5 Areas Where Litigation Graphics Create Leverage in Settlement Discussions

5 Areas Where Litigation Graphics and Animations Create Leverage in Settlement Discussions

If you explore our website and check out some of our other blog posts, you’ll notice how often we discuss the benefits of animation and litigation graphics for trial.

While it is important to use every tool you can to persuade a jury during trial that your argument is the right one, it’s just as important to take advantage of these tools outside of the court room as well. It’s often assumed that animation and graphics are only viable for cases that go to trial, but this is not true.

Whether you are presenting your case to a jury, judge or mediator you need every advantage that you can get, and over the years a good amount of the work we have done has been specifically designed for mediations or structured settlement talks.

Preparing an aggressive, state of the art presentation can be very beneficial in helping to persuade the fact finder in a case that has not gone to trial. In addition to the growing popularity of using litigation graphics, the cost of producing these services has significantly dropped in the past decade. Animations that cost less than $5,000 are now fairly common.

As any legal team knows, preparing for a case involves hundreds of hours of work – including reviewing evidence, doing extensive research, interviewing witnesses and experts and preparing exhibits for their presentation.

When we partner with a legal team to create animations and litigation graphics, we work closely with them to understand the background of the case, familiarize ourselves with the direction and make tailored recommendations to help them win a favorable verdict. 

Whether your case is going to trial or you expect it will settle during mediation, litigation graphics will be a valuable tool in either situation.

Modern culture has trained us to consume information in digital formats, which means that your audience, whether it’s a jury, judge or mediator will respond favorably to a multimedia presentation that includes animation.

People have become so efficient at multitasking that a verbal testimony or presentation alone is not enough to hold their attention and ensure that they retain the information that is being shared. 

Here are 5 example of non-trial scenarios where using litigation graphics can benefit the outcome of your settlement:

Litigation Graphics in Mediation

There are many cases that can be settled in mediation without ever making it to trial, which means that attorneys need to be just as prepared and equipped for these discussions as they would be for the courtroom.

Even though the atmosphere during mediation is more relaxed than it would be in the courtroom the end goal never changes. The objective is to obtain the best settlement for your client.

In mediation there are often no federal rules of evidence, which means that legal teams can be aggressive with their presentation and share anything that they believe is relevant to the case.

Additionally, legal teams can create a presentation that is digitally saved and can be shared with any decision maker that is not present during the mediation.

Settlement Talks – Judge’s Chambers

There are many advantages to using litigation graphics and animation during settlement talks in the judge’s chambers.

By coming prepared you show that you are serious. With a well-done presentation you ensure that the judge will be able to understand your case, even if it is a complex situation, which can tip the settlement in your favor.

The main benefit of courtroom animation is that you can basically show the judge exactly what happened during an event without ever leaving the judge’s chambers.

If your case involves specific terminology or complex concepts, a thorough illustration can take the guesswork and confusion out of the information so a judge can easily understand your presentation. 

Direct Settlement Talks

Never underestimate how powerful and engaging visual evidence can be. Our clients have repeatedly told us how jaws drop on the opposition when animation is brought into direct settlement talks.

The engaging and emotional element of an animation can turn the tide in any case. A well-prepared team that shows up to direct settlement talks with a thorough and informative animation can highlight the weaknesses in the case, which can encourage the opposing counsel to agree to a settlement rather than risk being embarrassed in the courtroom. 

Email Exchange Settlements

In today’s modern world settlements can happen entirely over email. Litigation graphics and animations can easily be attached to an email, which shows the opposition that you know your case inside and out and are ready for trial.

This could result in the opposition choosing to settle rather than spending time putting together a defense against an opponent that is clearly prepared and ready to go. 

Mock Settlement Discussions

Mock settlement discussions and mock mediations are common when large amounts of money are on the line. This is the perfect time to test your litigation graphics and legal animations on the mediator and see the impact.

Legal professionals know how important it is to practice and prepare ahead of time to ensure they are ready to go when a trial kicks off in court. Testing the strengths and weaknesses of a case is the whole point of putting together mock trials and mock settlement discussions.

This means that this is also a great time to test your litigation graphics and see if they create the impression that you were hoping for.

If you don’t get the desired reaction, it means that the graphics will need to be tweaked so you can achieve the desired impact.

Here is an example of an animation that was used in mediation to persuade the fact finder:

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” and at Courtroom Animation we believe that litigation graphics, animation and illustrations are worth so much more.

Our goal is to support our clients and exceed their expectations while helping them win favorable settlements.

If you would like to learn more about us or our services, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to sharing our work with you and helping create a lasting impression in the courtroom with litigation graphics. 

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