Here is a list and brief description of the articles in the latest edition of the Jury Expert which is published by the American Society of Trial Consultants.
Does Deposition Video Camera Angle Affect Witness Credibility?
by Chris Dominic, Jeffrey Jarman, and Jonathan Lytle--all of Tsongas Consulting. Many of us have had spirited discussions about how the angle of the camera in deposition affects the impression of witness credibility. We all have strong ideas and sound reasons behind those ideas. These authors had the same sort of discussions but actually did research on it so you could benefit from this knowledge as well.
Looks Like Science, Must be True! Graphs and the Halo of Scientific Truth
by Aner Tal from Cornell with responses from visual evidence specialists Jason Barnes and Karyn Taylor. Ever wonder just how much difference there is in how persuasive charts and graphs are in the courtroom? This researcher looked at whether a simple (very simple) graph with no bells and whistles would be more persuasive to triers of fact. You will find the results odd and somewhat unsettling. Jason Barnes and Karyn Taylor respond with their perspective on making visual evidence compelling.
Jury Instructions: Work In Progress
by Steven Perkel and Benjamin Perkel, both of Perkel and Associates. The question of plain language jury instructions has been around for a while but we wanted to bring you the most recent findings and thoughts on making jury instructions easier for jurors to understand and interpret.
“Soft” vs. “Hard” Psychological Science in the Courtroom
The terms “soft science” and “hard science” are commonly applied to different scientific disciplines, and scientists have investigated and theorized about features that apply when placing scientific disciplines on a soft-hard continuum (e.g., Simonton, 2004, 2006, 2009). In the minds of laypeople, however, the difference may lie in the more simple perceptions of different scientific disciplines. The very words themselves, “soft” and “hard”, may hint at different reputations. Soft sciences are fuzzy and less rigid, suggesting lower reliability, validity, and rigor than hard sciences possess.
Favorite Thing: The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues
Here's another favorite thing and this one is all about research being done (both brain and biological) that touches on ethical issues we need to understand.
Using The Other Side’s Strikes: Regulating The Information Flow To Steer Your Opponent In Voir Dire
by Roy Futterman of DOAR. Jury selection is a strategic activity that requires you to imagine how the other side will react. This author suggests you take that imagination a step further by behaving strategically to get opposing counsel to strike jurors you want them to strike--effectively giving you twice the number of strikes when you are successful. How could you not read this one?!
Loyalty, Longevity and Leadership: A Multigenerational Workforce Update
by Doug Keene and Rita Handrich, both of Keene Trial Consulting. Recently we were asked to do some research on whether jurors of different generations responded to case themes differently. In preparation for this, we updated our awareness of the generational research completed in the past few years. This article summarizes what we learned about the "real" (as opposed to anecdotal) differences between generations and how you can use a sensible approach to management in your own multigenerational office.
Top 10 Most Widely Read Jury Expert Articles Since 2011!
Every year we have been giving you a list of the top ten articles on The Jury Expert's website for the past year. We thought we would also show you our top ten most highly trafficked articles since we began to publish online. It's an interesting list with some of what readers say is our best work. Don't miss it!
Thanks Ron Matlon and Happy Trails!
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