Klinedinst’s Supervising eDiscovery Administrator has been elected to lead the San Diego chapter of Women in eDiscovery. The organization aims to raise the profile of women by bringing members from within the eDiscovery industry together for leadership, education, and networking opportunities.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst is pleased to announce that Supervising eDiscovery Administrator Dana Hollenbeck has been selected to lead the San Diego chapter of Women in eDiscovery. Ms. Hollenbeck’s term as Chapter Director will extend through 2025.

Women in eDiscovery is a non-profit organization designed to help support women in the constantly-evolving field of eDiscovery. Membership is extended to professionals within the legal industry including attorneys, litigation support personnel, paralegals, IT staff, court reporters, and other affiliated individuals. The organization provides educational opportunities, networking, and leadership opportunities, and each chapter works with their local communities to mentor and provide charitable contributions.

Ms. Hollenbeck administers the eDiscovery operations across all Klinedinst offices. She is a Certified Electronic Discovery Specialist (CEDS) and a Relativity Certified Administrator (RCA). In her role as paralegal, she provides litigation and eDiscovery support in cases of all sizes, from simple litigation matters to complex class actions involving Fortune 100 companies.

“Dana is a valued contributor to the firm, as well as to the eDiscovery community.,” said Joseph Escobio, Chief Information Officer for Klinedinst PC. “Leading the San Diego chapter of Women in eDiscovery is a true testament to her tireless commitment and her dedication to helping other eDiscovery professionals. This is truly a phenomenal achievement.”

In addition to her involvement with Women in eDiscovery, Ms. Hollenbeck is a member of the Association of E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS), International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), the San Diego ESI Forum, and the San Diego Paralegal Association. 

Klinedinst congratulates Ms. Hollenbeck on her contributions to eDiscovery. For more information and background on Ms. Hollenbeck, please visit:

https://klinedinstlaw.com/profiles/support/dana-hollenbeck

About Klinedinst

Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Klinedinst PC welcomes Senior Counsel Nicole Pelcic to our growing Arizona team.

Ms. Pelcic has a long-standing record of providing clients with outstanding representation in a wide variety of case matters. Licensed in both Arizona and California, Ms. Pelcic has advised heavily in the areas of general liability defense and real estate. Ms. Pelcic is passionate about representing smaller Arizona-based lenders in their legal matters, ranging from real estate compliance to fee disputes. In real estate, Ms. Pelcic has represented homeowners in actions against sellers and real estate professionals for failure to disclose material defects, negotiations with municipal utilities regarding easements, boundaries, eminent domain, and code compliance, and damage to real property litigation. Additionally, Ms. Pelcic has advised real estate agents and brokers regarding compliance with applicable regulations, commission/fee disputes, and mortgage brokers regarding title issues.

Previously, Ms. Pelcic served as in-house counsel for a construction and equipment sales company, where she advised on issues involving employment, procurement, government contracts, private contracts, and partnership liability while implementing a Department of Transportation compliance program for company drivers.

“We are very excited to have Nicole join our expanding Arizona team,” said Teresa M. Beck, Managing Shareholder of Arizona and Nevada “Nicole has an impressive history of representing clients in complex litigation matters, with a special focus on real estate and general liability defense. Nicole will be extremely valuable to both our Arizona and California clients, and we look forward to expanding our reach across the southwest with her on board.”

To learn more about Ms. Pelcic, please visit: https://klinedinstlaw.com/profiles/attorney/nicole-pelcic

About Klinedinst

Klinedinst PC is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation and trial experience, sophisticated transactional advice, and other solution-oriented legal counsel. Providing legal services across the West, our attorneys are dedicated to fostering trusted relationships with each and every client, to help them achieve their individual goals and objectives. Klinedinst lawyers strive to serve as true business partners, always at the ready to address the legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether in court, at the board meeting, or otherwise, KPC is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.




SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst is pleased to renew its support of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (SDVLP) as an official sponsor of the 2022 Justice for All Celebration on September 29, 2022.

SDVLP is a non-profit organization that provides pro bono legal services to San Diego residents in need. The organization relies heavily on volunteer lawyers and contributions to help provide legal counsel to those who would otherwise not be able to afford it. As affordability in the region continues to be an issue, the need for SDVLP’s pro bono representation is greater now more than ever.

The Justice for All Celebration is an evening dedicated to celebrating all volunteers, supporters, and community members who contribute to SDVLP’s mission of providing equal access to justice. All proceeds for the event directly support pro bono legal representation to marginalized and underserved communities and other services provided by SDVLP. Klinedinst has been a longtime supporter of SDVLP and its special events, including the Justice For All Celebration and LAF-Off (Lawyers Are Funny) comedy competition.

