Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.9, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site.

# Trial Science

Trial Science

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://trialscienceinc.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Jargon-fighting tools to help your audience](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/jargon-fighting-tools-to-help-your-audience/) - Below is a paragraph out of a cover letter I was sent by my insurance broker regarding the renewal of my professional liability insurance: With your agreement to the use of a Wholesale Broker in the placement of your coverage CRC is a Wholesale Broker and will be involved in the marketing and placement of your
- [Leonardo -- the name says it all](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/leonardo-the-name-says-it-all/) - Of the top 15 most popular paintings in the world, Leonardo Da Vinci has three [Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Madonna Litta]. No other artist has any more than one in this top group. What is it about Da Vinci or his process that has led to this dominant, remarkable achievement? Let’s let
- [Thinking outside (and inside) the box](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/thinking-outside-and-inside-the-box/) - This Persuasion Tip is very different—more of a “behind the curtain” view of some of the creative processes we use in helping you explain your case to a jury. Being a Trial Consultant is a creative job. Being an effective Trial Attorney is a creative job. Ask yourself: What are some ways my creative process works? What kind
- [A new way to view "bias" during voir dire](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/a-new-way-to-view-bias-during-voir-dire/) - If you don’t like B.F. Skinner, stop reading now. If you don’t like me, you should have stopped reading when you saw the “From” line. Anyway . . . For those of you still reading, B.F. was unknowingly good at finding bias in jurors. He did this by teaching us where biases originate. He clearly
- [Act I in your opening is vital](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/act-i-in-your-opening-is-vital/) - I experienced, up close and in person, the reason why a story model is so important for your trial openings. A classic story model tells the listener, right up front, what to expect, how long it will take to hear the saga, and what their job will be once the story fully unfolds. Here was
- [The power of jurors in the story](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-power-of-jurors-in-the-story/) - In the story-telling model that we use with attorneys to help them craft an engaging opening statement, one of the features that we teach is the importance of making the jurors feel as if they are a part of the story. We tell the jury what their role is in this story and that the
- [Practice the way you play](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/practice-the-way-you-play/) - Here is a real email excerpt from a dad who was watching his son’s school mock trial: At a 4th Grade Mock Trial and when the kid prosecutor finished her passionate opening statement the kid defendant [my son] was so moved he stood up and applauded. This could be a quick verdict. Funny? Absolutely. Universally
- [Feel what jurors feel when they need to make sense out of your facts](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/feel-what-jurors-feel-when-they-need-to-make-sense-out-of-your-facts/) - This Persuasion Tip © will require you to commit to 120 seconds of your time apart from reading my comments on creating your opening. If you make the commitment, I promise you it will open your eyes. If you make the commitment, you will have a true, personal insight into what your jurors feel deep
- [Mythmaking and what Belle wants you to know](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/mythmaking-and-what-belle-wants-you-to-know/) - For years I have gone on and on [and on] with the mantra for lawyers, “Whoever tells the best story wins.” I have pointed out that story-telling is nothing new—it dates back at least to cave drawings in which stories of past hunts describe where food and clothing may be found on future hunts. I
- [The Sound of Culture](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-sound-of-culture/) - A project in Milwaukee called Ex Fabula coaches deaf story-tellers how best to relate their stories to both deaf and hearing audiences. The organizers figured out that a signing story-teller could relate to a deaf audience and a speaking story-teller could relate to a hearing audience. But, what happens to a deaf audience member with
- [I don't get why they don't get it!](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/i-dont-get-why-they-dont-get-it/) - Scenario #1: “Gravity is a natural force that pulls all objects toward the center of the earth. If I let go of my pen, BOOM, it falls to my desk every time.” Scenario #2: “I see my pen fall when I let go of it, but I have also seen birds and airplanes and clouds
