Voir Dire
Your only opportunity to identify and eliminate harmful jurors.
Jury selection is one of the most important aspects of trial and, yet too many lawyers show up unprepared. They either believe it’s okay to wing it, or give up in advance, having no faith in themselves or the process. This is despite knowing that cases can be won or lost with just one wrong decision.
We are here to change that. With our assistance, you will show up ready to ask good questions and effective follow-up. This will allow you to exercise your peremptories wisely, and expand the number of jurors excused for cause. You will see that meaningful voir dire is actually more efficient than "business as usual," and far more inspiring.
We can provide behind-the-scenes assistance, or be in the courtroom with you, helping you quickly assess all of the available information so that harmfully biased jurors don't slip through the cracks.
If you are tired of outdated stereotypes and questions that only garner silence, we can help you reach higher ground.
WHY YES OR NO ISN’T ENOUGH
Jury Selection Tools
Juror Questionnaires
The questionnaires we craft don’t take up extra court time or ask way too many questions that lead you nowhere. Our approach increases efficiency while allowing you to know vastly more about each juror without the need for much follow-up. In fact, you will see that a well-crafted questionnaire so accurately reflects a juror's biases that your impression won't change much after seeing the juror in person.
For more on written questionnaires, check out: An Unbeatable Combination: Mock Trials and Written Questionnaires
In Court Assistance
In most jurisdictions, jury selection is fast-paced with too much information for one person to absorb. We are constantly on the lookout to ensure that biased jurors don't decide your client's fate.
For example, in one case, a juror said, "Most of my friends are lawyers." He said it as if it were proof of his fairness. The plaintiff's lawyer was ready to move onto another topic when he was nudged to follow up with, "What type of law do your friends practice?" The answer was "insurance defense," and the judge excused the juror for cause after he sheepishly admitted his likely bias towards the defense.
In-court assistance helps you cover all your bases during the most high-stakes part of your trial.
Social Media Research
You know a juror's real self may be hiding in plain sight on social media. The question is, are you going to be able to find it before your jury is empaneled? Our investigators can find it for you, either in advance, when jury panel lists are released ahead of time, or in court, while you are busy conducting voir dire.
For example, in a criminal defense case involving a gun charge, we knew (but the government didn't) that one of our jurors had multiple posts about guns, including "my alarm tells me you are in my house, my gun tells me not for long!"
Jury Selection Workshops for CLE Credit
Most litigators agree that trials can be won or lost during jury selection. That's why a lawyer's skills during voir dire are so critical. Yet few lawyers ever develop the kind of systematic approach that is required for the task.
Led by experienced trial consultant and attorney, Carolyn Koch, participants will learn how to:
- Phrase questions that reveal jurors’ attitudes about critical case issues.
- Confidently address problem issues without offending jurors or judges.
- Hone strategies for the best use of peremptory challenges.
- Develop a coherent approach that will work for any kind of case or
any jurisdiction.
We recruit jurors who reflect a fair cross section of the community so instead of talking about jurors abstractly, participants will observe how real people react to the variety of techniques demonstrated.
Call 703-864-6457 to plan your in-house workshop, or Bar event.
Effective Voir Dire, By Carolyn Koch
Published by James PublishingIn Effective Voir Dire, Carolyn Koch shares her practice-proven methods for engaging jurors and uncovering harmful biases, no matter what type of case or issues. This book will show you how to:
