Need a Winning Team?
You’ve Come to the Right Place.
Law firms, insurance companies and corporations all seek out Magna Legal because we have the experience, talent and dedication to handle any case, in any venue. Across the board, Team Magna delivers the quality you expect and the service you deserve.
Co-founding Partners Peter Hecht & Jon Ackerman featured above
Bob Ackerman, CCR
Chairman of the Board
Bob has been in the legal services field for more than 40 years. Upon Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps, he received an Associate’s Degree in Court Reporting from the Hefley & Browne School of Business in New York. He was first employed as a Hearing Reporter with the Homicide Division of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, NY. He then became a Court Reporter with the Kings County Supreme Court.
In 1969, he became an Official Court Reporter for the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. After working there for 13 years, Bob started his own court reporting and related services company, Krauss, Katz & Ackerman, Inc. KK&A grew to become the largest company in the country providing court reporting and related services. In 1997, he merged his company with a public company.
In April of 2007, Bob joined Magna Legal Services, as president. Magna has offices in NJ, NY, PA, DE, FL & SC. In addition to court reporting, Magna offers Trial Presentation, Jury Research, Graphics Consulting & Design, Document Management, Subpoena Services.
Partner & Executive Vice President of Record Services and Business Development
Fax: 215.241.1104
Jonathan Ackerman
Partner & Executive Vice President of Record Services and Business Development
Jon Ackerman is a partner and sales professional leading the record retrieval department at Magna Legal Services, with responsibility for revenue growth and operations. In addition to managing Magna’s record retrieval service, Jon oversees a national book of business including a variety of law firms and Fortune 500 corporations. Prior to joining Magna LS, he worked in business development and marketing at a commercial real-estate company. Jon’s greatest strengths are his creativity, drive and leadership. He thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand the company’s reach.
Victoria Aiken
Presentation Consultant
Victoria Aiken earned both her M.S. in Homeland Security and B.A. in Administration of Justice from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. First starting career in the legal discovery services industry for 5 years prior to joining Magna, she coordinated the scheduling and production of reporters and videographers using her expertise to meet the particulars of each scheduled proceeding and transcript requests.
Victoria’s previous experience in the legal service industry inspired her to transition her acquired skills and her prior understanding of the legal field into the Jury Research department at Magna. Victoria provides technological support to client’s presentations during Focus Groups and Mock Trials supported by exhibits, demonstratives, and witness testimony. Victoria is a confident force in the presentation room, while catering to all your presentation and audio-visual requests and needs.
Franco Alcantara
Business Development Manager
Franco has worked in the Court Reporting and Legal Services industry for over 15 years. He has a vast knowledge of legal services and is willing to listen to any concerns and work hard to get the job done.
David Barnard, Ph.D.
Senior Litigation Consultant
David Barnard is a Senior Consultant at Magna Legal Services. Dr. Barnard has a doctorate in psychology from the City University of New York with a concentration in law. His education involved extensive coursework and research training, specifically in the area of jury decision-making.
Dr. Barnard’s background in psychology and law allows him to combine expertise in statistics and research methodology with cutting-edge data gathering and analytic techniques to assist attorneys in venue analysis, juror profiling, jury selection and the development of effective and resonant communication strategies.
His primary practice area includes civil litigation with a focus on products liability, medical and legal malpractice, personal injury, insurance, libel, and real estate. He has also assisted both plaintiffs and defendants in matters involving complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, contract disputes, antitrust, securities, and fraud. Dr. Barnard has selected juries in Federal and State Court for both plaintiffs and defendants across the country. He has facilitated hundreds of pre-trial research projects and has extensive experience preparing both fact and expert witnesses for deposition and trial testimony.
With 15 years of experience researching juror behavior, Dr. Barnard is highly adept in procedural design, survey construction, and statistical analysis. He has also extensively studied the psychology of persuasion and processes of juror reasoning. This unique blend of the quantitative and the qualitative enables him to provide empirical insight into pre-trial research, and specifically to attitudinal characteristics, juror bias, and issues of juror perception.
Dr. Barnard has taught and lectured at Hunter College, Brooklyn College, and John Jay College. He has been published in the Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law, The Jury Expert, and The Advocate among other publications. He has his presented at various CLEs, state bar associations, and universities on topics related to jury selection, voir dire, jury research, trial strategy, and witness preparation.
Dr. Barnard is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Psychology and Law Society, the American Society of Trial Consultants. He also serves as a Trial Consultant Advisor to the Civil Jury Project at NYU Law School. Originally from California, Dr. Barnard lives in New York City and is an avid racerunner.
Walt Barrett
IT Director
Patrick Bond
Senior Media Artist
Patrick Bond is a Media Artist for Magna Legal Services/ TrialGraphix and is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Working in the field since 1999, he has worked on myriad types of matters, utilizing his broad experience with graphic conceptualization to create compelling presentations for clients.
Patrick develops graphics and animations to help jurors discern and understand difficult concepts through clear visual representations.
Notable cases include: Multiple matters for Bayer/Monsanto, Express Scripts, and Google; Presidential Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig; Fairpoint Communications, Inc. v. Verizon Communications, Inc.; Tyco International, Ltd., et al. v. Mark H. Swartz; and Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc. v. Invensys Systems, Inc.
Prior to TrialGraphix, Patrick worked at The Jackson Sun (TN) as a graphic artist/copy editor.
Patrick received his B.F.A. from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Kara Bony
Account Executive
Peyton M. Bowman, Esq.
Jury Consultant
Prior to joining Magna Legal Services, Peyton had an extensive law practice specializing in complex federal civil rights such as § 1983, Title VII, and constitutional law focusing on the 1st, 4th, 14th, and 8th Amendments on behalf of plaintiffs. No stranger to high exposure cases, her cases routinely garnered significant media attention and have been featured in outlets such as Forbes, CNN, Fox, NBC, and the Washington Post. In 2020, she was awarded Top 40 Under 40 by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers for outstanding courtroom abilities. Peyton brings this hands-on litigation experience to her consulting methodologies.
Peyton graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor of Science in psychology, focusing on applied biopsychology and industrial psychology. She then went to Loyola University College of Law and obtained her Juris Doctorate while participating in Moot Court, Community Justice Clinic, and the Community Outreach Community. She is barred in the State of Louisiana.
Peyton was previously co-founder of her own jury research firm and has been conducting jury research since 2015 as part of her own practice and for law firms across the country on a wide variety of matters. She has broad experience in witness preparation, mock trials, jury profiling, damages evaluations, jury selection, and development of case themes. Peyton routinely contributes to the Louisiana Association for Justice publication Louisiana Advocates, a monthly volume for trial lawyers.
Joe Boxer
Senior Graphics Consultant
Joe Boxer is a Senior Graphics Consultant for Magna/TrialGraphix, based in the Chicago office. Joe assists legal teams and expert witnesses in the development and presentation of effective, persuasive visuals that focus on the key elements and themes of their case. Joe also has extensive courtroom experience, allowing him to determine the most effective utilization of courtroom technologies.
