What could be more important than selecting the judges of your case? We all think of ourselves as open-minded and objective. In fact, we filter and obscure information by our pre-existing notions, our values, our childhood, and our past experiences. There will ten minutes allotted for each side to have one lawyer conduct a voir dire of the panel. This requires thought and preparation. Develop a profile of your perfect juror. Prepare questions to the panel based on your goals, and I will ask how the questions further your purpose of winning the case. 

I will look at the following:

  • How the questions were designed to find favorable jurors
  • The attorneys’ demeanor in asking the questions
  • Whether the questions caused the jurors to open up and disclose significant information about themselves

Below are Black’s Law Blog entries to help with voir dire:

Voir Dire: Teaching the Rules
Observing People
Observing: Part 2
Observing Part 3

Roy Black’s Criminal Evidence Workshop