Jury Consultants: Used by Criminal Defense Lawyers

? They are individuals with a psychology background, who study human behavior and human reactions.

Choosing a Jury : Voir Dire

is the process of choosing a jury. It is arguably the most important part of the

trial

. An attorney gets up and asks questions to the panel, and based on their responses the lawyers will choose to keep them or get rid of them. While lawyers are trained at asking legal questions, and analyzing their response, most lawyers have not undergone the intensive psychology education that jury consultants have gone through. What looks like a good jury member to a lawyer, may in fact be an unfavorable jury member in the eyes of a jury consultant. They will help the lawyer by paying extra attention to body language, voice inflection, and much more to help determine who should be on the jury.

: Beyond simply analyzing the potential jurors as they sit in the audience, jury consultants will often form test groups, and analyze the case from different perspectives. They think about the case from the Defense's side, from the State's side, and from other sides not contemplated by either side. This research and

pre-trial work can help improve the questions that are asked during jury selection

itself. Additionally, they can help analyze your own body language, the state attorney's body language, and the interactions that occur during trial.

A good criminal trial attorney

will utilize every tool at their disposal. That includes using jury consultants to help improve your chances at trial. Talk to your criminal defense lawyer to see how they can utilize consultants in your case.