Archive | Litigation Research

Front of the house and back of the house

David and I are fortunate to have excellent restaurants located near our home in south Florida. To us, an excellent restaurant is not a chain restaurant; rather, it is a local, family owned restaurant whose proprietors take as much pride in their food and libations as we take in owning and operating our business. An […]

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Melissa’s comparison to front of house and back of house is interesting as we often struggle to figure out the division of labor.  But, she’s right in that though I participate in day of research duties and report writing, that’s her bailiwick. She, like the chef, creates the “meat” of what we do as trial […]

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Train the old dog

The last 3 months of pandemic restrictions have caused many of us to learn new tricks. I have thought many times of the adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Either that is wrong, or many of us aren’t really old, or aren’t really dogs. I’ve spoken with many people, not dogs, in […]

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Many people are more comfortable doing things the way they have always done them.  These types of people usually prefer routine over novelty.  For example, they order the same food every time they go to a restaurant; they return to the same place repeatedly when they go on an outing, such as to the beach, […]

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Racial Attitudes in America

Racial Attitudes in America is a scholarly book published in 1972 and written by Dr. John C. “Jack” Brigham. Dr. Brigham is not only one of the most highly regarded social psychologists in the world, he is my major professor. (For non academic readers of this post, a major professor is the primary professor of […]

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Little did I know, when I met Melissa, how immersed in the world of psychology, specifically social psychology, I would become.  It has been quite an education, and a positive one at that!  I took psychology 101, and another psychology course or two in college; more in grad school.  But, my real psychological education has […]

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“I’ll be there on time if…”

Magnus Research Consultants has, for many years, employed on a part time basis people who work with us exclusively on research days. We call our wonderful part time staff members Research Technicians because they handle numerous technical aspects of our research, including video camera operation, video editing, and oversight of our mock jurors. The majority […]

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I never thought I’d get schooled in racism along the way when hiring employees.  But, it has happened!  While Melissa has observed more of these racist incidents directly than have I, ensuring that our team is not negatively impacted by these experiences has forced me into some uncomfortable roles, and required some creativity.  With regard […]

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Learning New Tricks

As I write this, it has been just over a month since the world’s doors slammed shut. Or, at least the doors in the U.S.A, or at least, in Florida. Well, more or less shut – it changes day by day. As we’ve posted and will continue to do a few more times, COVID-19 has […]

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I mentioned to a friend of mine, who is a retired attorney and, prior to retiring, was a long time client of Magnus’, that David and I are in the process of re-inventing ourselves, and Magnus, in this time of social isolation.  He remarked that it seems a shame for me to have spent my […]

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Lost Productivity from a Disaster

Everyone has to find a way through disasters. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, these are some of the usual suspects. In 2020, it is a pandemic. I’m writing this in part just to vent about all of the extra work required to get through such things. We at Magnus have been through it multiple times with hurricanes. […]

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In the month since the world closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Magnus, like almost every business worldwide, has been negatively impacted in ways I would never have imagined.  Although we are certainly “all in this together,” I am finding that most people with whom I am in contact are focused on the […]

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COVID-19 By the Numbers: Part 3 – Questions

The preceding posts on Fear and Hope related to COVID-19 numbers led me to this post. The numbers we are being given should raise questions. Clearly, we are not being given full information and that worsens the tremendous uncertainty of this pandemic. Following are some questions that I have. When did this virus really start? […]

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David has a lot of questions, none of which are easily answered.  I doubt we will ever know the answers to many of the questions on everyone’s minds, for example, the date on which the COVID-19 virus was first discovered.  I have read countless articles about its origin, including that COVID-19 was discovered 15 years […]

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If the cake is bad, what good is the frosting?

David and I become inspired to write our blog posts in a variety of ways, including by sources that many people would not find particularly inspiring. As an example, this post was inspired by a fortune cookie that was included in a recent delivery from a local Chinese restaurant. Many so called fortunes found inside […]

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If the cake is bad, what good is the frosting?  I guess this is similar to the adage about not judging a book by its cover.  The book cover, or the frosting, can cover up what is worn or rotten inside.  Cutting the cake, looking under the hood, or beyond a glossy cover, reveals what […]

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We Can’t Make our Clients Do Anything

David and I recently attended a meeting with attorneys and their clients regarding a case for which they were considering retaining Magnus. The clients of the attorneys are a group of wealthy, sophisticated people who are accustomed to getting their way in all aspects of their lives. These individuals are from a variety of professional […]

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Many years ago, after we had completed a mock jury project for a first time client and he had resolved the case, I made a follow up call to him to ask his impressions.  He said everything was great, but he did have one complaint, he said, “You should have made me do this sooner.” […]

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Trial Team Crew

Once again, I was reminded about the people who support the lead trial attorney. The lead attorney and 2nd chair attorneys get the attention, like the rock star. Like Ozzy, Mick, or Geddy, who are lead singers, the lead attorneys are in the spotlight (or hot seat). But, behind them, there is often a small […]

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I have had the pleasure of working with attorneys and their trial teams for several decades.  It never ceases to amaze me that almost all of Magnus’ clients have a small army of professionals working with them on behalf of our mutual clients.  When I am involved in selecting a jury for a client, I […]

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