Category: Magna in the News

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

Fundraiser Mock Trial Challenge raises $35,300 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Fundraiser Mock Trial Challenge raises $35,300 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Magna Legal Services’ 9th annual Chopped for CHOP raised $35,300 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The fundraiser CLE event featured four of the best trial attorneys in the US competing in a Mock Trial Challenge. The program took place on June 21 & 22 in Atlantic City and was joined by over 200 legal and insurance professionals from across the nation.

JULY 5, 2023—  The 9th annual Chopped for CHOP event raised $35,300 for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The fundraiser CLE conference, produced by Peter Hecht of Magna Legal Services, featured four of the best trial attorneys in the US 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 nation.

“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 Peter Hecht, Magna Legal Services Founding Partner & Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

The program’s competitors included Jerry Hamilton from Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, LLP, along with Wade Quinn from Ramey Chandler Quinn, P.C., Joelle G. Nelson from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, and Michael Barfield from Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms, LLC.

“It’s one of the most challenging venues and you have to be ready for anything,” said Jerry Hamilton. Hamilton was announced the Chopped for CHOP 2023 champion and is still holding that title since his win in 2022.

The money raised in the competition will be dedicated toward researching treatments for children that suffer from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Children as young as six months old have been diagnosed with the disease.

“Having attended more than my fair share of events hosted by CHOP donors, I can say that this is one of the most dynamic, engaged events I attend every year,” said CHOP’s Director of Planned Giving, Liz Macoretta, at the conference, adding “We’re thrilled for the many years of support.”

Chopped for CHOP is one of the three annual unique & interactive programs produced by Magna Legal Services. “It is not only a great event to network, but a great event to learn,” noted competitor Jerry Hamilton.

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

About Magna Legal Services

Magna LS is a leading provider of litigation support services to law firms, insurance companies, and corporations, offering end-to-end legal services, including court reporting, graphic design, jury consulting, record retrieval, and translation services.

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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.

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Why Weinstein Jurors Delivered A Mixed Verdict

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Why Weinstein Jurors Delivered A Mixed Verdict

Published by Law360 (December 21, 2022, 10:27 PM EST) —

The jurors who voted to acquit Harvey Weinstein on certain charges in his Los Angeles rape trial — leading to hung verdicts on multiple counts — couldn’t understand why several accusers had contact with Weinstein after he allegedly assaulted them, several jurors said in interviews after the final verdict on
Tuesday.

Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault charges related to a victim known as Jane Doe 1, but the jury deadlocked on counts connected to two other accusers — including Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom — and cleared the former media mogul of a sexual battery count connected to a fourth accuser.

One juror, who asked to only be identified as Jay, told reporters that jurors felt “horrible” for all the accusers and that the not guilty votes came down not to the accusers being disbelieved, but rather reasonable doubt linked to the accusers’ actions after the alleged attacks.

“Everybody seemed very believable — it’s just hard to prove all it through time and memory, and it’s their word against, you know, it’s just their word,” Jay said. “And then you look at everything else that transpired, all of the actions afterward and sometimes before, and so you just try to put it all together.”

Mark Calzaretta, founding partner of jury consulting firm Magna Legal Services, told Law360 that without physical evidence to back up a sexual assault accusation, jurors will “judge” victims. Calzaretta was not directly involved in the case but said he followed the proceedings closely.

“They’re going to judge them,” Calzaretta said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily blaming the victim, but when you have somebody who it’s their word against somebody else’s, does it fit the construct that the jurors believe is a reasonable construct and reasonable action?”

Siebel Newsom, for instance, exchanged many friendly communications with Weinstein after she claims he raped her, and some of the jurors appeared to question that behavior, Calzaretta said.

“With certain victims that testified, like … with the governor’s wife, for example, you’re talking about coming back years and years later after a lot of these alleged assaults occurred and then, you know, there’s like not a lot of physical evidence,” he said. “A lot of their behavior gets questioned now.”

Click here to read the full article on Law360.com

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.

Magna Legal Services Partners with On Time Reporting, Inc.

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

Magna Legal Services Acquires On Time Reporting, Inc.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Magna Legal Services is pleased to announce the acquisition of On Time Reporting, Inc.

On Time was founded in Long Island by Debra Coletto and has since established itself as one of the largest independent providers of court reporting services in the Long Island and New York region.

On Time represents a highly complementary partnership for Magna that enhances Magna’s existing capabilities and market position in New York. “On Time is a fantastic fit with Magna’s existing service offering,” said Mark Williams, Magna’s CEO, “We believe that the combination of the two organizations will result in attractive growth opportunities and are delighted to welcome On Time into the Magna family.” Founding Partner and Executive Vice President of Sales at Magna, Peter Hecht, added, “We are excited to continue delivering the high-quality court reporting service On Time’s clients have come to expect while also offering access to Magna’s other litigation support service lines.”

