Inside View To Jury Selection

Austin attorney Gavin Villareal recently wrote an article in the Texas Lawyer about his experience of going though jury selection in a Travis County murder trial. His insights about what he and other jurors were thinking during the process provide valuable insights to criminal attorneys.

The number one lesson to learn is jurors don’t like the lawyers to waste their time. Many delays are not the attorney’s fault and can’t be helped but everyone should make an effort to make sure the jury selection process runs as smoothly as possible. The criminal lawyer should be prepared and organized. Be careful not to go over the same ground the prosecutor has covered. Get to the point and get the jurors talking. A lawyer can’t learn anything by hearing himself talk.