- [It was called show AND tell for a reason](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/it-was-called-show-and-tell-for-a-reason/) - It’s always a good time to learn a new trick. For instance: Why should you learn to use a multi-media (PowerPoint or similar) presentation in trial when you have practiced all these years without it? Because the studies above show that the combination of pictures and sound are the preferred and most efficient way to convey information. More people
- [Witness prep - content AND demeanor count](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/witness-prep-content-and-demeanor-count/) - The call I get usually starts out something like this: “Hey, Dan! I’ve got a client who is [insert some negative or offensive trait or characteristic here] and I wonder if you could help us make him/her more [some form of a total personality change].” Inside my own head, I repeat my Witness Prep Mantra
- [Do you think the jury is going your way, or is that a feeling you have?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/do-you-think-the-jury-is-going-your-way-or-is-that-a-feeling-you-have/) - In these unusual times, we have a lot to think about, and we have a lot of feelings going on simultaneously. The linguistic tendency these days is to use “I think . . .” and “I feel . . .” interchangeably. Psychologists have always picked at this difference in therapy as if it made a
- [Voir Dire Score-Keeping](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/voir-dire-score-keeping/) - I think about your courtroom challenges all the time. For instance, last week, I was lying on the operating table in my paper gown, waiting for surgery to begin. On the wall was a sign that said, “Did you take a time-out?” I instantly thought, “That’s like from the ‘The Checklist Manifesto’ by Atul Gawande
- [Recruiting the Protagonist](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/recruiting-the-protagonist/) - For way too many years, I have badgered and pleaded with you to tell a good story in your opening; a story so good that jurors would rather see your opening again than watch Season 6 of Schitt’s Creek. Every good story-telling model is a template with these 6 essential ingredients: Title Setting Protagonist Imbalance
- [Be valid](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/be-valid/) - You have an insurance bad faith case in which the carrier paid only a fraction of the estimated damages to a business in the aftermath of a hurricane. The carrier paid 100% its estimate, but that was only about 12% of the plaintiff’s estimate. Both sides absolutely want to know if jurors ever had experience
- [What’s in it for me?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/whats-in-it-for-me/) - We all make quick, subjective assessments of how “involved” any one juror might be in a trial. “He looks bored.” “She takes lots of notes.” “#3 smiled at our expert.” I don’t know how seriously we ever take the idea of juror involvement, but it turns out that it is a factor that needs to
- [Black-and-white or grey?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/black-and-white-or-grey/) - As I read a 1981 study by O’Keefe and Delia (Communication Monographs, volume 48), it occurred to me that, unbeknownst to them, the variable they were testing has some very practical voir dire applications. They were studying a factor called “construct differentiation,” which has to do with the relationship between attitudes and behavior. It caught
- [Jurors mentally push back](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/jurors-mentally-push-back/) - Warning — This Persuasion Tip is for Plaintiff Attorneys only. If you are a defense attorney, please delete this right away before you read it! I’ll give you a minute . . . OK, are we alone, Plaintiff bar? Good! I’ve got a secret just for you: “People react to ideas they find offensive by reasserting familiar structures of meaning.” So
- [Simple and fluent wins](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/simple-and-fluent-wins/) - Which food additive do think is more dangerous? #1–Hnegripitrom, or #2—Magnalroxate If you said #1, then you are like a high percentage of people in a series of studies on cognitive fluency. Actually, both “additives” are fictitious, but #1 is harder to pronounce (more complex), so it gets the bad rap for being the more dangerous. Complexity
- [Creating juror urgency](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/creating-juror-urgency/) - Crimson Tide is in the lead with time running out. Bear Bryant tells his Quarterback to keep the ball on the ground, “run out the clock.” Quarterback thinks, “everybody knows that is what I’m going to do”, so he throws a pass, thinking he’ll bust the game open instead. Pass is intercepted by the fastest
- [Case outcome predictions](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/case-outcome-predictions/) - “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future.” ~Niels Bohr, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Predicting case outcomes is vital to the litigation process: Prediction forms the basis of the initial attorney/client relationship (i.e., “How good is my case?”) Prediction maintains the attorney/client relationship (“I think this fact will be very important and we need to stay
