2021 WVAJ Mid-Winter Seminar Online
"Speed Trial" Strategies Force You to Re-Think Your Case and Help You Communicate It to Jurors More Effectively
"'Speed Trial' helps lawyers look afresh at what a case is about . . . You communicate more effectively to the jury because you don't let your main points get diluted." Joe Fried
Sometimes, the best ideas are born from being pushed outside your comfort zone against your will. That's what happened to Joe Fried, a partner with Fried Goldberg LLC in Atlanta and founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, and that’s how the concept of “speed trial” was born.
"I wanted weeks to try a case, but a judge gave me 18 hours,” Joe recalled. “He went on to tell me how big a favor he was doing me.”
"I'd always tried to be efficient, but being ordered to try the case that quickly forced me to rethink every issue, every witness, every element. I had no time to waste and had to get to the essence without any fluff” said Fried.
Fast forward fifteen years and many trials. Along the way Joe realized that there is no correlation between the length of the trial and the size of jury verdict. Joe recognized that it was his own fears and his own indoctrination as a trial lawyer that were the problem. Joe continued to reevaluate how lawyers were being taught to try cases. Was the current trial paradigm right or were lawyers continuing to try cases this way just because that was how it was always done?
Over the years, Joe’s trials have become shorter and his verdicts have been impressive. Two years ago, California attorneys who were aware of his success invited him to present a CLE session on the new model. "Speed Trial" was born. Since then Joe has been working to define what he is doing in a way that can be taught. He says it’s a work in progress, but it has generated tremendous attention around the Country.
Joe Fried will present "Speed Trial: How to Try Cases Quickly and Get Great Results" for the West Virginia Association for Justice 2021 Mid-Winter Seminar Online. The seminar is scheduled February 18 - 19, 2021.
"'Speed Trial' helps lawyers look afresh at what a case is about. You get your case down to its essence and plug that. You communicate more effectively to the jury because you don't let your main points get diluted," said Joe.
Joe believes this is more critical now than ever because of shorter attention spans.
"The old paradigm doesn't work any longer because the jurors can't pay attention. Under the old paradigm, you're taking 30 minutes just to establish your expert doctor's credentials. By the time you get to what's important, the jury is no longer paying attention. Instead, you introduce the witness as a doctor, share the main points and explain why the doctor is the most qualified to address those main points. You do it all in the first two minutes. Those critical points aren't lost an hour into testimony."
The response to "Speed Trial" has been overwhelming, and attorneys throughout the country are getting good results with the strategies and tactics used.
"I want attorneys to bring an open mind to the discussion. There is a different way to do things than the way we were trained to do them. Adopt some of the strategies. Try them out and share them with other trial lawyers," Joe said.
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About Joe Fried
Joe Fried is considered by many to be the preeminent truck accident attorney in the country. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, he has handled cases in more than 35 states and has recovered more than $1 billion for his clients. He is the founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, former chair of the American Association of Justice Truck Litigation Group, a past president of the National Trial Lawyers Association - Trucking Trial Lawyers, and founding Chair of the National Board of Truck Accident Lawyers. He is among the first lawyers to be Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Truck Accident Law and sits on the NBTA Board. In addition to his expertise in trucking, Joe is a former police officer with advanced training in crash investigation and reconstruction, human factors, psychodrama, storytelling and neurolinguistic programming. He is widely known for his creative and unique approaches to preparing and presenting cases and for his ability to craft and present the compelling human story in each of his cases. Joe handles a small number catastrophic truck crash cases at a time so he can focus his resources on achieving the best possible results for his clients. He spends the rest of his time working as a trucking safety advocate, author and educator. Joe has authored books, DVDs and articles on trucking and litigation best practices, and has presented more than 600 presentations on these subjects to lawyers, judges, and trucking industry stakeholders. He is a graduate of Oglethorpe University and earned his J. D. from the University of Georgia College of Law.
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