

This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in Alaska, one hour of General CLE credit in California, one hour of General CLE credit in Hawaii, one hour of General CLE credit in Illinois, one hour of General CLE credit in North Carolina, one hour of General CLE credit in Ohio, one hour of Substantive Law, Practice, and Procedure CLE credit in Pennsylvania, and one hour of General CLE credit in Vermont. This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.20 hours of total CLE credit. An application for accreditation of this activity has been submitted to the MCLE Committee of the State Bar of Texas and is pending.

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