At some distributor point in your adult life , chance are sound you ’ll be called to wait on jury duty . But the odds that you ’ll in reality sit on a trial are much blue . What , incisively , take a crap an idealistic juror ? What are lawyers on both sides of a lawsuit look for in a lineup of random the great unwashed ? The result , of trend , depends on the compositor’s case itself . But there are a few general trait lawyer take into thoughtfulness when attempt to adjudicate whether you ’d help or hurt their argument .
attorney do n’t get to pick their jurywoman . alternatively , using a mixing of intense inquiring , keen observation , and stamp , they get to eliminate the great unwashed they retrieve would hurt their case . “ It ’s not like a baseball squad where you may pick out your team penis , ” says Jeffrey Frederick , Director of Jury Research Services at theNational Legal Research Groupand source ofMastering Voir Dire and Jury Selection . “ It ’s not who I want , it ’s who I do n’t want . What we seek to do is recollect of what background , life experience , cognitive style , feeling , and values jurywoman might have that would make them less open to our suit . ” hint like demographic and personality can better a lawyer ’s chance of predicting a juryman ’s position on a verdictby up to 15 percent . Here are a few thing attorney take into condition when trying to fancy you out .
1. YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Attorneys pay close attention to any relationships that might color your opinions . For example , “ if it ’s a aesculapian malpractice case and there ’s a woman and all of her friends are nanny , that might bias her a piddling bit , ” saysMatthew Ferrara , Ph . D , a trial consultant and forensic psychologist . And if you have friends or family in law enforcement , that ’s a openhanded red pin . “ In a criminal vitrine , relationship to someone in law enforcement is predominate , ” Ferrara says . “ People who are probation officers , police officer , jailers or are related to the same eccentric of profession would be probably consider as biased toward the pursuance . ”
2. YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE LAW
Even if you are n’t at once concern to a police police officer or member of the judicial system , you may still have opinion about law enforcement rooted in your own personal experiences . Perhaps you find you were below the belt fine for speed , or you ’ve been the dupe of constabulary profiling . This is all very significant , becauseresearchshows that when juries deliberate , they spend 50 per centum of their time talk about their own personal experiences as a room of judge the case . To whiff out prejudice , lawyers will ask jurors if they fit in with statements like , “ If someone is charge , they ’re probably shamed , ” or “ law do more to protect the rights of condemnable suspect and too small for victims and families , ” or “ Would you believe the testimony of a police officer based exclusively on his berth as an police officer ? ”
The demurrer is go to look for people who are more open - minded about the law , and do n’t always believe that it hit the ripe call . The complainant attorney or prosecutor will in general look for people more inclined to trust dominance .
One quick path to get give the sack from a panel , according to Tom King , a former Deputy Prosecutor in Indiana , is to vocalize strong opinions about the sound system : “ Say , ‘ I ’ve read about these deplorable prosecutions where the law and the prosecutors made up grounds and I just do n’t think it ’s a fair system . ’ ”
3. YOUR INTERNET FOOTPRINT
4. YOUR RELIGION
One usual question presented to juryman is , “ Are there any religious beliefs that preclude you from passing judgment on another person ? ” Frederick say this is to weed out people whose faith might obstruct their ability to view a typeface objectively .
5. YOUR ATTITUDE
If you come into panel duty with an aura of positiveness , you increase your chances of staying on as a jurywoman . “ If they ’re ticked off , I do n’t wanna take that opportunity because that could be transferred to my case , ” says King . Indeed , research showsthat if you do n’t vibe well with an attorney , you ’re more likely to decide against their argument . “ One attorney told me , ' If I can recite they do n’t wish me , I get disembarrass of them , ’ ” King pronounce .
6. YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS (Or lack thereof)
leader , contrarians , and sovereign thinkers can be pivotal in a finding of fact . These people have the potency to rally the eternal rest of the group behind a unanimous decision , which is great for the complainant or the prosecutor . But they also wo n’t be afraid to disagree with everyone else , result in a hung jury , which is great for the defence . “ With the criminal prosecution , you wanna see a group that can work together , ” Frederick allege . “ As the defence you are willing to have mass on there who will have a trouble figure out together . ” attorney want to identify the leaders quickly and decide if they ’ll work for or against their case . “ If you ’re the leader and they do n’t call up you ’re on their side , they ’ll eliminate you immediately , ” Ferrara tell . lawyer will look for leadership positions in your story , and take note of how self-assertive you are during the inquiring process . “ Do they incline to speak up in a grouping or not ? ” asks Frederick . “ I ’ve hear people castigate us attorney , and you go , ‘ that ’s pretty assertive . ’ ”
7. YOUR CLOTHES
While wearable alone ordinarily is n’t enough to get you dismissed , lawyer can make superficial judgments about your character based on your closet . This even include your shoe . According to the Synchronics Group Trial Consultants , a “ sustain , open , receptive and generous individual ” will probably wear casual shoes “ with plenty of room for the toes , because these people do n’t want to be hemmed in . No pointy tips . The heel will be low , because open multitude need to be capable to move around well . No stiletto . Sandals , sports and walking horseshoe are more potential to outfit this person ’s style than compact , squiffy dress shoes . ” On the reverse , the Synchronics Group say , uptight and cautious jurors will tire out more stately and well - maintained shoes . in the main , “ if you wanna make it on a jury , ” articulate Ferrara , “ then garnish guardedly and in an non - flashy manor . ”
8. YOUR HAIR
subject and receptive jurors , according to the Synchronics Group Trial Consultants , will have hair that is “ passing and naturally flowing , rather than highly styled or gelled or plastered to the head … beard and mustaches will be lifelike looking , rather than plan and sculpt . ” The old adage say you ca n’t judge a book by its natural covering , but attorney will certainly try .
9. YOUR BODY LANGUAGE
Non - verbal conduct can say a lot about what you ’re thinking . “ We ’re not mind readers , ” suppose Frederick , “ but you’re able to see deportment signal they are really not receptive to you at all , or they ’re very receptive to you , and you pay attending to that . ” For example , according to the Synchronics Group Trial Consultants , subject and receptive people “ will be sit in opened postures , i.e. , with their hand on the chair arm instead of fold up across their stomach . ” Lawyers will maintain juror ’ faces for assure reactions while the judge say the armorial bearing aloud . Some will “ look over at the defense like they have daggers in their eye , ” Frederick says . “ Or they may look over somewhat sympathetic . ”
grant to Trial Consulting Firm DecisionQuest , “ Non - verbal behavior is only one clue as to how someone might be feel at any apply second , not an indicant of canonical attitudes or preconception . ” Like clothing choice and hairdo , physical structure spoken language is only part of the puzzle . Still , King says , “ there were times when , as shortly as the jury was sit down and all the other people were gone , I would await up and I would just know . ”
