Archive | Magnus Research

Racism is Alive, but Not Well

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 24, 2018

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology

I have written several posts about my experiences with sexism, both in work and personal situations (for example, most men’s reactions to seeing my bass guitars, assuming they belong to David, due to the mere fact David is a man and I happen to be a woman, a woman who plays the bass!). Because I […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 24, 2018

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology

One doesn’t have to look hard, even in 2018, to see overt racism. It might be obvious in Charlottesville, or it might be subtle, or not so subtle, as in many political discussions. While getting beyond the battles of the civil rights era is important, moving forward has proven difficult in the United States. Maybe […]

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The Law of Perpetual Motion

Busy seems to beget busy. And sometimes that “busy” maybe just doing things when time is seemingly available to fill the time. Then, when doing those things, real work happens. For example, a few weeks ago, I attempted to arrange a client meeting in Miami. Nothing happened, the scheduling just didn’t come together and it […]

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I don’t know if my perception is accurate, but it sure seems like not much happens when David and I are sitting around the office, wondering when our next case will come in. We have countless examples of “the law of perpetual motion” in our business lives, from the time, early in our owning Magnus, […]

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A Simple Life?

The word, “simple” has several different meanings, including: innocent, modest, humble, lacking in knowledge/naive, free of secondary complications, readily understood, and plain. It also seems to me that “simple” means different things to different people and what is simple to one person may not be simple to someone else. I recently had a discussion with […]

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The comment which prompted this blog has also generated much discussion between Melissa and me. My take on the comment was that it had to do with our lives not having lots of interpersonal drama. That was part of the context of the discussion. So, while I agree with Melissa that her life is far […]

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People want to be appreciated

A friend/client recently told Melissa and me that his father, a long time judge in Miami, often told him that “People just want to be appreciated.” We were discussing the frequency with which lawyers often seem not to appreciate the effort that goes into, for example, “free proposals.” (As a digression, while I interact with […]

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When David and I recently heard this phrase, “People just want to be appreciated,” from our friend, we reflected on this truism. Regardless of who one is, the status one has achieved in life, and other variables, all of us want to believe our contributions have made a difference in someone’s life. I learned this […]

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Disconfirming Stereotypes

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On July 10, 2018

Category: Jury Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants

Many people, including those who should know better, use stereotypes as a basis for making important decisions. Although, by definition, stereotypes can contain “a kernel of truth” (according to Dr. Gordon Allport, who coined the term), they are often incomplete and sometimes, wrong. A recent conversation with one of my clients prompts this post. The […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On July 10, 2018

Category: Jury Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants

More than once in her career, Melissa has had to disconfirm stereotypes. Millenials are the latest target and one variable in the equation is that the attorney with predilections against a particular group is often disconnected from that group. In the case of this attorney and millenials, there is a large age gap. And, I […]

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Why football is not part of my existence

Recent conversations with a few childhood friends led me to reflect on the reasons why I am not a football fan. As with many things in our lives, experience, familiarity, and habits are often formed early and they remain with us as we age. I grew up in a family in which baseball was king. […]

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I think there are reasons to be a football fan, a baseball fan, a NASCAR fan, or a rock and roll fan that go beyond having to work. I’m sure there are people studying theories of “fanness,” including those of medieval sporting events, of cheering the knight carrying the colored banner of “your” side. Or, […]

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Checking the Price Tag

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On June 28, 2018

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Deliberations, Litigation Research, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

The old adage “if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it” doesn’t apply to litigation. In part, this is because, especially in the context of civil litigation, affordability is not decided by the buyer. Buyers (insurance claims adjusters, for example) usually operate as if there is no price tag to check. We […]

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Most people are interested in knowing the price of something before they buy it. Typically, when the cost of an item is substantial, for example, the cost of a house, the buyer is keenly interested in knowing the factors that are important determinants of the cost, such as neighborhood, comparable sales, re-sale potential, etc. Litigation, […]

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Lawyers play chess; jurors play video games

I “appropriated” the title of this post from a litigation graphics consultant I heard speak recently at a Florida Bar function. I thought she was on to something with this simple, contrasting, perspective. Litigation is a “game” of strategy, and like good chess players, litigators are good at these strategies. They can move all of […]

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There are many variations on the theme about which David has written. Lawyers play chess, while jurors play video games. Lawyers play golf, while jurors watch NASCAR. Lawyers drink fine wine, while jurors drink Budweiser. Lawyers drive Mercedes-Benz automobiles, while jurors drive Ford pick up trucks. Etc. Etc. Etc. The point of these endless, and […]

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People with Mental Health Issues Don’t Act “Normally”

Mental health, and the absence of mental health, are largely misunderstood by the general public. In that mental health concerns, including the rapidly increasing rate of age related dementia, are common within our society, it is time for people to come to terms with the variety of signs and symptoms of cognitive crises. There are […]

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As a psychologist, Melissa is acutely aware of mental health issues. However, in the last 10 or so years, the personal nature of her, and my, observations of mental health issues has grown, sadly, exponentially. This has included dementia related health issues of family and friends, as well as other mental health problems of family […]

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O.J. Simpson’s Contribution to Trial Consulting

The topic of O.J. Simpson came up recently in a discussion I recently had about the world of trial consulting. The murder of O.J.’s former wife, and the subsequent trial, was one of the first televised celebrity mega trials. For better, or worse, almost everyone was aware of the accusations against O.J. in that case. […]

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O. J. Simpson has been vilified since the time he was accused of murder. David’s and my post is not intended as praise for O. J.; rather, it is written as an example of how one event, even a tragic one, can change other things which, at first glance, appear unrelated. I have no positive […]

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