Paula Hinton grew up watching her father try cases in North Alabama. Now a partner in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Houston office, she is as comfortable talking to a jury in a packed courtroom as she is being interviewed for an ABA publication. And the stories she tells, no matter the situation, keep the audience engaged and wanting to know more.
Lucia Coyoca, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, tested her chops in front of a jury only a few years into her career. The balance she strikes between assertiveness and respect for the tribunal resulted in many more opportunities to try high-stakes cases and has won her acclaim as a leading trial lawyer in the entertainment industry.
I recently spoke with Hinton and Coyoca about their respective oral advocacy styles and recent high-profile victories, in order to learn from our profession’s best about what makes a great oral advocate.