Klinedinst is proud to support SDVLP’s mission and Justice for All event. For more information, click here:

www.klinedinstlaw.com/sdvlp

About Klinedinst 

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in IrvineLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day.  Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.

Tara Burd (pictured, fourth from right) joins other members of CLA’s Executive Committee at the CLA Annual Meeting on September 17, 2022 


SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst PC Senior Counsel Tara R. Burd has been sworn in as Vice Chair of the California Lawyers Association (CLA). Ms. Burd took the oath during the CLA’s Annual Meeting in San Diego on September 17, 2022.

Founded in 2018, CLA is a non-profit professional development organization that supports the advancement of attorneys practicing throughout California. The organization is one of the largest voluntary bar associations in California with over 100,000 members. CLA routinely offers CLE opportunities for their members, in addition to educational seminars and networking opportunities.

Ms. Burd, who is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, is a highly-esteemed professional with an extensive probate and trust litigation background. In her practice, Ms. Burd routinely handles complex trust litigation cases, probate administration, and professional liability defense.

Ms. Burd path to leadership began when she first became involved with The State Bar of California Sections in 2016. She hosted the first annual networking event in San Diego, bringing together real property attorneys and other real estate professionals including agents, brokers, and appraisers. Ms. Burd then joined the State Bar of California’s Real Property Law Section’s Executive Committee in the Fall of 2016.

In 2018 when CLA was bifurcated from the State Bar of California, the Sections transferred over to CLA, and Ms. Burd’s work on the Real Property Law Section’s Executive Committee continued. She served as the Real Property Law Section Co-Chair from 2019-2020. In 2021, Ms. Burd was asked to serve the organization’s Membership Engagement Committee. From those efforts, the Indian Law Committee, Environment Social Governance (ESG) Committee, and Cannabis Industry Practitioners’ Group were formed.

As Vice Chair of CLA for the next year, Ms. Burd plans to evaluate the CLA’s impact on its members to better understand their needs. Ms. Burd will be supporting incoming Chair Sabrina Green in her efforts to better serve CLA members, and Ms. Burd hopes to improve peer-to-peer communication and member-to-organization feedback, while taking into consideration the lasting impacts of COVID-19. Ms. Burd will remain a leader of the Membership Engagement Committee to further build the offerings of CLA’s new practice area committees, and to continue to evaluate methods to better serve their members.

Klinedinst congratulates Ms. Burd on becoming Vice Chair of the CLA. For more information on Ms. Burd, please review her biography at

https://klinedinstlaw.com/profiles/attorney/tara-burd

About Klinedinst

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in IrvineLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day.  Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.

Teresa Beck


SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst PC is pleased to announce that Shareholder Teresa M. Beck will be moderating a national edition of GOOD Guys. Hosted by the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations, GOOD Guys is a program designed to further advancement of women in the business and legal communities through active involvement of male leaders. It is a model program designed for replication by member organizations

Steven Velkei

Taking place September 22, 2022 at 3:00pm Pacific, this in-person and virtual discussion will feature Steven Velkei, a respected and dynamic speaker on diversity issues, who has chaired the US Diversity and Inclusion Committee for a well-known global law firm. Mr. Velkei will be discussing the need for transformative leadership.

Following this presentation, the GOOD Guys program will feature a respected group of panelists, including:


Shaka Johnson, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Sony Electronics

Bill Sailer, SVP, Legal Counsel, Qualcomm

Ronna Ruppelt, Chief Executive Officer, CLM (Claims & Litigation Management Alliance)

Capt. Josh Nauman, Commanding Officer, Region Legal Service Office Southwest, U.S. Navy

Sponsored by Klinedinst PC, in-person attendees are eligible for 2.0 hours of Elimination of Bias California MCLE. There is no cost to join, and advance registration is required to attend in-person or virtually.

About Klinedinst 

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in IrvineLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day.  Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.


SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst is pleased to announce that three of its attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. This year marks the largest number of Klinedinst lawyers ever featured by the publication.

First introduced in 1981, Best Lawyers recognizes top-caliber attorneys in over 150 practice areas. Over the past year, the organization received 12.2 million evaluations from lawyers across the world to determine the most talented and esteemed professionals in the industry. It is the input of these attorneys that decides this year’s honorees. In fact, for its 2023 edition, Best Lawyers recognized more than 144,000 lawyers in 76 different countries.

