Opera Singers & Trial Lawyers

Opera Singers & Trial Lawyers

Newspapers in Milan, Italy, reported this last week, that tenor Roberto Alagna was singing an aria in Zeffirelli’s "Aida" at the world famous opera house, La Scala. There were many prominent people in the full house. However, he abruptly stopped singing, glared at the audience and left the stage when boos and whistles from the top gallery area began as he sang. His second had to rush on stage, wearing jeans, to finish the performance in his place. Afterwords Alagna complained to La Opera Repubblica newspaper that he did not deserve that kind of treatment. The noise was made by a small group of opera buffs known as the "loggiionisti" who usually occupy the top most gallery in the opera house. They claim to know all the notes of every opera by heart and are notorious for rowdy behavior when they consider a performance below standard. Other opera stars have received similar treatment at their hands including Luciano Pavarotti who was also booed at La Scala. Even the famous Maria Callas refused to continue a performance there in 1958 after there were interruptions by the group.

But, there is a lesson here for trial lawyers. We need to keep in mind the fact the jurors are often doing the same thing as the audience in Milan. They are booing and hissing our performance when it is boring, abusive, argumentative and unprofessional. They just are not doing it out loud. Rather it’s what they are thinking to themselves and sometimes share with each other in the jury room afterwords. The full effect of their displeasure will be felt in their verdict. That’s when the offending lawyer will feel the sting of their displeasure. It’s the role of trial lawyers to keep an eye on the jury. They are the group you need to convince and the final judge of your case. They are not spectators watching us perform whom we can ignore like an actor might a theater audience. They are participants with us as the drama unfolds. We need to involve them by eye contact and concern for their ability to hear as well as see what is going on. We also must be aware that we should conduct ourselves in such a way as to make a favorable impression. After all, it is the jury we need to please and persuade.

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