Jury Consulting & Research
The courtroom is not the place to learn what works. Our jury research services and consulting services provide a look into the forces that shape your trial. You’ll develop a nuanced, strategic picture of what’s working, what’s not and why.
Our strategy development research and analysis will help you identify the concepts and themes that resonate most, based on empirical data. The result is a powerful story. Precise arguments. And confidence in your case.
Mock Trials
The closest thing to an actual trial, mock trials give you unparalleled insight into how a real jury reacts to arguments, witnesses, exhibits and more. Guided by our jury consultants and leveraging our Moment-to-Moment® platform, DecisionQuest mock trials give you the insights and impact of a live, custom-formulated panel. We offer both in-person and remote mock trials.
CaseXplorer®
Use online polls and surveys to bring the precision and insights of jury research within your budget. CaseXplorer® polls a representative sample drawn from a pool of over 3 million online surrogate jurors in your venue, or nationwide, giving you insights, reactions and biases – all without leaving your office. By surveying a surrogate juror pool that looks similar to your potential jurors, our team can provide quantitative predictions of whether a jury may be pro-plaintiff or pro-defendant.
SocialDiscover™
Social media is an enormous, but mostly unmeasured, influencer. Not anymore. With SocialDiscover™, DecisionQuest researches litigants, claimants, witnesses and other subjects, revealing online activity, attitudes, beliefs and habits. With our social media research service, we can gather evidence and relevant information that can help you shape your case.
Additional Trial Services
DecisionQuest offers an extraordinary range of targeted capabilities that deliver our expertise exactly how and when your case demands it. Whether you need help nailing your opening statement, prepping a witness or analyzing potential damages, we can support you with a full suite of research, analysis and strategy solutions to help you gain a winning edge.
Research. Analysis. Strategy.
Venue Evaluation Research
Venue evaluation research tests the attitudes of jury-eligible citizens and analyzes decision patterns in likely litigation locations to produce a list of preferred venues. Using both online and telephone surveys, our highly experienced social scientists design surveys to analyze whether jurors in the proposed venue are biased towards the client and/or if the venue is satisfactory for the trial. Our consultants are also available to testify about the survey results.
Case Consultation
If you need an objective opinion on your case, we can help in a variety of ways: Talking to the trial team to discuss key thoughts and concerns; reading case documents; comparing the case to cases in our collective experience; assessing the strengths and vulnerabilities of the case; creating a jury profile, and more. While not a substitute for jury research exercises, this can be a fast and cost-effective approach for some cases.
Mock Bench Trial or Arbitration Panel Study
Recognizing that these proceedings are different than jury trials, we focus on testing the arguments of both sides including briefs, presentations by the attorneys, cross-examination of witnesses and more. Zeroing in on the strongest and weakest arguments of both sides, the process is an in-depth assessment of the effectiveness of your arguments and a critical evaluation of evidence and graphics. We also facilitate other proceedings, including mock Daubert hearings, arbitrations and mediations.
Witness Evaluation & Preparation
We audition potential fact and expert witnesses in front of surrogate jurors to help polish and sharpen their presentations before they take the stand. Our sessions are focused on both communication and messaging to maximize witness credibility. We’ll evaluate their performance and provide strategic guidance for their role at trial or mediation, including strategies for appropriate demeanor and techniques for responding confidently, carefully and accurately under direct and cross-examination.
Damages Analysis Study
Understand realistically how jurors perceive key issues and elicit their evaluations of potential damages – a critical aid in negotiations. Our research includes theme building, presentations and various damages models to evaluate how jurors commonly make decisions.
Opening Statement Study
You only get one shot to make a first impression. We help you make it count. We assess the impact of opening statements with surrogate jurors in court or by presenting to them virtually to measure impact and adjust your message and delivery before trial.
Jury Selection
Our seasoned jury psychologists create questions that help reveal which jurors may respond favorably (or unfavorably) to your client and position in the case. A jury profile is created to help guide in the selection process, including which jurors should be stricken for cause, which should participate in additional questions and which should be considered for peremptory challenges. We even help you assess, track and evaluate juror responses, both verbal and nonverbal, develop voir dire follow-up questions on the spot and work on preparing your strike list as you’re questioning the jurors.
Voir Dire Consulting
Our team helps you select and sharpen research-based voir dire questions that will help you pick the best possible jury, based on our analysis of the issues and themes in your case. We create a set of voir dire questions based on our assessment of your case themes, the anticipated jury pool composition, court requirements and our extensive library from consulting on over 20,000 cases. In addition, we can conduct realtime juror research from publicly available records and social networking sites in support of jury selection.
Shadow Jury
Monitored during proceedings and interviewed intensively each evening, a shadow jury representing the demographics of your jury pool is chosen to provide invaluable feedback on the effectiveness of your presentation and the ongoing dynamics of a trial.
Post-Trial Analysis
Receive in-depth insights into how juries are likely to react to similar arguments and exhibits in pending cases or in serial litigation.
Post-Trial Jury Interviews
Through post-trial juror interviews, receive issue-by-issue insight into the factors that influenced the jury’s decision. Using many interviewing techniques, our psychologists and jury consultants can understand how jurors perceived everyone in the courtroom, from judges to attorneys and witnesses.
