The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every area of our lives and the legal profession is no exception. The court system has been shut down for months, which means cases are backlogged for months. Large and small firms alike are struggling, which is then passed down to the vendors attorneys use to help build their case.
For the past 18 years, our company, Juris Productions, has been creating powerful documentaries and Day in the Life videos for plaintiffs’ attorneys that have regularly helped them obtain seven and eight-figure settlements in personal injury, wrongful death, product liability and a host of other types of cases. And while the pandemic has also affected how we do our business, it has not affected our ability to create a compelling case for your client.
Producing effective video presentations requires that we spend quality time in the homes of the client in order to film their daily challenges and conducting interviews about the impact the case has had on their lives. Shooting video and interviews with family and friends can take all day or several days. Clearly, that has become unsafe, both for the clients and for our field teams. We needed to find a new way to do what we do best – storytelling. Expert storytelling.
Our competitive edge isn’t having the latest high-definition video equipment, which we use to turn out broadcast quality productions. It’s our ability to listen, to make a client feel comfortable enough to open up and tell us their story. That only comes from the decades of experience we have working as journalists, from knowing how to put a story together. Succinctly. Persuasively. Powerfully.
COVID-19 can’t take that away.
That’s why we created contactless settlement documentary kits. These kits allow us to get the highest quality interview possible using video conferencing. The kit comes with easy-to-use lights, a microphone, and even a cellular-enabled device for a plaintiff who might not have access to a laptop computer, tablet, or WiFi. We’ve already been producing effective documentaries using the contactless approach. One mediator remarked to an attorney that the settlement documentary we produced was among the best he had ever seen – contactless or not.
It’s true that many things have been affected during the pandemic. But when it comes to producing effective settlement documentaries that get maximum results, ultimately nothing has changed. Our finished project is still the best story possible.
Rob Feldman is the co-founder and President of Juris Productions. He’s an award-winning producer who brings nearly a decade of experience with NBC News to Juris Productions. His broadcast career includes producing Southern California’s most-watched 5:00 p.m. newscast for KNBC-TV. While he was the station’s new media news director, his team was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Associated Press Trophy.
