Most attorneys have had the shock of a verdict that came way out of left field. The one they thought they had in the bag, but as it turned out, was not even close.
While you can always prevent these situations, you can decrease the chances of their occurrence and increase the odds in your favor by hiring a mock trial company to help with your case. These companies come as close as possible to mimicking an actual jury and researching their thoughts and perceptions. Their results can help you present your client’s case to achieve the best outcome possible. Sometimes something as simple as using a different term or relaying a story differently can sway the jury to your side. Still, you won’t know this unless you hire help from a mock trial company.
Other benefits of enlisting the professional help of jury research companies include:
Let’s take a closer look at the top five mock trial companies in no particular order to see what they have to offer.
While all opinions remain our own, this content contains links to companies we may be compensated by.
Founded 32 years ago, First Court has produced superior insights and resolutions to thousands of clients across all 50 states and has incorporated the feedback of more than 100,000 jurors nationwide. They are battle-tested and help attorneys for both plaintiffs and defendants.
First Court has a full selection of customizable jury research and jury consulting services focused on obtaining the objective feedback you need for your high-stakes legal disputes. Their services include:
Their proprietary software considers all data points from the jurors’ background information to the feedback they gave during the trial questionnaires. First Court is well-known for asking more and better quality questions from their jurors. They ask in-depth questions that get right to the case’s core issues.
They provide insights into practical and persuasive arguments that resonate with real people. Their emphasis on winning in voir dire. First Court also has better “quality control” as they do their own jury selection, giving them the power over who participates in their mock trials and focus groups.
First Court can customize any project to the needs of their clients for either plaintiff or defense cases. They are able to work within tight deadlines and have different jury research services that can be priced to fit the budget of most cases.
DecisionQuest has been helping attorneys and others in the legal industry for over 30 years. They started by assisting trial lawyers in understanding how the court would view their case using focus groups and in-person research. Over the years, they have incorporated available technologies and were innovative in providing value to both plaintiff and defendant attorneys. They began evaluating opening statements and then witness testimony. DecisionQuest helped pioneer data-driven jury selection, finding that jurors’ values, attitudes, and beliefs made much more difference in a jury’s decision than their demographics. As a result, they are continually refining their processes and adding updated technologies to provide the best services to each of their clients.
DecisionQuest offers many services, including:
Susan Macpherson, VP of NJP, has been conducting thousands of nationwide focus groups, trial simulations, and post-trial interviews for state and federal cases since 1976. Macpherson and her team help attorneys maximize their pre-trial research value by developing messages that will stick with the fact-finders and impactful presentation strategies. They have worked over 10,000 cases in all 50 states. NJP focuses on the following types of cases:
Their jury research and analysis services include:
All of these test vital issues and explore potential jurors’ interpretations, reactions, and attitudes toward a case. They only use a carefully screened panel of jury-eligible participants that will mirror the characteristics of the actual jury pool. After hearing summary case presentations for each side, each mock juror participants complete written questionnaires and participated in group discussions. Then the NJR team of experts analyzes the findings and makes recommendations for trial and jury selection. Finally, they adjust their qualitative research to match the complexity of your case and budget.
Persuasion Strategies rely on their proven results to develop a customized verbal and visual message. They are focused on your unique needs with attention to every detail. When you hire Persuasion Strategies, you get the expertise of an entire team of nationally recognized consultants, including:
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Katerina provides data analytics and statistical models to help litigation attorneys understand the motivations and attitudes of potential jurors.
Persuasion Strategies offers several services to best fit your needs and budget. These include:
In 2007, Peter Hecht, Mark Calzaretta, Bob Ackerman, and Jon Ackerman founded Magna Legal Services with a desire to serve and a goal to offer end-to-end litigation support services to law firms, corporations, and governmental agencies all over the globe. Today they provide litigation support services at every stage of legal proceedings. It’s their mission to provide high-quality, reliable work in a responsive manner. From the inception of their company, the founders believed success would come if they prioritized high-quality work with outstanding customer service, and their philosophy has served them well.
MAGNA provides a wide range of jury research and consulting services. Some of their services include:
A platform that allows efficient and cost-effective testing of theories, themes, and storylines in a condensed but still entirely fully interactive jury research session. JuryConfirm includes:
This analysis provides you with an evaluation and perceptions of potential damages by surrogate jurors within your venue. In addition, you’ll receive a statistically reliable range that includes both economic and non-economic damages and apportionment of liability.
Magna consultants can perform a large-scale community attitude and perception survey that will help you determine any pre-existing knowledge, attitudes, and biases about your client’s case. For example, after community members hear brief summaries of the plaintiff and defense cases, Magna will collect and analyze verdict orientations and views on damages. These studies allow MAGNA to craft statistically reliable pro-plaintiff versus pro-defense juror profiles, highlight the best litigation approach, and create focused juror questionnaires and voir dire topics/ questions.
Using a mock trial company can have many benefits for your client’s case. For some, it can make the difference between a damage award or receiving nothing for an injury. Or the difference between a not guilty verdict and spending decades in prison. With many excellent options to choose from, you can select the best company for your budget, goals, case type, and client needs.
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Comments 3
Looking for an opportunity to participate as a Mock Juror with MAGNA.
I would like to get an estimate for a one-day mock trial for a trial beginning May 20 in Butte County. This is a personal injury matter.
Does Magna Legal Services or JuryConfirm offer individuals an opportunity for mock jury participation?
If so, can you please send me the link as I wasn’t able to locate one on either website?
If not, do you know of any companies that do offer mock jury participation?
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Harrison Porter