As a brand-new lawyer, I had no idea where to begin in voir dire.
My strategy: copy what the other guys did.
I had absolutely no clue what I was trying to accomplish. I didn’t have any goals. I didn’t have any direction. And I didn’t have any useful information about how to use my challenges. I’ve spent the past 18 years figuring out a better way.
Now, voir dire is my favorite part of trial. (That’s saying a lot, because I have a love affair with cross examination.)
First, I’m clear about my goals:
- to learn information about the jurors and engage with curiosity
- to earn trust and build credibility
- to be viewed as a leader by the jurors
Keeping those goals in mind helps me to avoid some of the common pitfalls lawyers often fall into in voir dire, such as:
- advocating our position too early
- trying to teach / manipulate / argue
- attempting to indoctrinate the jurors to the theory of our case
Being clear about my goals also helps me to choose the topics I want to discuss, formulate better questions, to remain curious and open during the voir dire, and to employ good listening skills.
I’d like to help you accomplish the same things. Here’s what my process looks like:
- Schedule a 60 minute zoom meeting with me to fill me in on the issues in your case and choose voir dire topics.
- Send me any discovery you’d like me to review before our meeting.
- I’ll create a draft of your voir dire.
- We’ll schedule a second zoom meeting to complete edits of your voir dire, and I’ll provide coaching on how to use your questions to effectively get the information you need from the jurors.