Joe began his career in the industry as an artist in 1999, specializing in complex illustration and technical patent matters. Since turning to consulting, Joe has worked on over 700 matters in venues around the country and overseas. He has supported teams in all manners of legal proceedings, such as jury trials, jury focus groups, bench trials, Markman hearings, summary judgment hearings, class-certification hearings, environmental board hearings, mediations, international arbitrations and corporate presentations.
As a thought leader in visual presentation and courtroom technologies, Joe has presented at over 20 CLE events. He has also assisted on a large international corporate merger held at the EU in Brussels, Belgium.
Notable cases include:
- Mercexchange LLC v. Ebay, Half.com and Return Buy Inc.,
- Eolas Technologies v. Microsoft,
- People of the State of Illinois v. Drew Walter Peterson,
- Oracle Corporation, Pepper Acquisition Corp. v. Peoplesoft, Inc., et al.; and
- Ricoh Corporation, et al. v. Pitney Bowes, Inc.
Joe holds a degree in Graphic Design. Prior to moving into the legal presentation industry, Joe worked as a creative director and illustrator for a small publishing firm. He is an avid photographer, loves carpentry building just about anything and has a special place in his heart for cars – the ones that go fast around corners.
Senior Presentation Consultant
Donna Browning
Senior Presentation Consultant
Donna Browning is a Senior Presentation Consultant with Magna Legal Services and is based in South Florida. Utilizing her extensive background in design and visual communication, Donna assists trial teams in identifying effective case themes, simplifying information and developing persuasive visual presentations for use in courtrooms and other legal settings.
Since 2005, Donna has consulted on several thousand matters in almost every major area of litigation including:
- commercial,
- intellectual property,
- insurance,
- employment,
- securities,
- construction,
- legal malpractice,
- medical malpractice; and
- personal injury.
Donna worked as a Senior Presentation Consultant at TrialGraphix, and joined Magna with merger in 2023. Donna received her B.S. degree from Florida State University with a special focus in Visual Arts and Design.
Lisa Buyofsky
Graphics Consultant
Lisa Buyofsky is a Graphics Consultant at Magna Legal Services/TrialGraphix based in New Jersey. She is a skilled designer with a variety of experience working in different industries from marketing to legal services since 2013. At Magna, Lisa effectively collaborates with teams of lawyers and experts to create persuasive demonstratives, aiding judges and juries in understanding complex issues within multi-million-dollar litigation. She has worked with many high-profile clients, such as Amazon and FICO.
Lisa joined Magna during the merge with TrialGraphix in 2023. Prior to joining TrialGraphix as an artist in 2022, she was a graphic designer for a local NJ design firm as well as a metalsmith for her own independent jewelry company, which she keeps up with in her spare time from litigation work today.
Lisa holds a B.S. in Environmental and Marine Science from Stockton University, and an A.A.S. in Graphic Design from Brookdale.
Jorge Cadenas
IT Director
Jorge Cadenas is an accomplished IT Director with over 20 years of experience supporting trial teams and legal professionals. He possesses a broad range of skills and expertise in cybersecurity and information technology, with a proven track record of success in identifying and implementing innovative solutions to drive business growth and optimize operational efficiency.
In addition to his extensive experience leading cross-functional teams and managing complex IT projects, Jorge recently completed a Cybersecurity Professional Certificate from the University of Miami, further enhancing his expertise in the field.
Jorge’s cybersecurity skills include risk assessment and management, threat intelligence analysis, incident response planning, and regulatory compliance. He has a deep understanding of security technologies, including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and security information and event management (SIEM) tools.
In the realm of information technology, Jorge has experience in enterprise architecture, cloud computing, data center operations, network infrastructure, and software development. He is highly skilled in managing large-scale projects and implementing technology solutions to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders, from end-users to executive leadership.
Throughout his career, Jorge has assisted numerous presentations for top companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Samsung Technologies. He was also part of the Oil Spill Commission legal support team that assisted with the presentation of the BP Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, and was responsible for providing the technology during the televised presentation to the committee in Washington, D.C.
Jorge’s dedication to his community extends beyond his professional achievements. He volunteers with competitive soccer teams, assisting with team management duties and coaching youth players. Jorge is a certified US Youth Soccer Coach, holds many titles and league championships across south Florida, and is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Jorge received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Baker College in Flint, MI (magna cum laude).
National Director of Graphics and Trial Presentation
Gary Calzaretta
National Director of Graphics and Trial Presentation
Gary Calzaretta is a senior Litigation Consultant at Magna Legal Services with over 300 in-court trial experiences. His experience in the litigation field spans 15 years. He has held management positions in all areas of litigation support including document management, trial presentation and consulting. Mr. Calzaretta is familiar with the trial process from beginning to end and has been a major part in the successes of many favorable verdicts. Using his Psychology background, Mr. Calzaretta has assisted in strategic and graphic recommendations to guide in the process of creating persuasive presentations for mediations, arbitrations and jury trials. His areas of trial experience include medical malpractice, product liability, asbestos, employment discrimination, patent and personal injury.
Litigation Consultant
- Evaluation and assembly of exhibit databases (scanning specs, output specifications, etc.)
- In court logistics and setup courtroom based upon size and scope
- On the fly capabilities including document annotations, transcript designations, video clips
- Extensive experience in focus groups including operation of real time impulse system
- Recommendations on how to present the most effective visual presentations
- Graphic concepts and recommendations based upon case details strategic questioning and witness preparation
Notable Trials
- Jarwick v. Wilf
- Commonwealth of PA v. Bristol Myers
- Commonwealth of PA v. J&J
- Avaya v. TLI
- Harman v. Trinity
Partner & Executive Vice President of Litigation Consulting
Mark Calzaretta
Partner & Executive Vice President of Litigation Consulting
As a founding partner, and Executive Vice President of Litigation Consulting, has been a vanguard in the litigation support services industry for the past 20 years, and oversees the operations for the company’s Litigation, Graphic and Trial Consulting Team. He has been the lead jury consultant for several hundred cases spanning more than twenty jurisdictions.
Recognized for his ability to combine an impressive technological knowledge with a background in psychology, he has experience in cases involving antitrust issues, catastrophic injury, fraud and racketeering, insurance coverage, intellectual property (IP) litigation, and more. Mark has used his vast trial experience and expertise in to aid in the jury selection of more than 100 high-profile cases.
Mark has been featured in national, trade and local news media including; ABA Journal, Claims Journal, LegalTech News, National Law Journal, New Jersey Law Journal, NPR’s WHYY radio, Wharton School Sirius Radio, Philadelphia Inquirer, and PC Magazine on the subjects of legal technology, trial presentation, jury research and litigation support. Mark’s has had numerous TV appearance on CNN, Fox, CBS, ABC. He was recently on the Don Lemon show and Fox dubbed him the “Jury Whisperer.” He has also provided pro bono services for victims of the 9/11 tragedy in addition to his consulting engagements and legal seminar presentations.
Mark is a graduate of SUNY Albany, with a degree in Psychology and Anthropology.
