jury consulting: writing your opening statement

What if your opening statement not only told your client's best story, but was scientifically optimized to persuade your jurors?

You’ve spent months (sometimes years) working on your case. You know every single detail of what happened. If there’s a fact out there, you’ve uncovered it. But now those facts are swimming around in your head like a school of fish trying to dodge a shark encounter. They won’t hold still, and putting them in some kind of order seems impossible. Now, the stress of the quickly approaching trial is becoming overwhelming. You’ve got cross examination to draft and source. You’ve got to prepare your client to testify. You’ve got experts to wrangle.

How are you ever going to get this opening statement drafted?

Maybe the judge will adjourn the trial, you think (crossing your fingers). 

Perhaps a perfect opening will come to you in the moment. 

If you were getting any sleep at all, you could dream it. 

Or maybe there's a better way.

I’m Keeley Blanchard, and over the past 18 years I’ve tried over 70 criminal and civil jury trials. As a trial skills training and jury consultant, I’ve written and edited hundreds of opening statements for other lawyers. 

I have developed a signature story structure for opening statements that capitalizes on brain science to motivate jurors to help your client. I’d like to use that structure to write an opening statement that will tell your client’s best story and help you feel confident in your delivery to the jury. 

Here's how it works:

  1. Schedule an initial zoom meeting with me to discuss the issues in your case and your goals for your opening statement.
  2. Send me any discovery you’d like me to review before our meeting. 
  3. I’ll create a draft of your opening statement. 
  4. I’ll email you the draft, and you can provide feedback in a phone call, zoom, or email (whichever works best for you.)
  5. I’ll do as many rounds of edits as necessary for you to feel GREAT about your opening statement.
  6. We’ll schedule a zoom or in-person meeting for me to provide coaching on your delivery of the opening statement.
  7. You’ll confidently deliver a killer opening statement at trial. 

Your opening statement will:

  • tell the jury the story of how your client has been betrayed by a villain-protagonist
  • choose the protagonist that will produce the emotion you want in your jurors
  • have structure designed to induce curiosity and capture attention
  • get rid of unnecessary facts and provide something digestible for your jurors
  • empower the jurors to help

What's the timeline on producing an opening statement?

Typically, the whole process takes 10-14 days. I want you to feel great about the opening statement, and I  want you to feel super confident in your delivery. 

If you are working with a shorter timeline, I’ll do everything I  can to accommodate you.  

Schedule Your Initial Meeting Here