Pretty neat gig. I registered on Jury Matters toady to make a little extra cash during lunch hour and whatnot. And it's a convenient way to adjudicate like a boss.

There are 5 steps in a JuryMatters case.

  • Attorneys prepare the JuryMatters Case.
  • Jurors review the evidence online.
  • Jurors submit their verdicts online.
  • JuryMatters pays Jurors for the case.
  • JuryMatters submits the results to the Attorneys.

Step 1: Attorneys prepare the JuryMatters Case. An attorney might wonder how a jury would react to certain aspects of their client’s case. For example: Is their client’s case convincing? Is anything confusing? Are the exhibits helpful in explaining the facts of the case? What else would a jury want to know to reach a fair verdict? Would a jury ‘find’ (give a verdict) in favor of their client based upon the facts and, if so, how much would they award?
The Attorney writes a brief Case Summary for the case. There will be two sections in the Case Summary – the Plaintiff’s View (the person bringing the case) and the Defendant’s View. Each will be 3-6 pages long and might include diagrams, documents and photos to help present the facts more clearly. JuryMatters cases are usually civil cases. Most involve situations where someone has been hurt.
Step 2: Jurors review the evidence online. After JuryMatters posts the Case Summary on our secure website, we send a “You’ve Got a Case” email to our pool of online Jurors who have registered with JuryMatters and who live in the county, city or Federal District where the case would go to court. Jurors review the Case Summary for both sides of the case. After reviewing the evidence, Jurors read a brief list of Jury Instructions. The Jury Instructions are the Law which Jurors apply to the facts of the case in reaching a verdict. In a real trial, these would be read to the jury by the Judge.
Step 3: Jurors submit their verdicts online. Based upon the evidence and the Jury Instructions, Jurors determine whether the Plaintiff’s or Defendant’s case is more convincing, reach a verdict and determine a monetary award, if appropriate. The verdict is submitted on an online form, which is primarily multiple choice and includes some “What’s Your Opinion?” questions for Jurors to share their personal comments. All this is done online, whenever and wherever is convenient for the Juror.
Just as in an actual trial, it is important that Jurors spend time to thoroughly review the evidence. While it will vary from case to case, we estimate that JuryMatters Jurors spend about 45-60 minutes per case reviewing the Case Summary and completing the Verdict Forms and follow up questions.
Step 4: JuryMatters pays Jurors for the case. JuryMatters accepts verdicts from Jurors until we reach the desired number of responses. Usually, 36 verdicts are accepted before a case is closed.
JuryMatters mails checks to Jurors who submitted a verdict before the case was closed. Payments range from $14-$21 per case, depending upon the complexity of the case. Checks are mailed within 14 days of the case being closed.
Step 5: JuryMatters submits the results to the Attorney. JuryMatters analyzes the individual ‘verdicts’ and prepares a report for the attorney. No Jurors’ names are ever released. The attorneys use the input from JuryMatters Jurors to strengthen their client’s case. The information could be used to help settle the case or to fine tune the evidence that is presented in court.