When faced with a criminal charge, you may end up at trial. And, as you hear all the time, a jury is made up of “your peers.” In California, and especially the southern part of the State, this group of peers is very diverse. You may be surprised to learn that an Iranian Criminal Lawyer could serve as a huge benefit to you with the potential jury pool.
Indeed, sometimes called “Tehrangeles,” the Los Angeles area and the rest of Southern California actually has between 300,000 and 500,000 residents of Iranian background. Beverly Hills, for example, is 22% Iranian with 40% of the enrollment at Beverly Hills High School being of Iranian descent.
That leads to a clear likelihood that a large portion of your jury pool may be of Iranian descent. Would it not make sense, then, to retain an Iranian Criminal Lawyer to represent you?
There are certain important things an attorney should do when attempting to connect with a jury including, but not limited to, the following:
• Thanking the Jury. Do not forget that most jurors are missing work, family time or something else they would probably prefer to do so they can listen to your case. This deserves a big “thank you.” Your attorney should keep the appreciation brief, but make sure it is there, in order to curry favor for the defendant.
• Humanizing the Defendant. Although “innocent until proven guilty” is the American way, jurors come in with an inherent bias. After all, the first thing they hear is all the bad things the prosecutor is accusing the defendant of doing. So how does an attorney connect with a juror? There is no question that an Iranian Criminal Lawyer is likely to be able to connect with an Iranian juror more easily that someone not of Iranian descent. Of course, it is also important to make sure the client comes across as genuine, calm and respectful. He should also look to be engaged in the trial and should never seem disinterested or arrogant.
• Communicating Favorably. Jurors dislike being talked down to. Phrases such as “use your common sense” are far less effective than an attorney spending time actually educating jurors about the case. Sometimes, there may be complicated issues—for this reason it is important to speak in a straightforward, explanatory way. When it comes to language, persons of similar descent and familiarity with similar languages will have an easier time communicating effectively with those who understand similar language and dialect or accent.
• Examining Witnesses. This is a challenge for an attorney, but a good attorney will ask simple questions of witnesses so as to elicit simple answers that all jurors can understand. This may be especially difficult during cross-examination, when a witness may not be taking a position favorable to the defendant. It is vitally important for an attorney to stay in control, while always using proper manners and showing respect for the witness and the jury at all times.
• Jury Instructions. When it comes to diverse communities such as those in Southern California, it may be challenging for a juror to only hear instructions given orally by a judge. A good idea is for your attorney to ask the Court to provide written instructions so that they can take their time and read the instructions more than once in order to truly understand what they have to decide. A good lawyer will also endeavor tyo incorporate the questions a juror has to decide into the closing arguments, so the jurors can see how the facts presented by the defense fit into the instructions so that an acquittal is warranted.
• Evaluating Damages. Everybody has their own life experiences which they use to judge situations. Jurors are no different. It is vital for a lawyer to keep jurors focused on the specific facts of your case so that their own biases do not infiltrate their decisions. To keep jurors on task, a good lawyer will keep them focused on the evidence and arguments the defense is presenting in a clear, concise way. If you have varied ethnicities on your jury, it is also recommended that your attorney try to relate to each in order to help them understand your defenses in a cultural level.
The facts and law are the most important considerations when putting together a criminal defense. But these are not the only factors to be considered and used when developing a strategy for trial. Indeed, especially in locations in and around Southern California, there is such ethnic diversity that cultural, language and related considerations must be taken into account. The best way for an attorney to relate to a jury is by understand and using the knowledge of such cultures to develop a connection with the jurors. Without doing so, it is far more difficult to connect to a jury in a way that will have them view your case positively.
