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Critical Communications    |    Records & Depositions    |    Litigation Psychology


A closer look at real-time feedback devices
Every so often, a client will ask us about usage of hand-held feedback devices, often called Perception Analyzers or “moment-to-moment” data collection systems, for utilization in jury research projects. Being trained researchers at heart, we have conducted extensive research on these devices and ...
George R. Speckart, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— April 2021 — 22 views Confirmatory research Exploratory research Jury consulting Litigation psychology Mock trials Research Scientific method Trial consulting


Litigation Psychology Podcast #63 - Reptile and anchoring
Attorney Nick Rauch with Larson King in St. Paul, Minnesota joins the podcast and talks with Dr. Bill Kanasky about his recent article in For the Defense on counter anchoring and the reverse reptile and how he has used reverse reptile in depositions. Nick explains the concepts of anchoring and cou...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— March 2021 — 198 views Anti-reptile Depositions Litigation psychology Reptile Witness training


Is fear of science costing your firm? - part 2
In the first part of this topic , we introduced the role of science and prediction in litigation and an overview of the jury research industry. In part two, we examine the importance of predictive validity and how it is achieved to provide actionable insight. * * *   * * Establishing Qualificati...
George R. Speckart, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— March 2021 — 158 views Confirmatory research Exploratory research Focus groups Jury consulting Litigation psychology Mock trials Research Scientific method Trial consulting


Is fear of science costing your firm? - part 1
After spending thirty years working with trial teams, the same types of questions seem to continually surface: “How much will a jury award?”  “Will this theme be persuasive?”  “What kinds of jurors will be most receptive to my case?”  Scrutiny of the underlying factual issues underlying these ques...
George R. Speckart, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— March 2021 — 173 views Confirmatory research Exploratory research Focus groups Jury consulting Litigation psychology Mock trials Research Scientific method Trial consulting


Litigation Psychology Podcast #61 - Preparing witnesses
Brad Hughes, trial lawyer with Clark Hill in Los Angeles, joins the podcast to talk about the differences in how he approaches a catastrophic injury case in his transportation litigation work versus a corporate matter. Dr. Bill Kanasky and Brad discuss the increasing presence of Reptile in commer...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— March 2021 — 242 views Anti-reptile Depositions Litigation psychology Reptile Trucking & transportation Witness training


Litigation Psychology Podcast #60 - Managing trucking litigation
Trucking defense attorney Sophia Bernard of Lewis Brisbois in Tampa joins the podcast to talk about transportation and trucking litigation and her process on handling catastrophic cases. She discusses the difficulties of dealing with the emotion of the driver and the importance of recognizing and ...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— March 2021 — 325 views Litigation psychology Reptile Trucking & transportation Witness training


Alternative exploratory research designs in litigation - part 3
In part 1 of this topic , we introduced the concept of alternative formats for Exploratory Research and detailed the specifics of a traditional Focus Group. In part 2 , we described two alternate Focus Group designs: Graphics Research and Juror Profile Research. In this final section, we explain...
George R. Speckart, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— March 2021 — 178 views Exploratory research Focus groups Jurors Litigation psychology Mock trials Presentations Research Scientific method Trial consulting Witness training


Mental health, witnesses, and litigation
* Introduction * The Covid-19 pandemic has been responsible for a high level of stress, anxiety, fear, and concern for everyone. The pressure on individual’s mental health can’t be overstated. To rapidly monitor recent changes in mental health since the start of the pandemic, the National Center f...
Alyssa Parker Hwang, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— March 2021 — 245 views COVID-19 Depositions Litigation psychology Witness training


Litigation Psychology Podcast #59 - Best practices for large cases
Trial attorneys and partners Thomas Segars & James Weiss from Ellis | Winters join the podcast to talk with Dr. Bill Kanasky about high exposure litigation and their process to approach these cases. Tom and Jamie share the importance of getting started early and the work they do on thinking about ...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— March 2021 — 271 views Depositions Jurors Jury consulting Litigation psychology Mock trials Nuclear verdicts Trial consulting Witness training


Alternative exploratory research designs in litigation - part 2
In part 1 of this topic , we introduced the concept of alternative formats for Exploratory Research or “different types of Focus Groups” and detailed the specifics of a traditional Focus Group. In part 2, we describe two alternate Focus Group designs: Graphics Research and Juror Profile Research....
George R. Speckart, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— February 2021 — 203 views Exploratory research Focus groups Litigation psychology Mock trials Research Scientific method Trial consulting


