Archive | Trial Consultants

Are They Paying Attention?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 9, 2022

Category: Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

My post about whether the mock jurors take it seriously reminded me of another aspect of this client related surprise. Watching a group of people, mock jurors, listen to the case arguments in a mock trial can sometimes be misleading. Some mock jurors are clearly engaged, others have their eyes closed, others are frantically taking […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 9, 2022

Category: Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Similar to some attorneys’ concern about whether the mock jurors take their participation seriously is their concern about whether the mock jurors are paying attention. And, just as it pertains to the issue of the mock jurors taking the case, and their participation, seriously, I have found that most of them pay attention. There is […]

If You Won’t Practice, Don’t Bother Learning

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 7, 2022

Category: Magnus Insights, Managing Employees, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Partnerships, Psychology, RoadWarrior, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

As I mentioned in my previous post, “practice makes perfect,” my childhood piano teacher, Corella Johnson, insisted that all her piano and organ students practice their instrument(s) at least 30 minutes a day. The first thing she did at every lesson was ask her students to play the piece of music they were learning, so […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 7, 2022

Childhood music lessons didn’t work well for me. I tried guitar and piano but found I’d much rather go fishing or tromp through the woods than hone those skills. Perhaps it was also because my early music lessons focused too much on fundamentals, rather than playing a song, these music experiences were not attractive to […]

Do They Always Take it Seriously?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 2, 2022

Category: Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

A client, who had never observed a Magnus mock trial, asked the question which is the title of this post during a recent mock trial. The “they” is the mock jurors. The “it” is the case. The answer is YES! The rest of the story is that, despite the mock jurors knowing they are only […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On June 2, 2022

Category: Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

It is difficult for new clients to understand the seriousness with which most of Magnus’ mock jurors conduct themselves during mock jury research. Everyone who attends a mock jury, of course, knows they are part of a research exercise, thus, the word “mock” precedes the word “jury.” Not only do the attorneys recognize we are […]

Practice Makes Perfect

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 31, 2022

Practice makes perfect. How many times have we heard this phrase? I have heard it too many times to count! I started playing the piano when I was 6 years old. I started playing the organ when I was 11. My piano and organ teacher was a wonderful friend and neighbor, Corella Johnson, who had […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 31, 2022

I can attest to Melissa’s commitment to practice. She takes it seriously and is religious about it, as long as her “day job” doesn’t interfere. But practice gets a bad rap, that is a bad name. Melissa’s practice time is often better characterized as “playing” as in “playing the bass.” Practice seems repetitive and punitive. […]

The Problem With This Case is the Client.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 26, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

An attorney client of ours recently told Melissa that his client is a problem. He said, “the problem with this case is my client.” He was pretty direct, but we’ve heard this, or some variation thereof, countless times. In this case, the client is wealthy (and accustomed to getting his way as a result). He’s […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 26, 2022

I often wonder if “problem clients” know their attorney considers them to be a problem. Or, are they demanding, arrogant, and self centered to the point they have no idea of the impact they have on other people? Many times, the end client (defined as one of the primary parties in the lawsuit, that is, […]

Magnus’ Women Power

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 24, 2022

Category: Business Relationships, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Research, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

In the almost 30 years that David and I have co-owned Magnus Research Consultants, we have employed many people of both sexes. We have had several long term employees, 2 of whom are men and 2 of whom are women. In addition, there have been 3 women who are former Magnus employees who have gone […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 24, 2022

On the day I started writing this post, Melissa was wearing a pink t-shirt that said “Pretty Good for a Girl.” I bought it for her at a Mindi Abair jazz concert. Mindi has a song by that title because it is a phrase she’s heard many times over her career. She decided to embrace […]

Commercial Litigation: Benefits of a Trial Consultant, Part 3

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 12, 2022

Category: Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

In the 3rd post in the commercial litigation series, I want to bring some points together. We’ve discussed that executives are accustomed to being in charge, to being the “boss,” and that as litigants, it is often frustrating for them not to be. Also discussed is the fact their perspective may not align with decision […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 12, 2022

When executives make important business decisions, they must have all available data in order to make the correct decision. When making the correct decision has an impact on the company’s bottom line, it is imperative to assess every nuance that could impact the company’s future. In the world of litigation, the bottom line of a […]

Commercial Litigation: Benefits of a Trial Consultant, Part 2

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 5, 2022

Category: Getting the Job Done, Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

This is part 2 of the benefits of a jury or trial consultant in commercial litigation. As noted in the prior post, in commercial litigation, high powered people are often involved. We have been involved in many cases in which these parties were “out for blood.” Even though the cases were “only about money,” the […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 5, 2022

Magnus has worked on numerous commercial cases in which things between or among the parties became personal. Some people wrongly believe that, because commercial cases are mostly about money (as opposed to compensating someone for an injury), they are boring and impersonal. This belief is a misconception because, although commercial cases involve a plaintiff suing […]

If You Don’t Have a Ph.D In Psychology Don’t Presume to Understand Human Nature

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On May 3, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

I have written about the phenomenon of people who have no education, training, or expertise in psychology who think they know as much about human behavior as I, a psychologist, know. I am frequently asked for my opinion about someone or something, only to be told, “Well, I don’t have a degree in psychology, but […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On May 3, 2022

Knowing what you don’t know or knowing that you don’t know are important skills for getting through a career, or life. An economics professor once pointed this out to me when I remarked that I felt, despite having earned highest grade on a test in his class, there was so much I didn’t know about […]

Commercial Litigation: Benefits of a Trial Consultant, Part 1

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On April 28, 2022

I had a conversation with a friend/client recently. He previously hired us in a personal injury case, but now works in a firm that does mostly commercial litigation. The question arose about what we, at Magnus, do in commercial cases. I explained that a high percentage of our cases are commercial cases. Sometimes, clients or […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On April 28, 2022

I have worked with many witnesses during my career. As with many things in life, my first experience is memorable. The case was a high profile case in my hometown and the key witness was the owner of a well known and well respected corporation. Both the corporation and its owner were defendants in the […]

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Archive | Trial Consultants

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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