Category Archives: Jury Persuasion
The (notable but rather unremarkable) damages verdict for E. Jean Carroll, and on jurors generally: In conversation with Liz Dye
I recently talked with Liz Dye of ‘Law and Chaos’ about the damages verdict in the E. Jean Carroll verdict, and how jurors think and process in trials generally. Warning: this conversation includes frank discussions of lawyers’ own confirmation bias … Continue reading
Expert Testimony: Some Science & Some Art to Increase Your Value
You’re an expert witness who wants to add the greatest possible value to your side. (Or you might be the attorney who wants to get the most juror persuasion out of your expert.) You’re in the right place. Jurors taste … Continue reading
Summer Book Recommendation for Civil and Criminal Litigators: “Acquittal” by Richard Gabriel
‘Acquittal: An Insider Reveals the Stories And Strategies Behind Today’s Most Infamous Verdicts’ by trial consultant Richard Gabriel is a great summer read which I recommend to all attorneys who try cases – even civil litigators.
When to Stop Voir Dire
Some weeks ago, I was talking with a lawyer who probably does a dozen trials per year and has been doing it for 15 years with results that are well above average. She was lamenting her discomfort with the jury … Continue reading
Even More Words Lawyers Should Banish
Textemada (d.b.a. the Torquemada of Text) is back with more words and phrases that lawyers simply must banish from their vocabularies. I would say “at least in front of jurors,” but I think the reality is that our minds get … Continue reading
One juror’s experience. Excellent read.
Every so often, I see something that a juror has written about his or her experience as a juror, and they are always valuable. Some moreso than others. A man named Gerry Walker in New York City wrote a terrific … Continue reading
The Mini-Opening Before Oral Questioning: Upgrade Your Voir Dire
Many states permit the lawyers to make a brief opening statement before the oral questioning of prospective jurors (e.g., California Code of Civil Procedure, sec. 222.5). If your state permits this, you should absolutely do it.
Francis Scott Key Was a Lawyer. Don’t Be Like Him.
Get a piece of paper and a pen, and try the following puzzle. Seriously, try it—it will make this much more fun and you might learn something kind of profound. Ready? Here is the challenge:
Beware the Stranger With An Agenda (B.T.W. … It’s You)
I have served and observed thousands of lawyers over 23 years, and gotten to know their thinking, strategy, intentions, and performance both preparing for and conducting jury trials. And I have become convinced that there is one barrier at the … Continue reading
More Lawyer Vocabulary Banishments, by the Torquemada of Text
(This continues the discussion from Wednesday, June 26th.)
Lawyer Vocabulary Banishments, by the Torquemada of Text
Fish do not think they are wet. If they thought about it at all, they might think you are dry. But just going along their fishy paths, leading their fishy lives, they give no thought to their own wetness. They … Continue reading
The Ten Commandments of Objections
1. Thou shalt know with thy whole heart that jurors don’t like objections. They want the truth and believe the objector is trying to hide the truth from them. So know that there is a cost for every objection. It … Continue reading
The Five Do’s and 12,000 Don’ts of Opening Statements
I sat through some opening statements the other day, and can only just now talk about it. Even now, at some points in the story, I feel like pointing to a doll to communicate exactly where and how the two … Continue reading
More On Jury Selection (Don’t Read That Aloud Too Quickly—Sounds Insulting)
I found a couple more notes from the jury pick I mentioned in the May 5 post. The big themes: in jury selection, keep your language simple and clear, and keep your questions open. When Lawyers Talk Like Lawyers, It … Continue reading
Obligatory Jodi Arias Commentary
I have not been following the trial very closely and I don’t really care about it— I feel like this Phoenix production is programming for Nancy Grace’s audience, and I’m really more of a ‘Mad Men’ guy. But I caught … Continue reading
Juryology: Art & Science of Jury Persuasion 