“Our firms’ complementary industry strengths, similar collaborative culture and focus on exceptional service will be valued by clients in New York,” said On Time Founder Debra Coletto. “I am enthusiastic about the next chapter for our clients, court reporters and team members.”

Existing On Time operations will continue business as usual, and On Time clients will receive the same level of high-quality customer support as prior to the partnership. On Time will continue its operations based in Mineola, NY.

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.

Sports & Entertainment Risk Management Alliance Appoints Peter Hecht of Magna Legal Services to Advisory Board

Posted on | by Peter Hecht

This article was originally published on JUNE 13, 2022 by SERMA on Cision PR Web

 

Sports and Entertainment Risk Management Alliance (SERMA) appointed Peter Hecht to the SERMA Advisory Board, effective June 1, 2022. Mr. Hecht serves as a member of the Board’s Marketing Committee. The Board is comprised of 21 advisors representing various industry perspectives.

“We are pleased to welcome Peter Hecht to the SERMA Board,” said Rich Lenkov, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SERMA. “Peter’s deep experience in litigation support and consulting services along with his diverse relationships in the legal and claims community will be invaluable to SERMA as we pursue our mission to serve the sports and entertainment industry.”

Peter Hecht serves as Partner, Executive Vice President of Sales, and Board of Directors member for Magna Legal Services, an end-to-end litigation support and consulting company which provides court reporting, medical record retrieval, legal interpretation services, visual communications and jury research services.

Mr. Hecht co-founded Magna LS in 2007. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, the company is recognized as a top legal services provider nationwide, and in 2021 alone, was selected as “Best of” in eighty (80) categories across six ALM publications.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to join SERMA’s advisory board,” said Peter Hecht. “I appreciate the board’s confidence in me and could not be more excited to collaborate with the team of advisors in making a positive impact in the sports and entertainment industry.”

This collaboration will also extend more networking and educational opportunities for SERMA members with Magna’s interactive legal conferences, CLEs and CEs.

About SERMA:
The Sports and Entertainment Risk Management Alliance (SERMA) is the first risk management association devoted entirely to the sports and entertainment industries. The organization serves a central marketplace of ideas, resources and opportunities for risk managers, claims managers, general counsels, outside counsel and other professionals in the industry.

Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: Jury expert, Rachel York Colangelo, gives insight into juror pressures

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The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse is nearing its final stage as closing arguments begin before the jury. The trial is splitting America between those who believe he is a cold-blooded vigilante, and those who see a brave young man defending life and property.

Inside Edition spoke with jury expert Dr. Rachel York Colangelo, who said that Rittenhouse’s body language could influence how the jury feels about his guilt. He yawned no less than five times during the prosecution’s closing arguments:

Juries Return to Courts As The Pandemic Drags On. Who is Serving—And How Are They Voting?

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Magna Legal Services’ Dr. Daniel Wolfe spoke with The Recorder for their analysis titled “Juries Return to Courts As The Pandemic Drags On. Who is Serving—And How Are They Voting?” which published on October 4, 2021. You can access the full article on Law.com.

Juries Return to Courts As The Pandemic Drags On. Who is Serving—And How Are They Voting?

In many parts of the country, courts are getting jury trials back into full swing. Still, even at this stage of the pandemic, the effects of COVID-19 on trials go further than socially distanced jury boxes and judges behind sneeze guards.

Jury consultants and litigators across the country say the coronavirus is continuing to shape who makes it onto juries and how they are voting.

Daniel Wolfe, J.D., Ph.D., Senior Director of Jury Consulting, Magna Legal Services

Daniel Wolfe, J.D., Ph.D.
Senior Director of Jury Consulting
Magna Legal Services

Are Jurors Too Scared to Serve?

Despite the delta variant causing a surge of cases among both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals, some jury consultants say the majority of potential jurors appear comfortable serving.

Daniel Wolfe, senior director of jury consulting for Magna Legal Services, suspects some people just want to get back to a sense of normalcy, and jury duty feels like one way to do that.

He said jurors seem to find peace and comfort from the fact that “people weren’t still walking around on broken glass and pins and needles around the pandemic, that they were just like, ‘Let’s go, folks, we’re ready to get back to doing things. We’ve got business to do.’”

“Some people just want to get back to a sense of normalcy, and jury duty feels like one way to do that.“

Who Is Serving on Juries?

Magna’s Daniel Wolfe said certain populations of people are more reluctant to come in for jury duty. “Those who identify as Democrat are more reluctant, and you can see this because the narrative around the pandemic has become so politicized.”

He has also found that millennials, those under the age of 35, are also less likely to appear for jury duty. People who consider themselves more at risk for COVID-19 don’t show up or raise hardships and get excused, he said. In one case, Wolfe said, they sent out 300 juror questionnaires and only got back 45.

