1. Top 10 surprising jury facts: voir dire strategies, Batson limits, alternates, sequestration, note-taking rules, questions from jurors (some courts), deadlock instructions, polling, split-verdict myths, post-trial interviews.
2. Top 10 evidence oddities: hearsay exceptions galore, business records, dying declarations, excited utterances, present sense impressions, ancient documents, market reports, learned treatises, forfeiture by wrongdoing, residual exception.
3. Top 10 trial moments jurors remember: opening stories, key exhibits, credibility hits, impeachment clips, expert battles, timelines, demonstratives, closing metaphors, jury instructions clarity, courtroom demeanor.
4. Top 10 courtroom tech shifts: realtime reporting, remote testimony, video depositions, ELMO doc cams, VR demos, digital exhibits, AI transcript search, juror tablets (rare), hybrid hearings, livestreams.
5. Top 10 decorum rules: address the court, stand to speak, no coaching witnesses, avoid speaking objections, exhibit pre-marking, sidebar etiquette, punctuality, proper attire, device silencing, no jury contact.
6. Top 10 cross-exam tips: leading questions, control pace, one fact per question, lock prior statements, avoid “why,” strategic concessions, loop the theme, end strong, sit down early, don’t ask the one question too many.
7. Top 10 judge powers that surprise: contempt, sanctions, remittitur/additur (jurisdiction-specific), issue preclusion, evidentiary gatekeeping, scheduling control, jury instructions shaping, appointment of experts, special masters, injunctions.
8. Top 10 ethical pitfalls: undisclosed conflicts, ex parte contact, spoliation, discovery abuse, witness coaching, improper juror contact, frivolous filings, candor to the tribunal, confidentiality breaches, unauthorized practice.
9. Top 10 appellate curveballs: harmless error, plain error, standards of review (de novo/abuse/clear error), preservation, waiver, jurisdictional defects, mootness, vacatur/remand, standing shifts, dicta vs. holding.
10. Top 10 global courtroom quirks: wigs & gowns (UK), investigating judges (civil law), lay judges (Nordic), mixed tribunals, inquisitorial dossiers, victim standing (EU), counsel’s bowing etiquette (Japan), stenography alternatives, translation booths, filming rules.
