Voir Dire and Jury Selection: Essential Strategies

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Effective Preparation for Jury Selection
   2:00 — 2:45, Paul Friedman
   1. How to Prepare a Jury Plan Outline
   2. Using Juror Profiles
   3. Preparing and Using Juror Questionnaires
   4. Creating Your "Ideal Juror"
   5. Mining the Internet for Information About Jurors
   6. Know the Law
   7. Using Technology in Jury Selection
2. Questioning Prospective Jurors in Voir Dire
   2:45 — 3:30, Daniel Shulman
   1. How Much Case Information Can You Safely Introduce During Voir Dire?
   2. Building Rapport With Jurors
   3. Strategies to Employ if the Judge Asks the Questions
   4. Using Open Ended Questions to Get Jurors Talking
   5. Practical Tips for Voir Dire Question Construction
   6. Keeping Track of Jurors' Responses
3. Identifying Who to Strike and Obtaining Cause Challenges
   3:45 — 4:30, Paul Friedman
   1. Reading Verbal and Nonverbal Cues
   2. Determining Who Should You Strike
   3. Eliciting Bias and Securing Cause Challenges
   4. Using Peremptory Strikes Wisely
   5. Identifying Opposing Counsel's Strategy
   6. Rehabilitating Desirable Jurors
   7. Making and Responding to Objections in Jury Selection
4. The Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Voir Dire and Jury Selection
   4:30 — 5:15, Daniel Shulman

Accreditation Details:

Paul D Friedman is of counsel with Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh Jardine, PC. He practices in the areas of medical malpractice, significant personal injury and ethics matters. Dr. Friedman is admitted to practice in Arizona, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is board certified by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification in civil pretrial practice advocacy and civil trial advocacy (NBOTA). Dr. Friedman has been certified in injury and wrongful death litigation by the State Bar of Arizona since 1997. He is an associate with the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). Dr. Friedman is a diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Examiners® and where he develops the curriculum and routinely teaches the Certified Forensic Consulting® Certification Course. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Arizona. He earned his J.D. degree from California Western School of Law, his M.A. degree in bioethics from Midwestern University/Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and his Ph.D. from LaCrosse University. Dr. Friedman was an adjunct professor of medical and research ethics at Midwestern University and the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine where he instructed health care providers and students in the medical field.

Daniel R Shulman is a trial lawyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who has been trying cases for the past 50 years. Mr. Shulman is now a trial attorney with the Minnesota ACLU. He has been chief counsel in antitrust and other complex commercial litigation involving major industries in a variety of cases ranging from data storage, media, food, oil and gasoline, airlines, consumer electronics, medical electronics, health care, thoroughbred horses, and many other areas. Mr. Shulman has also been counsel in trademark and patent infringement actions, and he has an active pro bono civil rights practice. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; the Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society; and the Nation’s Top One Percent, National Association of Distinguished Counsel. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, and Hennepin County Bar Association. Mr. Shulman earned his undergraduate degree, with honors, from Harvard University; his master's degree from Yale University; and his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He has twice been named a Minnesota Attorney of the Year.