Category: Corporate News and Notes

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

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

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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Go to Newsletter: October 2022

Chopped for CHOP 2022 Conference Photos

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Chopped for CHOP Fundraiser
for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Conference RECAP

This annual Magna LS “Edutainment CLE” was held at the Borgata in Atlantic City on June 22nd & 23rd, 2022.
Moderated by Peter Hecht, Richard Fabian and Rachel York Colangelo.

The Fundraiser Mock Trial Challenge featured four of the best trial attorneys in the USA and raised over $30,000.00 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Conference Photos

Read October 2022 MagnaFYI Newsletter
View Upcoming Conferences by Magna LS

Magna Legal Services Acquires Kim Tindall & Associates

Posted on | by admin

Magna Legal Services Adds Kim Tindall & Associates to the Greatest One-Stop-Shop for Legal Support Services

Magna Legal Services (Magna LS) and Kim Tindall & Associates (KTA), two ALM award winning court reporting and medical record retrieval industry leaders, announced today the combination of their firms. KTA was founded in 2009 by Kim Tindall. The two companies will combine operations on April 1, 2021.

With more than 500 employees, 3,500 court reporters, 5,000 interpreters and 40 litigation consultants in 20 locations across the U.S., Magna LS and KTA together will be one of the largest litigation support and consulting firms based on both size and services offered.

Both companies are known for providing exceptional service to clients. The combined company is designed for customers — a company with increased capabilities and geographic reach coupled with a commitment to delivering outstanding service. “The combination will create 80 years of industry experience and match strength with strength in both our court reporting and medical record retrieval divisions. Additionally, our KTA clients will now gain access to a wide variety of litigation support and consulting services. I am very excited for our clients, staff and court reporters,” said Kim Tindall, President of KTA.

Tony Vaglica, COO of Magna LS, will be working closely with the KTA team. He added, “The addition of five KTA offices (San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans) along with their team of freelance court reporters will streamline operations throughout Texas and Louisiana.” Magna LS has existing offices in Houston and New Orleans.

Founding Partner and Executive Vice President of Sales at Magna LS, Peter Hecht, added,

“The big winners in this merger are the clients from both Magna LS and KTA. We will be able to increase service levels to our Magna base in Texas while offering new powerful litigation support tools for the existing KTA clientele.”

Both Magna LS and KTA built their businesses to support clients from Discovery to Trial.

Magna Legal Services’ CEO, Mark Williams, is excited about the addition of KTA as well. “We are delighted to welcome the KTA team to the Magna family,” Williams said. “Kim and her team have extensive industry experience and have created one of the fastest growing companies in both the court reporting and record retrieval sector. Their success shows through their highly-positive customer reviews and ratings, as well as their rapid growth over the past few years.”

End-to-End Litigation Support Services:

Court Reporting >>
Virtual Depositions >>
Record Retrieval >>
Jury Consulting >>
Interpreting & Translating >>
Graphics Consulting >>
Trial Presentation >>
Social Media Surveillance >>

What to Expect from Magna in 2021

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Hello, fellow COVID-19 haters! Like you, I can’t wait to slam the door on 2020. The year was a disaster for so many of us, both professionally and personally. To say the pandemic was difficult would be a ridiculous understatement. Magna LS would not have survived 2020 without our dedicated staff and network of kick-ass court reporters. Both groups have made taking virtual depos second nature. Lastly, I would like to extend a HUGE “Muchas Gracias” to all of our clients! Together, we found new and old litigation support tools to expedite our recovery and get our respective businesses back online. So, bye-bye 2020!  Here is what you can expect to see from us in 2021:

1. The same “No Charge” commitment we made in 2020 for our virtual depo platform will continue in full force in cities and states that are still struggling to reopen during the pandemic. Click HERE to schedule a virtual deposition.

2. More COVID-19 juror impact studies and complimentary “Results” roundtables. To learn more about our juror studies, contact me or your account rep at 866-624-6221. 

3. Two new brick-and-mortar offices. When the dust settles, visit our office space in Downtown LA and Fort Lauderdale, FL. More conference rooms with all the AV bells and whistles! Click HERE for a full list of Magna office locations.

4. My fingers are crossed and I’m knocking on wood in hopes that our mock trial fundraiser for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “Chopped for CHOP”, will finally return on June 2nd and 3rd and I am super confident we will be doing some awesome unconventional conventioning with our “Battle of the Experts” seminar on October 6th and 7th at The W Hotel in South Beach, Miami! Click HERE to see our conference schedule.

5. Oh, yeah…. more webinars, both big and small. More CE & CLE courses. Click HERE to stay up to date on our webinars.

6. Lastly, our team is locked and loaded for travel as soon as the COVID coast is clear. So…. we will be seeing you in the flesh in 2021.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Kwanza and Happy New Year! I hate COVID-19!

— Peter Hecht, Partner & Executive Vice President of Sales, Magna Legal Services

Court House

Magna Mock Trial Contributes to Client Win on All Counts

Posted on | by admin
Court House

In preparation for an upcoming patent infringement matter in the United States District Court, Central District of California, the Honorable Judge Josephine L. Station presiding, Magna Legal Services (“Magna”) conducted both a mock trial and hourly consulting services as the case moved towards trial. Legal counsel from the firm Russ August & Kabat represented Pavo Solutions, LLC, a South Korean company that manufactures USB flash drives. Ben Wang, lead counsel with Russ August & Kabat, represented Pavo.

