Jessica Riley

Jessica is a Senior Director of Jury Consulting with more than 25 years of litigation consulting and legal experience advising clients in high-stakes litigation nationwide. She works closely with trial teams to develop persuasive case themes, prepare key witnesses, evaluate jury attitudes, and refine trial strategy in complex civil matters.

Jessica regularly advises trial teams in some of the country’s most challenging and high-exposure litigation, including catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, medical malpractice, and complex commercial disputes. Her work has helped clients navigate significant liability and damages exposure, defend against nuclear verdict risk, and achieve successful outcomes in venues known for producing significant plaintiff verdicts.

Witness preparation is a central focus of Jessica’s practice. She has extensive experience preparing a diverse range of witnesses, including corporate representatives, healthcare professionals, executives, scientific experts, hourly employees, and commercial drivers, for deposition and trial testimony. Her approach combines message development, credibility assessment, juror perception analysis, and communication training to help witnesses testify effectively and confidently under pressure.

Prior to joining Magna Legal Services, Jessica founded and led a litigation consulting firm focused on jury research, witness preparation, and trial strategy. In addition to her consulting work, she has presented Continuing Legal Education programs for law firms nationwide and West Legal Education Center on topics including jury psychology, witness preparation, and persuasive trial advocacy.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Jessica earned her Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Jessica and her family now reside in Richmond, Virginia.