A strong case isn’t just about evidence and legal arguments. Jurors bring their own experiences, biases, and emotions into the courtroom. A jury consultant helps attorneys shape their trial strategy by analyzing juror behavior, testing case themes, and preparing witnesses to connect with the jury. The right preparation can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Jury Selection: Identifying the Right Jurors

Every trial starts with jury selection, and picking the right jurors is critical. A jury consultant helps attorneys develop voir dire questions that uncover biases, ensuring that the panel is fair and receptive to the case. Through juror profiling and pre-trial research, attorneys gain valuable information about potential jurors’ backgrounds, beliefs, and attitudes. Mock voir dire sessions allow attorneys to practice questioning techniques, helping them identify which jurors may favor their case and which ones may be a challenge. With this insight, attorneys can use peremptory challenges and cause strikes strategically. A well-selected jury lays the foundation for a persuasive trial.

Voir Dire and Jury Selection Consulting

Online Jury Research: Testing Case Strength Before Trial

Attorneys no longer have to wait until trial to see how jurors might react to their case. Online jury research provides early feedback by presenting case arguments, witness testimony, and evidence to a panel of mock jurors. Jury consultants analyze responses to identify strengths and weaknesses in the case. This research helps attorneys refine their themes, adjust their presentation, and anticipate potential juror concerns. The ability to test strategies in a controlled environment reduces surprises at trial.

Online Focus Groups & JuryConfirm

Mock Trials and Focus Groups: Refining Trial Strategy

A courtroom is not the place to test a case for the first time. Mock trials and focus groups provide a realistic preview of how jurors will react. These sessions simulate real trial conditions, allowing attorneys to present evidence, examine witnesses, and deliver arguments in front of a test jury. Jury consultants facilitate these exercises and gather feedback on juror reactions. They pinpoint which arguments resonate, which witnesses are persuasive, and where opposing counsel may exploit weaknesses. By addressing these issues before trial, attorneys gain a competitive advantage.

Traditional In-Person Focus Groups & Mock Trials

Juror Profiling: Understanding Who Sits on the Jury

Not all jurors react the same way to a case. Demographics, personal experiences, and attitudes toward the legal system all influence decision-making. Jury consultants conduct research to profile potential jurors, helping attorneys recognize favorable and unfavorable traits. By analyzing patterns in verdicts and juror decision-making, attorneys can refine their jury selection strategy. A well-prepared attorney knows who to keep, who to strike, and how to frame arguments in a way that resonates with the panel.

Juror Profiling Studies

Community Attitude Studies: Gauging Public Opinion

Some cases attract strong opinions before they even reach the courtroom. Community attitude studies help attorneys understand local sentiment about a case, industry, or legal issue. Jury consultants survey potential jury pools to uncover biases and prevailing beliefs. Attorneys use this research to adjust trial strategy, jury selection criteria, and case messaging. Knowing how the community thinks about a case topic helps attorneys position their arguments in a way that feels credible and fair.

Community Attitude & Perception Studies

Witness Preparation: Strengthening Testimony

A strong case can fall apart if a key witness stumbles under pressure. Witness preparation ensures that testimony is clear, confident, and credible. Jury consultants work with witnesses to refine their communication style, control body language, and respond effectively to cross-examination. Attorneys can also test different ways to frame a witness’s testimony so that jurors find them relatable and trustworthy. Whether it’s an expert witness explaining technical concepts or a lay witness recounting an event, the way testimony is delivered affects how jurors interpret it.

Witness Preparation

Shadow Juries: Monitoring Juror Reactions in Real-Time

During trial, it’s difficult to know what jurors are thinking. A shadow jury—composed of individuals who match the real jury’s demographics and attitudes—provides daily feedback on how arguments, evidence, and witness testimony are landing. Jury consultants manage shadow juries, analyzing their responses and delivering daily reports to attorneys. This allows legal teams to adjust their strategy, refine their arguments, and respond to concerns before jurors deliberate.

Shadow Jury Studies

In-Court Trial Monitoring: Adapting as the Case Unfolds

Trials don’t always go as planned. Jury consultants observe courtroom dynamics and monitor juror reactions in real-time. This helps attorneys make adjustments during the trial by shifting arguments, modifying questioning techniques, or addressing issues they may not have noticed. By tracking which themes resonate and which fall flat, attorneys can refine their approach as the case progresses. This flexibility can be the difference between a strong closing argument and one that leaves jurors uncertain.

In-Court Trial Monitoring & Assistance

Post-Trial Analysis: Learning from the Verdict

Winning a case is important, but understanding how jurors reached their verdict is just as valuable. Post-trial juror interviews provide insight into what influenced the jury’s decision. Jury consultants conduct these interviews to help attorneys understand what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve future trial strategies. Attorneys can use this feedback for future cases, refining their voir dire questions, witness preparation, and case presentation. Even when a verdict doesn’t go as expected, post-trial analysis helps legal teams improve their approach moving forward.

Post-Trial Juror Interviews

Give Your Case the Advantage It Needs

Trials are unpredictable, but preparation reduces risk. A jury consultant helps attorneys strengthen every phase of their case, from jury selection to closing arguments. By testing strategies, analyzing juror behavior, and refining trial presentations, attorneys improve their chances of securing a favorable verdict. Magna Legal Services provides the expertise attorneys need to gain a competitive edge. Our experienced jury consultants use a multi-phase jury research method to ensure the statistical reliability and robustness of our findings. Contact us today for a free case consultation and to discuss how jury consulting can make the difference in your next trial.

Jury Consulting & Research FAQs

How do I know my mock jury pool is going to be representative of my actual jury pool?

Magna bases all recruiting demographic quotas on the most up-to-date census information.  We make every effort to ensure that the jurors we recruit are representative of the trial venue overall.  We also take the length and type of case into consideration to help ensure our mock jurors’ demographics align with the likely jury pool.

How do you protect the confidentiality of my case?

Across all research designs, mock jurors are never exposed to any case information without first having signed & acknowledged confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.  All participants are also screened for any knowledge they may have of the case or parties/individuals involved.  If additional levels of confidentiality are needed, we can change identifying information of those involved.

How much time on my end is needed for jury research?

It depends on the type of research you’re interested in.  We have options that will require as little as a couple hours of your time and others that are more involved and are excellent preparation for trial.  Discuss with us about the various research options as well as how hands-on you would like to be, or any time constraints you have!

Why can’t focus groups reliably predict damage amounts?

Because of the small sample size, damages’ estimates gained from focus groups are not predictive of what will happen at trial. However, focus groups can still gather valuable information about juror attitudes or certain issues that may increase a jury’s desire to award damages.

Why is it important to have a rigorous research design for your jury research project? 

When conducted properly, jury research provides the foundation for case strategy, issue development, and the formation of the juror profiles that will guide jury selection. The integrity of the jury research design, including the representativeness of the mock jurors, determines the reliability and validity of the research’s conclusions. Using quality research design, we can confidently distill the research findings into reliable, clear, and concise recommendations for the client.

Which jury research method is right for my case?

A consultant can help determine which jury research method (or combination) is right for your case. Types of jury research include:

• JuryConfirm® (Online Jury Research)
• JuryEvaluator® (Online Damages Assessment)
• Traditional Focus Groups / Mock Trials
• Juror Profiling Studies
• JuryScout® (Social Media Surveillance)
• Community Attitude/Perception Studies
• Change of Venue Studies
• Shadow Jury Studies

Here are the comparisons and differences between JuryEvaluator, JuryConfirm and traditional focus groups:

Does Magna have any statistics/data that measures the success of using jury focus groups or mock trials? 

The majority of cases Magna consults on end up settling after the jury research, but of course, some do proceed to trial. In terms of measuring the consistency between mock trial results versus ultimate jury verdicts, we do not have clear statistics because they are not comparing apples to apples.

For example, if the results of a mock trial are not in our client’s favor, the team can re-strategize to address the mock jurors’ concerns in hopes that the case is perceived more favorably by the actual trial jury. This creates an inconsistent result, but in the way we’d hope.

There are also so many unpredictable elements to a trial (witness performance, judge’s rulings, opposing counsel’s style, the particular jurors seated) that we cannot control for or represent in a mock trial, and those elements can have a significant impact on the way the trial jury views a case compared to the manner in which a mock jury perceived it. So again, inconsistencies between mock jury verdicts and trial verdicts can often be chalked up to the volatile nature of trials in general.

For those reasons, the results of a mock trial are not meant to be a crystal ball or 100% predictive of what will happen at trial. Rather, the feedback gleaned from jurors at a mock trial is meant to inform you as to how jurors approach the case – what issues they find important/focus on, what themes and storyline they latch onto and what strengths/weaknesses they identify in each party’s case. This information allows the client to address those case weaknesses and play up the strengths.

All that being said, more often than not, the trial jury verdicts in cases on which we have consulted are consistent with our mock jury verdicts. We have also found that the feedback from mock jurors is almost always consistent with feedback from the actual trial jury through post-trial juror interviews, as well as with shadow jurors, who are mock jurors that observe the trial proceedings and are interviewed at the end of each day. Our shadow jurors typically focus on the same issues that our pre-trial mock jurors focused on during a mock trial, which gives us confidence that jurors’ reactions at a mock are going to be pretty consistent with the reactions of jurors who actually observe the trial, even factoring in some margin for error/differences due to the unpredictability of the trial proceedings.

I wasn’t going to share my presentation with my colleague because I don’t want them to see what I am presenting ahead of time, is this ok?

We prefer you do share because this is jury research, not trial.  Sharing the presentations ensures that each of the plaintiff’s claims are answered by the defense, which enables us to test the strength of each side’s evidence.  Jury research is less about winning and losing and more about learning which points are most salient to jurors so the trial team can make any necessary course corrections before trial.

Why is the recruitment process of mock jurors a crucial component to jury research?

Confidence in the sampling process brings confidence in the findings and recommendations that emerge from the research. The mock juror recruitment process is just as if not more important than a post-trial juror interview.

The cost of locating, screening, and providing a per diem for research participants varies widely across projects. Magna takes pride in our scientifically reliable recruiting processes, compared to many other consultants who cut costs by using Craigslist, newspaper ads, or local temp agencies to locate research participants. Others also rely on “professional” mock jurors who routinely participate in research projects to supplement their income or even use other attorneys in their office. These cheaper alternatives result in research participants who may give the appearance of being a representative sample, but who are not a match with the experiences, attitudes, and demographic characteristics of jurors in the venire. The money you save on the research project may end up costing the client in the end.

Matching the necessary demographic, political, social, and economic characteristics of the community where the trial will be held with the mock jurors is essential. Magna consultants begin every engagement with an analysis of the venue that later informs our recruiting strategy. To recruit a representative sample, a consultant must know the attributes of likely trial jurors and develop procedures for recruiting mock jurors who possess those characteristics. The reliability and validity of juror profiles that are a product of the research is dependent on the quality of the research sample.