The judge reads the jury instructions to the jury, then the attorneys make their closing arguments. The closing arguments let each attorney tell the jury what they think the evidence proves and why their client should win. These closing arguments may help jurors recall many details of the case, but they are not evidence. The plaintiff's attorney speaks first, followed by the defendant's attorney. Finally, the plaintiff's attorney speaks again and closes the case.
Jury instructions tell the jury what the laws are that govern a particular case.
Each attorney gives the judge a set of proposed jury instructions. The judge considers each instruction and gives the ones that properly states the law that applies to the case. The jurors must accept and follow the law as instructed by the judge even though they may have a different idea about what the law is or ought to be. In a civil case, the jury not only decides on a verdict for one side or the other, but also awards damages. Criminal cases are very similar to civil cases, except instead of a plaintiff, there is a prosecuting attorney.