Notable Trial Experience:
- Lead jury consultant on the highly publicized Desole v Knoedler art fraud case
- Lead jury consultant on the Avaya Inc. v. Telecom Labs Inc. antitrust violation case
- Environmental exposure matter for multi-national oil conglomerate
- Involved in the first fully multimedia criminal trial in New Jersey: State v. Alex Levine
- Multi-million dollar medical malpractice cases
- Fortune 100 Company product liability cases
- Catastrophic personal injury cases
Litigation Consulting Engagements:
- Focus groups and mock trials
- Settlement conferences before numerous judges and arbitrators
- Depositions and pretrial hearings
- Fact and expert witness communication training
- Pro Bono consulting for WTC victim P.B. who received second largest award from WTC Committee of $7.5 million
Presentations and Training:
- Juror Persuasion: How Jurors Form Decisions, Case Strategies and Theme Development a CLE accredited in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Denver, Colorado, Texas, California and Florida
- New York CLE classes in Court Room Techniques and Technology
- CLE courses for Pennsylvania Bar Institute & Dispute Resolution Institute
- Pennsylvania Paralegal CLE courses
- ATLA Association of Trial Lawyers New Jersey Bar Association
- New Jersey Board of Governors New York Bar Association
- Technological Advances in Voir Dire
- Focus Groups and Mock Trials
- Courtroom Technology 101
Recent Thought Leadership:
- “Why Weinstein Jurors Delivered A Mixed Verdict” Law360, 21 Dec 2022
- “Interview: Jury Consultant Breaks Down Difficulties Of Chauvin Trial” WCCO CBS Minnesota, 7 Mar 2021
- “Weinstein’s Juror Investigation Shows Few Limits On Probes” Law360, 28 Feb 2020
- Experts: In death penalty cases such as Wilkinsburg shooting, no surprise when jury selection is arduous” Trib Live, 11 Jan 2020
- “Jury Selection for the Harvey Weinstein Rape Trial, Court TV” CourtTV, 9 Jan, 2020
- “Legal Spotlight: Philadelphia Jury Consultant Uses Unusual Props” Bloomberg Law, 18 Mar 2019
- “Will Michael Rosfeld Testify? Lawyers Weigh in on the Risky Move” Trib Total Media, 18 Mar 2019
- “Jury Selection Begins in Dauphin County for Fatal Police Shooting of Unarmed Teen” PennLive, 12 Mar 2019
- “Jurors in Michael Rosfeld Case Won’t Fit Normal Mold, Experts Predict” Trib Total Media, 11 Mar 2019
- “Race Considered To Be Key Factor In Selection Of Rosfeld Trial Jurors” 90.5 Wesa, Pittsburg’s NPR News Station, 11 Mar 2019
- “Jury Selection Begins Tuesday in Rosfeld Case” Pittsburg Post-Gazette, 9 Mar 2019
- “Jury Insights from CNN” CNN, 22 Jun 2017
- “Mark Calzaretta talks Cosby trial shadow jury strategy” Fox29Philadelphia, 23 May 2017
Fax: 866.579.0819
Julie Campanini, M.A.
Director of Jury Consulting
Julie Campanini has been a trial consultant for 25 years and has amassed diverse and broad-ranging experience in a wide variety of complex matters and in all areas of trial consulting and jury research. Her practice is focused on complex commercial litigation and includes intellectual property, antitrust, securities, fraud, contract, product liability, employment, and toxic tort. Julie works collaboratively with the trial team to come up with innovative and strategic solutions to the most complex trial issues. Some representative matters include:
- Assisting the winning party in a recent $4 billion complex fraud matter in Los Angeles
- Ongoing consulting with a large metropolitan city against several high-profile employment claims emanating from its police department
- Ongoing consulting with a large railroad manufacturer against negligence claims following a deadly accident
- Successfully assisting a large consumer products manufacturer in a false advertising claim
- Assisting the winning party in a high-stakes matter involving both patent infringement claims and antitrust issues
- Successfully consulting with a pharmaceutical company involving patent infringement of one if its animal vaccines
- Consulting on behalf of several oil and gas companies in a large, class action antitrust suit between consumers and gas companies, which resulted in a victory on summary judgment
- Consulting with a large banking institution in a fraud and contract litigation lasting several months that ended in a favorable settlement
- Successfully defending several patents in various emerging technologies involving biotech, wireless signals, and data storage
- Successfully defending a leading manufacturer of asbestos containing products in several matters in state courts around the country
Julie’s expertise includes designing various types of mock trials and focus groups, witness preparation with the most difficult and poorly presenting witnesses, collaboratively crafting opening statements and closing arguments with counsel, theme development, and general and early consulting to strategize about case strengths and weaknesses. She has assisted clients in trials in all areas of the country including large metropolitan areas as well as small, rural venues. She has participated in or managed hundreds of jury research projects and has worked with hundreds of witnesses over the years. Her insights into case issues are highly valued among her clients.
Prior to joining Magna, Julie was the founder and principal of her own firm, Trial Insights, and Julie practiced with several other national firms including Litigation Sciences, Inc. and FTI (Forensic Technologies).
In addition, Julie has published several articles on trial subjects including the importance of witness preparation for depositions and trial, managing the media in high-profile and high-stakes litigation, theme development in storytelling, all facets of jury selection, and using themes as communication tools in litigation. She is a regular contributor to Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
Julie Campanini attended the University of Kansas for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, where she earned her M.A. in Litigation Sciences with an emphasis in Legal Communication.
Recent Thought Leadership
- “Court sees 52 potential jurists in U.S. hate-crime trial of Arbery killers” Reuters, 7 Feb 2022
Maria Capetola
Controller
Fax: 215.241.1104
Donna Carotenuto
Business Development Manager
Donna worked in the legal services industry for 10 years before joining Magna in 2019. She demonstrates elevated customer service and attentiveness to her clients’ needs.
Donna comes from a long client service background in the legal industry. Having worked in a corporate environment, she is accustomed to structure, excels at time management, and works diligently to follow up and complete tasks. She takes pride in her professionalism, and strong ability to develop and maintain productive relationships. Donna is client-service driven, a critical thinker, a natural problem solver and a people person. These qualities make her an extremely efficient, result-oriented partner in the intricate litigation support and consulting process. Donna works regularly with many of New York City’s premier law firms overseeing their cases from discovery through trial or settlement.
She is part of the Women’s Trial Network of New York and the Employment Law Alliance. Donna actively attends networking events for the New York City Trial Lawyers Association.
A New York City native, Donna hails from Staten Island and currently lives in Manhattan. In her leisure, Donna loves to do Pilates, explore restaurants in her area, and do anything that allows her to socialize.
Senior Litigation and Visual Strategy Consultant
Barbara Anderson Carter
Senior Litigation and Visual Strategy Consultant
With 40 years in presentation and information consulting, for both corporate and litigation communications, Barbara has a unique background which is an asset in preparing litigants for trial. Barbara started her career in 1977 as the first woman hired on the west coast to become a computer graphics artist, in a nascent industry begun and developed by General Electric. GE’s Genigraphics launched the modern computer-generated presentation graphics industry, was the forerunner of PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop as well as many other industry standard software programs. Barbara was among the first group of graphic artists in the world to begin drawing on a computer, eventually writing a training program for computer graphic artists for GE. Barbara graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington with a B.S. double major in Fine Arts and Theatre, and a minor in Music.
