Just because attorneys make it through the rigors of law school doesn’t mean they will automatically perform like Perry Mason in court, says seasoned trial attorney Rick Appel.

In an effort to help fellow lawyers who need to brush up on their “act” before a judge and jury, the Cheltenham, Pa., resident has combined his passion for theater and the law by teaching a course called Theater Skills in the Courtroom.

In recent years, Appel noticed that many inexperienced attorneys weren’t receiving adequate training in courtroom “performance.” The problem, he maintains, is that law trial-skills courses don’t get to that level. In addition, more cases are settled out of court now, and the economics of law practice makes firms less likely to send their newer attorneys into courtrooms to learn by watching.

“Twenty years ago, law firms sent at least two attorneys to a trial, and it was the second, less experienced attorney’s job to help administratively. They could also watch and gain valuable tips on how to act during a trial. Now, that doesn’t happen,” he says.

As a result, inexperienced trial attorneys worry too much about looking good for the client or battling the opposing attorney. They forget that their real audience is the jury, and they’re not prepared with their props. They also tend to get excited and talk too fast, and a nervous lawyer is more difficult to listen to, Appel says.

“The best way to influence a jury is to tell a story,” he tells a recent seminar class. “You’ve got to get away from being a lawyer and become a storyteller.”

Appel has taught hundreds of students throughout the country in law schools, government agencies, continuing education classes, and in his own three-year-old consulting business, Trial Run Inc. His one-day seminars teach lawyers how to use their voices; relate to an audience; focus on breathing, movement, and the use of props; and tell their “stories” in a compelling, honest fashion. He even brings in professional actors and directors to help instruct and critique his pupils.

One of the techniques Appel tries to convey to his students is the importance of speaking from a position of honesty without betraying their true emotions.

“I don’t want them to think, ‘I’ve got to sound like a lawyer here,’ but rather ‘I have a strong opinion about something, and I want you to understand it,’” he says.

Part of the course also focuses on the “verbal mannerisms” that can distract from a courtroom presentation. “Lots of attorneys use words such as ‘like’ or ‘uh’ to fill in the gaps of their conversation, or they repeat a witness’s answer—things I call ‘busy words.’ They also tend to talk fast because they don’t want to lose the floor to the other attorney.”

Appel encourages his students to stop at the end of each sentence and breathe before they start their next thought.

He also teaches various acting “tricks of the trade,” such as facial gestures, letting dialogue and movements happen naturally.

“Public speaking doesn’t come naturally just because you went to law school,” Appel says. “And the way things happen [in court] can either diminish or enhance the attention to your case.”

The 62-year-old has worked as a trial lawyer for the last 30 years. He currently focuses on serious personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability in the Jenkintown, Pa., office of Groen, Lamm, Goldberg & Rubenstone.

His passion for the theater has existed, however, since his days at Swarthmore, when he helped write the original student musical called The Hamburg Show (then an annual Swarthmore tradition).

“I had a part of me that I discovered at Swarthmore that wanted to continue with the disciplines of acting and directing,” said Appel, who went on to graduate from Temple University’s School of Law in 1966. Although he originally intended to be an entertainment lawyer in New York City, during summer 1964, he helped represent clients involved in the civil rights movement in Georgia in the ’60s. He eventually returned to Philadelphia as a public defender and then moved to private practice and civil litigation.

Appel and his wife, Diana Dooley, have two children, Molly, 18, and Benjamin, 16, and both are involved in music and drama. Between his law practice and courtroom skills courses, Appel said he doesn’t have the time to be involved with the theater. But he does sing in the local Abington Choral Club.

In addition to his theater skills course, Appel also teaches a workshop called The Elements of Advocacy, which focuses on the art of persuasion and communication skills. He is also scheduled to offer a workshop on public speaking and persuasion at Swarthmore on March 22 to 23. The seminar will help students deal with public speaking and the art of persuasion in job interviews and oral exams.

He noted that his one-day courses are not meant to duplicate a semester or yearlong course at a college or theater school.

“But [the course] can give some level of comfort and confidence and open gateways to maximizing whatever experiences come along,” he said.

—Angela Doody