Georgia lawyers turn to Hollywood actor to sharpen trial skills

ATLANTA — Linda Sheffield ends her closing argument by laying her head next to a bathroom tile splattered with ketchup, careful not to stain her cream suit. There is a brief hush in the courtroom before applause erupts from the jury box.

Sheffield, a veteran criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, stands as several camera operators stop filming, awaiting feedback from former Hollywood character actor and director Judson Vaughn. He tells her she should have let the ketchup get on her hair.

This is not a typical day for Sheffield or the handful of other Georgia lawyers in the courtroom of Alston & Bird’s office in Midtown, who have each paid $5,000 for Vaughn’s help.

“It’s expensive, but it’s worth it,” Sheffield tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as she packs away the various props she