A View from the Bench: The Overlooked Art of Conducting VoirDire

摘要

The accused elects trial by an enlisted panel. As the defense counsel on the case, you think "Too easy. The convening authority has already selected the members, so all I need to do is get my witnesses ready for trial and practice my best Tom Cruise-inspired findings argument." If this is your approach to preparing for a members' case, you have missed a critical advocacy opportunity. New counsel frequently overlook the importance of voir dire in selecting fair and impartial jurors, and making favorable first impressions, because of an often misguided belief there are more pressing concerns. As with all endeavors, trial advocates will not get a second chance to make a good first impression. Investing even a small amount of time preparing for voir dire can yield big dividends for your case.