Jury Research Institute

Voir Dire

Pretrial Preparation Techniques for an Effective Voir Dire

Introduction

The primary purpose of voir dire is to provide attorneys with enough information about prospective jurors to make intelligent use of peremptory challenges. It is nothing less than the process that permits you to find the audience that will be most receptive to your case.

But the lawyers aren’t the only participants who learn something during voir dire. While you are busy eliciting information from prospective jurors during voir dire, the jurors are rapidly picking up clues about you and your case. They are formulating impressions of the merits of your client’s case and your own credibility, competence and trustworthiness. If your voir dire is haphazard or half-hearted, jurors will undoubtedly draw negative inferences about you and your client’s case.