In her early career in Los Angeles, she worked as a graphic artist on projects for every type of company at C Levels, and has generated millions of visuals for a broad array of industries. These include banking, utilities, entertainment, aerospace, food, data processing, benefits consulting, marketing, M&A, IPOs, scientific, military, technology, CAD, accounting, legal, medical, manufacturing, construction, and most especially municipal agencies such as public transportation and water agencies. She formed her own company in 1985 to provide presentation graphic services to these same industries at top executive levels, with such clients as Fox Broadcasting – a brand new network. Along the way, among other projects, in 1993 she built the presentation that Fox used to secure the NFL TV broadcast rights, away from CBS, which began Fox Sports.
Since 2003, Barbara has been devoted to litigation, and has been involved in over 500 trials, for both Plaintiff and Defense as a strategic litigation communications consultant, especially involving high-stakes complex litigation. She has frequently also worked the “hot seat” in court. Her litigation experience includes civil, federal, SEC hearings, arbitrations, mediations, and occasionally high-profile criminal matters. She is brought into trial teams to analyze evidence and provide strategies for organizing and building presentations, and assist throughout the trial process.
Among the matters Barbara has been involved with are: Landmark eminent domain cases involving attempted takings of public utilities, large civic and state public construction projects, public agency litigation – especially water law in California, intellectual property, class actions, MDLs, corporate litigation, banking, telecom, technology, bioscience, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, tobacco, breach of contract and partnership disputes, securities, entertainment, aviation accidents, aircraft construction completions, royalties, product and automotive defects, insurance, employment and partnership disputes, negligence, toxic tort, wrongful death, civil rights, construction defects, and others.
Her exposure to a broad spectrum of industries during times of rapidly evolving technology has provided a valuable ability to assess and provide consulting and presentations for a wide variety of subjects. This is particularly helpful for litigation, where understanding and preparing presentations for an array of complex subjects is necessary to provide streamlined information which is properly targeted. She frequently assists expert witnesses in preparing their presentation materials, has written and generated graphics for multiple opening statements and closing arguments, and has published articles on the effective use of trial graphics.
As a panelist for various organizations, including CAOC, ABOTA, and CAALA in California on trial presentation strategy, Barbara has also frequently given CLE presentations on visual communications issues around the use of demonstratives, organizing the evidence and storylines for trial. She has frequently provided direction and coaching to corporate executives and attorneys to assist with presenting for maximum impact.
Senior Presentation Consultant
Kerry Cashman
Senior Presentation Consultant
Kerry is a Senior Presentation Consultant at Magna based in Boston. Kerry has spent her entire professional career in the field of communication design, with over a decade focusing on litigation. She works closely with attorneys and experts to create compelling and persuasive presentations in all stages of litigation, from creating tutorials for large-scale patent litigation to developing Opening and Closing presentations as on-site support.
Kerry has experience in various types of litigation including intellectual property, pharmaceuticals, product liability, and anti-trust. She has led the communication design efforts on a variety of high-profile matters for clients such as Apple, Ford Motors, FedEx, NCAA, and Harvard University.
Prior to joining TrialGraphix/Magna, Kerry was the Senior Art Director at Impact Trial Consulting and an Interactive Designer at CaseSight. She began her career in the publishing industry as a textbook Illustrator for Houghton Mifflin and Prentice Hall.
Kerry holds a B.A. in Fine Arts with a concentration in Studio Art from Boston College and a Certification of Graphic Design from Clark University.
Meredith Cherry
Business Development Manager
Meredith Cherry joined Magna in 2016, and works out of the company’s Los Angeles, California office location.
She services clients nationwide and specializes in building long term relationships within the legal community. Her network is comprised of C-Suite Executives, AM100 Law Firms, Paralegals, Legal Assistants, and Office Managers. Her top priority is the success for every person in the legal community. She will help you utilize Magna’s end to end litigation support services to win your case while saving you time and money. Why have 10 vendors with a 1-800 number when you can have her and streamline services, billing, time?
Besides her work, Meredith also loves being a mom, and her dog, Ginger, with an underbite!
Matthew Chiappa
Chief Financial Officer
Matt Chiappa is the CFO of Magna Legal Services and is based in our Philadelphia office. Matt was formerly CFO of Anthony & Sylvan pools, a national pool construction and renovation company. Prior to that, he was CFO of Preferred Proppants (KKR-sponsored), an oilfield service provider and technology company with reserves and manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States. Chiappa also previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Assurance practice with a focus in their Financial Services group. Chiappa holds a B.S. in Accounting from La Salle University.
National Managing Director of Jury Consulting
Fax: 866.579.0819
Rachel York Colangelo, Ph.D.
National Managing Director of Jury Consulting
Rachel York Colangelo has a doctorate in legal psychology from Florida International University and a B.A. in psychology and sociology from the University of Virginia. Her education involved extensive coursework and research training, specifically in the area of jury decision-making.
Dr. Colangelo has over a decade of experience in litigation consulting. She has provided litigation support for a variety of civil and criminal matters across the country in the form of jury research, including focus groups, mock trials, damages assessment studies, and community attitude surveys, as well as other trial preparation strategies such as voir dire consultation, jury selection, witness preparation, shadow juries, and trial monitoring. Dr. Colangelo has consulted on numerous multi-million dollar and high profile cases, including commercial litigation, property and contract disputes, anti-trust, securities, and intellectual property matters, accounting fraud and malpractice, legal and medical malpractice, negligence, personal injury, and product liability. Dr. Colangelo has a wealth of experience in all aspects of litigation consulting, including pre-trial jury research, case analysis and theme/storyline development, trial strategy, including preparation of opening statements and closing arguments as well as witness preparation and communication training, voir dire and jury selection assistance, in-court assistance via daily trial monitoring or use of a shadow jury, and post-trial juror interviews.
Dr. Colangelo is a member of the American Psychology-Law Society, a division of the American Psychological Association, as well as the American Society of Trial Consultants. In addition to conducting scientific research at the intersection of psychology and law and teaching several undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology, Dr. Colangelo has authored several publications and presented several papers at various research conferences.
