Bill Barton has been practicing law for thirty-five years, and has tried over five hundred jury trials. Barton has obtained numerous large verdicts in medical malpractice, child abuse, and product liability cases. He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a fellow of the International Society of Barristers, and has been listed in three categories in The Best Lawyers in America.
When Barton refused to settle C.B. v. The Archdiocese of Portland, et. al. so that the public could know the truth about what had happened to his client, the Archdiocese of Portland was the first diocese in America to file for Chapter 11 protection, the day before trial. He is also the first lawyer to successfully file, serve, and state a legal cause of action against the Vatican for sexual abuse of a minor in John V. Doe v. Holy See, et. al. He is the author of Recovering for Psychological Injuries, one of the bestselling trial advocacy texts in the past fifty years, now in its third edition.
In this video, Bill discusses the importance of direct examination and how to improve this often overlooked part of your trial in order to improve your verdicts. Topics include how to use personal stories during direct, and how to tie these stories into your trial theme. Learn why leading questions on direct are not just objectionable, but damaging to your case. Instead, learn Barton's method of creating a conversation with witnesses that will resonate with jurors. Lastly, Bill discusses the importance of personal authenticity in trial.
Bonus DVD: Includes an additional 2010 lecture by William Barton
*This video is part of a series by Trial Guides in which historical videos of America’s leading lawyers and experts are restored to create a unrivaled educational resource for plaintiff lawyers. Please note that due to the age of these videos, the original video tapes have lower resolution than today's DVDs. Royalties from this video series go to support state and county trial lawyer associations.
Disc 1 [66:11]
- Introduction
- Getting to the Heart
- Direct Examination Problems
- Asking Questions During Direct Examination
- Asking Questions During Direct Examination
- Asking Questions During Direct Examination
- Drama and Spontaneous Direct Examination
- Structure Direct Examination
- Direct and Cross Examination
- Direct Examination Questions
- Direct Examination Questions
- Direct Examination Questions
- Direct Examination Questions
- Direct Examination Questions
- Direct Examination Questions
Disc 2 [26:10]
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecture
- Afternoon Lecturen
Total running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes