The Visual Display of Evidence at Trial

2 Credit Hours

This course is designed to describe and teach the fundamentals of presenting evidence at trial, with a particular focus on how to display complex information and data in a manner this is accessible, understandable, and persuasive to jurors. The course will build on basic trial advocacy techniques and combine faculty lecture and demonstrations with student "on-your-feet" exercises that simulate real-world courtroom experiences. Specifically, students will be asked to prepare arguments and witness examinations incorporating demonstratives and other mechanisms for displaying information. Lectures, discussions and required reading materials will cover topics such as storytelling through visuals, using the high-tech courtroom, the "new" jury, the development of the use of graphics and other demonstratives in the practice of law, and evidentiary issues raised in the electronic world. The course is presented through NU Law's Fred Bartlit Center for Trial Strategy. It will be taught by experienced trial lawyers from Bartlit Beck LLP. Classes will take place in Bartlit Beck's own Courtroom and "Forum" in the historic 1892 Cook County Criminal Courts building, located a few blocks from the law school at 54 West Hubbard Street.