- [A fresh look at “commonplace”](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/a-fresh-look-at-commonplace/) - Originally, a “commonplace” meant a shared experience or belief—a place where people had a common starting point. We have twisted the word to mean boring or mundane, but its original meaning is important to litigators. In building your arguments in both opening and closing, it is important to listen for and utilize the commonplaces of the
- [Persuade on your terms](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/persuade-on-your-terms/) - Homer Simpson’s boss believes that the term “Meltdown” is not appropriate at the nuclear power plant in which they work. He prefers to say, “’Meltdown’ is one of those annoying buzzwords. We prefer to call it an unrequested fission surplus.” To get an advantage in a persuasive argument, you need to control the definitions of the
- [Decision-making for trial attorneys](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/decision-making-for-trial-attorneys/) - I have just done you a big favor! I mean BIG! I just digested a 40-page research article with some very interesting findings into this email. I am not kidding—for you to read this, you would have had to deal with the “Multinomial Logistic Regression Results” and other “chi Square” kinds of statistical issues. An article by
- [Be clear or else](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/be-clear-or-else/) - Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrade. –Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky (1872) This is, probably, what a jury hears when you present a complicated case to them, full of precise legal jargon and elegant legal theories. I am not a literature student, so Carroll’s poem
- [Communicate in seasons](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/communicate-in-seasons/) - The vernal equinox—springtime. It is a beautiful and turbulent time of year when all living things are wondering if today will be one of warmth or will it deliver a late season winter gale. It is a day of anticipation for what comes next. Seasons introduce change. Seasons create a sense of motion. Seasons orient us as to where
- [Just because . . .](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/just-because/) - The motivation behind an act is probably the most interesting aspect of human behavior for people to discover. We hear news reports all too often about some horrible set of facts and the first thing we want to know is “why?” All too often, however, the “why” in a civil case is not presented because it “calls
- [The turning point](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-turning-point/) - Even when I’m at the movies, I’m thinking about ways for you to win trials. For instance, the movie “Sliding Doors” has a very interesting premise that can be used to select and persuade jurors. It is a graphic example of the story-telling feature that I teach about called the turning point. “Sliding Doors” (which you should see) shows how
- [Evolve into the age of the electronic courtroom](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/evolve-into-the-age-of-the-electronic-courtroom/) - Above picture – “Future Juror” Today’s Juror: In the middle of a trial in an antiquated, but quaint, courtroom in Auburn, California, a 69‐year old juror leans forward toward the defense attorney and interrupts him during his cross examination, says out loud in open court, “Haven’t you ever heard of PowerPoint?” What more needs to be said? Apparently
- [The art of story telling](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-art-of-story-telling/) - Night after night, after listening to his father share stories with travelers along the Cumberland Trail, Abraham Lincoln “ . . . would spend (quote from Lincoln’s diary), ‘no small part of the night walking up and down, and trying to make out what was the exact meaning of some of their, to me, dark
- [Would your jurors rather go to a movie or meeting?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/would-your-jurors-rather-go-to-a-movie-or-meeting/) - 99% will say “movie.” Why? Movies have a story built on a conflict and a resolution with some twists and turns along the way. Actually, every trial has the same thing. Why, then, do people NOT want to be on a jury as much as they want to go to a movie? Maybe because trials
- [The jury box has eyes](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-jury-box-has-eyes/) - This tip is less research-based and more of a practical exclamation point to a lesson I teach over and over in witness preparation, especially to witnesses who are parties in the case. This lesson also applies to attorney demeanor in the course of a trial. The lesson is this: Everything you do is being scrutinized by jurors
- [Persuasion is better than force](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/persuasion-is-better-than-force/) - Aesop: The North Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful, and agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes. The North Wind first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer the
- [Cicero and Aristotle on fitting in](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/cicero-and-aristotle-on-fitting-in/) - All professions have their own language, a vocabulary that facilitates communication within the membership. Lawyers face a huge problem, though. While communicating with the Judge or opposing counsel, legal jargon works very well. However, in the next breath, the lawyer then has to turn and face the lay jury and explain the same concept in a persuasive manner. Here,
