My firm uses a settlement video in virtually every case that involves significant damages. I’m convinced that when a lawyer decides not to use one, he is also deciding at the same time to reduce the amount the defendant will ultimately offer to resolve the case. Settlement videos are powerful. Far more comprehensive than descriptive words or still photographs, videos let the mediator, opposing counsel, the defendant and the insurer see, hear, and feel the whole story of a case in a compelling and accurate manner.
A photographer, Bill Jay, may have stated it best in an article in the Washington Journalism Review (1990), in which he described images as “directly entering the blood stream, bypassing the brain.” Words can fail us sometimes. A settlement video, however, can accurately present critical evidence to those involved in the settlement process, maximizing not only the likelihood of a resolution but also the amount of the settlement.
