Relating?

On BNN's "Trading Day With Pat Bolland" (2:40 PM segment), securities attorney Andrew Stoltmann shared his thoughts on Conrad Black's jury appeal, noting that jurors are more likely to convict people they "don't like and can't relate to" and are less likely to convict people that they empathize with. Since the class element of the trial is being played up, it's of little surprise that both Csr. Stoltmann and the host, Pat Bolland, mentioned the class divide between Conrad Black and the typical jury member. Csr. Stoltmann also mentioned that juries see through a defendant bending over backwards to relate to them.

It's hard to see how Conrad Black can really act his way through this trial, or change his self-presentation at all other than by shifting from his formal style of speaking (in large part, a self-advertisement for his writings) to more informal means. He has done that before, mostly when he's been ticked off at someone.