- [SNAP! Verdicts in the blink of an eye](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/snap-verdicts-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/) - “… At one point early on [in jury selection], the [plaintiff’s allegations] were read and [when the judge asked the attorneys to introduce their clients] the defendant stood up and faced us, giving us all an attempt at a friendly smile. My instant thought was ‘he did not do this’; the bleeding-heart liberal me saw
- [How do groups (juries) make decisions?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/how-do-groups-juries-make-decisions/) - An interesting study in England (Wittenbaum et al., 2004) revealed some important group dynamics for attorneys to take into account. “People trying to make decisions in groups spend most of their time telling each other things that everyone already knows. In comparison, people are unlikely to bring up new information that they think others do
- [The Gatekeeper](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-gatekeeper/) - An expert witness takes the stand. She answers a series of questions about her qualifications. The judge qualifies her as an expert. On direct, she spews forth a litany of opinions that just don’t make sense. The farther out on the limb she goes, the more you get ready for the kill. Your cross examination
- [Recognizing and refuting the other side of the story](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/recognizing-and-refuting-the-other-side-of-the-story/) - Whenever I contemplate the strengths of the other side of a case, I feel the fingernails on the chalkboard. It just hurts to even think about it. Overwhelmingly, though, the research says . . . The instinct to paper over the weaknesses in our argument is wrong—so long as we counter the criticism. Every argument
- [The “click-whirr” response](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-click-whirr-response/) - Just like a judge can bestow extra meaning and credibility upon an expert by declaring them so in front of the jury, a related phenomenon exists in the minds of the jurors: “click, whirr” responding (Cialdini, 1993). You know the saying, “you get what you pay for.” This implies that price equals quality. In a very
- [In medias res openings](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/in-medias-res-openings/) - Typical openings begin at . . . well . . . the beginning. Elaborate timelines, both electronic and coreboard, occupy their prominent spot in front of the box so that jurors can track the events of the case. After an introduction, each story element falls in line as either a cause or an effect until a conclusion
- [Moral decisions are guided by consequences of actions](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/moral-decisions-are-guided-by-consequences-of-actions/) - Judges and attorneys ask jurors if they can be “fair and impartial” or “objective” during voir dire. Except for those who want to be excused, the answer is always “yes.” We like to think of ourselves as fair and impartial. Research on moral judgments about the behavior of others (Knobe, J. Scientific American, Nov, 2011), however, contradicts this. These studies show that
- [The tense is important](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-tense-is-important/) - Rhetoricians (those Greek guys whose names we are supposed to remember, but we don’t), knew some stuff—good stuff, really. Especially in the area of convincing an audience to behave in ways the speaker wants. They would not be satisfied to say “Gerry Spence is a good speaker.” They would want to figure out why or how Gerry Spence gets
- [Trial lawyers need to be good listeners](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/trial-lawyers-need-to-be-good-listeners/) - We don’t know a lot of actual facts or scientific laws in psychology. We really only know two, but they both impact trial attorneys. The first one is: Listeners exert control over the behavior of speakers. What? How could that be? Isn’t it the other way around? Try this experiment in your head—you ask (making you the
- [Whoever tells the best story wins](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/whoever-tells-the-best-story-wins/) - I have pushed many of you to the very edge of what you are willing to say to a jury during your opening when I [politely] asked you to begin it with “Let me tell you a story.” Now that you have tested those waters and found them comfortable enough to wade in, let me ask
- [$61M Settlement](https://trialscienceinc.com/success-stories/61m-settlement/) - Trial Science conducted several rounds of pre-trial research for Paul Yetter and Collin Cox [of Yetter Coleman based in Houston] in the case of Business Logic Corporation versus Morningstar/Ibbotson. This was a complicated trade secret case involving retirement fund management software. With the critical case factors revealed, a powerful jury profile in hand, and a recent
