Graphics & 3D Animation

Justice may be blind...

But your jury won't be.

It has been said that a good visual image can be a tripwire for the emotions. A wise attorney wields that emotion as a tool to sway the jury and compel them to see the problem from a different perspective. Graphics by Cogent Legal help set you apart from the crowd and separate the signal from the noise. It’s time to make an impact.

Elevate your Strategy. Argument. Delivery.

Elevate your Arguments. Strategy. Delivery.

We all know a picture is worth a thousand words—an important point, given that what is said is not always understood. Using a good visual to illustrate your theory or facts can have a lasting influence on your jury. Impact is a guiding principle for assessing any graphic: Is the graphic persuasive? What effect is it likely to have on jurors? Is it helpful? Does it convey the right message? As a team, we can guide you through making these complicated, critical decisions.

Our team of outside-the box thinkers brings to the table decades of real-life courtroom and litigation experience. As former litigators, we are uniquely poised to help you navigate issues of admissibility and foundation. We have the unique ability to understand a case’s complexities and recommend solid visuals that your experts and witnesses can use to enhance their testimony and connect with the jury. We pride ourselves on state-of-the-art graphics, no matter what the subject matter. Our team delivers professional legal graphics and 3D animations, customized for each case, that will maximize the value of your verdict or settlement by leaving an unforgettable impression on your audience. In myriad ways, our team helps attorneys prepare and present their cases visually, for maximum results with minimum stress.

Present your case with confidence.

Graphics by Cogent Legal

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Medical Litigation

For the layperson, medical terminology and verbiage can be nearly impossible to decipher. With Cogent Legal on your side, however, complex expert testimony can be translated into simple imagery that is easier for jurors to understand and process. For cases that involve an injury or illness, we start at the beginning with a patient’s medical records. We do a deep dive into the patient’s history, before and after the incident, and develop a comprehensive overview of the patient’s ailment(s). We work with DICOM files to create an understanding of the various medical complications resulting from the injury or illness—allowing us to build state-of-the-art, anatomically accurate graphics that your jury will be able to follow with ease.

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Business Litigation

Business litigation almost always involves massive amounts of documents. In these cases, our team has become very adept at combing through voluminous files to determine what is relevant, what is important, and what is most helpful for your case. We often begin with a timeline of events, which correlates the document trail with other events as they transpired over time. A timeline can be extremely useful in helping a jury to track information and patterns of behavior, especially in situations that developed over months and years. We can help visually distinguish between intentions and reality in all sorts of business disputes.

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Construction Litigation

Our team has specific training and experience in architectural, engineering, and construction defect litigation. We work with experts and attorneys on these cases to create interactive documents and graphics that summarize vast amounts of information for your jurors and mediators to make the facts straightforward and easy to process. We generally begin by taking plans of the building, conducting laser scans, and administering drone photogrammetry to create a highly realistic and accurate 3D model that forms the basis for analyzing the case and developing your exhibits.

Make it stand out

3D Animation brings your case to life

If there is a more persuasive tool than a video animation, we have yet to discover it. 3D Animations by Cogent Legal allow you to take what is often no more than a single critical moment and expand it into a highly detailed and richly illustrated retelling. Our visuals have won favorable verdicts and sizeable settlements by bringing clarity to the once complex and abstract.

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Personal Injury Litigation

Different eyewitnesses almost always remember an incident differently, especially if they saw it from different angles. Keeping their stories straight and addressing the discrepancies at trial can be challenging. At Cogent Legal, we can create a highly accurate model of the scene and then demonstrate what each witness would have been able to see—or not see. This model helps the jury weigh the credibility and accuracy of each witness’s testimony. Our goal is always to help you present the most credible version of an event, in a manner that is straightforward and effortlessly understandable.

