Recent days have been filled with news about (very public) rude and disrespectful behavior from athletes, celebrities, and politicians. Pundits and pollsters are telling us what it means about our society and about the deepening political divisions in our country. Media outlets are covering the frenzy intently and ‘civility’ is being talked about as a behavior sorely lacking in our society today. It does make us stop and think about how each of us is responsible for our own behavior and for treating each other with respect.
Our goal with The Jury Expert is not only to help you increase your trial skills but also to offer information that helps you pause and ponder from time to time. This issue features diverse and provocative pieces that we hope will make you stop and think about hate crimes, racial slurs, graphic injury photographs, and assault weapons as self-defense tools.
In addition, we have terrific pieces on the contribution of the mediator to the negotiation process; how to identify leaders in the jury pool; the benefits of humanizing complex evidence through anthropomorphism in technical presentations; considering the need for alternative cause strategies in product liability litigation; and a primer of sorts, disguised as our September 2009 Favorite Thing.
Read us cover to cover (or web page to web page)! Tell your friends and colleagues about us. Help The Jury Expert travel to offices in venues where we’ve never been before. And, as always, if you have topics you’d like addressed in upcoming issues, let me know.
Editor, The Jury Expert