Closing Argument: Opportunity and Challenge
Direct Examination: Looping and Bookending
Innovative Jury Strategies and the Power of Preparation — FCRA Focus Podcast
Opening Statements: Telling the Story
Openings of Openings
The Basics of Opening Statements
Effective Trial Language Part 3: Jargon
Podcast - Effective Trial Language Part 2: Legalese
Why Demonstrative Aids Are Critical in Every Case
Showing Exhibits to the Jury
Key Lessons and Takeaways for Jury Trials
Overcoming Safetyism & the Plaintiff Media Machine - IMS Insights Podcast Epsiode 66
Podcast - Basic Courtroom Etiquette
Podcast - The Five Most Common Faults of Trial Lawyers
Podcast - The “Five P’s” That Will Help Shape Jurors’ Emotions
The Strategic Advantages of Working with Jury Consultants – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 56
Uncovering Juror Bias, Counteracting Nuclear Verdicts, & the Future of Massive Damages – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 47
Integrated Case Themes & Nuclear Verdict Causes – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 46
An Inside Look as a Juror - FCRA Focus Podcast
In addition to making their views known at the ballot box, citizens can similarly broadcast their sentiments in the civil jury box. While they’re asked to merely make a factual finding limited to a specific dispute, the...more
It has become more commonplace to hear talk about a future of litigation without peremptory strikes. After all, Arizona in 2022 was the first state to eliminate strikes in all cases, and it may not be the last. California and...more
Misinformation "poses an unprecedented threat in 2024," according to NBC News. No matter which side of the many social divides someone stands on, they can find a readily available source to support their opinion—and a...more
In this episode of FCRA Focus, join host Dave Gettings and fellow partner, Jason Manning, as they delve into Jason’s recent experiences trying a consumer case in front of a jury. Jason and Dave discuss the impact of...more
By Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm: The distinction between what is fact and what is opinion is arguably one of the most fundamental distinctions in law. But in practice, it is actually a lawyer’s distinction. In the real world, and in...more
In my work, I get to watch many attorneys go through the practical rituals of jury selection. A big part of the job is looking for, setting up, and executing challenges for cause when there are reasons to doubt potential...more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small discusses the use of jargon within a courtroom. Mr. Small goes over the negative impact that it can have on the jury and...more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small is joined by Jason Bloom, a jury consultant and the founder and president of Bloom Strategic Consulting Inc., for an...more
Wouldn’t it be helpful if potential jurors entered the selection room with a t-shirt that named all the various prejudices, preconceptions, and core beliefs they hold that could impact your case? While it might make for a...more
At a recent jury selection, opposing counsel — the plaintiff in that case — stepped up to the box of prospective jurors holding two unopened reams of paper. I knew what was coming: If the weight of evidence is completely...more
The court’s purpose in voir dire is to use the time to identify and eliminate those jurors who would have the hardest time giving the case a fair hearing. But layered onto that purpose is the advocate’s goal of working toward...more
Our podcast guests, Jill Leibold, PhD, IMS Senior Jury Consulting Advisor and Dave Poston, Esq., CEO, General Counsel, and Co-Managing Partner at Poston Communications explain how safetyism, social inflation, and the...more
I suspect there has never been any great love affair between attorneys in general and the jury pool. Jurors know that lawyers are there to influence them toward a desired result, and that’s typically met with suspicion....more
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small shares the five "P's" that will help shape jurors' emotions in the courtroom. Mr. Small delves into the important role...more
As your trial date approaches, one lingering question inevitably moves to front of mind: What jurors do I want? Or, perhaps more accurate given the reality of the jury selection process: What jurors do I not want? Originally...more
As a national trial consulting firm, we are often asked to assist with jury selection in jurisdictions where lead counsel has been admitted pro hac vice and may not be closely familiar with the standards and procedures for...more
Over the past few months, I’ve been doing a deep dive into the discipline of jury research. I started with the history: The Universal Experience that Created the Discipline of Jury Research. Then an overview about where jury...more
Recent years’ events have inspired experiential and attitudinal changes among jurors across the board. The 2016 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic fostered a shift in attitudes about corporations, governmental...more
As most litigators know, jurors’ attitudes and opinions often influence how they filter the facts of a case. It is through these lenses that jurors develop their perceptions of the parties and their corresponding motives,...more
The primary goal of a mediation is simple. Settle the dispute among the parties. And in an ideal world, a case settles at mediation. The failure to reach an accord before the mediation’s end may seem like settlement is...more
When the other side has a powerful potential argument, but you get to go first, then you have a strategic call to make. Do you use the opportunity to get there first, address the issue before they can, and steal their...more
Whenever we step up to evaluate a person as a potential juror, it can be an occupational hazard to simplify that person too much. We do our best with the time and information available, and to be sure, jury selection would be...more
Imagine you’re currently a citizen of the Russian Federation. The telephone rings, and the person on the other end of the line identifies themselves as a public opinion researcher, and they’re conducting a poll. “How do you...more
Many of us probably watched or heard about the drama this past week in the Women’s Olympic Figure Skating event. Kamila Valieva — just 15-years-old, but with a dominant combination of quad-jumps and world class performance...more
Consider Rodin’s “Thinker” — The sculptured image of the solitary and self-contained individual engaged in what we take to be humanity’s sine qua non: independent thought. It is inspiring, but it is also an idealization. The...more