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It can be a factor in big verdicts in many types of cases, but can emotion and how jurors feel about the parties tip the scales in family disputes? In this ThemeVision Focus video, ThemeVision turned to Barnes & Thornburg Chicago partner and veteran trial attorney David Ritter (David Ritter on LinkedIn) for his thoughts on jury trials in family disputes and a recent case. Here’s some perspective on the unique trial strategy and storytelling that goes into jury trials involving family disputes.
The civil jury trial in Guerrero v. Cardenas presents an extraordinary example of a judge not only trying to rehabilitate jurors who do not want to be jurors in a case but also requiring them to serve.  Following a defense verdict, plaintiff claimed the judge improperly required two jurors to serve on the jury despite one saying he would “never serve on a jury” and the other juror expressing reluctance to serve because of what happened to a family member in a jury trial.
Telling your client’s story at trial in a compelling and persuasive way is what trial lawyers do. While the pandemic has delayed most jury trials, the courts are opening up and many trials have moved forward in the last year, some virtually and some with a virtual/in-person twist. How can you still be effective and engage with the jury when trial doesn’t look like it used to? In this ThemeVision Focus video, watch Trisha Volpe’s interview with top Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP trial attorney Nancy Erfle who conducted a recent jury selection via Zoom and was part of the team trying the case in person. Here’s her perspective on trial storytelling during the pandemic and whether some aspect of the virtual trial is here to stay.