Collecting Words and Phrases
Try to keep a collection of sayings, particular words, particular phrases, quotes, news stories and anything else that might be useful in an opening or closing argument. You would be surprised at how useful these will be to you in the future. Sometimes when I look back through what I have I come up with a theme for my case or I find just that right word or turn of phrase that will work in an opening or closing.
I recently came across two more sources for my collection. One is a website entitled QuoteDB which contains numerous quotes on different subjects. I found this at a post at Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog. The other was a new book entitled Advocacy Words which was highlighted at a post at Trial Ad Notes.
On an amusing note, I found one quote at QuoteDB that I would dare a defense attorney to use in a closing argument in a personal injury case. That quote is:
"The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise." - Tacitus