Klinedinst lawyers who are featured in the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers include:

Gregory Garbacz and Tara Burd have both been recognized by Best Lawyers in previous years. 2023 marks the first year of recognition in Best Lawyers for attorney Robert Shaughnessy, who works out of Klinedinst San Diego.

Klinedinst congratulates Mr. Garbacz, Mr. Shaughnessy, and Ms. Burd on being recognized by their peers in Best Lawyers. To learn more about each, please visit:

www.klinedinstlaw.com/profiles

About Klinedinst

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in Los AngelesSacramentoSan DiegoIrvine, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.

Klinedinst Shareholder Teresa M. Beck is sworn in as President of the NCWBA on August 5, 2022. Hon. John Houston (top left) from the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, and Hon. Wendy Behan (top middle) from the San Diego County Superior Court administered the oath of office to Ms. Beck (lower right) at the 2022 Women’s Bar Leadership Summit in Chicago, Illinois.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Klinedinst PC is proud to announce that Shareholder Teresa M. Beck has been elected as the 2022-2023 President of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (NCWBA).

NCWBA was founded in 1980 when a handful of independent women’s bar associations across the county banded together to form a group that would promote leadership, idea sharing, and the advancement of women in the legal profession. Forty-two years after its founding, NCWBA is one of the most respected women’s bar associations in the country, with its members representing over 35,000 women lawyers from more than 50 women’s bar organizations.

Ms. Beck is a strong advocate for women in law, improving work/life management, and equality initiatives. While serving on the board of the NCWBA, Ms. Beck co-created GOOD Guys, a curriculum designed to encourage and engage male leadership in diversity, equity, incision, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. The nationally-recognized program strives to ensure that businesses are fully participating in and benefitting from the financial and other rewards of increasing DEIB in the workplace.

As President, Ms. Beck plans on growing the GOOD Guys program, in addition to launching two new toolkits. One of the toolkits is designed for law schools to better prepare underrepresented groups for the legal profession, while the other is designed to provide tools for women’s bar associations to ensure they are incorporating DEIB into their organizations’ structure, practices, and programming, and to create a sense of belonging for all women attorneys.

Ms. Beck is the Managing Shareholder of Arizona and Nevada, and Klinedinst’s DEIB Committee’s Co-Chair. In her practice, Ms. Beck represents clients in employment-related litigation, outside general counsel services, personal injury defense, construction matters, contracts. and civil litigation of all types.

Klinedinst congratulates Ms. Beck on becoming President of the NCWBA, and looks forward to supporting the NCWBA in years to come. For more information on Ms. Beck, please review her biography at https://klinedinstlaw.com/profiles/attorney/teresa-beck.

About Klinedinst

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in IrvineLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day.  Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.

Scott Johnson

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – Klinedinst extends a warm welcome to Senior Counsel Scott Johnson, who has joined the growing Employment team.

With over 25 years of advocating for clients in many forms of litigation under his belt, Mr. Johnson offers clients a wealth of knowledge and top-notch representation. Mr. Johnson’s
practice focuses on class action, employment counseling and advice, and employment litigation. Mr. Johnson also has broad experience in areas including complex commercial litigation, consumer fraud, antitrust, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, and wage and hour violations.

“We are very excited to have Scott join our Seattle team as Senior Counsel,” said Gregor A. Hensrude, Managing Shareholder of the Seattle office. “He is highly skilled attorney, whose substantial experience—particularly in employment and labor law—will add depth to our existing team and allow us to continue to improve the talent we offer to businesses on the West Coast.”

Mr. Johnson earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He also received a Masters in Public Affairs (M.P.A.) from University of Washington, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and his undergraduate degree from University of Washington

Klinedinst PC is pleased to welcome Mr. Johnson to the firm. To learn more about Mr. Johnson and his practice, please visit: https://klinedinstlaw.com/profiles/attorney/scott-johnson

About Klinedinst 

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in IrvineLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day.  Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.

Natalie Vance, Esq.
Natalie P. Vance

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – Klinedinst is honored to announce that Co-Managing Shareholder of Sacramento Natalie P. Vance is the incoming Chair of California Board of Legal Specialization.

The California Board of Legal Specialization administers the State Bar of California Program for Certified Legal Specialists, and was created by the California Supreme Court to promote attorney competence and provide consumers with an independent means to verify an attorney’s qualifications.

For the past 22 years, Ms. Vance has been a tremendous asset to Klinedinst clients through her representation of professionals and business entities in matters relating to malpractice, employment, and business disputes. Additionally, Ms. Vance is certified as a legal specialist by the State Bar’s California Board in Legal Malpractice Law.

