[321Mike]

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The whole mock trial thing, while it may offer insights into the jury system, does not accurately represent the dynamics of a real jury. For instance, while in law school, our jury pool for our mock trials were selected from undergrad students - obviously not a fair and accurate representation of the general public. And I suspect that the mock trial in the OP was conducted under similar circumstances.

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This one was different. They were meticulous about selecting people that would represent a typical jury in this area. I only know that because I have a friend that works with the company that help put it together (and got me into it also). They went through over 500 5 page questionnaires to select the 30 that would participate. They also paid us very well so they would get the 30 they wanted and to make sure we took it seriously. They also spared no expense in the facilities used as well as the evidence presentation. The lawyers that argued the cases were outstanding. The only area they cut corners was taking only 2 8-hour days instead of the usual 3-4 weeks for the whole trial.

By the way, according to the jury instructions we were given, we had to come to a unanimous decision on the liability and the awards. Also, there were two defendants in the case and one had to take 100% responsibility. If we found 1 party responsible, the other was off the hook and vice versa. They explained that is the law in this jurisdiction. Considering how hard they worked to make the it authentic, I can't imagine they would fudge that part.