Our team spends more time in court than most other firms, and has collectively picked over 1500 juries. We have been innovators of jury selection strategies and tactics since the 1980’s, and we continue to utilize new tools and techniques for identifying and eliminating the most problematic jurors. Our capabilities include:
Voir Dire Development
Before trial, we help by drafting voir dire questions phrased to elicit attitudes and experiences that will identify priority strikes. We can also provide feedback on your own proposed voir dire questions, advise you on how to develop effective follow-up questions, and provide suggestions for achieving successful cause challenges.
Jury Selection
We can be there with you in court to help analyze jurors’ responses, provide follow-up voir dire, make recommendations for cause challenges, and prioritize preemptory strikes. After the jury is empaneled, we will prepare an assessment of the jury as a whole and a summary of each juror’s demographics and case-related experiences. Suggestions about case presentations and witness preparation tailored to the seated jury will also be provided.
Juror Questionnaires
When permissible, juror questionnaires can be advantageous in collecting more honest and insightful information on juror attitudes and experiences. A well-crafted questionnaire not only would prove to be a strategic advantage, but also prevent the whole panel from being contaminated by the answers of a few. We can design the questionnaire and assist in preparing arguments for the court’s adoption of the questionnaire. We then evaluate the completed forms, rank the jurors, suggest follow up voir dire and make suggestions for peremptory and cause challenges.
Social Media Research & Background Checks
Potential jurors’ online presence can provide a much different picture than how they present in court. We conduct online research of prospective jurors to assist in making more informed decisions. Typically, this includes a review of available social media and running background checks. If we are also assisting in court, information collected will be included in juror tracking materials and the jury profile prepared for you on the seated jury.