We begin by discussing Lloyd's unique journey to become a trial lawyer, which was shaped by his military education at the Virginia Military Institute and years prosecuting and defending case in the Army JAG Corps. Lloyd explains how he learned the importance of meeting your audience where they are while defending enlisted soldiers before juries of officers. One of the most important lessons he learned was that officers wanted to carry out their "noblesse oblige" mission of showing generosity and nobility toward those they lead, and this key insight provided an opportunity to get his clients a second chance.
Lloyd moves on discussing how he applied lessons learned in the JAG Corps to his plaintiff trial practice. He began representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases, and over time developed a specialization in medical negligence. Lloyd explains how he meets juries where they are in medical cases by developing his cases around accessible themes, like one of the Seven Deadly Sins, as opposed to focusing the case on the medicine.
We then move on to discussing Lloyd approach to his opening statement and use of trial technology. Lloyd explains how he models his openings on popular television shows, which always begin with a dramatic hook. He then uses technology to show the jury the key medical concepts before telling the story of his particular case. Lloyd provides tips on what makes effective use of technology in the courtroom, such as limiting the number of words on a slide, careful choice of images, single-concept slides and a clean, appealing layout and color scheme. Lloyd prefers a multi-media approach including blowups, models and other aids to involve the jury in the evidence to the maximum extent possible.
