Voir Dire and Relationships in the Courtroom

Throughout this two-hour program, Nicholas Rowley and Courtney Rowley, authors of Running with the Bulls and Voir Dire and Opening Statement, share insights and guide you through how to connect with jurors and curate a pool of open-minded individuals. Creating a community among a group of strangers where they can communicate, connect, listen, and share with one another starts with you. The Rowleys advocate that by modeling this behavior, your jury pool will feel safe to do the same. If you let people talk and share their biases while you listen and accept what they’re saying, rather than interjecting or trying to educate them, you show the jurors how to interact with one another. Brutal honesty is a way of communicating that is uncommon in this day and age. By cutting straight to the point and asking potential jurors to talk to you, to share their beliefs, you are creating a safe space for them to do so. The Rowleys walk listeners through this process and role-play different scenarios