By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Let’s say that in trial, your witness will be called adverse and will go through the other side’s cross-examination before getting a chance at your direct.[1] But in your preparation sessions, you should still take them through your direct examination first. That’s what I call the “flipped” order, and in this […]
Flip the Order of Your Adverse Witness Preparation Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: A recent piece in The New York Times focuses on the increasing prevalence of longer questionnaires for those called in for jury duty. While such questionnaires tend to attract media attention in high-profile cases, the article notes that they’ve “become a familiar presence in courtrooms across the United States.” The reaction from consultants
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: When I’m in my office and on a client call where I’m expected to contribute creative thoughts, I will frequently close the door, put the telephone headset on, and pace circles around my office. And when I’m stumped over the course of a couple days by something for this blog,
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: I recently wrote about “prehabilitation,” the new term for the old practice of talking a juror out of their biases. That prompted a recollection of an article that I wrote a while back, but never included here in this blog. So, with some thanks to The Jury Expert for the reprint permission, here
Get Beyond “Can You Be Fair?” Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: In foreign policy, the projection of certainty and confidence can be as important as the strategy. On that score, it hasn’t been an easy few weeks for the Obama administration. While some find it refreshing for leaders to avoid quick bravado in response to complex world events, others have attacked
Consider Confidence Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: There is a new documentary in current rotation on HBO and and it’s one that trial lawyers and other legal junkies will want to watch. Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart provides a detailed look at the 1991 trial of the New Hampshire school employee who was tried and convicted for accessory
Listen to Jurors, Especially to Juror #13 From Pamela Smart Trial Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: It’s always nice to announce a birth, to welcome something new into the world. In this case, weighing in at 15 letters and 6 syllables, it’s a new word: “prehabilitation!” And it’s a pretty useful word for those wanting to understand, teach, and most importantly, fix oral voir dire. The
Don’t Prehabilitate Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Litigation has one thing in common with real estate: location matters. There will be reliable differences when trying a case in one venue versus another. And some of the most reliable differences come down to the sometimes vast distance between a city jury and a country jury. The distinctions are
Compare the City and Country Juror Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Late last week, as large crowds in Ferguson continued to protest the police shooting of the 18-year-old unarmed Michael Brown, Police Chief Thomas Jackson made two announcements. One, he released the name of the officer involved (Darren Wilson) after it was already released by the hacker goup Anonymous. And two,
Take Care With Character Attacks Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: I’ve known this since my days as a college professor: If you really want to learn something, then try teaching it. And there’s an important principle at the heart of that. The mindset of an active teacher is different — and better — than the mindset of a passive learner. When you’re
Prepare Your Jurors to be Teachers Read More »