Even though lawyers aren’t supposed to be the stars of direct examination, they can still think about the testimony they’re aiming to elicit in cinematic terms.  

That was one of the key takeaways from a presentation about direct examination from Lauren Thrasher, an assistant public defender in the Rockdale County Public Defender’s Office in Georgia, and Dennericka Brooks, the director of the housing practice group for Legal Aid Chicago, sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) late last month.