Voir dire

• Author: Jim Wren/Laura Brown
• Pages: 303-328

VOIR DIRE

14-1

CHAPTER 14

VOIR DIRE

I. WHY VOIR DIRE IS CRUCIAL

§14:01 Jurors Will Discuss Frivolous Lawsuits

§14:02 Challenges That Voir Dire Addresses

§14:03 The Goals of Voir Dire for Damages

II. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PLAN YOUR VOIR DIRE

§14:10 Know About Voir Dire

§14:11 Know About the Court

§14:12 Know About Your Case

III. PLANNING FOCUS #1: TAKE A BALANCED APPROACH

§14:20 The Importance of Balance

§14:21 Plan the Sequence

§14:22 Plan the Priorities

IV. PLANNING FOCUS #2: FRAME YOUR DAMAGES CASE

§14:30 Plan the Statements

§14:31 Plan the Questions: Common Damages Issues

§14:32 Plan the Questions: Anchoring the Damages Range

§14:33 Plan the Questions: Establish Preponderance as the Standard

V. PLANNING FOCUS #3: CREATE A GROUP WITH YOU INCLUDED

§14:40 The Jury Functions as a Group

§14:41 Use a Style That Fosters Group Formation

§14:42 Protect Favorable Jurors From the Defense

VI. CONFRONTING PROBLEM ISSUES

§14:50 Fear of Assessing Big Damages

§14:51 Resistance to Intangible Damages

§14:52 Resistance to Future Damages

§14:53 Resistance to Damages for Unintentional Injury

§14:54 Resistance to Full Damages When Plaintiff Has Fault

§14:55 Defensive Attribution

§14:56 Damages for the Death of a Child or Elderly Person

§14:57 Insurance and Collateral Sources

§14:58 Lawyers and Contingent Fees

§14:59 Client Referred to Doctor by Lawyer

§14:60 Punitive Damages

VOIR DIRE

Proving Damages to the Jury 14-2

VII. USING WRITTEN JUROR QUESTIONNAIRES

§14:70 The Value of Juror Questionnaires

§14:71 Designing Juror Questionnaires

§14:72 Requesting Juror Questionnaires

§14:73 Analyzing Juror Questionnaires

VIII. CHALLENGES FOR CAUSE ON DAMAGES ISSUES

§14:80 Developing Challenges for Cause

§14:81 Pursuing Individual Challenges

IX. FORMS & SAMPLES

14-1 Jury Instruction Before Voir Dire

14-2 Juror Questionnaire

14-3 Alternate Juror Questionnaire

14-4 Motion to Allow Juror Questionnaire

14-5 Challenge for Cause Chart