- [How did your demeanor impress the jury?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/how-did-your-demeanor-impress-the-jury/) - Your trial ends. The jurors are released. You ask them their impression of you and your witnesses . . . What would you WANT them to say, and What WOULD they say? In an ideal world, those two answers would match. When they match, it means that your team was consistent and positive and confident. Your team made the impression on the jury
- [Shakespeare just wrote your next opening](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/shakespeare-just-wrote-your-next-opening/) - The story-telling template is actually older than Shakespeare, timeless in its power, proven over the millennia as a model that captures attention, organizes facts, creates involvement and investment in the listener, and improves comprehension and memory—all the things you want your jury to do when they hear your case. These story-telling elements, which were probably first
- [Overcoming perfect hindsight](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/overcoming-perfect-hindsight/) - Trials take place because, at some point in the past, the parties each made some sort of decision that altered the “usual” flow of life. A conflict was created by these divergent decisions. A jury, though, the body charged with resolving this divergence, has a very different perspective on those decisions: The jury has the benefit/curse of 20/20
- [May your theme be remembered](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/may-your-theme-be-remembered/) - “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” This is rated as one of the top 10 most memorable lines in movie history. Why do we remember this line? More importantly, how can you get jurors to remember your case theme? A group of Cornell researchers* took on the task of deciphering the
- [“To be or not to be . . .”](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/to-be-or-not-to-be/) - When Shakespeare gave Hamlet his difficult soliloquy, he allowed some people to step back and view the play as a story of existential angst, while he left open the possibility that some would still judge it as a soap opera about a King of Denmark. Perhaps without this complicated speech, the simpler view of the play
- [Active listening–from the couch to the courtroom](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/active-listening-from-the-couch-to-the-courtroom/) - Reflection, or active listening, is a therapy tool all of us eager psychology grad students learned in Week 1. A client reveals a feeling and the therapist repeats it back in her/his own words. This gives the client a chance to experience the message from outside themselves, letting them see how they are being perceived, letting
- [More Blending from Voir Dire to Opening](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/more-blending-from-voir-dire-to-opening/) - In my Persuasion Tip © “Active listening — from the couch to the courtroom”, I discussed the use of “Topic Boards” in voir dire, then blending those same images with quotes from voir dire into your opening slides. This Tip is another example of blending from voir dire to opening and it comes to you from someone who has
- [Article written for and published by the ASTC in Sept. 2016 – Just When You Thought It Was Safe . . .](https://trialscienceinc.com/news/article-written-for-and-published-by-the-astc-in-sept-2016-just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe/) - Just when you thought we had gotten past having to explain Gene Hackman’s unethical behavior as a trial consultant in “The Runaway Jury,” “Bull,” the TV show on CBS steps in. Bull tends to espouse two things that real-world trial consultants never do: He says he hates attorneys; He talks about manipulating jurors. #1 is just
- [Not all pictures are worth 1,000 words](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/not-all-pictures-are-worth-1000-words/) - Before you read any further, look at the photo above and ask yourself, “What is the message here?” I can wait . . . Ready? Have you got your answer? OK, let’s get going . . . Maybe your thought was, “This looks like a pretty place,” or, “It’s weird that their heads are cut
- [Hot and Cold Cognition](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/hot-and-cold-cognition/) - [NOTE: This Persuasion Tip comes to you from our new intern, Tera M. Robison, who joined us for this summer from her neuroscience studies at Emory University. As you can see, Ms. Robison is on her way to helping you all win cases with her ability to blend psychology into the practice of law. Our
- [The Mere Exposure Effect](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/the-mere-exposure-effect/) - [NOTE: Here is the second in the Persuasion Tip series written by our Summer Intern, Tera Robison from Emory University. There is an elegance in the simplicity of her message.] Have you ever taken a group photo at a fancy event and eagerly picked up the camera to see yourself looking spiffy, only to be
- [Counsel-table-sitting-behavior is always noted](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/counsel-table-sitting-behavior-is-always-noted/) - Who better to give us important trial tips than jurors themselves? In our mock trials, the jurors are surveyed after each major break in the day, like after each opening, each case-in-chief, etc. Just a bit ago we conducted a mock trial on behalf of our defendant client in a breach of contract case. We
