The art of voir dire is perhaps one of the most essential trial skills you need to acquire as an attorney. Are you fully equipped with all the tools you need to successfully persuade the jury in your clients' favor? This unique legal guide allows you to step out of your own shoes to better analyze juror profiles, fine-tune your jury selection skills, know the dos and don'ts of questioning prospective jurors and maximize your clients' chances for a successful court ruling. Get practical advice on balancing reason and emotion in your trial presentation to appeal to jurors. Order today!

1. The Law of Jury Selection
2. What Jurors Think: What Every Litigator Needs to Know
3. Preparing for Voir Dire
4. Voir Dire and the Art of Asking the Right Questions
5. The Role of Social Media in Jury Selection and Trial
6. Common Jury Issues During Trial
7. Ethical Considerations in Jury Selection

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1. THE LAW OF JURY SELECTION
   11:00 - 11:45, Dennis P. Coffey
   1. Key Statutes Affecting Jury Selection
   2. Rules and Procedures to be Aware Of
   3. Grounds for Challenges for Cause
2. WHAT JURORS THINK: WHAT EVERY LITIGATOR NEEDS TO KNOW
   11:45 - 12:45, Joseph Daly
   1. Case Theme Development - How to Structure Your Case Story
   2. Witness Preparation - How Jurors Determine Credibility and How to Help Your Witnesses
   3. Creating Visual Demonstratives - Turning Visuals into Persuasive Tools
   4. How to Address Damages - From Both a Plaintiff and Defense Perspective
   5. Creating Effective Opening Statements and Closing Arguments and Jury Instructions
3. PREPARING FOR VOIR DIRE
   1:00 - 1:45, Mark J. Karon
   1. How to Prepare a Jury Plan Outline
   2. Using Juror Profiles
   3. Researching Local Demographics
   4. Creating your "Ideal Juror"
   5. Preparing Your Pre-Trial Order
   6. Know the Judge (How Much Case Information Can You Safely Introduce During Voir Dire?)
4. VOIR DIRE AND THE ART OF ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
   2:15 - 3:30, Kelly Centofanti
   1. Getting to Know Prospective Jurors
      1. Key Techniques to a Credible First Impression
      2. How to Create a Meaningful Connection With Jurors
      3. Personality Types to Watch for and Use to Your Advantage
      4. Reading the Non-Verbals
      5. How Jurors Process Information and Make Decisions
   2. Standard Questions to Always Ask
   3. Questioning the Jury - Attorneys or the Judge
   4. How to Conduct an Effective Group Interview
   5. Using Open Ended Questions to Get Information
   6. Identifying Who to Strike
   7. Practical Tips for Voir Dire Question Construction
   8. The Big DON'Ts of Voir Dire Questions
   9. Who Asks the Questions - Attorneys or the Judge? How it Can Change Your Tactics
   10. Yes/No vs. Open-Ended Questions
   11. What Prejudices/Biases will Sink Your Case
   12. Buttons that Need to be Pushed
5. THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN JURY SELECTION AND TRIAL
   3:30 - 4:15, Mark J. Karon
   1. Mining Social Media for Information about Case Parties, Jurors and Witnesses
   2. Researching Private vs. Public Social Media Accounts - What's Ethical?
   3. Uncovering Juror Social Media Misconduct and What to Do about It
6. COMMON JURY ISSUES DURING TRIAL
   4:30 - 5:00, Dennis P. Coffey
7. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN JURY SELECTION
   5:00 - 6:00, Joseph Daly and Mark J. Karon
   1. Avoiding Race and Gender Issues When Striking Jurors
   2. Identifying Potential Conflicts of Interest
   3. Attorneys' Fees

