Author Archive | Melissa Pigott

Jumping up and down when TV breaks

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 19, 2016

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Temper tantrums are never cute. They are not cute among children and they are certainly not cute among adults. (My husband’s relative had a temper tantrum in our home when he was way too old for such a violent outburst, resulting in my having to repair and re-paint the wall he repeatedly kicked, such that […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 19, 2016

Category: Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Our work in the trial consulting arena necessitates the use of technologies that are not perfect.  And, we work in unfamiliar places, with rented equipment like televisions, all of which lead to problems with some regularity.  This is one of those areas where, in our work, “ it happens.”  But, we are almost always able, […]

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Boozing it up before lunch – jurors wondering what’s wrong

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 12, 2016

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

The vast majority of my clients conduct themselves in a professional manner when we are working together. Then, there are the others, who are anything but professional. My company, Magnus, works with highly skilled attorneys who pay us a handsome amount of money for our consulting services. Usually, they want to take full advantage of […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 12, 2016

Category: Careers, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

I don’t know if there are any jobs for which drinking on the job is appropriate.  Maybe wine taster, beer maker, etc., but certainly not anything that requires concentrated effort and attention to detail.  And, a mock trial may be a day out of the office and to some, just a play acting exercise, but […]

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Mistrial of mock trial

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 6, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

Many people, when I tell them what I do for a living, inform me that I should write a book about my experiences, some of which are funny, others of which are scary, and still others of which are odd, strange, and curious. In this series of posts, I will describe some of my experiences […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 6, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting

The role of the “opposing counsel” is critical to our work.  We want them to become strong advocates for the other side’s case.  They must be strong advocates of the opposing position – a true devil’s advocate in the mind of the actual client. If they are not, the whole process suffers.  But, in this […]

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Story telling

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 15, 2015

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

One of my responsibilities when helping my clients (all of whom are trial lawyers and litigators) is to suggest ways in which they can tell the story of their case, to captivate the attention of the jury, mediator, arbitrator, or judge. Almost everyone is familiar with story telling as a way of conveying information, but […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 15, 2015

Category: Careers, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

Unfortunately for the characters in the very real life stories surrounding many of the cases we handle, the endings do not result in living happily ever after.  Thus, the stories told to our mock jurors are often tragic.  But, regardless of the facts of the situation, the way in which the story is told by […]

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Adventures

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 8, 2015

Category: Business Travel, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Travel, Work-Life

There are all kinds of adventures in life. Some adventures require travel to faraway places; others take us nearby, to places that are sometimes easily overlooked; while others happen in our back yard. I love adventures and I enjoy planning them, as well as reminiscing about them years afterward. One of the most exciting adventures […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 8, 2015

Category: Business Travel, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Travel, Work-Life

Starting with the premise that life is an adventure, the question is how adventurous do you want to be?  The boating adventure taught us a lesson in planning (and, in our boating skills which were not very strong at the time causing delays in getting underway).  But the lessons from being adventurous are a big […]

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My mother

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 1, 2015

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Given that my last post was about my dad, it is logical for this one to be about my mother. The first thing the astute reader will note is my reference to each parent, the informal “dad” and the formal “mother.” Mother was, at most times, a formal person. She considered herself to be a […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 1, 2015

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

While I never met Melissa’s father, I met her mother, Leola, very soon after meeting Melissa.  And, Melissa’s description of her as formal was certainly on display then.  She not only considered herself a “lady,” but a “southern lady” whose routines included daily naps and never wearing pants.  Closer in age to my grandparents than […]

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My dad, my hero

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 24, 2015

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I am a fortunate person who had the benefit of having a wonderful father who was in my life until I was 14. Although I have spent a lot of time wondering why I was unfortunate to have lost my dad unexpectedly when both he and I were too young for his untimely passing, I […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 24, 2015

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I never had the pleasure of meeting Park Pigott, Sr., but I’ve heard so many stories, from a variety of sources, so I have come to understand his status as personal hero for Melissa, and her family, and a local hero in Ft. Myers.  I mean, there is a baseball stadium named for him, so […]

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Have a hero

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 17, 2015

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

A hero is usually defined as a person who has performed an act of bravery or is greatly admired for his/her achievements. People vary in whether or not they have one or more heroes. I have several heroes, all of whom serve an important function in my life. Some of them are people actually known […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 17, 2015

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Readers of our blog probably know the scheme.  Each post was envisioned by whomever is identified as the first author, meaning, for this one, Melissa.  She picked the topic and wrote her content leaving it for me to write a commentary. And, this is one, “Have a hero” that I’ve found difficult to write because […]

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Be inspired

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 10, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Some people rarely get inspired. These people are difficult to impress, they often go through life with a “so what?” attitude, and they are not going to be people with whom I am comfortable. I receive inspiration from many things. I thrive on diversity, in people, experiences, and places, and I am constantly amazed by […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 10, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

The world around us, both natural and human made, is an inspiring place. And there are different parts of that world which touch most of us. For me, I find inspiring subjects most often through a lens (usually a Canon). Photography has helped me focus (pun intended) on the beauty of nature. And, I’ve focused […]

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Life goes on within you and without you

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 3, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

One of my favorite songs of all time is a song by George Harrison called, “Within You Without You.” For those who are not huge fans of The Beatles, this song is on side 2 of the groundbreaking album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which was released on June 1, 1967. Although this song, […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 3, 2015

Category: Business personalities, Careers, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

My take on this topic is similar to Melissa’s, in trying to keep a focus on where we fit as individuals in the world. We have certainly observed some clients, and occasionally employees, whose sense of self importance did not appear to match their other characteristics, including their contributions to the world. That is, they […]

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