Samantha D. Holmes, Ph.D

Dr. Samantha (Sam) Holmes is a partner of R&D Strategic Solutions, Inc. Sam has been a jury psychologist for over 25 years and worked with clients on hundreds of different high-profile civil and criminal cases—including those involving wrongful death/personal injury, Jones Act/maritime injuries, insurance/bad faith, intellectual property, pharmaceutical, product liability, oil and gas, corporate fraud, antitrust, contract disputes, employment, toxic tort, securities, and medical and professional malpractice. She has experience working in a wide variety of venues across the country including those in Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and even Alaska and Puerto Rico. Sam’s training and experience have made her highly skilled at data collection and interpretation, statistical analysis, and juror profiling and have given her impeccable people skills.

Dr. Holmes has helped attorneys from around the country understand and manage case risk and develop persuasive strategies for both trial and mediation by conducting mock trials and focus groups both in-person and online. Additionally, she is an expert in helping lawyers prepare witnesses to be confident and persuasive communicators during deposition and at trial. Sam has significant courtroom experience and frequently helps clients in court with jury selection and develop ongoing trial strategy through opening statement analysis, and trial monitoring. She also assists lawyers in understanding how jurors evaluated actual cases through conducting post-trial interviews.

When Sam is not helping attorneys tackle high-profile cases, she enjoys traveling, Broadway musicals, spending time with her family, church, and pets, and riding the world’s best roller coasters.

 

Education
Brown University Department of Professional Studies (via SimpliLearn)
Executive Certification in AI and Data Science, 2024
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ph.D., Social Psychology, 2000
M.A., Experimental and Research Psychology, 1995
University of Memphis
B.S., Psychology, Honors College, Summa Cum Laude, 1992

 

Prior Experience
Due to confidentiality constraints, specific client names cannot be shared. But Dr. Holmes has worked on civil litigation matters (mostly on behalf of corporate defendants) and criminal matters (mostly on behalf of prosecutors) involving claims including (but not limited to):

*  Antitrust
*  Bad Faith Claims
*  Contracts
*  Daubert Motions
*  Employment
*  Fraud
*  Intellectual Property (patent, copyright and trademark infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets)
*  Jones Act/Maritime
*  Liability claims
*  Malpractice
*  Oil & Gas
*  Pharmaceutical
*  SEC violations
*  Torts
*  Wrongful Death claims

Selected Publications and Presentations
Holmes, S. D. (August 2024). “…And Justice For All: How Jurors Evaluate the Justice System and Decide the Credibility of the Prosecution and Defendants. Minnesota Criminal Justice Conference CLE Seminar, Minneapolis, MN.

Holmes S. D. (May 2024). The 4 “P”s of Successful Jury Selection. Behind the Lines: The Houston Lawyer Podcast, Houston, TX. Holmes, S. D. (January 2024). Tips for Meeting Jurors’ Expectations During Deposition: A Primer for Corporate Reps and 30(b)(6) Witnesses. Oline Seminar for Insurance Company Client’s Claims Department.

Holmes, S. D. (2015). Building Credibility and Confidence with Today’s Jurors: Strategies for Insurance Companies. Insurance Bad Faith and Extra-Contractual Liability Conference; Chicago, IL: Defense Research Institute.

Davis, S. L. & Holmes, S. D. (2015). Are You Getting Through to the Jury? The Importance of Respect. Trials & Tribulations, 21(1).

Holmes, S. D. (2012). Seven Deadly Social Media Sins Lawyers Commit During Jury Selection (and How to Avoid Them). Sharing Success-A Seminar for Women Lawyers; Scottsdale, AR: Defense Research Institute.