Archive | Entrepreneurship

Pro bono work – why do it

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 14, 2020

Category: Business Partnerships, Business Relationships, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Giving Back, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

In the almost 30 years David and I have owned and operated Magnus Research Consultants, we have been privileged to work on several high profile pro bono cases. Pro bono means “for the public good” and it is usually performed by attorneys for free, that is, at no cost to their clients. Many lawyers are […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 14, 2020

The pro bono cases on which we’ve worked have been some of the most personally rewarding cases we have handled. While the intellectual rewards of the work we do are often felt, in these cases, it has been something special. The cases have been unique, cases with questions no one has had to answer previously, […]

If someone isn’t nice to me, they won’t see me again, ever.

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 31, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Partnerships, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

My time is valuable. It is valuable to me, if not to anyone else. (In that Magnus’ clients compensate my company, and thus, me, in relatively high amounts of money, I would argue that my time is perceived as valuable to someone other than me. But, I digress.) Because I value my time and my […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 31, 2019

Fortunately, as we wrote in the prior related post, our clients are usually nice, professional, even kind and friendly. We all know we’re working together for a common goal and egos usually stay in check. But, there are exceptions. I used the example of a particularly toxic client we once had who, with our help, […]

Hospitality

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 26, 2019

Category: Business Travel, Careers, Common Courtesy, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Research, Magnus, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, RoadWarrior, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consultants

This post is about hospitality. Not the at home type, I think we’ve covered that before; but rather, the industry type. As trial consultants, we are road warriors. I don’t know how many nights we spend away from home, but I once calculated that Melissa, Melissa and I, or I, by myself, spent 75 nights […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 26, 2019

Because my personal and work lives lack routine and involve many unknowns, I find it comforting to stay in the same hotels when I travel to certain cities. In my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, my “hotel” used to be my childhood home until 2010, when it was sold after my mother’s passing in 2009. […]

Most lawyers who hire me are nice to me

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 24, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Business Relationships, Careers, Common Courtesy, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Psychology, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

People are people, regardless of their profession. There are some people who are popular and well liked and there are others who are not well liked. Attorneys, of course, are people and, as such, there are some attorneys who are well liked and well respected by their colleagues and then, there are others, whom no […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 24, 2019

Many of our clients are feared by their opponents, and sometimes, their own staff and litigation team. I don’t know if the latter is a good thing, but I’ve seen it as an overall positive. Being feared by the opposition is probably generally positive as long as the fear is because the attorney’s litigation skills […]

The Joy of Photography, Part 2

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 19, 2019

Category: Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Life Outside of Work, Mental Health, Work-Life

Picking up where I left off about the joy of photography, there are at least 2 more, somewhat related, primary sources of joy in photography. The first is in taking the photos. As an aside, it is interesting to me that different terms are used for this part of photography – “taking a photograph” and […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 19, 2019

Category: Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Life Outside of Work, Mental Health, Work-Life

Recently, David and I went on a “dream vacation” to Great Britain, the land of The Beatles, with two longtime friends. All of us shared photos with each other, resulting in over 10,000 photos among us! While David took professional quality photos with real (and real expensive) cameras, the rest of us busied ourselves taking […]

Why I like spending time with lawyers

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 17, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Many people, including mock jurors and other research participants, courthouse personnel, friends, and attorneys, ask me if I am an attorney. Invariably, when this happens, I am wearing a dark, conservative business suit, the attire preferred by many attorneys with whom I am acquainted. I always answer, “No, I am not an attorney. I am […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 17, 2019

I share Melissa’s enjoyment of working with attorneys and on their challenging cases. We’ve written before about the intellectual stimulation of doing so. Neither of us grew up in a family of lawyers, as many of our clients did, but we grew up with a familiarity with lawyers, law enforcement (me), and courthouses (Melissa). Either […]

The Joy of Photography, Part 1

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 12, 2019

Category: Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Life Outside of Work, Mental Health, Work-Life

Many people know that, in addition to working as a trial consultant, I am a professional photographer. During college, and afterwards for about 5 years, this was my full time occupation. After that 5 years, I returned to graduate school, finished my M.S. degree and got into the trial consulting world; as I have told […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 12, 2019

Category: Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Life Outside of Work, Mental Health, Work-Life

David’s photographs are lovely! Indeed, he has brought joy to many people over the years with his beautiful images of their lives. When people appreciate his generosity in sharing his photos, it is wonderful. There are, thankfully, more people like Debbie who thank him for going to great lengths to send them photos than others […]

My Armor is Chink-proof

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 3, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Managing Employees, Mental Health, Psychology

In the over 3 decades we have known each other, David has frequently remarked that some of my long term friends have a tendency to search for “chinks in my armor.” (For readers who are unfamiliar with this expression, it has been used since the 17th century to refer to a weak spot in a […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 3, 2019

It is interesting that people “snipe” at others in an attempt, I guess, to make themselves feel better about their own situation. Such behavior was first pointed out to me by a high school classmate, Steve, during our first years in college. He told me that his roommate was always looking for chinks in his […]

Blue Intake Forms

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 28, 2019

Category: Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

As someone who thrives on forms and checklists, I also know that it is critical to improve them, as well as update them. I learned this practice from my photography mentor, Jon Peters. I’ve adapted what I did as a photographer, that is, providing a service to clients, to what I/we do as trial consultants, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 28, 2019

Category: Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

David loves forms. He enjoys devising them and he enjoys having everyone who works at Magnus complete them. He even has forms prepared for our clients to complete, to ensure we are doing everything they want us to do on their behalf. For the most part, I don’t share David’s fondness for forms. Although I […]

Unpaid Work

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 24, 2019

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consulting

As entrepreneurs, Melissa and I often work without getting paid. The most common example from “my department” is talking with a prospective client about a new case, preparing a proposal, following up, only to hear that the project is a no go. Perhaps the price was beyond their budget, or the client wanted to use […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 24, 2019

People who lack the entrepreneurial mindset often can’t relate to David’s and my perspective regarding doing copious amounts of work for which we are not compensated. As an example, I have made hundreds of presentations to attorneys’ and insurance companies’ associations, most of which have involved zero payment to me. Why would I do such […]

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Archive | Entrepreneurship

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