[MRM]

Matthew, haven't you selected a civilian jury yet? Do you handle criminal defense exclusively? I've had two or three civil juries where I deliberately left lawyers on the panel. I thought both cases were ones where a lawyer would recognize the correct result and it went well for me. I wouldn't be surprised if they left you on. If I were the defense I certainly wouldn't strike you, and depending on the type of case and who else to chose from I would be inclined to keep you if I was the prosecutor.

Speeder's dad was the one who actually taught me how to chose strikes from the jury panel. He would have recommended striking you because you would be a leader in the jury room and he advised that the only one you want leading the jury is you (as the lawyer). I left the lawyers on my juries despite his admonition because I thought they would understand my case and would lead the jury to the right conclusion. One of the lawyers was a very established plaintiff's PI attorney when I was defending an accident case on liability grounds, but the plaintiff pulled into oncoming traffic, so I felt pretty confident that any lawyer would find liability in my driver's favor and I felt better putting the decision in the lawyer's hands rather than a lay jury that could have gotten confused.

P.S. Good luck on Monday. Let us know how it goes.