- [Fill it in or have it filled in for you](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/fill-it-in-or-have-it-filled-in-for-you/) - Pretty simple sign. Neat. Straight-forward. But, clear? Here is how a fictitious jury might discuss this sign: Juror #1: “I need one of those.” Juror #2: “I do, too, but I bet there’s a delivery fee.” Juror #3: (lots of nodding) Juror #4: “They just say that to get you into the store. There must
- [A quick follow up to “Fill it in or have it filled in for you”](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/a-quick-follow-up-to-fill-it-in-or-have-it-filled-in-for-you/) - In my last Persuasion Tip © (Dec. 12, 2017: “Fill It In Or Have It Filled In For You”, I made an argument that if you leave out certain information that a jury thinks might be important, then they will fill it in on their own. The problem is what they might use as the
- [You already all know this, but do you practice what you preach?](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/you-already-all-know-this-but-do-you-practice-what-you-preach/) - Your daughter tells you that in three weeks she must do a science report out loud to her whole class. As she explains this assignment, she looks funny, like the look she always has right before throwing up. What advice do you give right then? “You’ll be fine. You’ll work on your report, you’ll get
- [Scarcity and the Un-Rung Bell](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/scarcity-and-the-un-rung-bell/) - “. . . the jury will disregard that last answer . . .” “. . . I’ll instruct the jury on that at the end of the case . . .” “. . . you can’t un-ring the bell . . .” One side is cursing under their poker face, trying not to let
- [Make your opening a classic](https://trialscienceinc.com/persuasion-tips/make-your-opening-a-classic/) - ‘tis the season for story-telling. What makes a story a classic that gets told over and over again? Aristotle, Shakespeare, and Disney will tell you that classics contain 6 crucial elements before the story ever really begins. Let’s look: What if these same story-telling elements popped up in your next opening? The elements you

## Pages

- [Home](https://trialscienceinc.com/) - Trial Science, trial preparation, trial consulting firm. What will jurors think about your case? Our services give you that winning edge in trial.
- [Focus Groups](https://trialscienceinc.com/focus-groups/) - Focus groups are an essential component in our scientific approach to trial preparation. Focus groups reveal pre-existing opinions and biases held by certain demographic and attitude profiles. Learn the human factors, attitudes, beliefs, ideals, perceptions, and opinions towards the issues in your case. Understand the style of the jurors' thinking and the conclusions they may reach. Focus group format: Directed by a trained, unbiased facilitator, focus groups consist of eight to ten jury-eligible people from the trial venue. Before beginning the session, group members are asked to complete a questionnaire that has been designed to reveal their demographic characteristics and personal attitudes and biases. The focus group is similar to the jury panel at the beginning of voir dire. Members are unaware of case specifics, allowing you to zero in on people’s pre-existing attitudes before they’ve been affected by a presentation.
- [About Us](https://trialscienceinc.com/about/) - We support litigation teams all across the country. The Trial Science team has extensive experience in: Complicated contract disputes, Insurance bad faith claims, Product defect cases, Intellectual property, patent, and trade secret disputes, Construction defect cases, Personal injury cases, Eminent domain matters involving land, structures, and water rights, Employment actions, RICO cases.
- [Contact](https://trialscienceinc.com/contact/) - Have questions about a case? Call today to find out how Trial Science can prepare and support your trial team for the best outcome possible. Together we'll be a winning combination!
- [Mock Trials](https://trialscienceinc.com/mock-trials/) - Mock trials are formal dress rehearsals for trial. A mock trial is a more in-depth, structured, and thorough approach that will help you shape your trial strategies based on the jurors' perspectives. You will be able to gauge how your case resonates with them from their direct feedback. Simulating a real trial, you will be able to identify your strengths and weaknesses by how the jury scores your performance. Mock trial format: In a one- or two-day format, both sides of your case, including exhibits and witnesses, are presented to a group of mock jurors. Afterwards, the group is divided into two or three jury panels to deliberate your case to verdict. Pre-trial research is the key to having the advantage, an edge, which could tip the scales in your favor.
- [Case Studies](https://trialscienceinc.com/case-studies/) - The research speaks for itself. Through years of working on cases all over the country, with some of the most prestigious attorneys around, we have learned some incredible things. Each case builds on the next adding a wealth of knowledge to our research data base. Browse through our case studies to see how Trial Science may be able to help you on your next case.
