Civil Litigation
Aug. 30, 2024
Explaining the law in closing argument
Effectively targeting key instructions and discussing them with the jury during your closing argument can significantly influence the outcome of your case.
While there are some bright line rules for closing argument - the Golden Rule, offering personal opinions, referencing evidence not presented during trial - it is abundantly clear that a trial court must not restrict a lawyer's ability to interpret and argue the law. The latitude given to a lawyer in arguing the law is so "wide" as to be "unabridged." See Cassim v. Allstate Ins. Co. (2004) 33 Cal.4th 780, 795; see also Neumann v. Bishop (1976) 59 Cal. App. 3d 451, 4...
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