Closing Arguments & The P.E.R.M. Technique: Win Big, More Often

Learn the easy system for giving emotionally-powerful closing arguments without using a single note.

This 2017 edition is a practitioner's how-to guide, written for quick absorption and immediate use. It is aimed at practicing trial lawyers who handle civil, criminal and administrative proceedings.

Garrity observed, after appearing as counsel in nearly 2,000 federal and state court cases, that many trial lawyers step to the podium for closing arguments with nothing more than a legal pad full of hastily-written, disjointed notes. The result is that these lawyers often make final arguments without a cohesive theme. Sometimes the arguments seem out of order, lack emotion and force, and simply rehash basic facts.

Concluding that there had to be an easier – and better – way to make powerful summations, Garrity spent two years reviewing hardcore psychological research on the science of “compliance” – of persuading others to accept a particular statement or argument as true. After all, closing arguments are the ultimate effort in message persuasion. The research led Garrity to conclude that when it comes to closing arguments specifically, it's not the message that matters most. It's how you present it - your "messaging mechanics." He stresses that the jury has already heard your evidence - much of it twice because of the penchant of most litigators to repeat things to make sure the jury “gets it.” So closing is the time to persuade the jury to believe – to believe you, and to believe your message.

His simple, note-free system emphasizes pathos (or passion as Aristotle defined it), eye contact, rhetoric and metaphors. This is the PERM system. Garrity’s technique combines these four compliance elements – supported by the more than forty research studies he lists in the opening pages – to offer you a transformational approach to closing arguments.

How do jurors react? One juror told Garrity after a trial that it was "...one of the most moving experiences I have ever been through...I was....honored and humbled to be part of it…very powerful, very moving…It was your belief in the righteousness of the situation.”

The book is an outstanding value for both seasoned pros and novice litigators alike. For the price of lunch, order your copy and use the system in your next proceeding. You will connect with the decision-makers like you've never done before and you'll never use notes again.