The Meaning behind "The Jury’s Out" Podcast

Every person within the court system has two equally important personalities. The first personality is the one that the everyone sees and everyone knows. It’s the personality that you use when you are standing tall, confident and with both feet firmly planted on the ground. You might be speaking and using words you don’t normally use in conversations. You are sharp, suited up, hair straight and in control. The mood of this personality never changes, it is always focused and serious. This is the personality used when you are ON THE RECORD.

In court,  the term “on-record” means that a stenographer or court reporter is literally writing down everything you say. They are making THE record and everything in that record is etched into history for the world to see – forever. Most people think that these words on the record are most important when trying to know a person. After all, this is the person that a jury sees whenever a case goes to trial. If the jury is in the courtroom, every single thing that an attorney does is being judged by that jury – their words, their dress, their voice, their confidence – everything. In a sense, the court room is one big stage and the attorneys are part of the acting cast. However, with the exception of maybe the best actors/actresses, most actors are not actually who they portray when the audience is watching. When they go home or are with their close family and friends, that is when their real personality comes out. This same logic also applies to attorneys, and even judges, when they are outside the presence of the jury – that second personality kicks in.

This “second” personality (which arguably should be the first since it is more authentic) is relaxed, more down-to-earth, and casual. The suit jackets come off, the ties loosen up, the judge takes off the robe. The conversations are more normal and fluid. There is less calculated thinking and less of a guard up. This is the personality of someone who is OFF THE RECORD.

The conversations that take place off the record are of the realest and purest form. There’s no one etching any of your words into perpetuity. No one is judging you like a jury… and even if someone were to judge, there’s no consequence so… who cares? There’s a reason why trial attorneys always say that juries never know the whole truth in any case. That’s because these real conversations happen when the jury is out of the courtroom. The jury is not allowed to see off-the-record conversations. And it is at this moment when the Jury is Out, that the real shit talking, opinions and personalities of all the players in the court system are on display.

This is the mentality behind our podcast, which is why we named it The Jury’s Out. There are no f*cks given while we talk because we are in our off-the-record personalities…. Our purest and most natural form. No one can judge us and even if you do, there are no consequences.

So this begs the question… How far do we stray away from our on the record personality when the jury’s out and we are off the record? We always say that we are more like our clients than our colleagues. But how much more? What percentage is client-like and lawyerlike? Where’s the line?

Tune in to see if you can find it.

The Jury’s Out….