Mind Mapping for Lawyers: How to Organize Information Effectively

Winning a case is about information, and there’s no better way to collect, organize and present information than a mind map. If you’re looking for a more effective way to prepare for depositions and get an overview of the most important aspects of a case, read on.

“Mind mapping is great for lawyers because it lets them collect information, organize it in a meaningful way and turn it into a compelling case to present in court.”

Dave Maxfield, Attorney

Intelligent Information Management

As with every other kind of argument, winning a case is about information, about knowing the facts. No matter which field of law, whether it’s criminal, civil, corporate, family or any other, the facts are what can make or break a case, and it’s the attorney’s job to make them work for him.

What makes this task so difficult is the sheer amount of information associated with a legal case. Evidence, witness statements, police reports, autopsies, financial statements, names, dates, relationships – everything from the criminal history of a suspect to the weather can be of importance. Getting a good overview of all the facts is problem number one. Number two is structuring them in a meaningful way. Number three is being able to find certain pieces of information again at the crucial moment, and number four is presenting them convincingly.

This is where mind mapping comes into play. As a visual thinking tool, it enables attorneys to identify connections, make sense of information, get an overview of the most important aspects of a case and also memorize the details more efficiently.

A number of attorneys already use MindMeister to realize the full potential of mind maps and utilize them to organize their cases. Here’s what MindMeister enables them to do:

• Collect all links, files and notes relating to a case at a central point
• Capture ideas and new data as the case progresses
• Rearrange and structure information in a meaningful way
• Search their maps by keyword or icon
• Seamlessly switch between devices
• Turn their arguments into powerful presentations
• Outline questioning strategies for depositions
• and much more.

See how others are doing it

Dave Maxfield, the two-time Chairman of
the Consumer Law section of the South
Carolina Bar, uses MindMeister to prepare
for his depositions.
You can read the full case study here.

 

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“Building and using mind maps in legal education“, a talk by Jeffrey Ritter, Georgetown Law.