A systematic approach

• Author: Carolyn S. Koch
• Pages: 35-60

A SYSTEMATIC

APPROACH

2-1

CHAPTER 2

A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH

I. INTRODUCTION

II. STEP ONE: ANALYZE YOUR CASE FROM A LAYPERSON’S PERSPECTIVE

§2:01 Governing Principles

§2:02 List Your Concerns

§2:03 Ask for an Objective Opinion

§2:04 Do Mini Jury Research Projects

§2:05 Surf the Net

§2:06 Do Your Own Bias Analysis

III. STEP TWO: WRITE DOWN AND TEST YOUR QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE

A. Benef‌its of Writing Out Questions

§2:07 Flush Out Bad Questions

§2:08 Tweak So-So Questions

§2:09 Eliminate Tired Boilerplate

§2:10 Reap Rewards in Court

B. Write Good Questions

§2:11 Keep Questions Simple

§2:12 Ask Open-Ended Questions (But Not Too Open)

§2:13 Directly Address the Biases You Fear the Most

§2:14 Address World-View and Personal Experience Biases

§2:14.1 Example: Plaintiff’s Wrongful Termination Case

§2:14.2 Example: Defendant’s Wrongful Termination Case

C. Fine Tune and Finalize Your Questions

§2:15 Test Your Questions on a Layperson

§2:16 Draft a Final Script to Use in Court

[§2:17 – 2:19 Reserved]

IV. STEP THREE: USE PROVEN TECHNIQUES TO QUESTION JURORS EFFECTIVELY IN COURT

§2:20 Move from Easy to Diff‌icult Topics

§2:21 Parrot Jurors’ Words in Your Follow Up Questions

§2:22 If You Ask a “Closed” Question…

§2:23 Take Jurors at their Word

§2:24 Expose Outliers by Asking All Jurors the Same Key Questions

A SYSTEMATIC

APPROACH

Effective Voir Dire 2-2

V. STEP FOUR: USE ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION TO ASSESS JURORS’ RESPONSES

A. Judge the Book by Its Cover

1. Appearance

§2:25 Arrive Early and Pay Attention

§2:26 Ask Questions that are “Cover-Related”

§2:27 Get Beyond The “Cover”

2. Body Language

§2:28 Putting Body Language In Perspective

§2:29 Look for a Mismatch

§2:30 Observe Body Posture

§2:31 Look For Sudden or Odd Changes In Body Posture

§2:32 Notice Everything, but Allow for the Innocent Explanation

§2:33 Consider Jurors’ Uncomfortable Surroundings

3. Pauses, Flinches, Laughter

§2:34 Follow-up on these “Free Clues”

§2:35 Bring an Extra Person to Observe Jurors’ Physical Reactions

B. Don ’t Just Take Notes; Take Good Notes

§2:36 The Wrong Way: Demographics Only

§2:37 The Right Way: Capture Phrases that Reinforce Your Theme

Appendix 2-A Prepare a Jury Report