Commentary: Raising the Bar - Getting to Know the Jury

Summary

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Presenting successful arguments at trial can be very difficult without some familiarity with the six or 12 people who will be rendering the verdict. There are a number of ways attorneys can develop knowledge about jurors and how they are likely to make decisions about your case.

Whenever possible, obtain the jury list in advance of trial. By reviewing the list, you can learn about the types of people you might find on your jury. You may observe, for example, that many of those on the list are retired farmers, or nurses, or teachers, as opposed to businesspeople. This knowledge will help you tailor your argument to your listener.

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Extract

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Commentary: Raising the Bar - Getting to Know the Jury

In many jurisdictions, in addition to the limited information available from a jury list, each prospective juror completes standard questionnaires that will provide more details about the person's background. These questionnaires should be studied not only to determine whom to select for the jury, but also...

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