Category: Blogs & Whitepapers

Magna Legal Services Partners with Zanaras Reporting & Video

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Magna Legal Services aquires Zanaras Reporting & Video. Both based in Philadelphia, the united company is one of the largest litigation support and consulting entities in the U.S.

Magna Legal Services (Magna LS), an ALM award-winning court reporting, medical record retrieval and litigation consulting industry leader, and Zanaras Reporting & Video announced today the combination of their firms. Both companies, headquartered in Philadelphia, were founded in 2007, reflecting a shared commitment to excellence and longevity in the industry. The two companies combined operations on November 13, 2023.

With a workforce of 658 employees and over 4,000 court reporters, 2,000 interpreters and 100 litigation consultants in 28 locations across the U.S., the union of Magna LS and Zanaras positions the united company as one of the largest litigation support and consulting firms, both in terms of scale and the range of services offered. Clients of Zanaras will now have easy access to Magna’s full suite of services, including document translation, interpreting, medical record retrieval, social media surveillance, visual communications, jury consulting, and nationwide court reporting services.

“I am thrilled to embark on this exciting journey with Magna Legal Services. The shared commitment to excellence and innovation aligns seamlessly with the values that have defined Zanaras Reporting & Video since its inception,” said Zanaras’ founder, Julie Zanaras. “Our team looks forward to contributing our expertise within the Magna family, ensuring an even more robust and comprehensive suite of services for our valued clients.”

Peter Hecht, Co-Founding Partner and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Magna Legal Services, added, “Welcoming Zanaras into the Magna Legal Services family marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing unparalleled legal support services. The union of our strengths enhances our ability to meet and exceed client expectations and provides clients of Zanaras additional service offerings to support their cases.”

Mark Williams, CEO of Magna Legal Services, extended his excitement about the merger, stating, “We look forward to taking the best practices of both of our organizations to create a better and stronger future together.  We are confident this is another partnership that will continue to create more opportunity for our clients, employees, and court reporters.”  

About Magna Legal Services

Magna is a leading provider of litigation support services to law firms, insurance companies, and corporations, offering a broad array of services that support clients through each phase of the litigation process, including court reporting, graphics design, jury consulting, record retrieval, and translation services.

Magna Legal Services Acquires City Record Services, Strengthening Record Retrieval Capabilities in California

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Magna Legal Services Acquires City Record Services, Strengthening Record Retrieval Capabilities in California

Magna Legal Services solidifies its position as a nationwide leader in record retrieval and litigation support with the acquisition of City Record Services

Magna Legal Services, LLC, a prominent player in the litigation support and consulting services industry, proudly announces the acquisition of City Record Services (CRS), headquartered in San Diego, CA. The acquisition was successfully concluded on October 18, 2023. This development underscores Magna’s commitment to enhancing its support for the rapidly expanding service line, Record Retrieval, particularly in California and the West Coast.

CRS, boasting over two decades of experience, has grown into one of the leading record retrieval firms, serving the legal community in San Diego and in all of California. The company has earned a solid reputation for fast and reliable collection of medical and other records for attorneys, adjusters, and self-insured municipalities and corporations, particularly in workers compensation defense.

CRS’s founders, Aaron and Marcene Drysdale, will continue to lead the CRS team in collaboration with Jonathan Ackerman, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of the Record Retrieval division at Magna LS, overseeing the day-to-day operations. “We look forward to leveraging this collaboration to continue our mission of delivering exceptional record retrieval services to our valued clients and to pioneer new standards of excellence in the field,” Marcene Drysdale commented. Jonathan Ackerman added, “Magna and CRS clients are the big winners in this merger. Both firms were founded upon a culture that the client comes first. The increased bandwidth, expertise and innovation will quickly lead to an unrivaled client experience.”

With a workforce of 653 employees and over 4,000 court reporters, 2,000 interpreters and 100 litigation consultants in 24 locations across the U.S., the union of Magna LS and CRS positions them as one of the largest litigation support and consulting firms, both in terms of scale and the range of services offered. Clients of CRS will now have easy access to Magna’s full suite of services, including court reporting, document translation, interpreting, social media surveillance, visual communications, jury consulting, and medical record retrieval services.

