KEY SKILLS: WHAT TO DO IN THE FIRST 5 MINUTES OF VOIR DIRE; FRAMING OF WORDS & PHRASES; HANDLING THE “SEGUE” FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER & HANDLING PANEL MEMBER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & EVEN OUTBURSTS…..LEANING THE STEPS!

The live session will be proceeded by two sessions of one hour each in video conference calls where the faculty members and attendees have an opportunity to get to know one another. In these video conference sessions, we will cover homework assignments and those steps necessary to prepare for the live session to make it a meaningful and productive endeavor. This session will cover all of those steps necessary to prepare the applicant for conducting the actual voir dire at trial. We will go through the basic reasoning as to challenges for cause in determining how to strategically and tactically make and use challenges for cause as well as how to strategically and tactically use and make preemptory challenges in neck and back injury cases. We will provide the attendees with an opportunity to conduct voir dire and practice sessions. We will discuss practice group sessions, mock trial preparation and utilization as well as concepts involving the use of remote studies and big-data. We will also go through the “best practices” and methodology of conducting voir dire, understanding that on various issues and points some questions are good, while some are better and others are best. We will also cover strategies and steps to be utilized in “back striking.”

• JOHN ROMANO, WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA