The relevance to jury trials and jury persuasion is obvious. According to studies cited in a 2019 article in Business Insider, people develop first impressions of you “even before you open your mouth.” That means your mere appearance “affects how trustworthy, promiscuous, and powerful people think you are.”
It’s the trustworthy part that attorneys need to pay attention to. Regardless of the strength of their case or whether the law is on their side, an attorney still must be persuasive. And, unless the audience – whether it is a judge, a panel of judges, a regulatory body, or a jury – sees you as credible, the rest will likely not matter. But what makes an attorney, or anyone for that matter, credible? Is this something you’re born with, or is it something you can develop over time? Is it true, as some studies suggest, that you can change some first impressions by making some changes in how you present yourself, or are you just stuck with a less-than-trustworthy vibe? Interested in upping your jury persuasion game?
A Good Place to Start
Listen to my interview with attorney Jack I. Siegel, a partner with Fox Rothschild LLP in Boston. Jack believes we can all make positive adjustments in the nuanced practice of achieving credibility.
P.S. Toward the end, I could barely manage my ADHD and took the conversation into a chat that ranged from TikTok clips of the attorneys in the Amber Heard/ Johnny Depp trial, somewhat on point, to a discussion of great drumming, which would take some crafty knots to tie that in. Jack, being good-natured and a good sport, went right along with me. Also, that’s me on the bongos.
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Tom Hagy
Litigation Enthusiast and
Host of the Emerging Litigation Podcast
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FILED UNDER: Complex Litigation | Legal Operations + Procedural Law
TAGS: Compliance | Emerging Litigation & Risk | Litigation & appeals | Trial | Trial Skills
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