First to Hit 70% College-Educated San Francisco jury panels have always been among the most educated in the state, but have never been the most educated. Santa Clara has for years held that distinction due to the influence of the…
Your most important job as a trial attorney is to arm jurors with the arguments and facts you want them to deploy during deliberations. You must not only make allies in the jury box, but supply them with what they…
Know Your Juror. Trial attorneys are confronting a jury pool today that is much more interested in and aware of civil litigation, lawsuits, and jury selection. Litigation is newsworthy. A brief look at any major newspaper, as well as publications…
Cowritten by Mike Tiktinsky and Chris Ritter Several years ago, a lawyer who was a partner in a firm that specialized in civil litigation decided to update his marketing material. One evening on a lark, he asked his children what…
Assessing Juror Attitudes in Trucking Litigation In approaching jury selection in trucking litigation, it is important to be aware of the unique challenges that this type of litigation presents, as well as those issues defendants normally have to face in…
Eminent domain litigation is unique in that prior to trial, the parties know the range of values for the property in dispute that jurors are likely to award. This certainty about damages is unlike many other types of cases in…
We have studied more than 150 cases and interviewed over 1,000 jurors. The following juror comments excerpted from post-trial interviews illustrate factors which routinely affect the effectiveness of expert witness testimony. Over-Rehearsed Testimony Testimony that sounds as if it has been rehashed…
Although the American public is more sophisticated today about jury trials than it was ten or even five years ago, damage awards continue to be an issue about which the public is unsure. The amount of damages to award in…
Judges typically do not like to grant cause challenges. This fact, coupled with the burden of uncovering juror bias, makes it increasingly difficult for attorneys to have jurors excused for cause. There are numerous techniques that attorneys can utilize to…
Minor changes in voir dire questions can reveal much about jury pools without tipping opposing counsel to which individual jurors are most favorable to one's case. It's important to know when, and how to ask. Voir dire represents a strategic…