Keep your eyes on the prize

“Keep your eyes on the prize” is a familiar courtroom slogan that Jeffrey Golantz uses to direct the jury’s attention toward the victims and away from what he calls the defense’s “roadblocks to justice.” Mickey Haller recognizes the phrase as an old courthouse standby, yet judges Golantz’s use of it effective enough to make a solid beginning to his closing argument.

Use in the Closing Argument

Golantz delivers the phrase from the proving grounds, the space before the jury box where lawyers may address jurors directly during opening statements and closing arguments. Standing at the midpoint of the box with his hands spread like a preacher’s, he urges the jurors to listen carefully, rely on common sense, and avoid being confused or sidetracked by the defense. The slogan condenses that appeal into a command to keep their attention on the case’s intended destination.

Its immediate context gives “the prize” a moral and emotional meaning: Golantz reminds the jury that two people had their lives stolen and their futures taken away, and says that is why the trial is taking place. The phrase therefore links concentration with justice for the victims, while casting the defense’s arguments in advance as obstacles to that justice.

Haller’s Assessment

Haller identifies the line as a familiar formula that had circulated in the courthouse since his days as a public defender. Its age does not make it ineffective in his view. He considers Golantz’s closing a solid beginning: Golantz may not be an exceptional orator, but he has made his points. The assessment distinguishes originality from practical force; a well-worn appeal can still orient a jury toward the prosecution’s chosen account of what matters.

Haller also notices Golantz’s repeated use of “folks,” a word he says he would never use with a jury. That contrast places the slogan within Golantz’s direct, broadly accessible manner of address, while showing Haller scrutinizing the prosecutor’s choices as a trial lawyer. The phrase is not presented as a new insight or piece of evidence. Its function is to shape how jurors attend to the evidence that follows and how they regard the defense’s challenges.

Rhetorical Function

The slogan works by pairing a simple instruction with an emotional reminder. Rather than answering the defense’s arguments one by one, Golantz asks the jury to treat them as potential distractions and to preserve a focus on the victims. Haller’s recognition of the cliché keeps that persuasive move in view as technique: the words are familiar, but their placement at the close of Golantz’s appeal gives them a clear task. The phrase thus captures the prosecution’s effort to define the trial’s central concern before the defense can redirect the jury’s attention.