Scientific evaluation of juror damage awards post-COVID
Few individuals would argue that COVID-19’s aftermath has left potential jurors in a heightened state of emotion. Our own research at Courtroom Sciences, Inc. has confirmed these assumptions as well.   This becomes problematic when considering that jurors in a heightened state of emotion have les...
Steve Wood, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— February 2021 — 277 views COVID-19 Jurors Jury consulting Litigation psychology Mock trials Research Trial consulting


Litigation Psychology Podcast #58 - Zoom trials
Shareholder and defense attorney Heather Snider from Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney in Chicago joins the podcast and shares her experience with a recent 5-day Zoom bench trial, including what worked, what didn't, how technical issues and objections were handled, and more. Heather and Dr. Bill ...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— February 2021 — 324 views Anti-reptile Depositions Litigation psychology Reptile Trial consulting Witness training


Alternative exploratory research designs in litigation - part 1
Pre-trial or “jury research” is sometimes bifurcated into two categories , the first being Exploratory Research – projects designed to initially “see what’s out there,” investigate the substantive terrain of a case, and find out “what sticks” thematically in terms of case arguments, issues, and e...
George R. Speckart, Ph.D. - Litigation Psychology
— February 2021 — 205 views Exploratory research Focus groups Litigation psychology Research Scientific method Trial consulting


Discovery obligations during the pandemic
Having resolved discovery disputes related to the COVID-19 pandemic for almost a year, trial courts have considered myriad creative discovery objections concerning whether and how litigants must present their witnesses for deposition testimony. With increased familiarity and experience resolving w...
Jae Ellis - Courtroom Sciences, Inc.
— February 2021 — 271 views Court reporting COVID-19 Depositions Paralegals


Impact of pandemic-related mental stress on witnesses
Dr. Alyssa Parker, CSI Litigation Consultant, is featured on the Best's Insurance Professional Resources podcast discussing the impact of pandemic-related mental stress on witnesses. Click the image to view the episode. None   watch the podcast http://www.ambest.com/video/video.aspx?...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— February 2021 — 315 views COVID-19 Depositions Insurance defense Litigation psychology Witness training


The Litigation Psychology Podcast #56 - Trucking & Covid-19
This episode of The Litigation Psychology Podcast focuses on how the trucking and transportation industry responded to the pandemic and the impressions, attitudes, and beliefs that jurors have toward transportation and trucking companies. Dr. Steve Wood discusses research that CSI has conducted ...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— February 2021 — 315 views COVID-19 Jurors Litigation psychology Research Trucking & transportation Witness training


Litigation Psychology Podcast #55 - Managing witness mental health
Trucking defense attorney Mike Bassett joins the podcast to discuss the steps that he takes before he begins working with a witness: establishing trust, understanding their backstory, addressing their concerns and questions and establishing their state of mind. Without the proper pre-preparation, ...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— February 2021 — 334 views COVID-19 Depositions Litigation psychology Mental health Planning Trucking & transportation Witness training


Litigation Psychology Podcast #54 - Mental health in litigation
Trucking defense attorney Mark Perkins shares his personal experience with mental health and how he handles and addresses it. Mark and Bill Kanasky, Ph.D. talk about the ways the legal industry has, and has not, addressed mental health issues. They also discuss how the personal struggles that witn...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— January 2021 — 482 views COVID-19 Depositions Litigation psychology Mental health Planning Trucking & transportation Witness training


Four lethal but preventable mistakes in civil litigation - part 2
In part 1 of this topic , we wrote about how a n increasing number of cases are being resolved based upon their  perceptual  value  at  the  jury  level, rather than their realistic economic worth and how this often results in a defendant corporation having to pay significantly higher settlement ...
Bill Kanasky, Jr., Ph.D.
— January 2021 — 340 views Depositions Jurors Witness training


The Litigation Psychology Podcast #53 - Mental health & trucking litigation
Our focus on mental health issues in litigation continues with trucking attorney Larry Hall, Shareholder with Sandberg Phoenix law firm in St. Louis, MO. Larry is the head of the transportation group and has extensive experience in trucking litigation. Larry and Dr. Bill Kanasky discuss the histor...
CSI - Courtroom Sciences Inc
— January 2021 — 435 views COVID-19 Depositions Litigation psychology Mental health Planning Trucking & transportation Witness training