KELLY L. CENTOFANTI is the managing partner of Centofanti Law, S.C. Her practice focuses on personal injury litigation on the plaintiff's side. Ms. Centofanti handles cases involving medical, legal and other professional negligence; malpractice; nursing home neglect and abuse; insurance bad faith; motor vehicle and boating accidents; and premises liability. She has lectured at numerous seminars, CLE programs, and classes at Marquette University and University of Wisconsin Law School. In addition, Ms. Centofanti has served on the faculty of six National College of Advocacy Trial Skills Colleges (essentials, Houston; medical malpractice, Safety Harbor; depositions, Atlanta; direct and cross-examination, Phoenix and Knoxville; advanced depositions, Denver). She has spoken at two American Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) National Conventions, and was a speaker at the 2002 ATLA Weekend of the Stars in New York City. Ms. Centofanti addressed a national audience of trial lawyers on the topic of medical malpractice at a special ATLA symposium in Washington, D.C., in June 2004; and national audiences at two-day seminars on successfully handling nursing home cases, one in Las Vegas in September 2004 and the other in Albuquerque in September 2005. She also spoke on the importance of focus groups at a NJ-AAJ seminar in Atlantic City in April 2007. Ms. Centofanti edits a chapter in the State Bar of Wisconsin book, The Law of Damages in Wisconsin , and has appeared on the State Bar of Wisconsin's Law Talk cable show, both as a guest and host. She has served as chair of numerous state bar committees, and has been involved in many other committees and boards. Ms. Centofanti has served as president of the Milwaukee Bar Association; secretary of the State Bar of Wisconsin; president of the Association for Women Lawyers; and chair of the Milwaukee Bar Association Litigation, Civil Bench/Bar and Judicial Selection committees. She was recently named one of the Top Twenty Women in the Law for 2005 by the Wisconsin Law Journal . Ms. Centofanti earned her undergraduate degree from Marquette University and her J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Marquette University Law School.

DENNIS P. COFFEY is a member of Mawicke & Goisman, S.C., where he concentrates his practice on the defense of criminal action, as well as complex civil actions in state and federal trial and appellate courts. He has been named as one of Milwaukee's outstanding criminal defense attorneys by Milwaukee Magazine based upon surveys of local lawyers and judges. Mr. Coffey has represented corporate entities, executives and individuals in a broad range of matters including health care fraud, securities, forfeiture, licensing and environmental matters. He has tried in excess of 300 jury trials during his career. Mr. Coffey has spoken on a variety of criminal law related subjects at conferences and seminars. He is a past president of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Coffey is a member of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association serving as a member of its Corrections, Sentencing and Guideline Committee. He previously served on and was chairperson of the section's Ad Hoc Committee on ethics and discipline, and also is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Coffey earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

JOSEPH L. DALY teaches litigation practice, arbitration, and advises the Client Counseling Competition program at Hamline University Law School. His areas of legal expertise are arbitration (national & international), insurance, labor, ethics, and criminal law. Professor Daly is active in public education about the law and regularly contributes articles to the ABA's update on law-related education. He has coauthored two books used in Minnesota high schools. Professor Daly is a labor arbitrator for the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services. He also arbitrates for a number of other states including Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and the City of Los Angeles, as well as the Virgin Islands. Professor Daly is also an international arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. He previews U.S. Supreme Court cases in school law for the ABA. Daly was chosen by the International Bar Association (London) as "Lecturer to Developing Countries for 1991-92." He has lectured in the Philippines, Poland, Hungary, Albania, and Czechoslovakia and was invited by the Vietnamese government to help ready them for a market society. Professor Daly's topic, "Legal Structures for a Market System," is especially valued in developing countries. In 1996 and in 1999, he taught in Shenzhen, China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. Professor Daly also was an ADR Fulbright Scholar at the University of Montevideo, Uruguay, in 2004-06. He joined Hamline's faculty after five years as a partner in the Minneapolis law firm of Franke and Daly.

MARK J. KARON is the director of the University of Minnesota Student Legal Service, where he has experience in trial and legal counseling in consumer affairs, domestic relations, landlord-tenant, criminal defense, civil litigation and administrative law. He is responsible for non-litigation matters, including development, administration and implementation of co-curricular and law-related educational programs. Mr. Karon is an assistant professor of litigation practice and private practice practicum at Hamline University and an instructor in legal research and writing, torts and case investigation and trial preparation at the Minnesota Paralegal Institute. He earned his B.S. degree, with high distinction, from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. degree from California Western School of Law. Mr. Karon is a member of the Hennepin County, Ramsey County, the Minnesota State and the American (member, Litigation and Family Law Section) bar associations, the State Bar of California, the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association.

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