OUR WORK
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Human Advocacy Skills for the AI Age
Public Speaking & Presence Training for Elite Law Firms
Lawyering is a physical act. Whether in a courtroom, a negotiation, or a client conversation, outcomes turn not only on preparation but on voice, presence, agility, and the clarity of communication a lawyer brings to the moment.
These skills can be trained, yet most lawyers never receive that training.
Vox Vera® works with elite law firms to develop the practical human capabilities that shape advocacy outcomes — voice, presence, attention, and delivery when the room is watching and the stakes are real.
The situations we understand:
The partner whose analysis is flawless but whose delivery doesn't land. The dealmaker who knows the strategy but loses momentum in the room. The associate who has the answer but isn't heard. Smart lawyers working hard, rehearsing repeatedly — and still leaking credibility without knowing why.
Vox Vera is a peer-level, performance-based consultancy serving AmLaw firms, elite boutiques, litigation and transactional departments, and senior legal leadership. Our work draws on interdisciplinary performance craft training, real-world BigLaw and client-side Fortune 50 experience, and teaching appointments at Stanford Law School, Berkeley Law, and the University of Chicago.
We take limited engagements. Inquiries are handled with discretion.
Why This Work Is Different
Most coaching for lawyers works at the surface: tips on gestures, filler words, and "projecting confidence." These approaches assume the issue is behavioral, but the problem runs deeper.
With proper training, nearly every lawyer can fill a room with their voice and presence. Yet under years of pressure and neglect, physical habits arise that interfere. The voice narrows. Presence contracts. Nerves take over.
But releasing tension is only half the work. Lawyers also need to rebuild their relationship to spoken language — learning to inhabit words as they speak them, tie speech to breath, and connect to the people in the room. This is different from legal writing. It's physical, immediate, and alive.
Vox Vera trains both: releasing what's in the way, and developing the capacity to deliver with clarity and connection when it matters. Every time.
That work requires a coach trained to perceive and address what is actually happening, not simply whether someone appears confident.
Why Vox Vera
Vox Vera is led by Paul Marchegiani, a former BigLaw litigator, Fortune 50 corporate executive, and classically-trained performer who has spent two decades training and performing in high-stakes rooms — courtrooms, boardrooms, Hollywood studios, and major concert and theatre stages. His methodology is taught at Stanford Law, Berkeley Law, and the University of Chicago Law School, and has been featured in the Daily Journal, Law.com, the ABA Syllabus, and the NALP Bulletin. Paul has trained AmLaw partners, trial teams, transactional leaders, award-winning actors, CEOs, and public figures whose professional lives depend on how they speak and show up when pressure is real.
Our work is delivered by an elite group of Associate Coaches trained in the same methodology and held to the same performance standards. All are certified Patsy Rodenburg Associates and experienced in high-stakes performance environments. Each can enter a courtroom, boardroom, or partner retreat and hold a room with clarity, steadiness, and ease. Every engagement is overseen to ensure consistency, discretion, and quality at the level elite firms expect.
Vox Vera offers three modes of engagement:
Group Training — Interactive workshops and CLEs for practice groups, departments, and firm retreats. Sessions combine focused instruction with coached in-room practice, giving lawyers immediately usable tools for upcoming matters.
Private Coaching — Confidential one-on-one programs for associates through senior partners, combining targeted exercises, matter-specific preparation, and direct feedback tailored to role, desired outcomes, and development goals.
Trial & High-Stakes Matter Consulting — On-demand support for oral arguments, witness preparation, pitches, and negotiations, with real-time coaching on delivery, presence, and in-room dynamics.
Drawing on Vox Vera's Performance Ladder™ and Presence Ladder™ frameworks where helpful, our engagements focus on observable, practical, and repeatable performance shifts in real legal settings — not robotic checklists. Most relationships begin with a single workshop or pilot intensive.
"This is one of the best classes I have taken at Stanford. I learned many of the fundamental techniques that underly public speaking, including breath work, improvisation, and audience engagement. Paul is incredibly patient and thoughtful in his instruction. . . . Every student should take this course." — Student, Stanford Law School
The Legal Communication Skills Gap
Why Technical Excellence Isn't Enough
America's best lawyers master legal frameworks, draft compelling briefs, and structure complex transactions — yet receive almost no expert training in the physical skills that shape trust and persuasion.
The gap isn't knowledge. It's delivery.
