Importance of the Jury Selection Process in a Personal Injury Case

When a personal injury case goes to trial, the importance of having a lawyer who can select a Jury “properly" cannot be overemphasized. In fact, many cases are won or lost in the Jury selection process. It goes without saying that an extremely conservative or an extremely liberal Jury will have a significant impact on the verdict and the amount of damages awarded. So, what is the jury selection process like? Let’s take a look.

What is Voir Dire in the Jury Selection Process?

In just about every case, a Jury can be educated about the case and even preconditioned about your case during Voir Dire (Voir Dire is the right of each lawyer to ask questions of each prospective Juror). Additionally, a lawyer can establish credibility and rapport with the jury pool during the dialogue and he/she can precondition certain potential Jurors to strengths and weaknesses in your case through an effective Voir Dire.

An injury case will often carry a “Theme" as it unfolds, depending on the specific facts, circumstances, and personalities involved. This “Theme" of the case can be initially revealed during the Voir Dire, and the early attentive status of the Jury pool helps them form a type of “picture" of what they can expect to see during the trial, should they be selected to serve. This often permits certain evidence to have a more significant impact upon those individuals than it otherwise might have had when presented later in trial. 

Depending on the Judge assigned, the Jury pool may also be familiarized with the applicable law in the matter – law they will be reminded to follow when they hear it again (via the Judge’s instructions) at the conclusion of the trial.

Jury Selection Questions

Most jury duty selection process dialogue is improvisational. However, there are some important and provocative questions that are a staple of Jury Selection (Voir Dire) that often get individuals talking. Some of the questions your lawyer may ask of potential jurors include:

• Have you ever been a Plaintiff in a lawsuit?
• Have you ever been a Defendant in a lawsuit?
• If you were a plaintiff or a defendant, tell us something about the lawsuit and its results.
• Were you satisfied with the result? If not, why?
• Do you have a disability?
• Does any member of your family have a disability?
• Have you or any members of your family ever sustained any personal injuries arising from some type of accident?
• Have you previously served on a Jury as a witness? If so, when? Where? What type of Lawsuit? What was the result?
• What is your occupation?
• Have you ever been involved in any employment concerning the evaluation or settlement of claims for personal injury or property damage?
• Do you have any family, friends, or neighbors who are engaged in that type of occupation?
• Have you ever been involved in any employment concerning medical care or within the medical field?
• Do you have any family, friends, or neighbors who are engaged in that type of occupation?
• Have you ever been involved in any employment in the police department or military?
• Do you have any family, friends, or neighbors who are engaged in that type of occupation?
• Have you ever been involved in any employment concerning the legal field?
• Do you have any family, friends, or neighbors who are engaged in that type of occupation?
• Have you ever been involved in any employment concerning the insurance field?
• Do you have any family, friends, or neighbors who are engaged in that type of occupation?
• Do you drive an automobile?

These types of questions can often open a dialogue between the lawyer and a member (or members) of the jury pool. It is usually a good practice to get potential jurors talking openly and it is a wonderful opportunity for lawyers to ingratiate themselves with them before the start of the trial. A good lawyer will also watch out for the angry or prejudicial juror that may “poison" the remaining Jury pool members. If a lawyer senses a poisonous individual, he or she should move away quickly and make notes to “challenge" said juror’s presence within your pool later. Read more about the top jury verdicts of all time here.

Jury Selection for Your Personal Injury Trial

Besides Voir Dire, a lawyer is only able to speak directly to a Jury during the opening statement, closing statement, and rebuttal. The attorney does not engage in an open “dialogue" during these other opportunities; only during Voir Dire does this conversational opportunity come into play. Jury selection is an attorney’s one time to hear and talk directly with each potential juror and experienced attorneys know that listening to these individual responses can indicate potential sympathies, empathy, or lack thereof. The importance of the Jury selection process and the improvisational aspect of this process (Listening) cannot be overemphasized and as stated earlier, the “type" of Jury selected to hear your Injury Trial can make or break your case.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, the experts at Lowman Law Firm can help. We will explain what you can expect and walk you through the process. Our personal injury attorneys are skilled in the juror selection process in order to give you the best chance should your case go to trial. We serve all of Florida, with offices in Citrus County, Hernando County, Hillsborough County, and Pasco County. Has your injury left you unable to come to us? We’ll come to you! We offer free home and hospital consultations. And, there’s never a fee until you win your case.