When representing a large corporation in a jury trial, making the corporation seem “human” can be as important as developing strong trial themes. Many jurors have negative feelings about big companies. It may be due to negative press reports about the company or simply a bad experience using the company’s products. Unlike an individual litigant who can more easily be portrayed as being just like the jurors, it is more difficult for jurors to relate to corporations – they don’t have kids, they don’t have jobs, they don’t coach little league and they don’t go to church. There is a chance that you may face an uphill climb before you even begin.
Experienced plaintiff’s counsel, particularly when representing an individual, will attempt to leverage the ingrained biases against corporations. They will suggest that the faceless billion dollar corporate defendant made all of the critical decisions at issue in furtherance of corporate greed–and entirely indifferent to the safety and welfare of real people.
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