Jury selection often resembles a game of chess: do I sacrifice a pawn to save a rook? Do I allow this juror in order to strike another? The limited number of peremptory strikes inherent in jury trials gives rise to two disparate schools of thought:
- “We must make the most of each strike” versus
- “It is not worth investing in jury selection.”
If you agree with the first approach, you will use your strikes to eliminate the jurors most likely to be hostile toward your case. If you are a member of the second school, you will instead focus on creating a trial strategy to deal with whatever antagonistic jurors remain.
Some lawyers feel that their experience has taught them everything they need to know about selecting a jury. But even the most ardent student of human behavior can be fooled by first impressions. That is why lawyers often turn to jury consultants and mock juries to help them analyze potential jurors. Mock juries are costly, time-consuming efforts that don’t always provide valuable results. Jury consultants rely on social science and statistics to inform lawyers about the variables in choosing potential jurors. However, their research and experience is limited to general statistics based on similar cases, rather than the exact details of your case.
Is There a Better Way?
Now there is – thanks to Predict, our premier jury research tool. Predict also uses the power of statistical analysis, but it applies it to the exact details of your case. This gives you detailed, tangible results, at a fraction of the cost of jury consultants or mock juries. You will learn exactly what juror demographics are most likely to vote against you, allowing you to use your preemptive strikes where they are most beneficial to your case.
Predict also lets you test specific elements from your case, from evidence to client likeability, showing you likely juror responses. With this information, you can craft an effective courtroom strategy, from demonstratives to whether or not to include specific testimony.
“I am happy to recommend Predict with Precise. We submitted a complicated contested liability catastrophic personal injury case to Predict recently. The feedback we received from the multiple mock jury panels was extremely insightful and helped us to re-focus our liability strategy which led directly to a very successful resolution.” – Thomas A. Masterson, Jr., Esquire, The Masterson Law Firm
Improving Jury Consulting with Predict
Bring your jury consultant into the 21st Century with Predict. Call us at 866-277-3247 to learn more or download a free case study here.
Recent Comments