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Employment Litigation

Graphics or demonstratives are used for employment litigation with an emphasis on visual storytelling. In matters concerning equal opportunity and pay, employees’ physical and mental well-being and safety, employer obligations, and workplace diversity, a well-crafted timeline can help you manage a series of events and emphasize those that are of greater importance to the overall story. Cogent Legal graphics can also help break up the monotony of tedious workplace grievances common in this type of litigation. We specialize in building interactive timelines of workplace events, document callouts, employment contracts, and harassment or discrimination disputes and allegations.

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Real Estate Litigation

Real estate disputes can center on a range of issues, from contract disclosures to property lines and disagreements between neighbors or between a landlord and tenant. We can use drones and laser scanning technology to accurately depict a property’s layout, issues, topography, and geographic positioning relative to landmarks and other buildings. As in construction defect litigation, we can create timelines to show critical events, such as transfer of title, property repairs, complaints by tenants and landlords, and other issues. Whatever the issue, we are able to add compelling visuals to your case presentation.

It's time to take your case to the next level.

"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn."

Benjamin Franklin

We all know good demonstratives drive home damages. Cogent Legal understands how to make damages visual and concrete. I have no doubt that their work has led to better results for my clients and I have absolute confidence in the Cogent team to deliver the level of quality that I’ve come to expect for my personal injury cases.

Andje Medina

Altair Law

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started with cogent legal graphics

My case isn’t visual. So why do I need litigation graphics?

This is a common misconception that we hear with some regularity. While many attorneys may not consider themselves to be visual learners, they are clearly the exception, not the rule. In fact, it is human nature for a judge or jury to lose focus and grow weary over the course of hours of testimony. Our brains are hardwired and very adept at filtering out unnecessary information or “noise.” Studies have consistently shown, however, that people are highly stimulated by visual aids—making the use of a quality visual imperative if you are to maintain the judge’s or jury’s attention throughout your presentation and cause them to remember it long afterward. Ultimately, what drives the need for graphics in a case is not necessarily the underlying subject matter, but rather your audience’s need to see the facts and argument as well as hear them. In effect, every case today is a visual case.

What kinds of graphics does your firm make?

Every kind! From the highly complicated to the most basic, we can do it all. We craft graphics for any type of case, from construction defect to criminal law. Our work products include 3D animations, architectural renderings, e-briefs, graphs, timelines, photography, videography, maps, and more.

My case involves actions over a long period of time. How do I make my points clear and understandable?

This is a perfect scenario for a well-developed timeline of events. We can create an interactive timeline with photographs, documents, video, and other images embedded in the timeline. We can create this demonstrative in a digital form for presentation purposes, as well as creating a blow-up posterboard demonstrative for use in the courtroom.

Why should I choose Cogent Legal for my litigation graphics?

Whether you need help crafting an opening or closing argument, creating demonstratives from scratch, or enhancing something that has previously been created, look no further than Cogent Legal. Our team of legal professionals has a wide array of litigation experience. With our team of in-house graphic designers and medical illustration artists, we provide a hands-on approach to working with both you and your experts. We strive to be conscientious about your budget and alert to the timing of your case. We’ve been in your shoes, and we’re here to help you present your case with confidence.

Isn’t it too flashy to use high-tech graphics in a courtroom setting?

Absolutely not! You always want to augment what is spoken with a visual aid or two. Even a simple graphic will afford jurors something to look at and focus on while they are listening to what you are saying—a significant aid to retention and understanding. In a modern trial, it would actually be unusual not to introduce visual aids. Whether you yourself are a visual learner or not, you can communicate visually to your jurors with the help of our creative team, who specialize in crafting graphics for any audience.

How does the Cogent Legal graphics process work?

From the first phone call or meeting, our attention is on you and your needs. We will come up with a strategy, a budget, and a timeline for getting your project completed. Sometimes, completing your project means working with your client, your experts, and other witnesses. We’re constantly collaborating with your team in developing a strategy for presenting your demonstratives and using them at trial to maximum effect. We’re always available for updates and will also provide updates to you as our work progresses.

How can I be sure your graphics will be admissible in court?