In a case in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Wolfe said four out of the 70 prospective jurors were teachers, and every one of them also expressed that their schools were short-staffed and their bosses told them they needed to be in class.

“Those who identify as Democrat are more reluctant, and you can see this because the narrative around the pandemic has become so politicized.”

In that case, the judge said, “the school districts are big, they can find people, it’s not a hardship,” he said. Ultimately, he only excluded 10 out of 70 jurors for hardship. He saw a judge respond to the same arguments in a different case by saying, “My wife’s a teacher, so I get it,” and excused them.

Wolfe has seen essential workers, especially health care workers, raise similar hardships. “I’ve seen a couple of times where you could just see the horrible angst on these people’s faces,” he said. “They’re so overwrought and exhausted, and the judge was just like, ‘You don’t need to be here. You’ve got better things to do.’ So it was really more sympathy than it was hardship. It was purely just a compassionate decision by the judges.”

“I’ve seen a couple of times where you could just see the horrible angst on these people’s faces. They’re so overwrought and exhausted, and the judge was just like, ‘You don’t need to be here. You’ve got better things to do.’ So it was really more sympathy than it was hardship. It was purely just a compassionate decision by the judges.”

Besides professional caretakers, people who tell judges that they are caring for someone who is sick with COVID-19 or still recovering almost always get excused, he said.

How Are Juror Demographics Affecting Verdicts?

Wolfe said the older, more conservative juries result in more defense verdicts in certain types of cases. Wolfe believes the national narrative of personal responsibility that has only heightened during the pandemic has also contributed to less plaintiff-friendly juries.

“We’ve seen juries be much more harsh and critical of plaintiffs than they were pre-pandemic, particularly where there’s a contributory negligence claim, because they’re just holding these individuals to a higher standard, more responsibility,”

The other factor driving defense verdicts, he said, is because most of the cases that have been tried have been three days or less. Once larger, more catastrophic injury cases go to trial, he expects to see a reversal of that trend. “Whether it goes back to normal—whatever that is—I don’t know. But we’re going to see the pendulum swing back a bit because of that,” he said.

Magna Legal Services Selected as “Best of 2021” in 67 Categories by ALM Publications Readers

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Magna Legal Services Voted as “Best of 2021” in 67 Categories

The readers of the ALM publication National Law Journal, The New York Law Journal, The Legal Intelligencer, Texas Lawyer and The Recorder, have recently announced the winners of the magazine’s 2021 “Best Of” Awards, and Magna Legal Services set a precedent, winning multiple categories across each publication.

Magna Legal Services Voted Best of 2021 by ALM Publications. National Law Journal. New York Law Journal. The Legal Intelligencer. Texas Lawyer. The RecorderThe “Best Of” readers ranking awards recognize the top legal products and service providers. Lawyers and firm administrators vote each year to select winners. In 2021 alone, Magna LS won an astounding 67 categories in five magazines, including Demonstrative Evidence Provider, Remote Trial Services, Jury Consultants, Court Reporters/Depositions and Language Services. Many of the winning services are used by law firms, insurance professionals and in-house counsel at Fortune 100 companies.

“Magna Legal Services’ historical wins this year speaks to the onslaught of great services like JuryConfirm, JuryEvaluator, ClaimScout and Magna LitigationVision as well as our extraordinarily talented staff,” said Peter Hecht, Founder and Executive Vice President of Magna Legal Services.

“This robust recognition reflects the strength and diversity of the Magna LS product lineup,” said Keri Yaeger, Vice President of Excess/Umbrella Underwriting, AmeriTrust Group. “The ability to bundle services from Discovery to Trial benefits us not only from a cost perspective, but also gives us a go-to partner that we trust to provide quality work across many different facets of our claims.”

To determine award winners, readers of the various ALM publications take the time to log into an online survey and select from a wide variety of industry leading litigation support companies. Winners are selected once voting is closed and announced shortly thereafter by the respective magazine in a special issue.

“It is always so gratifying to see our clients take the time to vote for us,” said Jessica Gimbel Carnes, Senior Vice President of Sales, Magna Legal Services. “Casting their votes, while not a burden, does take some time and effort so that says a lot about the reader recognition too.”
The “Best Of” category for Jury Consultant was won by Magna LS in five separate publications. Magna Legal Services’ jury consultants are engaged for jury selection, witness communication training, focus groups, mock trials and damages assessment.

“Jury research is an essential tool when preparing a high value case. It provides the client with greater visibility into what to expect and it is an amazing tool to assist the trial team with developing themes and stories and to assess potential value,” said Richard Fabian, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Riverstone.

This piece was originally published by PRWeb on 9/28/2021