Gone Are The Days Of Relying On "My Gut" For Answers During Jury Selection
Happy memorial day beautiful people,
No matter how many trials I win or lose, one thing remains constant: jury selection matters. For far too long I have taken a mystical approach to the process -- relying on everything from "my gut" to tea leaves, voodoo dolls, and magic eight balls -- rather than a structured method. And while intuition is a factor during jury selection, it shouldn't be the default.
I have always believed the cases I have lost -- not all, but some -- could have been won, had I just invested a little more time and effort into learning about jury selection methodology. To correct exactly that, I recently attended the National College of Capital Voir Dire Training at the University of Colorado. This training opened my eyes to just how extraordinarily effective a methodical approach to jury selection can be. Needless to say, I came home and immediately reexamined what I have been doing right and what I have been doing wrong for the past fifteen years.
Perhaps most importantly, I have been too focused on creating a comfortable environment during jury selection. Of course they are going to say they can be "fair and impartial" if selected; why I have been wasting so much time asking this over the years, is beyond me. Moving forward, I will be approaching jury selection with one simple goal in mind: remove unsuitable jurors (for cause) by asking what I need to know of them, directly and plainly (comfort be damned). In short, long gone are the days of me leaning over to my client saying, "my gut says this about juror number ... "
Ultimately, our reputation for precision criminal defense demands that we rise to the occasion. We humbly admit that we will never reach a point where our expertise is truly satisfactory; but that's also the best part of the journey. A law license, after all, is a license to learn.
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In closing, there is no limit to where we are willing to go or how much we are willing to spend, in order to learn from the very best in the nation. Thank you to all the fine folks associated with the National College of Capital Voir Dire Training at the University of Colorado.
For precision criminal defense, find us at: www.kcmetrodefense.com.
Thank you,
-Greg Watt
Personal/Professional Development Coach, Published Author, Crime Victim’s Advocate, Master Certified Life Coach, Current Law Student LL.B, Motivational Speaker, Evangelist | ??Genuine Connections Welcome!
2 年I know this was for attorneys but I’m just going to sneak in and say this was a great read! This is the level of professional transparency that we all need to grow (even in those whose fields are not the same). Gut feelings got many of us to where we are, but now that we know to do more, we must do it. Thank you for putting yourself out there and being an example of this for those who can glean from the advice. My favorite part of this was when you wrote, “We humbly admit that we will never reach a point where our expertise is truly satisfactory; but that's also the best part of the journey.” Those are words to encourage us all. And congratulations on the successes to come from the higher levels of learning you obtain.
Missouri Trial Attorney | Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Criminal Defense | Featured on: Dr. Phil Primetime | NBC | Fox News | The Independent | New York Post
2 年Good read!