Dr. Monica Delgado & Jonathan Harris Discuss How to Identify and Mitigate Juror Bias for Law360

May 28, 2024

Law360 has published another in-depth article collaboration from Dr. Monica Delgado, Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP’s doctor of psychology and executive coach, and founding partner Jonathan Harris. This time, Monica and Jonathan discussed how to identify and mitigate juror bias issues during voir dire and litigation.

Their piece, “15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases,” explores sources of explicit and implicit juror bias in light of the jury selection issues that impacted former president Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial. They dive into established and innovative methods for detecting and addressing juror bias, ranging from using cultural experts and leveraging machine learning to advocating for plain-English jury instructions.

Harris and Delgado write that “juror bias, whether overt or covert, has the potential to undermine the integrity of the trial. Diligent preparation, strategic planning and holding the government to its constitutional commitment to an impartial jury can help attorneys uphold the principles of justice and obtain a fair trial, even in the most contentious of cases.”

Delgado is an executive coach with a Ph.D. in multicultural clinical psychology. She helps individuals and organizations cultivate exceptional leadership, build positive cultures and improve performance. Her clientele spans corporate leadership, dynamic entrepreneurs, accomplished lawyers and world-class athletes, from boardrooms to courtrooms to locker rooms.

Harris is HSW’s founder and managing partner. A high-stakes trial lawyer with extensive business and financial experience, he is recognized as a premier advocate in the courtroom and in business negotiations. Harris advises companies, C-Suite executives, founders, portfolio managers and top producers in employment, business and partnership matters and represents clients facing internal, regulatory and criminal investigations.