Psychological Techniques in Jury Consulting

Renowned attorney Clarence Darrow once said, "Almost every case has been won or lost when the jury is sworn" (Darrow, 1936). With jury imposed financial payouts possibly as high as they have every been, increased pressure has been placed upon attorneys to insure a favorable outcome for their client. The employment of and importance of jury consultants has risen with this increased pressure. Jury consultants are employed to help create juries that will be sympathetic to their client's argument. Often, they are used to find jurors that would have strong proclivities against their argument. As the practice has gained more attention in recent years the techniques used by consultants have been romanticized by the general public. Consultants recommend potential jurors not by intuition as many people imagine, but through careful scientific measures and acute observations of potential jury members.