Practice Management

To jurors, do your associates and paralegals seem like creeps?

By Dan Hull

Face it. You live in a world where harmless nerds seem almost normal. That's okay. But jurors never like self-important "assisting creeps". That's personal.

Jurors, of course, will always surprise you. No matter what an expert might tell you, or how hard you've worked at selection, you are always wrong about two or three of them. You've heard that.

Insect Control. Now hear this: don't go out of your way to antagonize jurors with sideshows which have nothing to do with the trial itself. Bring no "creeps" with you to trial. Keep them in the office.

If they must show up--even for a moment--teach them to "un-creep" themselves, starting at 60 second intervals, and practicing until they can hold out for five minutes at a stretch. Hint: They pretend they are happy confident people who genuinely like other humans. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. And remember, you seek progress--not perfection. Be gentle at first.

Full post as published by What About Clients? on September 13, 2010 (boomark / email).