“We are delighted to welcome the CRS team to the Magna family,” Magna Legal Services CEO, Mark Williams, said. “We look forward to taking the best practices of both of our organizations to create a better and stronger future together.”

Click below to review our Record Retrieval services or to request a record!

Record Retrieval Services

Chopped for CHOP 2023 Conference Photos

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Magna Legal Services’

Chopped for CHOP 2023

The 9th annual Chopped for CHOP raised $35,300 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The fundraiser CLE conference, hosted by Magna Legal Services featured four of the best trial attorneys in the nation competing in a mock trial challenge. The program was held on June 21st & 22nd at the Borgata in Atlantic City and was attended by over 200 legal and insurance professionals from across the US.

“We’ve been raising money and awareness for CHOP since 2009, and our Chopped for CHOP event allows us to create exciting experiences and foster connections while doing so,” said program producer Peter Hecht.

The program’s competitors included:

Chopped for CHOP is one of the three annual unique & interactive conferences produced by Magna. “It is not only a great event to network, but a great event to learn,” noted Chopped for CHOP 2023 Champion, Jerry Hamilton, who is still holding that title for last year.

Magna’s “Edutainment” programs connect attorneys, corporate counsel and claims professionals, creating memorable experiences and the opportunity to learn from each other.

Conference Photos

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Thank you to our Sponsors

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Magna Legal Services Acquires TrialGraphix

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Magna Legal Services Doubles the Size of their Litigation Consulting Team with the Acquisition of TrialGraphix

PHILADELPHIA, March 16, 2023 — Magna Legal Services (Magna LS), an ALM award-winning litigation consulting and support provider of jury consulting, visual communications, court reporting, medical record retrieval, and language services, and TrialGraphix, a visual communications company, announced the combination of their firms.

The two companies will combine operations on March 16, 2023, with partners Guy Joubert, Tony Canzanella, Dave Johnson, Scott Carlin, and Adam Brucks all joining Magna.

With more than 700 employees, 100 litigation consultants, 3,500 court reporters, and 2,000 interpreters in 22 locations across the U.S., together, Magna LS and TrialGraphix will be one of the largest litigation support and consulting firms both in size and services offered.

TrialGraphix clients will now have easy access to Magna’s full-suite of services, including jury consulting, court reporting, document translation, interpreting, social media surveillance, visual communications, and medical record retrieval services.

Founded in 2006, “TrialGraphix became the industry leader by focusing on powerful visuals and the technology to present evidence in court,” said TrialGraphix Managing Partner Guy Joubert. “Partnering with Magna allows us to support our clients with new strategic resources to enhance their case outcomes. We are thrilled about the next chapter for our clients and team.”

“I have been impressed by TrialGraphix for many years and I am delighted to have them join my team at Magna LS,” added Founding Partner and Executive Vice President of Litigation Consulting at Magna LS, Mark Calzaretta, “Our combined forces cement Magna’s position as the nationwide leader in providing trial lawyers with jury, graphics, and trial technology consulting services. Together, we have the deepest bench of experienced professionals available.”

“We are overjoyed to welcome the TrialGraphix team to the Magna family. TrialGraphix built one of the most respected brands in litigation consulting. I am delighted that the entire management team and partners will continue with us at Magna LS,” added Magna Legal Services CEO Mark Williams.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GRAPHICS SERVICES

Jury Consulting for High-Value Cases

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Preventing Nuclear Verdicts with Jury Consulting

When your case has millions on the line, jury consulting can be instrumental in preventing your case from exploding.

What are some factors which can cause a nuclear verdict?

  • A case that makes jurors upset – either fearful, angry, or both
  • Highly sympathetic plaintiffs, or an entire family
  • A case involving gruesome injuries (such as burns) or particularly sensitive injuries – physical or mental/emotional
  • Bad company documents, internal memos
  • Bad optics surrounding company conduct
  • The appearance that a corporate defendant does not prioritize safety or puts profits over people
  • Evidence that a company violated its own policies

What does a Jury Consultant do?

A jury consultant assists parties during all phases of litigation to ensure they are presenting the most effective, compelling position possible given the available evidence and witnesses and considering the eventual audience – the jury.

Jury Consulting & Research Exercises for
High-Value Cases

A jury comes with a set of opinions, biases and prior knowledge of the parties that will no doubt influence their conclusions, even if they are advised to put those notions to the side.