Recent Thought Leadership
- “Woman Says Sugar Daddy Is Why She Can’t Serve on Parkland Shooter Jury“, Inside Edition, 8 Apr 2022
- “The BI Interview with Rachel York Colangelo of Magna“, Business Insurance, 29 Mar 2022
- “Jurors Selected for Elizabeth Holmes’s Criminal Fraud Trial (2)“, Bloomberg Law, 02 Sep 2021
- “Elizabeth Holmes Transforming From CEO to Victim for Jurors“, Bloomberg, 02 Sep 2021
- “Jury Selection Under Way in Trial of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes“, The Wall Street Journal, 31 Aug 2021
- “Best Nuclear Verdict Deterrents: Fleet Technology and Planning“, FleetOwner, 25 Feb 2021
- “Plaintiff Attorneys Often Use ‘Reptile Theory’ to Win Nuclear Trucking Jury Verdicts, Experts Say” Transport Topics, 19 Jan 2021
- “The Few Patent Jury Trials In 2020 Led To Enormous Verdicts” Law360, 22 Dec 2020
- “After Spate of Settled Cases, Delaware Set to Restart Jury Trials Monday in Dover” Law.com, 23 Oct 2020
- “As Big Verdicts Pile Up, Attorneys Are Increasingly Turning to Mock Trials, Focus Groups” The Legal Intelligence, 27 Aug 2020
- “Weinstein’s Juror Investigation Shows Few Limits On Probes” Law360, 28 Feb 2020
- “Danger Of CEO Testimony Clear In $186M J&J Talc Verdict.” Law360, 11 Feb 2020
- “Bayer’s Roundup Challenge: Avoid More ‘Nuclear’ Jury Awards” Bloomberg Law, 24 Jan 2020
- “J&J’s Talc Trial Deal Shows Power Of FDA’s Asbestos Finding” Law360, 7 Jan 2020
- “Working Remotely: Magna Legal Services Adapts to COVID-19 By Offering Even More Virtual Options” BusinessWire, 24 Mar 2020
- “Year in review: The Business Journal’s most-read stories of 2019” The Business Journal, 31 Dec 2019
- “Questionnaire Aids Jury Selection in Newspaper Shooting Case” Associated Press News, 27 Sep 2019
- “Nuclear Verdicts Have the Board on Edge? Jury Consulting Can Help Level the Legal Playing Field” Risk & Insurance, 13 Sep 2019
- “Harvey Weinstein Seeks to Move Sex-Crimes Trial Out of NYC Due to Media Coverage” USA Today, 21 Aug 2019
- “Text Messages at Heart Of Border Agent’s Upcoming Trial” 91.5 KJZZ, 2 Aug 2019
- “What Went Wrong in ‘Nuclear’ $2B Monsanto Verdict” St. Louis Business Journal, 24 May 2019
Senior Account Executive & Technical Trainer
Kristen Craig-Reed
Senior Account Executive & Technical Trainer
Kristen joined Magna by way of their acquisition of Barkley Court Reporters in August 2022. She had just celebrated her thirteenth year as an Account Executive with Barkley. In addition to sales, Kristen took on the role or Technical Trainer during the pandemic when the need for remote depositions accelerated and Barkley’s clients required training on virtual platforms.
Kristen is active in the Bay Area legal community and has served on the board of the San Francisco Legal Professionals Association (SFLPA) since 2019. She enjoys building strong relationships with her clients and making sure their needs are met. Her passionate, hands-on approach to customer service has gained her many loyal clients and referrals.
Kristen is a third generation Bay Area native, and currently lives on Alameda island with her husband, two young daughters and a quirky cat named Finn. She and her family enjoy camping, skiing, and attending festivals.
Chase B. Culbertson
Head of M&A
Chase Culbertson is the Head of M&A at Magna Legal Services, focused on mergers and acquisitions across all of Magna’s service lines and capabilities. Prior to joining Magna, Chase was a Vice President at Ridgemont Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm, where he was focused on identifying and acquiring companies across services sectors. Prior to that, he was an associate a Sheridan Capital Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm. Chase was also previously an analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co. (n.k.a. Piper Sandler), a leading investment bank.
Chase received his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Finance, and a BA in History from Davidson College.
Director of Business Development & Senior Account Executive
Deb Curran
Director of Business Development & Senior Account Executive
In her role at O’Brien & Levine (A Magna Legal Services Company) Deb’s affinity for the legal profession and strong focus on relationships give her great insight into what a litigation group expects and how to make a real difference in litigators’ practices every day, for every case.
An important part of her work is helping clients take full advantage of the latest legal technologies. Deb and her team provide customized guidance to attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants so they can leverage the time- and cost-saving efficiencies of O&L/Magna’s services from discovery through trial. She also helps legal teams learn about the expedient new methods for conducting depositions and covering arbitrations and trials.
Before joining O&L, Deb oversaw business development for Legal Talk Network, bringing attorneys’ podcasts to attentive audiences. Previously, she was event manager with Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly where she created and managed a series of must-attend legal community events that continue to this day.
Complementing her work at O&L, Deb donates her time and expertise to serve on in the community to several inspiring non-profit organizations including City Year Boston and Discovering Justice.
Jourdan Dam
Research Tech
Jourdan Dam alleviates the pressure of all your presentation technology, making it simple and easy to put your focus where it matters most. As an experienced technician from the Audio-Visual field since 2017, Jourdan brings his insight as a videographer and technician to create a seamless presentation environment.
Earlier in 2022, Jourdan graduated from CSU, Fullerton with a degree in Business Administration, concentrating on Entertainment and Hospitality management. He looks forward to bringing his skill and positive attitude to the litigation field as he continues to provide excellent support.
Chris Denney
Account Executive - KTA
Chris Denney joined the Magna team in 2021 as a part of Magna’s acquisition of Kim Tindall & Associates (KTA), where he excelled as a Account Executive for 4 years.
Chris was born in Colorado Springs but spent most of his life in the Texas hill country.
He has a history in the service and international-travel industries. Always taking pride in customer service and client relationships.
Chris lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his fiancé – who are expecting their first child in the fall of 2021. In his spare time, Chris enjoys playing basketball, hiking, bike riding and their dogs.
Vice President of Strategic Accounts
Lee Diamondstein, Esq.
Vice President of Strategic Accounts
Lee Diamondstein has more than 21 years of experience in multiple segments of the legal industry, including roles as an attorney, litigation consultant and as Vice President of Sales in legal services firms. Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Maryland, and is a 1993 graduate of Widener School of Law, where he was a member of both the Moot Court Honor Society and Law Review. Following law school graduation, he clerked for Judge Richard B. Klein in the Court of Common Pleas, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s TIPS (Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section) and the Section of Litigation.
At the beginning his career as a clerk with the Court of Common Pleas, 1st Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Diamondstein also worked in a private law firm in Philadelphia, where his law practice concentrated on civil litigation, commercial litigation and criminal law. He consulted on hundreds of cases over the course of his litigation service tenure; he lectured and led CLE courses for various bar associations. While serving as an adjunct professor at Widener University School of Law Lee instituted Widener’s first course of its kind: “Impact of Technology on the Law”.
General Manager of Language Services
Leo Duran
General Manager of Language Services
Leo joined Magna in 2015 as General Manager of the company’s new Language Services division. He has over 15 years of translation industry experience, including 7 years as freelance translator of Spanish and German to English and 4 years as a project manager for a translation agency. A veteran of the US Coast Guard, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & International Business from the University of Colorado.
Born in Spain to Cuban parents and raised in South Florida, Leo brings a unique multicultural viewpoint to Magna. He has lived and worked in many cities across the US and Europe and is a bona fide language expert. His years of experience on both the client and contractor side of the language services business give him a unique first-hand perspective on the needs and concerns of all the parties involved.
Bridget Eatmon
Case Manager
Bridget R. Eatmon is the Case Manager for MIC cases at Magna Legal Services and is based in the company’s Philadelphia office. Prior to starting with Magna in June 2021, Bridget worked at Recordtrak, in the King of Prussia office since October 2020.
Bridget holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from LaSalle University, a Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law from Widener School of Law, a post-graduate certification in Conflict Management/Restorative Justice, from Arcadia University, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Northcentral University, earning her PHD in Criminal Justice with a specialty in Homeland Security.
Director of Business Development
Lena Egan
Director of Business Development
Lena is a Director of Business Development based in Magna’s Florida office, but started her seven-year career with Magna in Philadelphia.
