7th Annual Chopped for CHOP

On November 6-7, 2019, three-time mock trial winners Susan Metcalfe and Ted Schaer went head-to-head in a battle of the champions at Chopped for CHOP. This seventh annual convention was held in Atlantic City, NJ. After a panel workshop and reception to kick off the event, these two top attorneys presented their cases to win up to $20,000 to be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Who broke the tie and emerged as the grand champion this year? Read on to find out, and to learn more about this incredible two-day event.

Day One

On the first day, Magna’s own Dr. Rachel York Colangelo moderated panels of attorneys and industry executives who took part in a workshop exploring effective deposition tactics. Teams of attorneys and industry executives took part in role plays and demonstrated effective skills in deposing difficult witnesses. A panel discussion was also led by Caryn Siebert, Vice President in the carrier practice team at Gallagher Bassett, along with fellow industry experts, that focused on strategies that can be used early in a case to improve outcomes. The panel discussed examples and case studies with the attendees, taking a closer look at preparing witnesses, researching the jury, and more. 

Following the panel, attendees enjoyed a dinner reception at Indoor Pool at The Water Club before getting a good night’s rest in anticipation of the next day’s mock trial.

Day Two

The mock trial is the highlight of Chopped for CHOP, and in past years there have been numerous attorneys competing for the win. This year, Susan Metcalfe and Ted Schaer, each of whom have won this competition three times, competed alone against each other in a tie-breaking battle of the champions.

They presented their best case to a panel of judges made of claims executives and corporate counsel. Richard Fabian of the RiverStone Group generously donated his time to develop the topics and script and moderate the event. There was a lot at stake for our competing attorneys: bragging rights and $20,000 to be donated in their firm’s name to CHOP.

Competition

In the Chopped for CHOP mock trial, both attorneys received the facts of the case and presented their opening statements. They then had the opportunity to cross-examine a plaintiff and a defendant before presenting their closing arguments. After each round, the judges and the mock jurors, who were recruited and selected from the actual Atlantic City trial venue each cast a secret vote for the attorney they believed to have won the round. The judges also offered helpful feedback. 

Of course, a jury trial is unpredictable and never easy, and we made sure to throw our competing attorneys a few twists and turns. Via instant feedback technology, our audience members voted on which distractions and difficulties they wanted the attorneys to face during the mock trial. For example, a new fact emerged during the trial that had not been available in the case information prior to the event, and a pizza delivery person wandered into the courtroom to deliver a large pie to the judge. 

As expected, the attorneys handled it all with professionalism and grace, and when the competition ended, we were proud to announce the winner: Susan Metcalfe! She’s now a four-time Chopped for CHOP mock trial champion.

Chopped for CHOP is one of the many unique, interactive events we produce for attorneys, corporate counsel, and claims professionals. Among a variety of other services, from court reporting to language interpretation and document translation, we offer programs that aim to entertain and educate. We create memorable experiences and connect professionals with the opportunity to share best practices and learn from each other.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our conferences or to schedule a deposition.

Virtual Litigation Support Services

Remote Litigation Support Services

In light of COVID-19, we are all taking precautionary measures to protect ourselves and everyone around us by social distancing. This doesn’t mean you have to put your cases on hold. Completely remotely, you can continue to hold depositions, arbitrations, meetings, witness communication training, focus groups, mock trials, and other jury research sessions. Our remote services include:

Virtual Depositions & Other Proceedings

With Magna LitigationVision (MLV), you can depose a witness from anywhere in the world. MLV provides clients with real-time access to depositions, meetings, hearings and mediations.

  • Connect using computers, tablets or even smartphones
  • Record entire session (mp4 format)
  • Display and annotate your exhibits
  • Schedule a court reporter or interpreter to join remotely
  • Use a free custom virtual background, created by Magna
  • Video feed your witness directly into a courtroom for live testimony


You can be confident in hosting your event remotely — Magna will test equipment before the session and our tech support will be available from start to finish. The MLV platform is fully encrypted and secure.

Certified Legal Videography: CLV is available for all MLV depositions. The videographer will provide you with an official copy of the event, for both on and off record.

