Glen Wilkerson and Adrienne Redinger, attorneys at Austin-based Davis & Wilkerson, P.C., (www.dwlaw.com), went to great lengths to condense and simplify the Texas jury selection process as a part of their presentation at the monthly meeting of the Austin Bar Association Construction Law Section earlier this month.

An engaged crowd of 45 practitioners took notes and asked plenty of questions to the duo after the stimulating presentation. Working from an extensive handout, Wilkerson and Redinger condensed many insights with an easy to use, written summary about the following areas:

·       Voir Dire - General Principles

·       Key “Magic Phrases” Used in Challenges for Cause

·       New Texas Supreme Court on Voir Dire: in re Commitment of Hill (Tex. March 2011)

·       Preserving Error in Challenges for Cause

·       Equalization and Alignment of Peremptory Strikes in Multi-Party Cases

·       Making and Responding to “Batson” Objections

·       Jury Shuffle as a Jury Selection Tool

·       The Key Points relating to Economic Excuses

·       Using Google Scholar for Legal Research

·       Specific Current Data on Actual Jury Verdicts from Major Texas Counties

"Whether we are representing a client or presenting important information to our fellow attorneys, we believe it is very important to be thorough and look at the number of actual jury verdicts and opportunities as well as risks of the different kinds of procedural and evidentiary tools available to the trial lawyer,” said Wilkerson. "Making presentations like these before specialized counsel keeps us sharp, and ultimately, benefits our clients."

Wilkerson also spoke recently at a University of Texas Construction Law Conference in September in Dallas and has written extensively about construction law. His most recent article, entitled "What is the 'Standard of Care' in Litigation?" was published by BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION SOUTHWEST magazine in its fall 2010 edition. B&C Southwest reaches 39 thousand readers comprised of CEOs, presidents and other high-ranking executives at construction and construction-related firms. The article can be found at http://www.dwlaw.com/resources/BCSE%20Fall2010_Construction%20Law.pdf.

Redinger added that the firm’s Construction Law Practice is important: "We live in a city and region that continues to experience unparalleled growth, making it all the more important that companies and firms in the construction business be preemptive in addressing the legal aspects of their business as well as responsive if and when they are a party in litigation," said Redinger. She added that the Construction Law Section of the Austin Bar Association (including all of Travis County), which was founded in 1998, plays an important role in equipping attorneys with the information they need to facilitate the region's growth.