Prior to joining Magna, Lena worked with Outside Sales for Tom James High End Custom Men’s Manufacture. Here, she was able to use her Fashion Design/Marketing degree to help attorneys dress for success.
Lena started a networking group of young professionals in Philadelphia and hopes to soon expand it to the young community in Florida. Aside from her volunteer work with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the South Florida Young Lawyers Association, Lena likes to spend her free time networking, cycling, cooking, and has recently gotten involved in water sports.
J.D. English
Director, Operations
Providing trusted litigation support since 2008, J.D.’s experience encompasses designing technology and presentation solutions for all manner of legal proceedings. As Director of Operations with TrialGraphix and a Technology Consultant, J.D. supplies clients with a breadth of past experience as a writer, designer, project manager, and technology specialists.
J.D has supported clients in notable cases include: In re Lehman Brothers; State of Indiana v. IBM Corp.; City of St. Louis v. American Tobacco Co., Inc; City of Joliet v. Mid-City National Bank of Chicago; Republic Tobacco, L.P. v. BBK Tobacco & Foods, LLP; and Hanson Aggregates Midwest v. Village of La Grange.
Prior to joining TrialGraphix, J.D. was a production coordinator at International Profit Associates, an assistant director at the Jacksonville Regional Economic Development Corporation, and the business and agriculture editor at the Jacksonville Journal-Courier.
J.D. holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Alexis Forbes, Ph.D.
Senior Litigation Consultant
Alexis Forbes is a Senior Litigation Consultant for Magna Legal Services. received a Ph.D. in Psychology & Law from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY), and a B.S. in Psychology at Georgia State University. Her education involved extensive research, training, and coursework in decision making, statistics, and research methodology. Dr. Forbes taught Undergraduate Research Methods in Psychology to hundreds of students during her five years as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Dr. Forbes’ research has focused on bias against ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities. She has several publications in the area of bias against people who identify as LGBTQ+. In her 14 years in the trial consulting industry, Dr. Forbes has given many CLEs on jury questionnaire development, juror profiling, and voir dire strategies.
Dr. Forbes’ training gives her unique insight in reducing bias in cases involving tax fraud, employment matters, criminal cases, and personal injury cases. She has extensive experience with cases involving breach of contract, medical malpractice, toxic tort, and government. She also has experience with cases in the technology sector, including antitrust, theft of trade secrets, unfair competition and Fair Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) claims. In her role as Senior Litigation Consultant, Dr. Forbes has selected over 70 juries, designed and led mock juror and focus group research, conducted juror profile analyses, and specializes in juror questionnaire construction and voir dire strategies.
Dr. Forbes is a board member for the American Society of Trial Consultants. In her spare time she enjoys being with family and friends, gardening, and painting.
John D. Gilleland, Ph.D.
Senior Litigation Consultant
Dr. John D. Gilleland is a Senior Litigation Consultant at Magna Legal Services, a full-service litigation consulting and strategic communications firm with offices in Chicago, Delaware, Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa, and Boston, Washington DC.
Dr. Gilleland provides research-based and experiential data analysis to trial teams throughout the country. He has worked on all types of high-profile and large-exposure litigation, including in the areas of antitrust, product liability, intellectual property, labor & employment, professional malpractice, environmental, and securities. He consults on national litigation matters pertaining to a variety of industries, including construction, automotive, airline, pharmaceutical, petroleum/petrochemical, biotech, manufacturing, and medical.
John D. Gilleland is an expert in witness preparation, has worked with hundreds of witnesses, and has assisted with witness training schools for multiple firms involved with forensic accounting services. He has also participated in over 350 jury selections, assisting counsel with oral and written voir dire, the construction of supplemental juror questionnaires, and actual in-court jury selections.
As a full-time jury consultant and researcher since 1988, Dr. Gilleland has been in the national spotlight on numerous occasions, has appeared as a commentator on both local and national talk shows, and has been quoted in a wide range of media, including national publications such as The National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. John Gilleland has over 32 years of dedicated jury consulting research experience and has conducted mock jury work on over 1,200 cases, as well as strategic hourly consulting on hundreds of others.
A noted jury consulting expert, Dr. Gilleland has been honored to present and deliver CLEs for numerous legal organizations throughout the country, including the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA), the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Defense Research Institute, several Inns of the Court, and various state and local bar associations. His professional affiliations include the American Psychological Association, the American Bar Association, the American Psychology-Law Society, and the American Society of Trial Consultants.
In his spare time, Dr. Gilleland enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.
Senior Vice President of Business Development
Jessica Gimbel
Senior Vice President of Business Development
Jessica Gimbel Carnes is Magna’s Senior Vice President of Business Development based out of the company’s New York City office.
Jessica uses a hands-on approach with her clients, supporting them throughout all stages of litigation — from conception to completion. She’s connected throughout the litigation industry and is a member of the Women’s Trial Network of New York (WTNNY).
Jessica received her Bachelor’s degree at Drexel University and joined Magna in 2010. She originally started as Peter Hecht’s assistant in the Philadelphia office and climbed her way up the ranks. Her hard work dubbed her as Peter Hecht’s protégé, as she worked her way to Business Development Manager then VP of Business Development.
Jessica is originally from Philadelphia and has been working in the NYC office since 2015. She is an avid traveler and a dual citizen of Italy and the U.S.. She often makes a stop in Italy when traveling in Europe.
Director of Business Development
Joseph Glenn
Director of Business Development
Joe Glenn works in Business Development for Magna Legal Services out of the company’s office in Denver, Colorado. He is a Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration
After 5 years of working for Chicago’s leading trial consulting firm, Creative Counsel, Joe joined the Magna team when his company was acquired by Magna in 2015.
Joe was born and raised in Connecticut and lived in Chicago for 8 years. While working out of Magna’s Chicago office, he demonstrated his strong relationship-building skills and dedication to client satisfaction. He since moved to Colorado in 2020 with his wife and daughter and is now leading business development in Magna’s Denver office.
Manager, Trial Technology Production
Craig Gordon
Manager, Trial Technology Production
Craig Gordon is a Trial Technology Production Manager for Magna Legal Services/TrialGraphix. Providing trusted litigation support since 2008, Craig specializes in the preparation of large-scale trial production databases, as well as providing valuable support in all aspects of trial consulting services.
Craig’s extensive background stretches through litigation database software’s such as TrialDirector, OnCue, Document Exhibitor, Concordance, Summation, Sanction, and Relativity.
Craig has created databases for many leading law firms across the country including: Proskauer Rose; Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman; Greenberg Traurig; Davis Wright Tremaine; Venable; Morgan Lewis & Bockus; Steptoe & Johnson, Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson; Shearman & Sterling; McCarter & English; Latham & Watkins; Bingham McCutchen; Kelley Drye& Warren; Gibson Dunn & Crutcher; and Baker Botts.
Craig holds an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science in Graphic Arts Advertising Production Management from CUNY New York City College of Technology.
Logan Greenfield
Jury & Litigation Consultant
Logan Greenfield received his B.A. in Psychology from Vassar College and his M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, where his coursework focused on research design, behavioral analysis, and investigative interviewing. Prior to joining Magna, Mr. Greenfield gained experience in the field as a research analyst, providing logistic coordination and data analysis for both in-person and online mock trials. In his current role at Magna, Logan uses his knowledge of juror decision-making and qualitative research design to assist clients at every stage of the pre-trial cycle.
