You know how ‘they’ say as you get older, time seems to fly by faster? 2010 has absolutely flown by for me. This is our last issue for 2010 and we wanted to offer a full plate (so to speak) as you go into the holidays. To that end, we have articles on self-presentation in the courtroom; thoughts on what we can learn (if anything) from negative political attack ads; a review of the research on police deception in interrogation and how that influences jurors as they consider confessions; using hyperlinked briefs to power up both your argument and your persuasiveness; a look at the role and impact of juror IQ; a psychological approach to voir dire; and a review of the research on the role of the juror foreperson. As you peruse these (with holiday fudge and hot cider) all of us at the American Society of Trial Consultants wish you and yours the best of holiday time and success, health and happiness in the New Year.
In 2011, we plan to continue to bring you thought-provoking pieces that make you think as well as improve your litigation advocacy skills. We are in a time in this country where we have to continually assess and re-assess whether strategies in persuasion are still effective or if we have to re-group and re-vamp and re-approach the venire. As you practice and run up against new concerns, perspectives and attitudes–it helps us a lot to hear from you about topics you’d like to learn more about in The Jury Expert. Send me an email [click on my name below] and tell me what topics you would like to have in our 2011 issues. We’ll see what we can do to make that happen. Think of it as our gift to you. Happy Holidays.
Editor, The Jury Expert