Klinedinst congratulates Ms. Vance on this incredible opportunity. Learn more about Ms. Vance and her accomplishments at https://klinedinstlaw.com/profiles/attorney/natalie-vance.

About Klinedinst 

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in IrvineLos AngelesSacramentoSan Diego, and Seattle service clients across the West, handling matters in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day.  Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.


The following analysis is provided by Klinedinst Senior Counsel Phillip E. Stephan, Sasha J. Glenn, and Melissa Corona.

The adage that trial is theatre cannot be overused. While Depp v. Heard captivated several commentators, the outcome boiled down to how each side chose to present the people and evidence that would support their case.

Winning a libel case for a public figure is a difficult task, as the plaintiff (i.,e., the person suing) must not only prove untrue statements were published, but also that the person making the libelous statements had actual malice in doing so. Mr. Depp’s legal team presented several visual and auditory pieces of unique evidence, staged in a way to maximize the impact of Mr. Depp’s testimony and of the witnesses offered in support of his case.

Ms. Heard’s defense relied on her ability to convince the jury that she told the truth about Mr. Depp, although Mr. Depp needed to prove more than Ms. Heard simply not telling the truth. Credibility was the central challenge at stake. Therefore, each side had to make tactical decisions about how to prove credibility – would you choose to primarily argue on your tendency of truthfulness, or your opponent’s lack of credibility?

Strategic Deployment of Evidence

Mr. Depp’s presentation of evidence prominently featured visuals to engage the jury, including several that would be difficult to forget. Mr. Depp’s team slowly chipped away at Ms. Heard’s credibility as the case developed. Initial evidence concerned physical altercations between Ms. Heard and Mr. Depp, ranging from scratches to Mr. Depp‘s face to a mini-trial concerning Mr. Depp’s finger injury. The contentions regarding the finger injury even involved experts, which effectively turned the issue of Mr. Depp’s finger into a microcosm of credibility. Ms. Heard claimed Mr. Depp may have injured his finger by smashing a vintage wall phone to pieces. Her credibility on the incident was dismantled as she presented photos of the scene and none included any indication of the phone. Compounding against Ms. Heard’s credibility, Mr. Depp’s rebuttal witness who testified about visiting the scene on the day of the incident stated he saw no such phone or even remnants of it, driving another hole in Ms. Heard’s account of the incident. Mr. Depp presented testimony concerning Ms. Heard putting human fecal matter in his bed – this is unique evidence that is not likely to be found elsewhere, going directly to Ms. Heard’s credibility. Mr. Depp also used expert testimony to show that any visuals Ms. Heard would try to use were not worthy of trust and strategically deployed audio evidence to support his account of Ms. Heard’s true character.

Mr. Depp prominently featured an audio clip, in which Ms. Heard stated: “Tell the world, Johnny. Tell them, ‘I Johnny Depp … am a victim of domestic violence,’ … and see how many people believe or side with you.” This evidence could have been used at any time – in the chronological quantum of when it was recorded, in cross-examination of Ms. Heard, or as the first piece of evidence during Mr. Depp’s testimony. Mr. Depp’s team chose to use this evidence as the ending to Mr. Depp’s story, which gave the evidence greater impact by showing the jury that Ms. Heard seems to imply that no one could ever believe Mr. Depp could be domestically abused. Before Ms. Heard had the chance to say one word, the jury was primed to believe that Ms. Heard had affirmatively stated that facts and evidence did not matter, since no one would ever believe Mr. Depp as a matter of principle.

A trial attorney will always tell you that successful trials must have hooks that will stay with the jury (anyone remember “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit”?). Mr. Depp’s team’s use of the audio clip effectively had the same impact.

Rebuttal Witnesses

For every argument Ms. Heard offered, Mr. Depp offered a witness to directly and specifically rebut the testimony, utilizing several witnesses in smaller segments of testimony rather than one witness for a long period of time. Ms. Heard’s testimony told the story that she was an up and coming figure in Hollywood, and presented evidence attempting to bolster her profile and what her future would have held but for Mr. Depp’s conduct. After Ms. Heard’s testimony concluded, Mr. Depp presented several witnesses. Mr. Depp’s witnesses in rebuttal were structured to address the fundamental issues of who was more believable concerning domestic violence, while concisely countering contentions that Mr. Depp negatively affected Ms. Heard’s career and effectively drawing attention away from those arguments.

