Jury persuasion with Chilton Varner

The Art of Persuasion

There is perhaps no other context where the art of persuasion is put to the test as acutely as when a lawyer has to persuade a group of strangers, the jury, that her client is in the right. That is where this episode’s guest comes in: a senior partner at the prestigious law firm King and Spalding, Chilton Davis Varner was also president of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) , only the second woman to occupy the office of the premier trial lawyer organization in the U.S. In this episode, Guy Pratte explores with Chilton Varner how she became one of the best jury trial lawyers of her country.

Key Takeaways:

• [1:31] Chilton recounts her journey from a small town in Alabama, through the all-female Smith College, and her decision to adopt the law as her professional career.
• [14:19] Chiton shares a memory of her mentor the fearless Judge Griffin Bell.
• [19:31] Chilton explains why she likes juries, why she thinks they are important, and the challenges they pose to an advocate.
• [23:19] By way of the famous To Kill a Mockingbird book, Chilton describes why she prefers the jury system even if the system is not perfect.
• [27:39] As jury members may have various personal convictions, does Chilton believe the art of persuasion can lead a jury to consider a case objectively?

Additional Resources:

• Guy J. Pratte
• BLG
• The Art of Persuasion Podcast

About Your Host:

Host Guy Pratte was educated at the University of Western Ontario and later at the University of Toronto, where he earned his MA in philosophy and LLB. He was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1984 and Québec in 2002. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a former President of The Advocates’ Society.