The most important decision one can make in any civil or criminal case is choosing the right attorney. Choosing your attorney is choosing your outcome. Almost without exception, a true trial lawyer will be your greatest asset in criminal and civil cases.
But, true trial lawyers are hard to find because trial is an art; we paint with words, with emotions, and by unearthing witnesses motivations and biases. For many lawyers, law school distorts one’s perception of life and ability to connect to other humans. It is one thing to paper an advocate with legal filings that have been honed for hours by well-paid law associates billing a high-powered company who have never talked face to face with their clients, let alone, jurors; and its quite another to stand face-to face with strangers and convey the client’s story and need for justice.
Trial is the art of connecting strangers to a common goal and trusting that those chosen by the trial lawyer will hear the message and in turn, define and deliver justice to the client. One of the most important, and difficult, concepts of the art of trial is being able to live in the moment and to feel the case from your client’s perspective.
If you ask someone who went to law school to point out future trial lawyer, they would likely be able to name just a handful of people in the class suitable for the job; those that participated in mock trial, trial advocacy events, those that excelled at evidence, and those that had an engaging personality.
The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of lawyers are not trial lawyers. They are transactional lawyers, business lawyers, litigators, and those that know that they will likely never go to trial; and if they are headed there, the advice to their client will be inconsistent with ending there. And that’s just fine because the world need all kinds of lawyers with various skills.
But, in general, in the civil and criminal case context, a trial lawyer represents your best chance of success. Always mindful of the end goal, the trial lawyer will gather evidence in a down-to-earth way to advance the client’s goals. The trial lawyer will also determine what evidence is the most important and determine the likelihood that certain evidence will be admissible or inadmissible at trial. The trial lawyer will assess the best way to present the evidence and will, hopefully, be interesting and engaging while doing so.
During jury selection, an able trial attorney will carefully vet potential jurors to seat a fair and impartial panel. At trial, they’ll cross-examine witnesses to challenge inaccurate testimony that could hurt your case. You’ll also need to decide whether to testify, which your trial attorney will prepare you to do whether you ultimately decide to testify or not.
My name is Lauren Campoli and I am a trial lawyer. I have tried 57 cases to juries across three states. In my journey from criminal law to civil law, I’ve discovered that my quest for justice remains undeterred and my love of the work shows in everything I do.
If you need an experienced trial attorney for a criminal or civil matter, and you want to talk, Lauren Campoli wants to hear from you. Please call us today to discuss your goals and needs.