Business Law

Legal Eagle
Career Exploration
LEARNING GOALS

• Document the career achievements and legacy of a great legal mind—i.e. “Legal Eagle.”

• Create a professional business presentation.

DIRECTIONS

• A Legal Eagle is a highly skilled and accomplished legal expert, such as an attorney or judge.
Working individually, select a Legal Eagle (past or present) and create a slideshow on this person.

• Your presentation should include the following information in this order:

o Introduction: attention getter, purpose of your presentation, and preview of main

points. [3]
o Background of Legal Eagle: date of birth (and death, if applicable), hometown, family
upbringing, etc. [3]
o Education: outline the law school(s) attended, degree(s) earned, and any other legal
qualifications. [2]
o Timeline of career path: outline the major milestones and accomplishments of your
Legal Eagle’s career. [6]
o Discuss prominent clients and cases. If applicable, discuss any noteworthy positions
taken (e.g. First Amendment, civil liberties, etc.) and/or controversies. [5]
o Outline the career challenges and/or failures experienced by this person. [2]
o Summarize the legacy of this Legal Eagle based on their career contributions. [2]
o Identify at least two fun facts or interesting findings based on your research. [2]
o Explain why you chose to write a report about this particular Legal Eagle. [2]
o Explain whether or not you would be interested in a legal career. Justify your
position either way. [2]
o Conclusion: short summary and closure. [2]

• You may choose a Legal Eagle from the list provided below or select your own, but it must be
preapproved and reserved on Canvas Discussions (i.e. sign-in sheet) to avoid duplicates.

• The slideshow should contain approximately 12-15 slides of content (not title, bibliography, etc.),
use a single design template for the background that is appropriate (no image backgrounds),
contain subtle transitions and animations, have a few relevant graphics, be easy to understand,
and not too wordy. You must turn in a copy of your slides using the ‘handouts’ print option (six
slides per page) on the day you present.

• All sources (minimum of three) must be properly cited on a bibliography slide. Keep in mind that
the more research you do, the better your project will be.
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INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION

• In a speech, you want to start strong and finish strong. Your introduction should hook your
audience and inform them of what is to come during your presentation, while your conclusion
summarizes everything you have just discussed and should end with something memorable. As a
tip, it is much easier to write both the introduction and conclusion after you’ve already established
the main points in the body of the presentation. Below, we will discuss the necessary elements for
creating an effective and engaging introduction and conclusion.

• Attention Getter: This will be the first thing your audience hears you say. Some methods to gain
the attention of your audience include: tell a shocking statistic related to your topic, ask a
rhetorical question, use humor, or tell a real or hypothetical story that relates to your topic. There
are many ways to gain your audience’s attention, so pick what feels right for you and your topic.
By grabbing their attention right from the beginning, the audience will be interested in what you
have to say and actively listen throughout the rest of the presentation.

• State the Purpose of Your Presentation: Generally, your audience will know your purpose or why
you’re there, but you want to be sure, so make it clear to them. An example would be: “I’m here
discuss our team's capabilities, but more importantly discuss strategies you can implement and
why they would be effective.” Thinking about the purpose gives you that northern star to point to
throughout your presentation so the audience can constantly revert back to it.

• Preview of Main Points: The last thing to include in your introduction is the preview of your main
points. List your points in the same order they appear in your speech. By previewing your main
points for your audience, you provide them a road map to your speech and help them to see
where you all will be going during the course of your presentation.

• Short Summary: As the first step in your conclusion, provide a simple, straightforward, and
effective summary. For example, if your presentation has three key takeaways, just summarize
those three quickly. Or, summarize your main point. Doing this helps remind the audience of
everything that they have learned during your speech. You may feel as though you are being
repetitive when you preview and summarize your main points. Don’t worry though—you’re doing it
right. Audiences remember things better when they hear them multiple times.

• Closure: Conclude with something memorable. Whether you use a quote, story, or statistic, take
some time to think about what you want to leave on the audiences’ minds. Consider revisiting the
attention getter you used during your introduction and come full circle. And finally, instead of
ending with a references slide and awkwardly rushing back to your seats, create a ‘questions and
comments’ slide so the audience has a chance to interact with you.

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DRESS FOR COURT

The following guidelines must be strictly followed to earn points:

• No sneakers or sandals; dress shoes and socks are required.

• No jeans or cargo pants of any kind are allowed; dress pants or skirts are preferred.
• No jean anything (skirts, jackets, etc.).
• Guys must wear a tie to earn credit.
• All shirts should have collars and must be tucked in.
• Plan accordingly if you get cold—no fleeces or hoodies; wear a nice sweater instead.
• Dress as if you have a formal job interview or business meeting.

GRADING BREAKDOWN

40 Total Points

Introduction 3 Points
Main Content 26 Points
Conclusion 2 Points
Individual Presentation Skills 6 Points
Dress for Court 3 Points

Potential Deductions

Design Template 3 Points

Layout and Graphics 3 Points
Unorganized Appearance 3 Points
Issues Posting File 5 Points
Transitions and Animations 5 Points
No Six-Slide Handout 5 Points
Improper Use of Bullets 5 Points
Inefficient Use of Time 5 Points
Improper Audience Conduct 5 Points

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SAMPLE LEGAL EAGLES

Abraham Lincoln
Adam Silver
Alan Dershowitz
Andrew Jackson
Barack Obama
Bill Clinton
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Thomas
David Stern
F. Lee Bailey
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Janet Reno
John Jay
John Marshall
Johnnie Cochran
Judith Sheindlin
Kamala Harris
Lance Ito
Marcia Clark
Richard Nixon
Robert Kardashian
Robert Shapiro
Rudy Giuliani
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Samuel Alito
Sandra Day O’Connor
Thomas Jefferson
Thurgood Marshall
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson