1 In 2016, we were proud to again be recognized by the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel as the area’s best attorneys. We want to thank you and the many clients that we worked with in the past year. Last year was a great year for us, as we settled in at our new office, and added the very talented Les Wilkinson Jr. to our team of attorneys. We also enjoyed the many community and fundraising events during the past year that make Kennebec Valley and Maine such a great place to live. On behalf of our entire firm, we want to wish you and your family a great year ahead. Today’s Law Winter 2017 Congrats, Steve! is month, Lipman & Katz received notification from Martindale-Hubbell that attorney Steve Smith was given an “AV” rating from his peers. is recognition means that his peers deemed him to have the highest level of professional excellence. Only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability receive an “AV” Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating. Sumner Lipman Reflects on Legal Career Recently, Sumner Lipman announced he will have of counsel status with the firm. In the video, he sat down to reflect on his career and the valuable relationships that made it so special. You can watch the video on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/lipmankatz.
Transcript
1
In 2016, we were proud to again be recognized by the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel as the area’s best attorneys. We want to thank you and the many clients that we worked with in the past year. Last year was a great year for us, as we settled in at our new office, and added the very talented Les Wilkinson Jr. to our team of attorneys. We also enjoyed the many community and fundraising events during the past year that make Kennebec Valley and Maine such a great place to live.
On behalf of our entire firm, we want to wish you and your family a great year ahead.
Today’s LawWinter 2017
Congrats, Steve!
This month, Lipman & Katz received notification from Martindale-Hubbell that attorney Steve Smith was given an “AV” rating from his peers. This recognition means that his peers deemed him to have the highest level of professional excellence. Only lawyers with the highest ethical standards and professional ability receive an “AV” Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating.
Sumner Lipman Reflects on Legal CareerRecently, Sumner Lipman announced he will have of counsel status with the firm. In the video, he sat down to reflect on his career and the valuable relationships that made it so special. You can watch the video on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/lipmankatz.
Picking a jury in Maine is both art and science. The mechanics of jury selection are actually quite simple. A pool of Maine jurors selected from the county is brought to the court on jury selection day. The size of the jury selection pool varies widely from roughly 80 to 120 people. Larger or smaller jury pools can be selected based on the needs of the court.
From the initial jury pool, and depending on the type of case, the court may issue written questionnaires to the jury pool at large. The court has several different types of specialized “precooked” jury questionnaires that are used in certain types of cases. Lawyers also have available the official juror questionnaire, which is sent to the potential jurors a month or more before the jury pool convenes. The lawyer will have the ability to review these questionnaires at the clerk’s office. Although they are not public records, the attorney has the ability to review them in confidence. The attorney will also have access to the more specialized questionnaires.
If the questionnaires suggest that a juror has a background that requires further explanation, the judge may elect to have that juror come to “sidebar.” At sidebar, the judge will take the lead in asking questions about the subject that has caused a conference. The judge may invite the lawyers to question a potential juror after he or she has done so. After all of the jurors have been evaluated, the judge will entertain motions to strike “for cause.” If a lawyer can convince the judge that a particular juror should be removed from a jury pool in a particular case because that juror has some unusual relationship to the matter, the judge will strike that juror “for cause.” After all of the “for cause” jurors are stricken from the jury pool, a court clerk will select a number of jurors from the remaining pool. The number of jurors selected depends on the type of case. After the clerk has selected the next pool of names, lawyers may exercise motions to strike using their “preemptory challenges.” Preemptory challenges allow a lawyer to strike a potential juror from this smaller pool for any non-discriminatory reason. At the conclusion of the preemptory strike phase, the jury has been selected and a foreperson will be selected by the judge. The jury will then be scheduled to come in at the beginning of the first day of trial.
The art of selecting jurors for a particular case depends largely on the lawyer’s experience and world view. Most lawyers have their own beliefs as to how certain types of people will react to certain types of cases. During the jury
Community EventsRecently, Lipman & Katz sponsored the following community events in the Kennebec Valley.
