If you ever wondered just how important the jurors’ first
impressions of your client and witnesses are, here’s a mind-boggling social experiment,
posted on Facebook.It shows people walking right past well-known and loved
family members, not recognizing a…

 A
focus group has many benefits, among the primary being the opinions the mock jurors
offer on the case—the strengths, weaknesses, validity of themes, etc.  However, focus group jurors can only provide
opinions when asked the right questions. Too…

 What is written has more weight than what is said.
Always. That is why, when something is important, we write it down. That is
why, in any courtroom, jurors will believe documents over witness testimony.Unfortunately, clients often forget this,…

 The courtroom setting is unfamiliar to most prospective
jurors as they sit with a group of strangers and are grilled by counsel during
voir dire. In addition, potential jurors may respond differently depending on
whether they want to be…

 Rare is the witness who isn’t anxious, worried, scared–even
terrified–during deposition or cross-examination. Often this leads to a rapid
pace of speech. Not only that, but witnesses tend to believe that if they just
blurt out their response, they’ll…

 The brilliant cartoonist, Wiley Miller (“Non
Sequitur”), captured the misunderstandings between men and women as few
others have. For example, the wife says: “Let’s go shopping.” The husband
hears: “Let’s go drain the life force from your…

 Too often, in jury debriefings and in focus groups, jurors
complain that the attorneys do not connect their points or evidence to the
specifics of the complaint. Furthermore, attorneys rarely fully explain the
jury instructions to the jury, tying…