Body Language Expert and Celebrity Lie Detector to Open Bench Bar 2020

By Joni Sedberry, Harrison & Moberly LLP

“What if you could get exactly what you want in life by reading and understanding the body language of murderers?” asks Janine Driver, New York Times best-selling author and award-winning keynote speaker. With more than 16 years of experience as a federal law enforcement officer within the Department of Justice, Driver will be presenting the opening plenary session for the 2020 Bench Bar Conference in French Lick this summer from June 18-20.
  
Imagine how your perspectives as counsel, opposing counsel, or even from the bench could be changed if you knew what people were keeping from you, emotionally or through facts. Do you look at someone that has their arms crossed and have a negative response? Driver says, “Crossed arms are not a negative sign. It indicates they are using both sides of their brain.”  More telling is “when a person crosses both legs and arms, they have emotionally withdrawn from the conversation.” Driver’s training goes well beyond the common misconceptions of reading body language and into the science behind human responses and emotion.

Driver has been praised as a lie detection expert for the FBI, CIA and ATF. She has been on the inside of horrendous investigations and has helped to solve some of the worst cases. She has also been hired by major news outlets to provide expert commentary during debates and elections. She has been a guest on many television shows and leaves her audiences wanting to learn more.

During her time working for the ATF, Driver took classes in stand-up comedy to provide some levity in her life. She has opened for the likes of Chris Rock, Ray Romano and the late Robin Williams. She has become an expert on reading people and will be sharing her skills with us at the Bench Bar Conference in an entertaining and engaging way.

What is said or not said through body language is part of every case, every life and every day.   Whether people realize it or not, everyone reads body language when determining how to respond to words or actions. Reading someone correctly can aid in communication, but there can also be unintended negative consequences for misreading body language.

Bench Bar attendees will not be able to unsee, unhear or unexperience what is witnessed and learned from Janine Driver. The notes and tips she provides about body language will be embedded and recalled at different times through the remainder of your career and day-to-day. Spotting non-verbal objections and building trust are important skills for attorneys and judges.

Driver’s session will kick off the IndyBar's annual conference this summer in French Lick. Attracting hundreds of attorneys, judicial officers and guests, attendees of the Bench Bar Conference can receive CLE, CME and ethics credits and will be provided the best access to judges and lawyers. Registration is now open at special early bird pricing! See registration details and register for Bench Bar now at indybar.org/benchbar. You don’t want to miss out!

Information and quotes from this article were obtained from Janine Driver’s TedxDeer Park talk on February 9, 2019. See the TedTalk below. Learn more about Janine Driver here.