FAQs
..........................................................................................................................................................

How important is it that my jury consultant be from, or experienced in, the venue where the trial will take place?

It is far more valuable to get a consultant who can provide effective strategic advice than getting someone who knows specific details about a venue (information which is easily obtained from court records and local counsel). While it may be helpful if the jury consultant is from or experienced in the venue where the trial will take place, there are more important considerations. Someone may know the venue but not know the make-up of a typical jury pool. Find out how the consultant decides who will be recruited for a research exercise and how the consultant determines that is representative sample. Sometimes if you have a good trial consultant who does not know the area, you can rely on local counsel to provide local knowledge. Make sure that if someone says he or she is familiar with a particular venue that the knowledge translates into something that is useful to you (how the judge conducts jury selection, attitudes of prospective jurors to an issue of interest to you, etc). In the end it is far more important that you have a good trial consultant (experienced, insightful, responsive) than one who is familiar with a particular area.



How important is it that my jury consultant be familiar with the area of law that defines my case?

While you are hiring a jury consultant and not a lawyer, it can be extremely helpful if the consultant has experience in the type of case you are trying. There are three reasons for this:

• You won’t have to spend hours explaining concepts and terms.
• The consultant will be better able to present recommendations that are practical and not theoretical.
• The consultant will have a wealth of knowledge to draw upon in developing strategies for your case.


How helpful is it for my jury consultant to be part of a firm that has a graphics capability?

There are pluses and minuses to this. Ideally, the trial consultant will work closely with the graphics consultant in conceptualizing and developing exhibits. In practice, this simply does not happen often. An additional problem is that jury consultants can be under pressure to "sell" graphics to their clients even when the need does not exist. Technology does not require that the jury and graphics consultant be from the same firm. A good working relationship is better. If you choose your jury consultant and graphics consultant separately, you have more control over the quality of each.

Alliances
..........................................................................................................................................................

www.litpres.com
Litigation Presentation, Inc. is a high-energy, cutting-edge legal graphics company with a passion for understanding modern visual communication.

www.audienceresponse.com
Audience Response Systems, Inc. (ARS) provides real-time interactive research technology, specializing in audience polling systems with full audio-visual integration. ARS has been customizing solutions that meet clients' specific needs and objectives since 1984, with applications that include opinion surveys, voting, testing and certification, entertainment and more.

www.globalstrategygroup.com
Global Strategy Group, Inc. is a leading strategic research firm specializing in identifying the underlying factors that impact consumer and voter attitudes and behavior. We devise real-time decision roadmaps for corporations, associations, governments, and political candidates.

www.courtroomconnect.com
Courtroom Connect is a leading provider of Internet technology infrastructure for litigation proceedings including complex depositions, mock trials, war rooms and trials throughout the United States.