Katherine James

Bio as of November 2008:

Katherine James is the founder of ACT of Communication and a board member of The American Society of Trial Consultants. A trial consultant for 31 years, she has taught over 30,000 attorneys in her workshops and helped take almost 1,000 cases to trial as a part of the trial team. A specialist in live communication skills, she has written several articles for this publication, including “Can This Witness Be Saved From The Magic List?,” “Costuming For The Courtroom” and “Trial Practice, Practice, Practice.” Her company was also featured in attorney Donna Bader’s article “The Courtroom as Theater: Is the Courtroom Just Another Stage?”

Articles written by this author:

Can this witness be saved from the “Magic List”?

Preparing your client for a deposition should involve productive role play, not a lecture

Katherine James

2007 October

Costuming for the courtroom

“Who said that clothes make a statement? What an understatement that was. Clothes never shut up.” — Susan Brownmiller

Katherine James

2008 February

Tips on exercises to prepare for your courtroom performance — they really work!

Just as a great actor develops his or her talent, a lawyer can hone skills in the courtroom. The author, an actor and jury consultant, suggests exercises to improve your performance.

Katherine James

2008 September

The importance of eye contact

In a courtroom, eye contact is the big litmus test for credibility, believability and likability

Katherine James

2008 November

Jurors: What they see trumps who they are

Pay attention to juror selection, but pay more attention to the story you tell them

Edward P. Schwartz
Katherine James

2008 December

Another look at how to treat the witness in cross-examination

Why confrontation should be firm, but never vicious

Katherine James

2010 April