DUI Attorney | Voir Dire Techniques

If you ever need a DUI attorney, you need to find one with some trial experience. And the reason is simple - there is the possibility that your case could go to trial. Sometimes the state just won't give you an acceptable offer, and the only choice you have is to go to trial.

Ask any DUI attorney, and they'll tell you the most important aspect of trial is usually the voir dire. It is important for two critical reasons: first, you are picking the people that will decide your fate; and second, you have the opportunity, if you are smart, to get the jurors to provide information that will be critical to winning your case. What do I mean by that? Keep on reading.

The voir dire technique that I use isn't like your typical jury questioning. My goal, as a DUI lawyer, is to get the jury talking. Talking about their past experiences, talking about their biases, and talking about the things that are important to them. See, I'm not going to be able to change their beliefs in 20 minutes. They've been formed over the course of many years. So, I might as well find out what their beliefs are and get rid of the bad ones.

What I do to get people talking is ask them questions about their life experiences. Things like: have you ever seen someone drink alcohol and drive safely?; tell me about your experiences with DUI; and tell me about and time in your life you've been wrongly accused of something. These elicit stories from people that expose their true feelings about my case. And give me the information I need to keep bad people off of my jury.

But, you may be thinking, if a juror tells a horrific experience about a DUI crash? That's okay. It will probably allow me to get them off of the jury, and it's not going to affect the other jurors as much as you might think. Remember, we can't change their mind, and neither can any of the other jurors. They'll feel sympathy for the juror, and that's it.

Talk to your DUI attorney and find out what they do to make sure they get the best jurors possible for your case. It can mean the difference between a one word verdict and a two word verdict.