Archive | Litigation Research

Can’t Tell Anyone

In a prior post, I lamented how family and friends can’t relate to what Melissa and I do in our trial consulting business. One of the main reasons for their lack of understanding is the extremely high level of confidentiality involved in our work. In order for trial consultants to be able to effectively help […]

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I will begin my part of this post by saying that David’s and my careers, as well as our business, are anything but traditional. In fact, our lives, in general, are far from traditional. When we have worked with marketing professionals, including those who specialize in social media, they quickly become frustrated when we explain […]

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No One in Family Gets It

When one chooses a non-traditional career path like Melissa and I have as trial consultants, it is difficult for some family and friends to understand what we do, and why we do it. (Heck, it’s even hard to decide what to call ourselves, as discussed in other blogs; it could be trial consultants, jury consultants, […]

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David’s topic is hilarious to me! Absolutely hilarious! For the most part, my family and friends are relatively unsophisticated people. I love them dearly, but there are few among them who really, truly “get it” when it comes to understanding what I do for a living. David describes his family’s and friends’ incomprehension about his […]

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Margie

Margie and I have been friends since 1971, when we were in 8th grade. Margie is unsurpassed among my friends in the following categories: (1) her outgoing and enthusiastic personality; (2) her commitment to living life in a joyfully happy manner, with as much fun as possible; and (3) her ability to boost my happiness […]

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Melissa is a person with many friends, including many good friends.  Though some come and go, her solid foundation is built on long term friendships.  Eighth grade was a few years ago, so when friendships last so long, they must be strong.  Fundamentally, friendships are based on some mutual connection, that is, they are a […]

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Frequent Flyer Points

When we started our blogging in mid-2013, Melissa and I started writing down a list of topics. The first 150 or so topics came quickly off the top of our heads; this is my #112. As we’ve written the posts over the past few years, topics which seemed timely were added and we have not […]

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Coincidentally, David chose to write this post soon after using hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer points to book flights to and from Greece. The process of using frequent flyer points is an arduous and stressful endeavor: one must begin by finding flights (a long time from the booking date, because frequent flyer points typically […]

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Go For It

There are times to step back, wait and see, or pause before making an important decision. There are other times to throw caution to the wind and just “go for it.” I am usually a cautious, deliberate person who prefers to think about all of my options before deciding on a course of action. Rarely […]

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As Hannibal Smith (George Peppard) liked to say on The A Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.” That’s how I felt after Melissa reported that the presentation at the World Water Parks Association convention was a success. Doing something so last minute is out of character for Melissa for sure. And, logistically, […]

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Gouge

I recently learned a new term, a term that appeared in a Facebook query by a friend (Robert, you know who you are.)  The term is “gouge” – not as in price gouging or destroying someone’s eyes, but it is apparently a term originating in the U.S. Navy which originally meant “the answers to the […]

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I have an excellent vocabulary, however, until I read the title of David’s post, I had never heard of the word, “gouge” defined as “inside information.”  I daresay that, once I finish writing this post, I will never again use “gouge” to mean anything other than its common dictionary definitions of “chisel” or “an excessive […]

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Take a book

I love to read. At any given time, I am in the process of reading one or more books, one or more scientific publications, and several magazines. I read books, psychology journals, and magazines in both formats, the old school hard copy, bound format, and the modern electronic format. Mom instilled in me a love […]

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I share Melissa’s love of reading and, for me, this includes reading 3 daily papers, weekly news magazines, and “fun” reading on things like photography. We also both read publications like Florida Trend to keep up with statewide developments. I recently finished my first e-book on my phone – I’ve read them on an iPad […]

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That old dude in the suit went to Woodstock….

This has happened to me several times and it is worth writing about in this post. Sometimes, things, and sometimes, people, are not what they seem. When I am working for attorneys, I conduct myself in an entirely different manner, while wearing entirely different attire, than when I am in the presence of friends. Almost […]

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Some of our clients are people who will relate to the line from a song “get a real hair cut and get a real job,” because they did.  In a business suit, with that real hair cut, and probably a neck tie, it is sometimes difficult to imagine them in any way other than as  […]

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Britt

My first professional job upon earning my Ph.D. in social psychology was Director of Marketing Research at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida. My job duties were to analyze the attitudes, opinions, and beliefs of all the hospitals’ constituents: (1) patients; (2) the community at large (the hospital’s source of patients); (3) the medical staff; […]

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I remember Britt as smiling, cheerful, and a true southern gentleman.  The photo I took of him had him showing off his suspenders under his suit coat.  I don’t know if Britt ever wore the pink lady jacket that the few men who were volunteers were expected to wear at that time, but he was […]

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Take Notes

Having been a student from the time I was 4 years old until I earned my Ph.D. at the age of 26, I learned how to take notes to document the important things in my life. My note taking abilities have served me well in my career. I have calendars dating back almost 40 years; […]

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As we have written, many of these posts are at least partially inspired by our experience as employers. By way of background, I fully agree with Melissa about the importance of note taking, though my notes are usually more cryptic and abbreviated than hers. (I don’t know how she does it the way she does, […]

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