Archive | Magnus

It’s Nice to Be Appreciated

Melissa and I received an unexpected thank you note and gift from the new College of Law at my alma mater, Jacksonville University. We have been doing a little to help with the start up of that program. Out of the blue came a couple of packages with nicely designed and personalized paper weights. Goodness […]

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I was pleasantly surprised to receive the beautiful and thoughtful paperweight from Jacksonville University’s College of Law.  Rarely have my efforts been rewarded with such an appreciative gesture!  My friend, Teresa, is always thoughtful when she visits David and me.  She never leaves our house without writing a thank you note and surprising us with […]

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“Old South Carolina Sayings”

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 3, 2023

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research

My mother, Leola Ann Wright Pigott, was born in Elberton, Georgia, and grew up, from a young age, in Anderson, South Carolina. She considered herself a true Southern belle, in the style of Scarlet O’Hara from the movie, “Gone With the Wind.” Even though Mom spent most of her life in my hometown, Fort Myers, […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 3, 2023

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research

This post has intimidated me for some time in that Melissa wrote it effortlessly some time ago, but I haven’t thought of much to say.  I don’t recall old southern sayings having much of a place in my upbringing.  My parents were from Atlanta, so the southern part is similar, but for whatever reason, these […]

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Why I Love Siamese Cats

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 27, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Travel, Work-Life

I love cats. I really do. Dogs are great too, but I love cats. I have been fond of cats my entire life. My first cat was a domestic short hair ginger cat named Dinker. The cat who was the love of my life was, of course, Ziggy, who spent 19 years with me during […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 27, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Travel, Work-Life

I became a cat person sometime after I met Melissa.  I had no choice.  Ziggy was there first and he was a force with which to be reckoned.  The bobcat in him was close to the surface and though he didn’t have front claws, he attacked at will and had sharp teeth.  But, he knew […]

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Holiday Plans

I’m writing this near year end, but as is often the case, things are hectic as we wrap up the work for the year, and prepare for work early in the new year. Melissa and I have diligently tried for all these years to treat the last 2 weeks of the year as a break, […]

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David and I often work on holidays and during vacations.  Our business, and the world of litigation, don’t close just because we are not in the office.  I have distinct memories of: (1) doing an intake on a new case on Christmas Eve, in my mom’s Florida room, mere minutes before we opened our gifts: […]

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Constant Giving Psychology Away

I am honored to have been a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) since the early 1980s, when I was in graduate school. The APA is the largest professional organization for psychologists in the world, with over 133,000 members. On the day I am writing this post, I have renewed my APA membership for […]

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I have supported Melissa in her giving away psychology efforts for over 35 years.  Admittedly, some of the efforts she enumerated hopefully help with business development.  But, I agree that when someone has a special skill, talent, or knowledge, there are times when sharing that expertise is somehow warranted by our societal values.  I suspect […]

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Some Cases Last Longer than Imaginable

A challenging aspect of our trial consulting work is timing. It is always an issue for us to ramp up when we are engaged for a project. There is lead time in all that we do. Some clients, particularly repeat clients, understand this and call us well in advance of their “need.” Other times it […]

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I sincerely hope 10 years will be the longest time between case intake and conducting mock trials!  At this point in my life and career, I’m not certain I will be around 10 years from now!  The case to which David refers is Magnus’ infamous case #110.  As a point of reference, when we finally […]

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Altruism & Helping Behaviors

Helping is one component of altruism. Other components are an orientation toward other people, instead of to oneself, and a generally prosocial outlook (as opposed to an antisocial outlook). Most theories of altruism include the component of enhancing other people’s welfare at some cost to oneself (in terms of time, money, etc.). Altruistic people are […]

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I was, for a couple of years, a Boy Scout, as well as a Cub Scout prior to the Boy Scouts membership.  Though I didn’t stick with Boy Scouts too long because music, band – baritone horn, took over my free time.  But, I was a scout long enough to learn about helping others.  The […]

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This Nickel

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 8, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights

Last night I heard a blues song in which the songwriter wrote lines like “what if this wall could talk,” “what if this door knob could tell who turned it,” and “what if these shoes could talk.” All of the lines led me to wonder who/what saw something, illicit, of course. In the vein of […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 8, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights

David and I have been writing our blog for over 9 years and I am fearful that his selection of this topic is akin to Fonzie “jumping the shark.”  Let’s hope not!  I don’t have much to say about the 1947 nickel  David found in the coin tray, but I do find it strange that […]

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Social Psych = Groups = Juries

Over the years, many people have asked me what makes me qualified to work as a jury/trial consultant. I explain that I have a Ph.D. in social psychology, which is the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people and situations. Social thinking, social influence, and social behavior are […]

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I have certainly learned a lot about social psychology, by osmosis and directly from Melissa, as well as in a graduate course, taken before I had any intent of working in the trial consulting world, that helped me more than I knew it would.  It is interesting to explain the principles of psychological science to […]

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Herding Cats

I am sure most people have heard the expression that something is like “herding cats.” I am sure herding felines would be nearly impossible based on my experience with having 1 in the house. Herding any of our cats, even 1 at a time, is quite a challenge. Even though our Siamese cats know their […]

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My job involves herding lots of cats, metaphorically speaking.  Not only do I “herd” attorneys, including timing their presentations during mock trials, getting a trial team to work together on trial strategies, and convincing multiple clients to listen to me and follow my advice during jury selection, I herd numerous other cats during my working […]

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