The trial team must build their case strategy and construct their arguments with their audience in mind.

Early-Intervention Jury Research

Early-intervention jury research will answer:

  1. Where do we stand?
  2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of our position as well as our adversary’s position?
  3. How do we need to develop the case and build out our narrative?

These early-intervention exercises will take place during (and even pre-) discovery. They can include:

Witness Preparation

Witness training prior to key depositions as well as in preparation for trial is crucial to keep the case contained.

Prepare your key witnesses prior to their depositions to make sure they stay on message, remain faithful to their side of the story, and not fall prey to reptile tactics.

Preparing for Trial

When discovery is nearing an end or is closed, the trial team will benefit from more adversarial testing such as single or multi-day mock trials (online or in-person).

During the trial, Magna’s consultants can assist the trial team with:

  • Voir Dire & Jury Selection Consulting
  • JuryScout: prospective juror background and social media searches
  • Shadow Jury
  • Trial Monitoring & Consulting
  • Witness Preparation

Getting Started

Our experienced jury consultants use a multi-phase jury research methodology to ensure the statistical reliability and robustness of our findings

Request a free case consultation with Magna today to see how we can assist you in providing the best possible representation for your clients.

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Graphic Designer vs. Graphics Consultant

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

What is the difference between a Graphic Designer & a Graphics Consultant?

Visual components are the main elements that help your jury understand and retain information.

Expert graphics consultants provide demonstratives that effectively communicate technical, financial, medical and other complex information.

Click below to learn more or to request a complimentary case consultation with an expert graphics consultant.

Request a Free Case Consultation
Learn More

Visual Commuication: Controlling the Story

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Controlling the Story with Trial Graphics

When presenting your trial story, the picture each juror is painting in their minds will vary from juror to juror. Using visual communications will help control the story you are trying to tell, and help alleviate past experiences and biases.

Control the narrative with trial graphics. Click below to learn more or to request a complimentary case consultation with an expert graphics consultant.

Request a Free Case Consultation
Learn More

Magna Legal Services Acquires Barkley Court Reporters, Inc.

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Magna Legal Services Acquires Barkley Court Reporters

Magna Legal Services expands deeper into the west coast court reporting market with the acquisition of Barkley Court Reporters, Inc..

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Magna Legal Services is pleased to announce the acquisition of Barkley Court Reporters, Inc..

Barkley is a leading provider of court reporting and deposition technology services for law firms and corporations. Barkley was founded in 1972 with the mission of giving attorneys ready access to like-minded court reporters whenever and wherever needed. Over the last decade, Barkley has expanded its service offerings and established itself as a key player in court reporting and deposition technology services.

Barkley represents a highly complementary acquisition for Magna that enhances Magna’s existing capabilities in court reporting. “Barkley is a fantastic fit with Magna,” said Mark Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Magna. “We have a shared emphasis on providing our clients with best-in-class service quality and assistance. We look forward to our collaboration with Barkley.” Peter Hecht, Founding Partner and Magna’s Executive Vice President of Sales, said, “Barkley is a great addition to Magna and adds significant coverage for our west coast clients. We are excited to work together with the Barkley team to continue to deliver exceptional service while providing the convenience of one-stop shop advantages with the introduction of our medical record retrieval and litigation consulting services.”

“Magna is the perfect next chapter for Barkley,” said Mason Farmani, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Barkley. “We are highly enthusiastic about joining forces and being a part of a scaled, industry leader like Magna, and believe it will allow us to provide even better services to our clients while accelerating growth in our business. I am excited about what this partnership will bring for our clients, court reporters and team.”

Existing Barkley operations will continue business as usual, and Barkley clients will receive the same level of high-quality customer support as prior to the acquisition.

About Magna Legal Services

Magna is a leading provider of litigation support services to law firms, insurance companies, and corporations, offering a broad array of services that support clients through each phase of the litigation process, including court reporting, graphics design, jury consulting, record retrieval, and translation services.

Modern Jury Research Technology: Online Solutions for Increased Reliability & Convenience

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Both modern and traditional jury consulting practices can help attorneys gain insight into how jurors are likely to respond to case facts before entering the courtroom. However, powerful advances in technology make jury research more statistically reliable, easier to conduct and more cost-effective than ever before.

