Courthouse Gallery

The Alachua County Courthouse opened in 1978 as the fourth courthouse in the county. Since its construction, the courthouse has been modified on several occasions to accommodate the changing functions of the court and the people of Alachua County. The modern design of the courthouse is accentuated by a clock and two fountains.

Defendants Receive Benefit of Doubt
All of the jury eligible citizens who serve as mock jurors for Magnus complete extensive surveys prior to attorneys' presentations of case facts. One survey question requires mock jurors to state an overall preference between plaintiffs and defendants in civil lawsuits. Using our Venue DataLinkSM software, we have found that, overwhelmingly, mock jurors give the benefit of the doubt to civil defendants. While the percentage of mock jurors who give the benefit of the doubt to the defendants varies slightly depending on where they live, overall, approximately two thirds of those surveyed state that they give civil defendants the benefit of the doubt before they know anything about the case. This preference has obvious implications for the way in which jurors view civil litigants.

Contact Magnus to learn more about the impact of pre-existing attitudes of jurors on your case.