Selecting for Success: Strategies for Effective Jury Selection in Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Cases

3 Skills CLE Credits 

Areas of discussion include:

• Handling tough issues in jury selection, such as bias, excluding sympathy, money, pain and suffering damages, medical causation, race, gender and socioeconomic differences.
• Getting jurors to talk and be honest about their feelings.
• Establishing and maintaining your credibility.
• Addressing your case weaknesses.
• Uncovering jury bias and establishing cause challenges for jurors who are hesitant to express their leanings.
• Describing your case in summary form and determining how much detail to provide about your claims and defenses.
• Introducing ideas like culpable conduct and mitigation of damages on behalf of the defense, and dealing with defensive attribution, victim blaming and comparative fault on behalf of the plaintiff.
• Dealing with difficult jurors: turning awkward, uncomfortable moments into opportunities.
• Identifying leaders vs. followers and the role this plays in choosing jurors.
• Seeing beyond labels: choosing people who don’t fit the stereotype of a “good” juror for your side.
• Defending against plaintiffs’ attorneys who invoke general safety concerns and danger concepts.
   

Faculty:

Jury Selection in Medical Malpractice Cases from the Plaintiffs’ Perspective
Victoria Wickman, Esq. – Co-Chair
NYSTLA President
Law Office of Victoria Wickman

Jury Selection in General Negligence Cases from the Plaintiff’s Perspective
Stephen Williamson, Esq. – Co-Chair
Law Office of Stephen Z. Williamson, P.L.L.C.

Jury Selection in Medical Malpractice Cases from the Defense Perspective
Karen Grottalio, Esq.
Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach, LLP

Jury Selection in General Negligence Cases from the Defense Perspective
Jared Hatcliffe, Esq.
New York City Law Department