In this article, we’ll break down how modern jury consulting services work and how they may benefit you ahead of your next big trial date. 

Benefits of Using Modern Jury Consulting Technology

Advanced technology in jury research increases the reliability and understanding associated with potential juror decisions. 

These solutions offer huge benefits when dealing with complex, high-value cases, so it is imperative attorneys understand every tool at their disposal. 

Benefits include:

  • Larger data pools
  • Increased statistical reliability
  • Robust findings
  • Convenient & time-efficient sessions
  • Quick turnaround of analysis
  • Cost-effective
  • Real-time polling
  • & more

Advanced Data Analysis with Modern Jury Research Solutions

With modern jury research, attorneys are able to access larger pools of data for analysis with increased convenience and efficiency.

This benefits legal teams looking to:

  • Gauge a reliable range of potential damages if the case went to a jury trial
  • Test themes, storylines & venue climate in order to prepare the most effective trial strategy
  • Use jurors’ social media & online activity backgrounds to discover potential biases & past experiences during jury selection and throughout the trial

A standard trial jury comprises individuals with diverse backgrounds and views, most without legal expertise. As such, they can be unpredictable. Technical consulting solutions provide a wide range of insights at every stage of the trial process. 

Online Tools for Reliable Jury Research

There are several solutions that offer powerful insight into potential jury outcomes ahead of an important trial date:

Online Focus Groups & Mock Trials with JuryConfirm

Featuring Evidence Analyzer Powered by AI

JuryConfirm is a highly comprehensive virtual jury research platform. Attorneys present their cases to jurors in their trial venue. Jurors then deliberate at length in the virtual courtroom, displaying their video feeds to preserve the ability to read emotions & body language. The Evidence Analyzer uses AI technology to assess juror reactions and provide related insights on your case presentation. 

Evidence Analyzer Powered by AI
Automatically takes notes & monitors jurors reactions & feedback to the presentations

Live Attorney Presentations with Limitless Capabilities
Display & annotate exhibits, videos & other visual aids in real-time

Simulated Courtroom Environment
Interactive juror profiles & live video feed of juror deliberations and attorney presentations

Real-Time Results
Fully customized questionnaires, polling & presentation feedback

Detailed Reporting
Featuring strategic recommendations and key take-aways

This comprehensive, technologically advanced framework provides all the benefits of both remote and in-person mock trials. 

Damages Assessment with JuryEvaluator

Magna’s patent-pending case valuation tool, JuryEvaluator®, offers a scientific and statistically significant damages assessment for your actual case from your actual jury pool.

This research considers the effect of current media climate to provide insight into your case risk, exposure & value.

  • Research conducted in your case venue using your actual case facts
  • Research captures present-day surrogate juror attitudes and biases
  • Statistical analyses provide a reliable range of potential damages if the case went to a jury trial (economic, non-economic & punitive)

Damages Assessment Report includes:

  • Methodology & Respondent Demographics
  • Juror Questionnaire Responses
  • Jury Simulation Data Analyses: Traditional & Pro-Plaintiff
  • Case Script
  • Juror Open-Ended Responses & Analysis with Key Takeaways
  • Damages Analysis & Allocation of Fault

Social Media Surveillance for Jurors with JuryScout

Interpret a juror’s or potential juror’s online activity to discover any past experiences or biases which can affect their perception of your case with JuryScout.

JuryScout uses include:

  • Jury Selection:
    As courts are limiting access to jurors during jury selection, online activity reports can provide additional information to show past experiences, political and religious affiliations & more.
  • Predicting Juror Behavior:
    By creating a personalized matrix of information for each potential juror, JuryScout provides insight into whether a juror has attributes that lead to bias.
  • Post-Verdict:
    Here’s an example: Following an unfavorable verdict on a high-profile case, JuryScout found cached information which located four jurors who violated the court’s instructions. Counsel was able to use this information as part of the appeal.

Which Jury Consulting Method is Right for Your Case?

Be confident in knowing how a jury is likely to approach your case.

Magna Legal Services offers a full array
of litigation consulting services, including risk assessment & strategic recommendations.

Our experienced jury consultants use a multi-phase jury research methodology to ensure the statistical reliability and robustness of our findings

Request a free case consultation with Magna today to see how we can assist you in providing the best possible representation for your clients.

Request a Complimentary Case Consultation

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