Litigation
Cal. Litig. 2019, Volume 32, Number 3
Content
- A Journey to a Paramount Moment in International Dispute Resolution: the Singapore Convention
- An Honorarium to Stan Bachrack
- California-Federal Procedural Contrast: Conjecture About Selected Differences
- Choosing and Using Case Authority: Tips and Ethics for Litigators
- Climate Change Comes to the Ninth Circuit: Juliana v. U.S. Tests a Novel Due Process Claim with Far-Reaching Implications for Environmental Litigation
- Editor's Foreword Still Flying High
- From the Section Chair 2019 Was Great; Let's Make 2020 Better
- Is It Time for a Major Shift in Thinking About Under-Publication of Court of Appeal Opinions in California?
- Letters To the Editor
- Masthead
- Roberts Rules: the Census and Gerrymandering Cases
- Table of Contents
- The Browns of California: the Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation
- The California Supreme Court, 2018-2019: the Rise of the Brown Court?
- Out with the Old, in with the New - Try an Updated Approach to Jury Selection
Out with the Old, in with the New – Try an Updated Approach to Jury Selection
By Dr. Noelle Nelson
Noelle C. Nelson, Ph.D. is a trial consultant who specializes in trial strategy, witness preparation, and focus groups. She is the author of "Connecting With Your Client" (ABA) and the blog "A Winning Tip." NNelson@Dr.NoelleNelson. com
Times they are a-changing. Jurors are no longer siding with plaintiffs or defense according to readily predictable demographic characteristics.
Take, for example, a focus group assembled to help the plaintiff’s attorneys evaluate how jurors would react to different arguments in a medical malpractice case. The plaintiff was claiming negligence by the doctors and hospital resulting in catastrophic damage to her newborn. The plaintiff’s attorneys fully expected members of the mock jurors who were mothers with young children to find for the plaintiff. Imagine their surprise when three out of the four moms did not find for the plaintiff, stating that births are difficult and untold complications could occur.