Facebook A “Friend” For Trial Lawyers

Here’s a piece from the Wall Street Journal that talks about trial lawyers checking out potential jurors on Facebook. I’ve got to say, I don’t see that as a big surprise. Trial lawyers want to know as much as they can about potential jurors – are they likely to be biased one way or the other? Bias in my direction is good, bias the other direction is bad. The problem is, given time constraints – the lawyers don’t see the list of jurors much before the trial starts – there’s a limit on how much a lawyer can learn. The primary tool is the voire dire process, where the lawyers can ask potential jurors about their backgrounds, beliefs and potential bias. But again, that process is subject to time constraints and limits on the scope of the questions. And, not all jurors tell the truth. So why not use technology as a supplement? I can’t think of any reasons not to.