The gap isn't anecdotal. The Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform confirmed it in their 2025 report: while new attorneys excel in research, writing, and technology, they struggle with "client communication, negotiations, and oral advocacy" — the moments where outcomes turn on presence, not paperwork.
Law schools teach legal analysis. Firms develop practice skills and legal writing. But the physical craft of spoken advocacy — breath, voice, presence under pressure, persuasion science, and using language to connect in real time — doesn't always make the curriculum. And when it does, it's seldom taught by lawyers who understand both sides: the pressure of practice from the firm and client perspective, and how to teach performance craft effectively.
This is the training Vox Vera provides.
"We were so fortunate to have Paul Marchegiani lead a fantastic public-speaking workshop with us today . . . this definitely ranks as one of the most fun, interactive, and memorable CLEs I’ve been to." — Director, Legal and Trial Training, Major U.S. City Attorney's Office
"That was AMAZING! What a fantastic workshop." — Administrative Law Judge, Alaska Office of Administrative Hearings
Private Coaching Programs
Vox Vera's private coaching serves lawyers at every level — from junior associates building foundational skills to firm leaders preparing for consequential moments.
90-Minute Strategic Intensive — A single focused session for immediate preparation: an upcoming argument, pitch, or high-stakes conversation.
Accelerator (Two 90-Minute Sessions) — Targeted work on a specific skill or challenge, with time between sessions to practice and refine.
Four-Session Programs — Comprehensive development tailored to role and goals:
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Junior Associates — Foundations for confidence, clarity, and connection
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Mid-Level Associates — Strengthening advocacy, presence, and voice
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Senior Associates — Synthesizing presence, power, and persuasive authority
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First-Year Partners — Leadership presence and lasting impact
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Partners — Trusted influence and client connection
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Law Firm Leaders — Vision, voice, and authentic inspiration
Group Workshops & CLEs
Interactive sessions for practice groups, departments, retreats, and firm-wide programs. We tailor every engagement to your firm's priorities and work with groups of all sizes — from senior partner masterclasses to global department keynotes.
Sessions range from 60-90 minute CLEs and masterclasses to full-day intensives and multi-day programs.
Public Speaking & Presence
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Public Speaking for Lawyers
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Developing Gravitas
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Science-Backed Strategies for Performance Anxiety
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Harnessing Vocal Power: Clarity, Volume & Resonance
Courtroom & Advocacy
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Mastering Courtroom Presence
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Appellate Advocacy: Presence & Agility
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The Stagecraft of Litigation
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The Language of Advocacy: Packing a Punch With Words
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Helping Witnesses Deliver
Negotiation & Client Development
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Presence for Dealmakers
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Navigating Difficult Conversations
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Anatomy of a Hollywood Talent Deal: An Interactive Negotiation Workshop
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Getting to Yes, And!: Better Deals through Improvisation
Leadership & Professional Development
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Executive Presence: Showing Up as a Leader
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Applied Improvisation for Lawyers
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Seeing and Being Seen: Presence as a Tool for Belonging
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Public Speaking for International & Multilingual Attorneys
Trial & High-Stakes Matter Consulting
The courtroom is a performance space. Arguments are won through preparation, presence, and the ability to stay grounded when everything is contested.
Vox Vera provides surgical, matter-specific delivery and argument framing support for:
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Oral arguments, hearings, and appellate advocacy
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Opening statements and closing arguments
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Witness preparation
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Deposition presence and delivery
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Mock trial coaching and actor casting
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High-stakes client pitches, negotiations, and presentations
We know BigLaw litigation, Fortune 50 client-side expectations, and executive leadership from the inside, from motion practice and discovery, to appeals and high-stakes negotiations, to team meetings and pitches. That experience shapes everything we do.
"This was an incredibly fun session and truly helped to put everyone at ease, I think it really set the tone for the rest of the off-site." — Attorney, Leading Entertainment Law Boutique
Training for Dealmakers & Transactional Attorneys
Successful negotiations turn on more than strategy and terms. They require presence, accurate framing, and the ability to read a room and adapt while holding your position.
Vox Vera brings 15+ years of Fortune 50 dealmaking experience — negotiating over 1,000 talent agreements, rights deals, and high-profile transactions where a single misstep could cost credibility, clients, or the deal itself.
We work with transactional lawyers on negotiation presence, offer framing, reading counterparties, client communication, and high-stakes pitch delivery.