Yea or Nay? What do litigators really think of Jury Consultants?
Published by: Lake Whillans & Above The Law | 2018
Introduction:
In many respects, complex litigation is an arms race. Law firms win high stakes cases by leveraging every weapon at their disposal, from analytics to innovative financing. An important part of this litigator’s arsenal is jury and trial consulting. Today, consulting goes well beyond crafting revealing voir dire questions. The discipline has evolved into a sophisticated suite of services, including juror selection, witness preparation, case strategy, trial exhibits and graphics, and much more.
Along with our friends at Lake Whillans, we wanted to create a resource for litigators who might be considering engaging a consultancy. Over the course of Q1 2018, we fielded a survey to litigators who have taken at least one case to trial and used a jury consultant. Our survey respondents shared their insight into the services provided by consultants, their relative importance, and how much they typically budget for them. We also asked these trial lawyers to “name names” and identify the best consultant they’ve worked with and why. Read on for the findings.
Survey Participants:
Note: 10% of respondents indicated an “other” practice area.
Survey Findings:
Who was the best jury consultant you have worked with and why?
These are the 10 consultants our survey respondents cited the most, presented in alphabetical order, along with a representative comment:
A2L Consulting
“The best trial tech and litigation graphics. Really helped shape our strategy and narrative.”
DecisionQuest
“Tailors their expertise to the specifics of our cases. I have engaged them multiple times, while at different firms.”
Dispute Dynamics
“Very academic and creative. Transparent in pricing matters.”
DOAR
“Deepest experience and practice segment knowledge. Cutting edge tech.”
EDGE Litigation Consulting
“Invaluable for both witness preparation as well as jury selection.”
Hennington and Associates
“Comprehensive suite of services, responsive, data-driven.”
JuryScope
“A pleasure to work with, best in class, informed and insightful consultants.”
Litigation Insights
“Our firm has an ongoing relationship; gives us an appreciable edge in jury selection.”
Salmons Consulting
“Sherry Salmons is so intuitive and she really knows what is going on inside the minds of the jurors; she is phenomenal at identifying persuasive themes that will resonate with a jury.”
David Wenner (Snyder and Wenner, P.C.)
“A master at exposing and defeating juror bias in plaintiff’s injury cases.”