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Juror Voir Dire

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Your Voir Dire Questions: Don’t Be Scared of Simple

By Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm: Yesterday, I spent the full day as a prospective juror at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver. As you can tell from the fact that I’m writing about it, I did not get selected for the jury...more

IMS Legal Strategies

Overcoming Reptile Dysfunction At Trial, Part 3: Core Values Of The Brain

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This is the third in a series of articles presenting the "Theory of Core Values" as an explanation of how jurors reach their verdicts. I developed this theory over the past 40 years as a trial lawyer, law school professor,...more

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Defending Against Courtroom Conspiracies Through Storytelling

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Misinformation "poses an unprecedented threat in 2024," according to NBC News. No matter which side of the many social divides someone stands on, they can find a readily available source to support their opinion—and a...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Openings of Openings

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In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small describes different approaches to opening statements in a trial, outlining three common styles: dramatic, theme-oriented and...more

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Why Demonstrative Aids Are Critical in Every Case

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In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small discusses why demonstrative aids are critical in every case. Mr. Small shares why he believes simple demonstratives, when...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Counter “Safetyism” With Realism

There is a perspective on juror attitudes that has been receiving some attention lately. “Safetyism” refers to an individual’s tendency to not merely prefer safety, but to demand unrealistic standards of protection — no...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Voir Dire: Before You Ask ”Can You Be Fair?” Know What You Want the Answer to Be

The court’s purpose in voir dire is to use the time to identify and eliminate those jurors who would have the hardest time giving the case a fair hearing. But layered onto that purpose is the advocate’s goal of working toward...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

False Promises: Answer the Plaintiff’s Damages “Pre-Commitments” in Voir Dire

It is a common step in the plaintiff’s voir dire: Ms. Smith, if you are selected for this jury, and if the evidence proves to you that the damages to my client justify a high figure, like ten million dollars, would you...more

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What Are the Standards and Procedures for Jury Selection in My Jurisdiction?

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As a national trial consulting firm, we are often asked to assist with jury selection in jurisdictions where lead counsel has been admitted pro hac vice and may not be closely familiar with the standards and procedures for...more

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What to Include in a Supplemental Juror Questionnaire (SJQ)

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Recent years’ events have inspired experiential and attitudinal changes among jurors across the board. The 2016 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic fostered a shift in attitudes about corporations, governmental...more

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Using Jury Research to Benefit Your Case Story & Strategy

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As most litigators know, jurors’ attitudes and opinions often influence how they filter the facts of a case. It is through these lenses that jurors develop their perceptions of the parties and their corresponding motives,...more

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The Reptile Brain Strategy: Why Lawyers Use It and How to Counter It

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Over the years, we have heard much consternation from our clients regarding a plaintiff strategy called the “Reptile Approach.” We have seen this approach become more and more popular—not to mention effective—during...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Embrace the Power of “You might be thinking…”

A seasoned trial lawyer stands in front of the jury, previews the critical argument, and then, making knowing eye contact with the jury, adds, “Now, you might be thinking…” before spelling out and then responding to a key...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Avoid Social Desirability Bias in Voir Dire: Six Tips

Imagine you’re currently a citizen of the Russian Federation. The telephone rings, and the person on the other end of the line identifies themselves as a public opinion researcher, and they’re conducting a poll. “How do you...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Liberal and Conservative Jurors: Account for Different Moral Systems

When a juror looks at an act and declares it to be bad or good, where is that coming from? Well, hopefully, it is coming from the evidence. But inevitably, it is also coming from that juror’s own habits of moral judgment. And...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Be Tactical in Jury Selection

The voir dire process has got to be one of the most complex, information-rich, and high-stakes communication settings. To someone unfamiliar with the rituals, it won’t always be clear what is going on or why. For new...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Use Jurors’ Availability Bias

How likely is it that a corporation’s competitor could come up with a parallel product without infringing a patent? How common is it for someone to get injured on an amusement park ride? How normal would it be for someone who...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

(Sometimes) Reinforce a Higher Threshold for Cause Challenges

As you’re waiting your turn for voir dire, you notice that plaintiff’s counsel is getting a fair number of potential jurors to admit that they might have a bias — against lawsuits, against plaintiffs’ attorneys, against...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

See the Social Roots of Bias

At the voir dire stage of a jury trial, the word “bias” gets used a lot. But do we really know what it means? The courts, in practice at least, hew to a simple meaning: If a potential juror admits to bias, that means they...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Peremptories: Don’t Learn from Arizona

In my last post, I wrote about how the state of Arizona has been a leader in testing options for online trials. That same day, however, Arizona became the first state to eliminate peremptory strikes in criminal and civil...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Fact-Check the Misinformed, but Remember that Experiences Are as Strong as Facts

Potential jurors arrive at the courtroom with misinformation that might bear on your case. They could have opinions on scientific validity and reliability that will conflict with what your experts will tell them. They might...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Once More, Into the Mask: Expect a Post-Pandemic Courtroom to be a Ways Off

It is as if the public health groundhog emerged from its den, saw its shadow, and now promises six more months of confusion, polarization, and pandemic fatigue. With the more-transmissible Delta variant of the Coronavirus...more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

Don’t Oversell Your Limits

Now that the coronavirus vaccinations are moving toward the point of critical mass, it might be safe to think back on the early weeks of the vaccines’ roll-out. At that stage, many health officials were emphasizing the limits...more

Esquire Deposition Solutions, LLC

Litigators Urge Caution With Virtual Jury Trials

Legendary jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that “hard cases make bad law,” by which he meant that a legal rule fashioned for an extraordinary circumstance can be inappropriate for the resolution of everyday disputes....more

Holland & Hart - Your Trial Message

When You Contradict Someone’s Bias, Don’t Expect a Backfire (But Don’t Expect Easy Persuasion Either)

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney has just been stripped of her leadership role as the number three Republican in the House. The precipitating incident seems to be that she would not silence her claim that the 2020...more

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