Equipment Rental: Magna offers a state-of-the-art flight pack system: iPad & stand, bluetooth speaker, conference phone, hotspot & extension cable. We ship these flight packs hundreds of times per year, often to last-minute depositions.

Virtual Backgrounds: Magna’s team of talented designers will create custom virtual backgrounds tailored to your firm’s branding. For FREE. Choose a design, and we’ll customize it with your firm’s logo and colors.

Complete Session & Exhibit Management for Virtual Depositions

Magna LitigationVision Plus (MLV+) will provide you with full deposition management powered by one of Magna’s award-winning trial technicians. Combining years of courtroom tech experience with Magna’s virtual platform, our deposition managers are able to provide seamless support throughout the duration of your event. The deposition manager will handle:

  • Presenting exhibits, demonstratives and videos
  • Real-time management of annotations, zooming, blow-ups, highlights and markings
  • Creating and managing break-out rooms (moving people in between rooms, controlling room access and overseeing confidentiality)

Online Focus Groups with JuryConfirm

Magna’s JuryConfi­rm online jury research platform allows us to efficiently and cost-effectively test theories, themes and storylines in an abbreviated, yet still fully interactive jury research session.

Magna’s methodology and customized software provides clients with insight into the strengths and weaknesses of their case and an understanding of the jury’s potential thought process. JuryConfirm’s interface uses instant feedback technology, online polling, and moderated break-out deliberation rooms to create the benefits of in-person research in an online environment.

Key features:

  • Limitless visual capabilities: Present exhibits, videos & other visual aids
  • Evidence analyzer powered by AI: Automatically takes notes & watches jurors
  • Virtual simulation of court room environment with interactive avatars representing live jurors
  • Live attorney presentations & jury deliberations
  • Real-time results: Fully-customized questionnaires & polling, including presentation feedback
  • Detailed reports featuring case evaluation, theme development, and jury profiles

Damages Assessment with JuryEvaluator

What is your case worth? A JuryEvaluator analysis provides you with an evaluation and perceptions of potential damages by surrogate jurors in your venue. The report includes a statistically reliable range, including economic, non-economic, and apportionment of liability.

  • Results based on your actual case, not similar cases
  • Live research captures current attitudes and biases of jurors
  • Research conducted in your actual venue
  • Research based on current media climate and attitude

Witness Preparation

Defending a remote deposition?
The Magna LitigationVision (MLV) platform allows you to virtually depose a witness, or defend a deposition, from anywhere in the world. While MLV makes remote depositions easy, there are some tips and tricks to help witnesses and attorneys perform well in a virtual platform.

Magna Legal Services has been facilitating remote depositions for over a decade. However, many people are just now taking and defending depositions for the first time in a virtual format. Magna’s consultants are experts in preparing witnesses and attorneys for remote depositions. They will share their practical tips and logistical considerations, explain how remote depositions work and the platform’s capabilities, and will provide advice to attorneys on how to prepare themselves and their witnesses.

In any setting, in-person or online, witness preparation:

  • Reduces or eliminates witness anxiety
  • Clarifies the deponent’s role in the case
  • Helps deponents stay on message
  • Assists in developing a credible conversational tone
  • Identifies and mitigates any non-verbal issues, such as tics, fidgeting or eye-rolling
  • Provides techniques for effectively handling documents and exhibits


Witness preparation eliminates the added layer of anxiety from the virtual setting by:

  • Practicing. Deponents can feel “alone” without counsel, so a practice session with the platform can help diminish this
  • Reviewing procedures for pauses, objections, and exhibits
  • Instructing deponents where to look for the most natural and effective presentation (particularly if being recorded)
  • Familiarizing participants with the remote platform’s features (chats, mute, viewing exhibits, etc.)
  • Coaching on attire and effective posture

Interpreting

With Magna, you can trust that your interpreter is a vetted professional with the necessary language skills and professionalism to ensure your success.

Language OnCall is an on-demand telephonic interpretation service that allows you to connect to an interpreter for any language in just seconds — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! To request an interpreter, call 877.213.1193. The operator will ask a few basic questions and connect you to your interpreter instantly.

You can also schedule an interpreter to attend virtual depositions and other proceedings.

To book any service, call 866.624.6221 or email [email protected].

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