First, in response to Ms. Heard’s sister’s claim that, after Mr. Depp’s finger was severed, Mr. Depp punched Ms. Heard repeatedly, Mr. Depp called Dr. David Kulber, a treating physician that worked on Mr. Depp’s hand and placed a cast. “He could have hit someone, but then it probably would have injured [or] damaged the cast,” Kulber averred. When asked if he observed damages to the cast, he said, “I don’t recall. Nothing that comes to mind.” Dr. Kulber testified that Mr. Depp could not have formed a fist with the cast on. Several of Mr. Depp’s rebuttal witnesses presented testimony compounding against Ms. Heard’s credibility regarding domestic violence, stating they never saw any marks or bruises on Ms. Heard. These witness included a range of individuals from friends to law enforcement.

Mr. Depp also produced two witnesses to rebut Ms. Heard’s presentation of her stature in Hollywood. Ms. Heard claimed that Mr. Depp’s statements led to diminishment of her role in “Aquaman 2,” and even a potential recast where she would be removed from her role. However, the President of the studio responsible for “Aquaman 2” refuted that argument, noting that Ms. Heard was neither reduced nor recast, and any recasting consideration was because the studio felt Ms. Heard lacked chemistry with the main star of the film. Mr. Depp also attacked the projection of Ms. Heard’s career earnings by an entertainment consultant – instead of only attacking the numbers underlying the projection, Mr. Depp’s rebuttal witnesses focused on the actors Ms. Heard said constituted her peer group.

Mr. Depp also presented a forensic psychiatrist, who told the jury that Ms. Heard’s psychiatrist had violated ethical principles governing when psychiatric professionals may voice opinions, harping on the fact that Ms. Heard’s psychiatric witness did not personally examine Mr. Depp and had no authority to comment on Mr. Depp’s mental health.

Mr. Depp’s structuring of witnesses and evidence into small, concise segments kept the jury engaged and the issues clear. This allowed the jury to observe for themselves the compounding effect of the testimony presented against Ms. Heard’s credibility. Further, by avoiding longer segments of testimony, the jury had less time to evaluate a witness’s credibility and was more likely to take their testimony at face value.

It is no secret that legal proceedings can be tedious; the days are long and full of legalese. By breaking the trial into acts—much like a theatrical play— Mr. Depp’s team even kept the people at home engaged, helping Mr. Depp’s reputation along the way. The small segments and use of witnesses helped Mr. Depp’s team attack Ms. Heard’s claims and highlight Mr. Depp’s known qualities that made him rise to fame, all in one fell swoop.

The theatrical unfolding of this case underscores that knowledge of witnesses and your best evidence serves as the foundation of your trial, which you should be litigating towards from the beginning of your case. It is important to identify especially unique and or damaging evidence early, disclose it to opposing counsel to avoid any claims of undue prejudice or admissibility issues, and then consider when to deploy the evidence to maximize impact with the jury at time of trial. Disclosure of such evidence does not diminish the impact of your evidence, as the goal of discovery is to eliminate surprise at time of trial; in fact, your disclosure may help settle matters, should that be your goal.

About the Authors

Phillip E. Stephan

Phillip E. Stephan is a member of Klinedinst’s Professional Liability, Employment, and Business and Commercial Litigation practice groups. Prior to joining Klinedinst, Mr. Stephan focused on professional liability, complex business litigation, class actions, antitrust, and unfair competition. Mr. Stephan has also represented startup and established companies, providing counsel regarding corporate governance, capital acquisition, contract drafting, strategic management, litigation, risk management, and intellectual property. Mr. Stephan can be reached at PStephan@KlinedinstLaw.com.

Sasha J. Glenn and Melissa Corona also contributed to this article.

Please Note

This article does not intend to offer any comment on Ms. Heard or Mr. Depp personally, but only to discuss the tactics used during trial. This information does not constitute legal advice. The use of information from this article does not create any type of attorney-client relationship.

About Klinedinst

Klinedinst is the go-to firm for clients looking for litigation, trial experience, transactional representation, and legal counsel. The firm’s offices in Los AngelesSacramentoSan DiegoIrvine, and Seattle service the entire West Coast. What sets Klinedinst apart is the relationship our attorneys foster with each and every client. Klinedinst lawyers are indispensable strategic partners to business leaders, helping to achieve business objectives and create proactive solutions to resolve the many legal challenges that businesses are confronted with every day. Whether vigorously advocating for business clients in court, or guiding business transactions and negotiations, Klinedinst is the trusted legal advisor to have by your side.