Our company’s founder is a former trial lawyer and someone who thinks about issues of admissibility constantly. We want to be able to make sure your investment is protected from admissibility challenges so you get what you paid for.

There are two big issues with getting a jury to see your demonstrative graphics: (1) foundation and (2) notice to the other side. As to foundation of any diagram or animation, when you start with a laser scan, a judge can easily determine that the model is properly to scale. Secondly, the earlier you create the demonstratives and provide them to opposing counsel, the less likely you will get an objection for being “sandbagged” at the last moment with new evidence.

How do your graphics help me persuade the jury?

Our graphics tell a story from opening to closing. We’re constantly looking for ways to connect the jury with your case and its facts. We think about everything from color and font to the big picture, from the simple to the complex, to keep your jury constantly focused on what matters most to your case. Good graphic presentation is an ideal way to enhance the impact of your verbal arguments.

How do I know whether having graphics would be worth the investment?

Our graphics speak for themselves in terms of their courtroom reach. Cogent Legal’s work product has been featured in some of the most high-stakes litigation across the country. We have been aiding prominent litigators to persuade effectively for more than a decade, and our results-driven business proves it. No case is too big, and no case is too small. We know some clients don’t necessarily need as much assistance, and we are able to work with any budget to deliver the graphics warranted for your particular case. Our professional references attest to the value and quality of our work product. Please contact us for more information.

I am not a visual person. Will it be a struggle to deal with graphic designers?

Absolutely not. Even if working with a creative team is outside your comfort zone, our graphic designers are very familiar with working with lawyers and determining what their needs are. We pride ourselves on providing fast turnaround and accuracy of information—two qualities every attorney appreciates. Furthermore, we are able to take as much time with you as you need to help guide you through our creative process.

America's top attorneys trust Cogent Legal.

"For the first time in trying cases over the past 29 years, my client and I decided to seek assistance with PowerPoints, jury selection, and trial technology. Cogent Legal was my first choice. To say I am “satisfied” with the services provided is an understatement. Their team provided first class input, collaboration, work product and support throughout the four-week trial. I credit their services to my selection of the best jury possible in a difficult Alameda jury pool, professional graphic display during the trial that many jurors specifically complimented following the trial, and quick on point trial tech support at every moment of need. Their services and support directly contributed to the 12-0 verdict received one hour after submitting the case to the jury. While I have never used any of these trial support services before, I cannot imagine handling a significant trial again without the Cogent Legal team."

"Not sure if you folks saw the news, but we got a good settlement from Altria right before they were set to put their case on. In post-settlement talks with the jurors, who were very interested in our case, a few of them said that the best part of our presentation was the animation that you made for us. It was unquestionably accurate and generated no objections from the defense as to its scientific content. I think it's a wonderful teaching tool to show why JUUL is such an insidious product. The slides were also great. I think they set standards for visuals very high for everyone on our side, which I think contributed quite a bit to our successful presentation of the evidence. I guess we’ll never know how they were going to try to defend our case, but it seems they didn’t want to find out! Thanks for everything!"

"The Cogent Legal medical imagery team is excellent. It's hard sometimes to describe what neurolysis means...this is not a picture from my surgery, but it's a good representation of what I did...a very accurate, very good drawing."

"Cogent’s experts worked diligently to deliver compelling graphics and animations to assist us in telling our clients’ stories. A team that is creative, collaborative and innovative. They have been an integral part in helping us successfully win favorable settlements and verdicts for our injured clients. Thank you Audrey, Matt, David and the rest of the team for your hard work. It’s a pleasure to work with you!"

"I wanted to thank everyone at Cogent Legal for the great work on our opening presentation for our trial. I think the presentation scared the other side because all of a sudden opposing counsel wanted to talk settlement after the opening! I am pleased with the overall result. Thanks for all your help!"

"Thank you and your team for the wonderful animation you folks made on short notice for our case. I showed it to some lay people as well as attorneys who loved the animation and indicated it made them understand the case. The animation has been forwarded to defense counsel; perhaps it will help settle the case. I look forward to working with you in the future."

