Lawyers do not like to go to court unprepared. One way they prepare for trial is by consulting with a mock jury composed of people from the same pool of prospective jurors as will be used for the real trial. By presenting the evidence and getting feedback from the mock jurors, they determine how the actual jury may respond to the facts and arguments of the case.
Although traditionally these mock juries have required participants to go to the market research company’s location, many studies are now being done online. You can get paid to be a mock juror while sitting in front of your computer.
Because they want the members of a mock jury to mirror as closely as possible the real jury, the qualifications for being an online juror are much the same as those for being a juror in court. You may require that a juror be at least 18, a legal U.S. citizen, have a valid driver’s license, be registered (or at least eligible) to vote, and have no felony convictions or current indictments. They also may require that mock jurors and their family members not be lawyers, paralegals or otherwise engaged in the legal profession or certain types of insurance.
You will not get rich as a mock juror, but it can be a good way to supplement your mystery shopping income or just make a few extra dollars from the comfort of your own home. The number of cases available to you will depend on where you live, as mock juries are selected from the jurisdiction in which the case is to be tried.
The process of applying for mock jury panels is much the same as applying to mystery shopping companies. You must complete an online application that asks for identifying and demographic information. Questions may include your race, occupation, family income, political affiliation, marital status, etc.
In-person mock juries pay better than online cases, but will require more time and travel to the local offices of the market research company. To find local opportunities for in-person mock juries, refer to this list of mock jury research firms.
To participate in mock jury projects online, register with these companies:
OnlineVerdict.com – They say cases take 20 – 60 minutes and pay $20 – $60.
eJury.com – According to their website, cases take an average of 35 minutes and pay $5 – $10. You can view a sample case to get an idea of how this works.
I have tried to sign up with http://www.onlineverdict.com. however, it advised that it was not a trusted site. Has anyone signed up yet? Is this a new site? Can I trust it? Thanks
We talked on the phone after you posted this comment, but I am posting this for anyone else who sees this:
I did not get an error message or warning when I visited the site. The company appears to be reputable, but it is possible that their site was hacked and there is malware there. However, it is also possible that you are getting a false alarm from your browser. That happens a lot, but I tend to err on the side of caution when browsing online.
Its a legit site. I have been on several juror jobs with them and have had no problem. I do not get an error on the page either.
“To find local opportunities for in-person mock juries, refer to this list of mock jury research firms.”
when I click on the link in for the list, it takes me to the newsletter.
Where do I find the list of local inperson mock juries?
Sharon, there was a stray character in the link that corrupted it. Sorry. It is fixed now.