Archive | Litigation Consultants

30 Years

This year, 2023, marks 30 years since the beginning of Magnus Research Consultants, Inc. Melissa and I, along with another person who was a prospective partner in our venture, filed the articles of incorporation in July, 1993. (Quick digression, the other partner drifted out of the picture without becoming a partner.) At the time all […]

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Many life events have taken place in the 30 years since David and I founded our company.  We have been fortunate in many ways, including the sudden departure of our third partner soon after we began working together as Magnus.  His legacy lives on in our name, but looking back, I realize it would have […]

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Categories of Missed Opportunity

Some people have experienced significant loss, hardship, and a decline in physical and mental health during their lives. (I often think about Nelson Mandela’s 27 years of imprisonment as an example of this type of personal suffering.) Other people have had some serious setbacks, such as a bankruptcy, death of a parent, or a chronic […]

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Melissa wrote her part of this post some time ago, during the 2020 pandemic, and I’m playing catch up.  In a way, it is interesting to see how things have worked out over time, due to changes triggered by a pandemic.  Many things have changed permanently.  Work place changes are a big and obvious change.  […]

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When Asking for a Favor, Make it Easy for Me to Help

As long time readers of David’s and my blog know, I am almost constantly barraged with people’s requests for me to help them. This is, as I tell many people, the story of my life. I help people who need my help, both in my professional life as well as in my personal life. I […]

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I don’t recall the specific incident that prompted this post.  In fact, this type of situation seems so common that it is difficult to pinpoint it at all.  It is not rare, it is, unfortunately, common.  It is not that we’re picking on our clients, all of whom happen to be lawyers; no, we’re not […]

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AI: NO, Real Intelligence

AI, short for Artificial Intelligence, is all the rage at present. The business world is trying to find ways to use AI for many reasons, some of course, involve finding ways to cut out the human component – that is, employees. Others try to find ways to do things better than humans can on a […]

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As David and I have written in previous posts, many people busy themselves with looking for an easy way out, a short cut, or an end run in any given situation.  Unfortunately, this includes attorneys, who often fall for the latest fad when litigating cases.  Whether it’s the old time snake oil of neurolinguistic programming […]

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Paid Versus Free Opinions

To follow up on my previous post about people asking for my opinions, I have noticed an interesting phenomenon. Although it is far from universal, I have observed that people, such as friends and family, who ask for my opinion with no intention of paying me for my time or expertise, often devalue or discount […]

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Melissa is in the position of giving, or rather, selling, advice on a daily basis.  In a way, that is the business we are in.  Of course, much of Melissa’s advice builds not only on her education, training, knowledge and experiences, but on data collected and analyzed for our client’s cases.  Clients pay “good money” […]

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Where am I?

The last couple of months have been pretty hectic, work wise. We’ve had several out of town cases and speaking engagements for Melissa and one night I woke up thinking, “where am I?” I suspect this is a phenomenon common to many “road warriors.” To borrow a line from the band, Bad Company, “And I’m […]

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I have stayed in too many hotel rooms to count in the 34 years I have been working as a trial consultant.  Most of my friends, and all of  my family members, do not travel for business and some hardly ever leave their home for a fun trip, such that they have no idea what […]

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Do You Want My Opinion or My Tacit Agreement?

Many people ask me for my opinions. My opinions are solicited by family, friends, and clients, and sometimes, even by strangers. I would go as far as saying I am a professional giver of opinions, in that my clients retain me primarily for my expert opinions and advice about their high stakes lawsuits. Sometimes, however, […]

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This topic is obviously very real and concerning to Melissa.  The nature of the two relationships with which Melissa was dealing in this situation made it even more difficult.  Fortunately, I do not think I have faced such a conflicting situation.  I may be guilty of offering unsolicited advice or suggestions, and sometimes, a best […]

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I Hear Things

I hear things. You’ve got that right: I hear things. I often hear things other people cannot hear. My eyesight is extremely limited (in fact, I am legally blind without corrective lenses) and, as such, I have always relied on my keen sense of sound. In addition, because I have been a musician for almost […]

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Most of us enjoy having 5 senses, and I won’t venture into a 6th sense; I can attest to Melissa’s keen sense of hearing.  It goes well beyond her listening ability, for which our clients pay dearly.  Melissa can hear so well that the mocking birds in our yard that start singing wake her with their […]

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Don’t Make the Boss’ Job More Difficult

In the 50 years since I started my first job, I have been an employee for 20 years and an employer for 30 years. In my roles as employee, then employer, I have often marveled at some people’s absence of awareness of a fundamental workplace principle: Don’t make the boss’ job more difficult. There are […]

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I knew Rosemary, Melissa’s assistant at the hospital where they worked.  Rosemary was the epitome of professionalism and did her job in an excellent fashion which is why it was not long that she went from working for Melissa to working for Melissa’s boss.  In the 30+ years of Magnus we have, fortunately, had team […]

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The Balancing Act Continues

As I was standing in line this morning, a Friday morning, at Walmart (don’t judge me), I thought about how odd it was to be shopping on “work time.” And, further, I thought about the list of categories we have on this blog, one of which is “WorkLife.” We previously wrote about work life balance […]

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As I mentioned in one of David’s and my recent posts, we recently had lunch with 2 of my childhood friends, a married couple, who are retired.  Their enthusiastic advocation of retirement included the statement, “Melissa, when you retire, you can do whatever you want”! I replied, “That’s not a motivation for me.  I already […]

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