US Jury Consultants Help U.K. Lawyers
It’s a relatively common practice in the United States for trial lawyers to seek help from jury consultants when preparing arguments and selecting jurors. But the idea is still a bit unusual in Britain.
Now, however, an increasing number of lawyers in the U.K. are looking to consultants from the U.S. to help them determine in advance what arguments are likely to succeed before a British jury, and even impaneling mock juries, reports the Independent. British lawyers can’t get American consultants’ help in determining which jurors to eliminate from the panel, because the U.K. legal system doesn’t allow U.S.-style challenges to individual jurors.
One of the first British attorneys to try a mock jury is David Price. A London media lawyer, he has reportedly used a test panel in eight cases. Among other issues, he finds they can help him decide whether a case would be better tried before a judge or before a jury, the newspaper writes.
“We try to create a environment as close to a jury room as possible,” Price says. “It can be very useful to see how the non-lawyer looks at a case. I can also pick up some ideas from outside the box, that will help shape my arguments in court. You might also get a general steer about how not to approach a live jury.”
