Lura Dolas



		FOR ATTORNEYS Success in the courtroom often depends on techniques you never learned in law school: a credible speaking style, the ability to build empathy, the ability to craft and tell a story, the use of appropriate and meaningful body language. In other words, acting techniques! Using structured exercises, personalized assignments, and videotaped “rehearsals,” I help you master those techniques to become more confident and effective with witnesses, jurors, and judges.


	Working with Lura has been so important to developing my courtroom and trial presentation skills that I have essentially required it for any of my attorneys who plan to walk into a courtroom. We all have come out of her classes with the same impression: Wow, this is good stuff! When it comes to persuading a jury, nothing could be more important than saying what you mean and meaning what you say. With Lura's help, we are many steps closer to accomplishing that mission and serving our deserving clients effectively.
	—Dean A. Hanley, founding partner, Paul & Hanley LLP


	Fundamentals Eliminating nervousness and stage fright Stage actors suffer from it, too—and they learn to overcome it. So can you, through breathing and stress-reduction techniques that help you become relaxed yet fully energized. More stage-fright techniques. Identifying your objective What do you want your listeners to do? Once you know your objective, you can develop a theme and a supporting story. Expanding vocal range, volume, and resonance Find your upper and lower notes, your crescendos, and your inflections, and learn to employ them for variety and persuasive power. More vocal techniques. Making eye contact Lose your fear and use eye contact to unite and ignite your listeners. Choosing your “acting verbs” How will you pursue your objective? Your “verb choice”—“reassure,” “convince,” “incite,” even “demand”—shapes your delivery. More verb techniques. Humanizing your language Jargon doesn’t move listeners; plain language with rich sensory and emotional nuances does. Learn to choose non-technical language to support your facts. Connecting to the text How to think of every word as sounding like what it means—and using that meaning to make an emotional connection. More connection techniques. Using story People’s brains are hardwired to receive stories; the best trial lawyers know how to use story to their advantage. Learn to drive your narrative through point of view, verb tense, personal connection, and powerful beginnings and endings. More story techniques.


	Lura's manner of teaching is positive, thoughtful, and encouraging. She’s also great with pre-presentation exercises, which make a huge difference. What surprised me the most was how much I looked forward to each class and how sad I was when it ended. An exciting, energizing experience!
	—Bruce Nye, managing partner, Adams Nye Sinunu Bruni Becht LLP


	Focused training Voir dire Using inflection to elicit productive responses, making eye contact, and more. Opening statements and closing arguments Creating the arc of the narrative, using vivid language and present tense, minimizing technical terms, delivering memorable emotional truth, and more. Witness Preparation Don’t risk the outcome of your important litigation on a nervous, inarticulate, or angry witness. I work with witnesses before deposition and trial to help them tell their story—the story your jury needs to hear—without the resentment, self-righteousness, anger, arrogance, or low self-esteem that can alienate jury and judge. Contact me to set up a session with your witness.

	There’s a tendency among trial lawyers to take the jury for granted. Lura has helped me make the jury part of the process—to engage with jurors in ways that move and persuade them.
	—Elliott S. Beckelman, criminal trial lawyer

	For information call 510-524-3676

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