March, 2009 Volume 21 Issue 2
LEAD ARTICLES:
Strategies for Combating Anti-Gay Sentiment in the Courtroom by Sean Overland
“This article describes the extent and nature of anti-gay sentiment, how it differs from racial bias, and how attorneys and jury consultants concerned about homophobia can combat anti-gay bias in the courtroom.”
The Graphics Guy: Turning Timelines into Plotlines by Jason Barnes
“Take your humble timeline. Re-conceive and re-execute and turn your timeline into a plotline. Plotlines weave each event into a single and logical flow of information. Plotlines are not just ‘who, what and when’ but also ‘why and how, cause and effect, motive, means and opportunity’. Strengthen your storytelling. Move from timelines to plotlines.”
Grime and Punishment: How Disgust Influences Moral, Social and Legal judgments by Yoel Inbar, David Pizarro
“Emotions can alter judgments. While we are familiar with how emotions like anger or sadness may modify how we react or how we see others, little attention has been focused on disgust. This article defines disgust, explains how it influences judgments and why legal scholars, judges and attorneys should pay attention to disgust. Strategies for addressing disgust are included and three experienced ASTC-member trial consultants offer their reactions”.
Keeping Secrets: Protecting Privilege in Pretrial Research by Kacy Miller
“How can we ensure that confidential information stays confidential? In this timely article, Kacy Miller walks us through multiple steps to take to ensure the confidentiality of pretrial research in the midst of a changing world filled with Twittering jurors and phones with internet access.”
Injured Body, Injured Mind: Dealing with Damages for Psychological Harm by Brian H. Bornstein, Samantha L. Schwartz
“While a principal function of the civil justice system is to make whole any person injured by another’s careless or intentional actions, insofar as that is possible–not all injuries are created equal. This article reviews examples of disparate treatment for physical and psychological injuries and offers recommendations for how psychological injuries can be presented so as to be taken seriously by jurors considering damage awards.”
Expert Witness Preparation: What Does the Literature Tell Us?
by Tess M.S. Neal
“A review of the literature on expert witnesses. What does the literature tell us about how to prepare expert witnesses to be effective, confident, believable, knowledgeable and credible on the stand? Recommendations for best practices are made”.
ASTC 28th Annual Conference: Raising the Bar, Experiencing New Heights by Cynthia R. Cohen
An overview of highlights for ASTC’s annual conference. June 4-7, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.
See articles in HTML format at:
http://www.astcweb.org/public/publication/index.cfm/March/2009/21/2/23