Did you know we have someone at Terrapin who can help you prepare a winning trial presentation? You may think of Terrapin as the people you call when your Wi-Fi router is down, or your email isn’t flowing. But we also have someone on our team who has prepared many trial presentations that have led to great trial results.

Betty Nelson started working in law firms in 1980—back when going to trial meant banker boxes, trial binders, and lots of copying and labels.

Fast forward to the year 2000, when Betty went from working as a litigation legal secretary to joining the IT department. A team of attorneys at her firm was preparing for a million-dollar plaintiff’s mediation and their usual trial support team wasn’t available. Betty said, “I think I can help!” Well, she has never stopped helping.

It soon became a passion of Betty’s to help attorneys think about how to present their case to jurors and triers of fact. She has a knack for taking a step away from the complexities of the case and helping attorneys realize they need to look at the case from the eyes of the jury who don’t know any of the parties or understand any of the thousands of complex facts about their case. Her 39 years of working with attorneys and law firms give her the depth and breadth to be able to successfully help in this regard.

Add in her flair for creativity and innovative approaches and you have a winning combination. Betty has prepared many complex timelines and callouts, and other ways of showing demonstrative evidence to juries. She works closely with attorneys and is fast at turning work around. Betty has an amazing attention to detail and a true passion for the law.

Read what two of Terrapin’s clients have said about Betty’s contributions to their success:

Tracy Hunckler, Partner – Day Carter Murphy LLP  

Betty assisted our team of litigators with a complex binding arbitration that was being held out of town in SF for two weeks. She knew exactly what we would need at our “home base-war room” at the hotel and how to work with the hotel staff and vendors to secure the necessary technology so that we could feel like we were back at the office. Betty has years of experience with setting up war rooms out of town and her assistance with our war room was invaluable to our team. Betty also helped prepare an opening statement presentation that included a detailed, animated timeline and other demonstratives that helped the arbitrator understand our complex case. Betty is very creative and has great attention to detail. Moreover, Betty is easy and fun to work with, and provides a sense of peace during the stress and pressure of litigation.

Shaye Schrick, Partner – Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle Koewler LLP

Betty has assisted me on three trials in the past two years. She has been a great asset in preparing demonstrative evidence, including PowerPoint presentations and blow-ups. With more than 35 years’ litigation support experience and undeniable intuition, she is able to anticipate what jurors might want to see to better understand the case and collaborates with us on ways to best present evidence and themes visually. She works efficiently—fast and smart—and has great attention to detail. Betty thinks outside the box and helps our firm present a clean, clear image of what the jury will see and/or has seen in trial. I highly recommend Betty for trial work!

If you are interested in learning more about how Betty can help you in trial, contact Betty at Terrapin!