Above, the Cony High School girls basketball team takes on Lewiston in the Capitol City Hoops Classic. The two-day event on Dec. 27 and 28 at the Augusta Civic Center featured 18 games with teams from across the state.
Attorney Caleb Gannon, a board member of Children’s Discovery Museum, helped with the museum’s Whimsical Auction at Bangor Savings Bank on Dec. 8. As part of the event, more than 50 attendees had the opportunity to bid on fine art and handcrafted items from local artists, exquisite cakes, and awesome experiences for the whole family, all while supporting the nonprofit mission of the Children’s Discovery Museum. With the support of Lipman & Katz and other local sponsors, the event raised more than $13,000.
What You Might not Know About Jury Selectionby Stephen C. Smith
Jury Selection continued on page 3
A photo of the jury seating area at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta.
3
FREE CASE EVALUATION for personal injury and medical malpractice cases
The amount of time you have to file a case may be limited by a statute of limitations.
Visit LipmanKatz.com or call (800) 660-3713 today!
selection process, lawyers evaluate not only the written materials but their assessment of a juror’s “look.” Does the juror look professional? Does the juror appear to be working class? Does the juror appear to be particularly well educated or poorly educated? What sorts of clothing and grooming habits does the potential juror possess? All of these factors and more get entered into a lawyer’s rapid decision-making about the suitability of a juror for inclusion in a juror pool. Different characteristics may appeal to the lawyer differently, depending on the type of client or case. Lawyers will have very different criteria in selecting a juror for a civil versus a criminal case.
At Lipman & Katz we are experienced trial lawyers and we have selected hundreds of juries over the years. We agree with the founding fathers that a jury is an important protection for citizens in both civil and legal cases.
Please do not hesitate to call us if you have a legal matter which might result in a jury trial. If you would like to learn more about the jury selection process, you can view our collection of jury selection materials at www.lipmankatz.com/sites/default/files/jury-selection-materials.pdf.
Why You Need a Personal Injury Lawyerby Karen Boston
When a person is seriously injured, the process of resolving any legal matters related to the injury can be time-consuming. In many instances, it can be months or years before a person makes a full recovery.
Unfortunately, sometimes such injuries can result in death. In either case, early legal advice and representation can be helpful and often necessary. It is often not clear as to who was at fault for such injuries. Legal representation can be helpful in conducting an investigation and assisting the injured person or his or her family in responding to inquiries from others, including law enforcement.
Jury Selection continued from page 2
You can watch the video at www.lipmankatz.com/videos-our-attorneys.
4
DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for general information purposes only. It is not intended as advertising, and neither solicits business nor offers legal advice. Lipman & Katz attorneys do not seek to practice law in any state, territory, or foreign country where they are not authorized to do so. Please direct your comments and questions to [email protected].
Lipman & Katz, Attorneys at Law5 Community Drive, Third Floor, PO Box 1051, Augusta, ME 04332-1051
Have you heard of the Kenney Awards? We are proud to be a sponsor for this annual event hosted by the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce. You can learn more about the event at: www.kennebecvalleychamber.com.
It’s almost that time of year! We are again proud to sponsor Chizzle Wizzle, the longest student-run talent show in the country. This year, the show dates at Cony High School are March 14-17. The theme for this year is Cleverly Wicked. Tickets go on sale March 6 – call 626-2460.
Inside the New Courthouse...The new four-story Capital Judicial Center in Augusta sits along the Kennebec River and houses district, superior and family courts. The photos below provide you a view of some of the building’s features and design.
The large mural by local artist Christopher Cart is one of the first things visitors see when coming off the elevator.
Attorneys Steve Smith, Karen Boston and Caleb Gannon stand in front of the stained glass artwork on the second floor by local artist Janet Redfield.
Courtroom 1 is on the first floor and is used for many criminal cases.
Courthouse 3 features the latest technology and video equipment.
