If you've ever been called for jury duty, you've seen your fellow citizens use every possible excuse to try to wiggle out of their civic duty.
But did you ever wonder which excuses actually worked? We wondered that, too.
After you get called for jury duty, lawyers typically question you to see if you'd be a good fit for a particular case in a process called voir dire.
We spoke to professionals around the U.S. who advise attorneys on that process and a few lawyers to find out what kinds of folks lawyers don't want on their juries.
Not that you want to lie – especially while being questioned under oath – but you might want to play up certain aspects of your personality.
Be an "expert" on the case at hand.
The last people lawyers want on juries are "experts" on some issue related to the case, or people who think they're experts, according to Amy Singer, a litigation psychologist.
Prospective jurors could also play up the fact that they've already made up their minds about a particular issue, for example, noting they don't believe in large damages awards in civil cases.
In criminal cases, would-be jurors who have family members who work in law enforcement would also be undesirable, litigation consultants said. So don't forget to mention that you have a brother-in-law who's a DEA agent if that's the case!
Tell the judge you're not in a very good place in your life.
People come up with some pretty lame excuses to evade jury duty, said jury consultant Marshall Hennington.
One would-be juror even claimed he had to stay home during the day to make sure his dog didn't bark and bother the old lady next door, according to Hennington.
But just saying you have a lot going on in your personal life and simply can't concentrate could actually convince a lawyer or a judge to choose somebody else.
This excuse could be particularly handy in very complex cases involving scientific issues such as intellectual property or defective products, which would require jurors to be on their "A" game.
Dig into your personal life for connections to the case.
Lawyers typically want to steer clear of anybody who has personal experiences related to the case, jury experts said.
So, if you're being considered for a jury in a case filed by a woman who slipped and fell, you might want to bring up that time your favorite Aunt Sally took a terrible spill.
Or if two people are going to battle over a car accident, bring up that traumatic smash-up you were in when you were 8, and how upset you were at the people in the car that hit you.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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DIGITAL JUICE
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