Religion, neuroscience, cisgender, jailhouse informants, metaphors and are we asking jurors to do the impossible? Welcome to our first issue of 2014! The litigation cycle is back in full swing again so we are grateful to these authors for taking time to write for all of us! You will find everything from literature reviews to practical tips for voir dire to a review of what our readers liked most from The Jury Expert in 2013.

If you read our pages regularly, you know we are about helping you improve your litigation advocacy by bringing you the latest information on a variety of issues relevant to trial practice. This issue is bursting at the seams with the latest.

What questions will give you the information you need to know on juror religiosity when moral issues are at the core of your case?

The neuroscience field is changing fast—what do you need to know now about the latest on neuroscience, the insanity defense, and sentencing mitigation?

You know what the equal marriage rights debate is about but do you even know what cisgender is? Here’s an overview of vocabulary and research so you are up to date on language and knowledge necessary to communicate and practice effectively in the LGBTQ arena.

Got a jailhouse informant? Here’s an article to help you understand the dynamics and figure out a strategy.

Metaphors. We know jurors like them. Here’s a nice practice article on using the metaphor to your advantage and stomping out the power of your opponent’s metaphors.

We put a lot of pressure on our jurors. Do we ask them to do the impossible when we say they should set aside past experiences?

Spam got you down—especially on your tablet and smartphone? Our Favorite Thing will make all that angst go away. At $15/year, it’s a bargain.

And finally, we take a look back at the Top Reader Favorites in 2013. What did your friends, colleagues and opposing counsel find especially useful in the past year?

Enjoy. It’s a terrific issue. Let me know what you’d like to see us take on in upcoming editions.

Rita R. Handrich, PhD

Editor, The Jury Expert