Vice President of Business Development
Kevin Grodnick
Vice President of Business Development
Kevin Grodnick is Magna’s Vice President of Business Development based out of the company’s office in Chicago, IL.
Kevin works with identifying and solving problems for law firms, Fortune 100 companies, and large insurance carriers. By listening to his clients, Kevin puts together creative, outside-of-the-box solutions. He quickly built a reputation for himself as a “go-to” contact in the litigation support space for supporting trial teams and reducing costs.
Kevin joined Magna in 2011 in their New York City office. Six years later, he moved to lead business development in our Chicago office and assist with the acquisitions and integration of Lake Shore Court Reporting and Creative Counsel.
Katherine Hale
Presentation Consultant
Katherine Hale is a Presentation Consultant with Magna Legal Services and is based in Chicago. She works with attorneys and expert witnesses to develop persuasive visual concepts to aid judges and juries in understanding complex issues.
Katherine specializes in product liability and multidistrict litigation cases.
Katherine’s approach is to create powerful informational graphics that are conducive to a client’s presentation style. She leads teams in the production of concept storyboards, key illustrations, animations and presentation demonstratives for briefs, hearings, mock trials and trials.
Working on behalf of Teva Pharmaceuticals, Katherine has worked on opioid cases since 2019. In addition, she works on environmental, pharmaceutical and medical device cases on behalf of Monsanto, Bayer, Zimmer, Cook Medical and others.
Prior to joining Magna, Katherine has over two decades of experience in trial services and served as an art director and creative director for public relations firms in Chicago and Detroit.
Katherine attended two colleges at University of Michigan – the School of Art & Design and the College of Literature, Science and Arts and holds a B.A. in History.
Jennifer Harkleroad
Media Artist
Jennifer Harkleroad is a Media Artist for Magna Legal Services/TrialGraphix.
She is based out of Summerville, South Carolina and started her journey with Trialgraphix in April of 2022.
Previously, her experience was as a Visual Arts Educator and Team Leader in the public school system of South Carolina where she learned graphic conceptualization within many different media forms.
Her area of focus includes timelines, charts, graphs, and Powerpoint proficiency with the emphasis on visually explaining complex topics.
Jurors, Judges and Arbitrators find her graphics to be efficient communicators of intricate legal topics, legal arguments and evidence.
Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Clemson University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lander University.
Candi Hauff
Senior Technology Consultant
Candi Hauff is a Los Angeles based Senior Technology Consultant at TrialGraphix. She will be based out of Indianapolis in July of 2023. Her experience providing trial technology expertise to clients involved in high-stakes litigation started in 2005. Over her career, she has spent thousands of hours in courtrooms across the nation in more trials than she can remember!
Candi specializes in seamlessly displaying documents, graphics, animations, photos, video clips, and other exhibits/demonstratives that help emphasize our clients’ arguments to a courtroom audience. Her skills and experiences in the ‘hotseat’ have helped judges, juries, and arbitration panels visualize and better comprehend complex points with ease. Candi’s cool demeanor and presence in pressure-filled situations are key ingredients to her success. Her dedication and work ethic makes her a welcomed addition to any trial team.
Candi holds a B.S. from the University of Texas, San Antonio.
As a former Air Force Russian Cryptological Linguist, Candi absolutely loves to travel the world with her wife, Claudia and twin boys: Andrew and Thomas. “New adventures are what keep us going…whether it’s a road trip across the country or a Royal Caribbean cruise”.
Partner & Executive Vice President of Sales
Fax: 866.579.0819
Peter Hecht
Partner & Executive Vice President of Sales
As a founding partner and Executive Vice President of Sales for Magna Legal Services, Peter Hecht has orchestrated the company’s growth from a single office start-up to an industry leader. Mr. Hecht brings to the company significant experience in identifying emerging markets, managing sales professionals and establishing new marketing partners. He has directed the company’s national and local sales and marketing initiatives through a period of remarkable growth. Peter is a leader in forging and cultivating strategic customer relationships in the legal services field. He is also the Editor-In-Chief of the quarterly newsletter called Magna-FYI and co-chairman of the Educational Committee for Magna’s highly successful seminar series called, “Chopped for CHOP” an annual fund raiser for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Mr. Hecht speaks frequently at professional associations and meetings on a wide range of issues regarding the litigation support and consulting industry.
Prior to Magna Legal Services, Peter was Director of National Account Sales for a global court reporting and litigation support firm. He created and implemented a multi-level sales and national rollout program that was successfully adopted by the entire organization. Mr. Hecht also negotiated and closed numerous national agreements. Previously, he was Global Account Manager for AT&T, where he secured $20 million in new contracts over a period of five years and was inducted into the company’s President’s Circle.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Sociology, Rutgers University.
Organizations:
Sports & Entertainment Risk Management Alliance (SERMA) – Advisory Board, Marketing Committee
Recent Thought Leadership
- “There’s Fewer Small Court Reporting Agencies—But Don’t Blame Technology for That“ Law.com, 31, Jan 2022
- “Magna Legal Services Opens Colorado Office.” PRWeb, 13 Oct 2020
- “Trial Lawyers Strike Back as COVID-19 Fuels Litigation Support Innovation” Law.com, 6 May 2020
- “Working Remotely: Magna Legal Services Adapts to COVID-19 By Offering Even More Virtual Options” BusinessWire, 24 Mar 2020
- “Focus on Peter Hecht Partner at Magna Legal Services.” Jewish Community Voice, Jun 23, 2021
- “One-on-One with Magna Legal Services’ Peter Hecht.” Executive Leaders Radio, Jul 5, 2021
Managing Director, Trial Technology
Marco Heim
Managing Director, Trial Technology
Marco Heim is an industry leading Trial Technology Consultant. His services are sought after by all of the top law firms in the country. And for good reason. Always calm under pressure, his dedication to his craft is unrivaled.
Since entering the industry in 2006, Marco has worked on more than 800 matters nationwide, including numerous high-profile and mass exposure cases. Marco works with many leading law firms on all sorts of matters ranging from: securities, insurance, intellectual property, bankruptcy, entertainment law, civil rights, defective product/product liability, and professional malpractice matters.
In previous roles at TrialGraphix, Marco oversaw all aspects of trial graphics creation and trial technology. He consulted with clients and internal project managers to recommend strategic and appropriate graphics and technology solutions for even the most complex scenarios.
Before joining the legal industry, Marco spent several years working in live sports television production and is very accustomed to sitting in the hotseat.
Marco is based in New Jersey. He graduated from Felician College with a Business Marketing and Management degree.
R. Cortlandt Heroy, M.A.
Litigation & Jury Consultant
Cort entered the litigation and jury consulting field after retiring from 17 years as a therapist specializing in the treatment of personality disorders and PTSD. Cort has provided jury selection, mock jury, focus group, and theme development services in measure 11 criminal cases as well as on both sides of the aisle in civil cases. In addition to his trial consulting work, Cort frequently testifies as an expert witness in motions to sever and motions in limine hearings. He frequently gives CLEs to local bar associations and Universities on subjects related to the intersection of psychology and trial law. Cort also serves as a member of the board of directors for the American Society of Trial Consultants. When not working, Cort can be found acting as tech support for his septuagenarian parents, wife, and two children, cheering for his beloved Cleveland Browns, and secretly planning his next SAAB purchase (he has owned five thus far).
