Seattle, WA – 2025  With the courtroom as his classroom and persuasion as his craft, legal educator and experienced trial instructor Ronald H. Clark introduces his new authoritative book: Addressing the Jury: Opening Statement and Closing Argument  a nuts-and-bolts, advanced guide for litigators, trial advocacy students, and legal professionals wanting to master the art of courtroom storytelling.

Based on his time as Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at Seattle University School of Law and years of national trial practice training, Clark writes a book that is both instructional and motivational. Addressing the Jury dissects the anatomy of persuasive advocacy from the initial word uttered in court to the last plea made at closing.

"Each trial attorney has two golden moments," Clark states, "to address the jury directly the opening statement, and closing argument. This book teaches how to make both pay off."

The book is organized into four in-depth sections:

·         Opening Statement

·         Closing Argument

·         Persuasive Techniques

·         Ethical and Legal Boundaries

Each chapter is constructed not on theory, but on actual examples, case studies, and testimony from historic trials. From O.J. Simpson to Novell v. Microsoft, Clark analyzes courtroom moments that created public perception, demonstrating how effective storytelling, thematic construction, and purposeful delivery are what win cases and lose them.

He points out that opening statements must transcend chronology. They must recount a human narrative compelling, relatable, and emotionally rooted. "Jurors want a story," Clark insists. "Our history is storytelling. In the courtroom, whoever tells the better story usually wins."

Employing evocative trial examples and quotable phrases, Clark demonstrates how themes such as "fair play," "broken promises," and "accountability" shape the ethical center of a case. These themes, alongside rhetorical devices such as the Rule of Three, metaphor, and analogies, advance legal argument into persuasive oratory.

In his closing argument chapters, Clark turns his attention to the courtroom's final act  equipping advocates with the skills to bring a jury together, drive home important points, and make that final judgment-worthy impression. Clark dissects structure, pacing, emotion, and techniques of rebuttal with precision and lucidity.

The book also contains a chapter on legal ethics, reminding readers that persuasive efforts must always stay within the bounds of professionalism. "Advocacy," Clark notes, "is not about manipulation  it's about helping the jury see the truth through a clear, structured, and fair lens."

For teachers and law school professors, addressing the Jury provides a ready-to-use addition to trial advocacy courses. For new lawyers who are just entering litigation, it offers an unusual glimpse into the psychological world of the courtroom. For experienced practitioners, it is a strong reminder of the basics that take advocacy to an art form.

About the Author:

Ronald H. Clark has been a program director and lead instructor of national trial training centers, most recently the National Advocacy Center in South Carolina, where he taught thousands of state and federal prosecutors. His experience ranges across decades of courtroom litigation, advocacy pedagogy, and published legal scholarship. He teaches today at Seattle University School of Law and is a nationally recognized master communicator in both legal and educational communities.

Addressing the Jury: Opening Statement and Closing Argument is now available on Amazon.

Amazon: Cross-Examination Handbook: Persuasion, Strategies, and Technique
Author: Ronald H. Clark