Good Law | Bad Law

Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast series Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Judge Mark Bernstein to talk about the importance of jury trials in our legal system.   Judge Bernstein and Aaron talk about how, even though fewer cases are being tried by a jury, the jury trial still plays a very important role. For instance, one of the ways lawyers determine how much to settle a case for is based on the amounts awarded by juries in past cases. Knowing this information helps the defense avoid the risk of paying too much and helps the plaintiffs avoid the risk of receiving too little.   The jury trial is also a great incentive for lawyers to settle cases that may not otherwise have been settled. Judge Bernstein talks about a few cases that he has seen that would have never settled had a jury trial not been on the horizon.   Judge Bernstein and Aaron also highlight an observation they’ve both made in courtrooms and that is, even though people may see jury duty as a bur