I stand in front of a jury. I’ve been working on my voir dire for weeks. My opening statement is just about buttoned up. I have my theme and theory of the case. Nothing else matters, right? Wrong. Contact Jack Rice Defense for a free consultation.

What do they see? My suit, my shoes, my haircut, a mannerism, everything else. They see all the things that I forget to see. But more importantly, some of them place real meaning on what they see.

What the jury sees, perceives, may frequently have nothing to do with what you say but rather how you say it. It may not what how you say it but what you look like. That old line You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression is totally true. 

I remember going to trial in a criminal sexual conduct trial, a rape case. I knew this case cold and I was ready. I did everything right or so I thought. I nailed the segments I wanted to nail and I laid it out. And yet, after it was over, one of the bailiffs walked up to me, leaned in, and said, “You need to wear a wedding ring.” Now think about that. Why? Why would that matter? What does that statement say? I won that trial but I never forgot that statement.

The Chauvin murder trial is raging right now here in Minneapolis. I will appear on KGO San Francisco with Chip Franklin to discuss decades of legal experience and how you really try a murder trial or rape trial and how difficult and strange it really is. 

Jack Rice is the founder of Jack Rice Defense, is a former prosecutor, Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and Criminal Defense Attorney.  Contact Jack Rice Defense for a free consultation.