Over the course of the trial, Magna acted in the capacity of a strategic litigation consulting firm, through one of its senior jury consultants, Dr. John Gilleland. Strategic litigation consulting involves a systematic approach to optimizing the jury selection process and helps to refine the trial presentation themes and strategy of one’s case. The jury consultant frequently draws on the information gathered in the pre-trial research effort for additional follow-up consultation, which in this case, included both witness communication training and voir dire/jury selection assistance.

Trial Background and Specifics

Pavo manufactures a USB flash drive with a patented swivel cover.  The suit alleged that Kingston Technology manufactured and sold a product with identical, patented elements.

The Mock Trial Process

Magna conducted a mock trial on behalf of Russ August & Kabat utilizing three (3) separate panels of deliberating jurors. These panels followed a full trial format in which they heard opening statements, key evidence including witness testimony and then closing arguments from each of the respective parties.

The detailed feedback from each of the three deliberation panels helped to guide Mr. Wang’s trial team in the refinement of their case structure and trial presentation strategies. The Magna research team made recommendations ranging from: high-level structural issues for the various trial arguments, down to suggestions for simplification of key witness testimony. If left uncorrected, even the smallest of these issues could have a material impact on the actual trial.

After the mock trial, Mr. Wang said, “This mock trial was particularly helpful; feedback and issues were spotted all the way down to the team’s organization. The feedback at the mock trial turned out to be (identify) a key issue at trial and we were prepared for it, so we managed to keep it out. Having it come up in the mock and forcing us to prepare our response to it, got the judge to say “no-go”.  If we had to do it on the fly, we might not have had the same result.”

Through the mock trial process, Mr. Wang was able to anticipate challenges ahead of time, giving him and his client a distinct advantage in the actual trial setting.

Focus on Voir Dire

Dr. Gilleland’s recommendations regarding voir dire topics were of particular importance when it came to the actual trial. Through the mock trial process, Dr. Gilleland was able to formulate and refine specific questions, which were likely to help identify each jurors’ probable verdict orientation. Mr. Wang was able to take these questions and apply them to the actual trial, resulting in a positive impact on the eventual decision. “It was helpful to have Dr. Gilleland here to provide a first draft of questions for the jurors,” said Mr. Wang following the completion of the trial.

Magna specializes in end-to-end litigation consulting. Through Magna’s consulting process, we help clients set the stage for any of their litigation needs, including: scheduling depositions, language services, medical record retrieval, social media surveillance, graphics/demonstratives, trial technology and jury/bench/arbitration research and consulting. To learn more about our jury consulting process, contact our offices to schedule a free case consultation of your own.

Magna Offices Re-Opening with Covid Precautions

Posted on | by Peter Hecht


We are excited to announce that although we have been able to seamlessly transition to 100% virtual platforms for our end-to-end litigation services, we are beginning to reopen our offices across the United States in accordance with local and federal orders.

In accordance with local and federal guidelines, the following main Magna offices will be reopening on the following dates:

1635 Market St, 8th/9th Floors
Philadelphia, PA 19103
June 8th

651 Allendale Rd
King of Prussia, PA 19406
June 8th

320 W. 37th St, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10018
June 15th

190 South LaSalle St, Ste. 1220
Chicago, IL 60603
June 15th

633 West Fifth St, 28th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
June 1st

130 Webster St, Ste. 100
Oakland, CA 94607
June 1st

110 SE 6th St, Ste. 1450
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Open Now

700 Milam St, Ste. 1300
Houston, TX 77002
Open Now

COVID PRECAUTIONS

In order to follow the sanitizing procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), we are taking the following precautions:

  • Magna will the maintain minimum necessary staff in each office to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Any staff member who is not essential to office operations will continue to work from home.
  • A Magna staff member will be placed at each entrance with a thermometer to test all visitors. Any visitor or staff member exhibiting COVID-19 like symptoms will be barred from entering Magna offices.
  • All visitors and Magna staff must wear masks.
  • All visitors and Magna staff are required to take appropriate measures to wash and sanitize their hands. Magna offices will be outfitted with numerous motion-detected hand sanitizers.
  • All Magna conference rooms will be equipped with sanitizing wipes for easy visitor use.
  • All visitors and staff are required to maintain six feet of social distancing at all times.
  • Magna will also be providing glass dividers in every conference room to lessen the spread of any germs between attendees of depositions.
  • Beverage service such as coffee and soda will continue, as well as “grab and go” food items which are individually wrapped. Magna will not be providing the usual breakfast and lunch service during this time.
  • All conference rooms will be sanitized following the conclusion of every deposition.
  • Additional cleaning at Magna offices will be provided throughout the day with a deep clean nightly by a professional cleaning service.

VIRTUAL DEPOSITIONS

All of our virtual depositions are still available via Magna Legal Vision (MLV). To schedule, click here or contact our scheduling department at scheduling@magnals.com.