"Cogent Legal was particularly helpful in my defense of a product liability case with its rather technical defenses. Morgan Smith’s insights and suggestions helped to refine our demonstratives and exhibits, and simplified our message. The jury certainly heard that message, with its defense verdict after a 30-minute deliberation."

"The Cogent Legal team were professional and courteous to my client. They understood and thoughtfully conveyed the daily struggles my client faces. They created a powerful settlement video that illustrated the extent of the emotional harm in a case where our client tended to minimize the impact of his injury. This certainly contributed to a favorable settlement for our deserving client."

"Cogent Legal is great to work with. They are responsive, work within deadlines, and understand complex medical and scientific information. Cogent has a unique ability to distill high-level technical evidence into demonstratives that really help jurors understand the issues."

"We hired Cogent Legal to create an animation for a multimillion-dollar case, and the firm made an exceptionally powerful presentation. As a former trial lawyer, Morgan is able to think about a case thematically, and translate it visually, to best present it to a jury."

"I highly recommend Cogent Legal; they are wonderful to work with. Morgan’s former life as a trial attorney gives him insight into each case and his ideas and suggestions are terrific. Without a doubt my favorite source for Day in the Life videos."

"We trusted you to partner with us to hold the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office responsible in our recent civil rights case. And you delivered! Cogent was invaluable in helping us to distill down the facts and organize them effectively in a way that made the job for the jurors easier. When we needed to make sure that the jurors understood how to properly value the case, you brainstormed with us on the development of graphics that captured the depth and breadth of the harm that was done. Thank you Cogent Legal for your work in telling our client’s story!"

"I have known and worked on the same cases with Morgan for over eight years. He immediately stood out as an exceptional opposing counsel and far ahead of most plaintiff attorneys, with superb organizational skills, legal expertise, and the ability to document and illustrate his key points with exhibits. He’s a true master at visualizing important and complex information for each case."

"Morgan was a fantastic law partner for over a decade. The best trials are the true art of presentation, and Morgan is an amazingly creative lawyer who could turn the most complicated issues into an easy-to-understand demonstrative exhibit. I wish I still had Morgan’s creativity on all of my cases, but we’re happy to use Cogent Legal for his services now."

Set yourself up for the best case scenario.

Let's get in touch

Contact Us

San Francisco, CA

510.350.7616

44 Montgomery Street, Third Floor

Folsom, CA

916.947.1290

101 Parkshore Drive

Telluride, CO

970.728.5814

3130 Last Dollar Road

Please note: Cogent Legal provides litigation consulting services to attorneys. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice on any matters.

Justice may be blind...

But your jury won't be.

Elevate your Strategy. Argument. Delivery.

Elevate your Arguments. Strategy. Delivery.

Present your case with confidence.

Graphics by Cogent Legal

Graphics by Cogent Legal

Medical Litigation

Business Litigation

Construction Litigation

Make it stand out

3D Animation brings your case to life

Personal Injury Litigation

Employment Litigation

Real Estate Litigation

It's time to take your case to the next level.

Frequently Asked Questions

My case isn’t visual. So why do I need litigation graphics?

What kinds of graphics does your firm make?

My case involves actions over a long period of time. How do I make my points clear and understandable?

Why should I choose Cogent Legal for my litigation graphics?

Isn’t it too flashy to use high-tech graphics in a courtroom setting?

How does the Cogent Legal graphics process work?

How can I be sure your graphics will be admissible in court?

How do your graphics help me persuade the jury?

How do I know whether having graphics would be worth the investment?

I am not a visual person. Will it be a struggle to deal with graphic designers?

America's top attorneys trust Cogent Legal.

Set yourself up for the best case scenario.

Contact Us

San Francisco, CA

510.350.7616

44 Montgomery Street, Third Floor

Folsom, CA

916.947.1290

101 Parkshore Drive

Telluride, CO

970.728.5814

3130 Last Dollar Road

Thank you!