- [CLE Seminars](https://trialscienceinc.com/seminars/) - Gather your partners and associates, invite a few select colleagues for a lunchtime, half-day, or full-day seminar, right in your own conference room. You will hear new techniques and concepts that you can apply that very day to your most pressing case AND earn CLE credits. Some attorneys [during the Story-Telling seminar] have been able to bill some of their in-seminar time to their client because we work directly on their case issues. Earn your CLE credits during lunch! Your entire firm earns CLE credits at the same time. We’ll present any one of our accredited seminars in your office. If you have several firm locations, we can tap another office in by video conferencing to make the most of our presentation.
- [Multi-media Courtroom](https://trialscienceinc.com/multi-media-courtroom/) - Most jurors get their information from the internet and TV. People just entering our jury pools were born after the invention of the internet, meaning they have never spent a day of their lives without it. A technological presence in the courtroom is now the expected norm. Burn your story into the minds of jurors by enhancing the tale with pictures, not posters, that appear in the format that jurors know from their own living rooms. Everyone likes to hear a story, but a story really comes to life when you can see what you hear. Enhance your opening statements and closing arguments with a compelling and memorable visual presentation. Jurors want an organized story, with pictures, to educate and entertain. Electronic presentation tools organize, retrieve, and display your exhibits quickly and efficiently.
- [Jury Selection & SJQ's](https://trialscienceinc.com/jury-selection-sjqs/) - Using the demographic and attitudinal information collected during focus groups and mock trials and correlating that with how the research participants voted, we are able to create a jury profile for voir dire based on science. The voir dire questions you will ask are designed to uncover damaging biases and to give judges a reason to excuse your worst potential jurors for cause. Those jurors who are left then become the targets for pre-emptory challenges. Smiles, body language, grimaces, and even voir dire answers themselves are not as telling about attitudes as are the data.
- [Witness Preparation](https://trialscienceinc.com/witness-preparation/) - Demeanor, style, credibility. Every witness has only one chance to tell their story to the jury. Prepare your witnesses to deal with the stresses of the courtroom. Help them communicate their message with confidence in a manner consistent with your case theme. Courtrooms can be very intimidating. The Trial Science team employs a variety of psychological techniques to help your witnesses manage the stress of testifying. We teach them how to convey facts in a confident and accurate fashion. We will help them to learn to take their time when answering questions, to think before they answer, to be consistent, and most of all, to relax. Taking the time to prepare your witnesses will help relieve their anxiety so that they relay their testimony in a calm, clear, and concise manner.
- [Case Theme Development](https://trialscienceinc.com/case-theme-development/) - Stories have been a part of us since before spoken language. Research shows that stories engage listeners, demand involvement, humanize, organize, entertain, and increase retention. Stories need a theme. The theme is the frame for the story. The facts are the bricks. The motivation behind the facts is the mortar that holds it all together. Jurors retain the “bricks” that fit the story and reject those that do not. Jurors so want the story to work that if you leave a hole in your story, they will fill it in with their own “facts.” Your openings and closings cannot leave any holes to fill. Developing memorable story themes and the pictures that go with them is a specialty of Trial Science. Stories with words and pictures triple memory and comprehension of the subject.
- [Blog](https://trialscienceinc.com/blog/) - Persuasion Tips
- [Services](https://trialscienceinc.com/services/) - Services: Focus Groups, Mock Trials, Case Theme Development, Witness Preparation, Jury Selection & SJQ's, Electronic Courtroom

## Portfolio

- [Focus Groups](https://trialscienceinc.com/projects/focus-groups/) - What will jurors think about your case? Imagine knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your case well before you enter the courtroom. Imagine knowing ahead of time how jurors will react to your facts, your witnesses, and your presentation style. With Trial Science you will! Trial Science provides you with the profession’s most sophisticated trial
- [Mock Trials](https://trialscienceinc.com/projects/mock-trials/) - What will jurors think about your case? Imagine knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your case well before you enter the courtroom. Imagine knowing ahead of time how jurors will react to your facts, your witnesses, and your presentation style. With Trial Science you will! Trial Science provides you with the profession’s most sophisticated trial

## Categories

- [Persuasion Tips](https://trialscienceinc.com/category/persuasion-tips/)
- [News](https://trialscienceinc.com/category/news/)
- [Success Stories](https://trialscienceinc.com/category/success-stories/)