Bigger Jury Pool Good for Both Sides of the ‘V,’ Shook Lawyer Tells Law360

In a recent article by Law360, Shook Senior Counsel Melissa Nott Davis was interviewed regarding Massachusetts states courts return of 12-person juries. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Superior Court civil cases had been proceeding with less than 12 jurors, some as few as six.

“Melissa Nott Davis of Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP, another defense-side attorney, said it’s worthwhile to spend a little bit more time to get a bigger jury panel, which can lead to more robust deliberations and more memories on which to rely when deciding a case,” wrote Law360. 

“There are studies showing that your verdicts are more consistent — you don’t have the high outlier or the low outlier with the bigger jury,” Davis said. “That’s good for both sides of the ‘V,’ that we have a sense of how to value cases.”

Davis represents clients in a range of health, science and technology sectors from Shook’s Boston office. She is also a member of the Law360 Massachusetts Editorial Board.