Imagine stepping into a courtroom where every exhibit, every point, and every emotion is crafted to resonate, where technology isn’t a distraction but a bridge to the jury’s soul. That’s the courtroom of California personal injury trial lawyer, Shahrad Milanfar, and the secret to his success lies in an innovative, human-first approach powered by TrialPad and the rest of the LIT SUITE.
Since discovering TrialPad back in 2013 while handling catastrophic injury cases, Shahrad has been committed to “trying cases in a human way, and using technology to enhance his trial presentations”. By 2014, he had taken his first case to trial using an iPad with TrialPad, and never looked back.
What sets him apart is his refusal to let external processes interfere with the flow of his narrative. The presence of a trial technician pulling up documents and advancing slides can interrupt the very rhythm he’s crafted. With TrialPad, Shahrad has full control over his presentation — seamless, agile, and uninterrupted.
“Tell a story: you might remember 30%. Match it with visuals: you’ll remember 60% or more,” Shahrad says. Graphics, annotations, and callouts are not distractions; they are memory hooks, elevating retention and credibility.
In one pivotal cross-examination, he pulled up the opposing expert’s own chart, marked it up live, and hammered home a point — it stuck. That moment became a turning point in the jury’s thinking.
Jurors, after all, are wired for multimedia. Visuals keep their attention and their trust.
But Shahrad didn’t stop at appealing visuals. His strategic pace, use of space in the courtroom, and ability to stand, move, and keep presenting — all powered by wireless TrialPad presentations — enhance engagement and credibility.
He often teaches at NITA, Trial Lawyers University, and Bay Area law schools, where he emphasizes the importance of “primacy” and “recency”, capturing attention quickly and revisiting it later, especially in today’s fleeting digital age.
The impact of this tech-forward strategy was crystal clear in a catastrophic injury case where he secured a $32 million verdict.
He gave the jury a powerful theme of “Trust, Betrayal, Denial” visually reinforcing each phase. When the defense claimed an evacuation plan was in place, Shahrad visually disproved it: he showed the document established after the incident, and spotlighted that the person in charge wasn’t even hired yet. Their misdirection met irrefutable reality.
During closing, he wove together testimony and visuals to keep the jury's attention locked. Shahrad could see jurors engaging, switching their attention between him and the screen, and scribbling detailed notes. He knew his story was resonating with the jurors.
For Shahrad, winning isn’t just about courtroom display; it’s about preparation. He uses TranscriptPad for cross-examination prep across dozens of transcripts, ensuring every detail is at his fingertips.
In the courtroom, marking documents “admitted” via TrialPad is nearly instant. He then cross-checks his TrialPad-generated Evidence Report with his paralegal’s notes, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
Each night, he builds a piece of his closing deck using screenshots from TrialPad visuals displayed in the courtroom, paired with testimony snippets pulled from TranscriptPad. By trial’s end, he has a powerful, polished closing ready to go.
This seamless integration between preparation, presentation, and narrative is the hallmark of human-centered litigation. Shahrad Milanfar is a storyteller using technology to amplify empathy, clarity, and humanity.
And for Shahrad, TrialPad isn’t just a convenience; it’s the tool that puts him in control of the story and the jury’s attention. And the rest of the LIT SUITE supports that control throughout the litigation lifecycle.
Shahrad Milanfar’s approach shows how technology, when employed thoughtfully, can elevate what matters most: humanity, clarity, and focus. For catastrophic injury cases where complexity and emotion collide, this blend of heart and hardware isn’t just compelling, it’s essential for success.