Cort has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Davidson College, a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology, and is currently an “all but dissertation” Ph.D. Candidate in Business Psychology with the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, having completed all coursework and passed his comprehensive exams. Cort’s dissertation and research focus is on the impact of accountability on conviction rates in joined criminal trials.
Senior Trial Presentation Consultant
Jacob Horseman
Senior Trial Presentation Consultant
Jacob Horseman is a Senior Trial Presentation Consultant at Magna Legal Services in Charleston, SC. Since 2012, Jacob has supported more than 100+ trials and arbitrations nationwide and internationally. His expertise lies in high pressure situations that require speed, precision, and versatility. Working with some of the top law firms in the country, he has supported cases in various areas, including product liability, contract disputes, bankruptcy, torts, securities, and patents.
In collaboration with Magna’s graphic artists, Jacob partners with attorneys and experts to create and maintain a fluid and dynamic multimedia presentation, providing support and advice on presentation development and graphic communications.
Jacob joined Magna LS with the acquisition of TrialGraphix in 2023. Before entering the litigation support industry, Jacob served six years in the United States Air Force as an F-16 crew chief and unit deployment manager. Jacob earned a B.B.A. from the University of Georgia and a J.D. from Florida State University. He is CEDS certified and licensed to practice law in Illinois and South Carolina.
National Director of Graphics Consulting & Trial Presentation
Scott M. Horwitz, Esq
National Director of Graphics Consulting & Trial Presentation
Scott Horwitz, Esq. is a graphics and trial technology consultant who specializes in simplifying complex legal concepts through the development of effective and compelling demonstrative exhibits. Scott has consulted on hundreds of cases and created all facets of visual production, giving him the ability to clearly present cases of varying sizes and intricacies, from small-scale local litigation to complex national litigation. His work involves the development and design of graphics, animations, multi-media, and interactive presentations.
Scott began his career as a litigator at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in the trial division and later in the Trial Technology Special Litigation Unit. In this role, he tried cases and oversaw digital evidence presentations, custom graphics, and discovery issues for over 860 state’s attorneys in the felony trial, financial crimes, and civil divisions. Scott also worked as an associate attorney at Pretzel & Stouffer in Chicago where he specialized in medical negligence and civil litigation proceedings. Prior to joining Magna, Scott was a design consultant managing projects and developing graphics and demonstratives for litigation matters of all sizes.
Scott has also spent extensive time as a trial technology educator and instructor. He was an adjunct instructor at The John Marshall Law School where he taught advanced trial advocacy with an emphasis on utilizing digital courtroom presentations. Additionally, he has educated prosecuting attorneys on the effective use of trial technology at the University of Illinois at Springfield and trained State’s Attorneys and visiting professionals from around the world in the use of trial technology through the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
EDUCATION:
Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D.
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, B.S. Advertising
Vice President of Strategic Accounts
Joan Jackson
Vice President of Strategic Accounts
Since 2006, Joan Jackson has been a trusted ally in the litigation community by supporting her corporate clients and law firms as they attempt to mitigate risk and prepare for potential trial. Ms. Jackson collaborates with her clients by analyzing each matter and recommending specific litigation support services with a goal of achieving a positive outcome within a given budget. Ms. Jackson serves as a main point of contact or liaison to her clients by overseeing cases from inception to trial and/or settlement. Joan works closely with her team of trusted consultants, routinely performs research and prepares proposals. Prior to consulting at Magna Legal Services, Joan worked for two national litigation consulting firms.
B.K. Jackson
Senior Technology Consultant
B.K. Jackson is an experienced Technology Consultant in audiovisual engineering and multimedia production for over 25 years. BK brings to our team his years of highly-rated results and satisfied clients in securities/FINRA, intellectual property/patent, contract dispute, defective product/product liability, and professional malpractice matters (amongst other areas). Our clients say B.K. is best characterized by his big smile, positive attitude and ability to work long hours with pleasure for the benefit of the trial team.
With decades in Presentation Technology, his dedicated tenure in Trial Support/ Litigation Technology Consulting spans 14 years of experience and 100+ matters successfully served. B.K. began in litigation consulting when he opened The S.P. Agency as a vendor with an office housed in the of Columbus State University/University of Georgia Small Business Technology Incubator back in 2009, assisting clients in the Georgia and Alabama region. By 2010, B.K. was on the radar in the field and was then recruited to Kroll OnTrack/Trialgraphix.
B.K.’s background also includes work in the entertainment/events/media industries. Notable credits include:
- former Camera Operator and Video Editor for both ABC and FOX affiliate stations,
- Directing and Producing media developed for Amazon Prime and Nickelodeon distribution,
- Podcast Host and lead content manager for Play Your Way Network/Player Way Podcast,
- Former Operations Manager for PSAV/Encore,
- Director of Audiovisual for Gas South District Convention Center,
- a former credentialed member of the Collegiate Associated Press,
- Technical Director of the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum convention sponsored by Synovus/TSYS/Aflac,
- Multimedia Production Manager for the Cunningham Conference Center; and has worked as a
- contractor with DecisionQuest in Virtual/Hybrid Trial Recording and Presentation.
According to Dr. Richard Baxter (former Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Columbus State University), B.K. is considered a distinguished alum, who was instrumental in the transformation of the CSU Mass Communications department, going from a more speech communication focus in course offering, to the media production and broadcast institute it has become.
When BK isn’t serving our clients, he’s well known in his social circle as a chef and food hobbyist. Ask him about his white jacket.
Director of Jury Consulting – West Coast
Kellie Janke, M.A.
Director of Jury Consulting – West Coast
Kellie Janke, M.A. is a Senior Litigation Consultant for Magna Legal Services. Kellie is experienced in all aspects of pre-trial research. She has provided litigation support on civil matters across the country in the form of jury research including focus groups, mock trials, venue analysis, community attitude surveys, jury profiling, voir dire consultation, and damages valuation. In addition, Kellie has assisted trial teams with witness preparation and communication training, jury selection, trial monitoring, shadow juries, and post-trial juror interviews.
Kellie has consulted on numerous multi-million dollar cases including intellectual property, product liability, property and contract disputes, personal injury, wrongful death, fraud, malpractice, government, insurance coverage, and construction defect.
Ms. Janke is a trained neuroscientist which allows her to apply her scientific and clinical expertise to cases with complex medical and technical issues. Kellie also draws upon her knowledge of human physiology and neurobiology to understand how all jurors’ process, store, and retrieve complex case information and how individual abilities and motivational states impact jury decision making.
Kellie has provided continuing legal education courses and presentations across the nation for various organizations, universities, and law firms. She is a published author in the field of neuroscience and has presented her research at numerous conferences. She is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and the American Society of Trial Consultants. She has a Master’s degree in Neural and Cognitive Sciences from Bowling Green State University.
Director of Business Development
Kevin Johnson
Director of Business Development
Kevin Johnson is Magna’s Director of Business Development, based out of the company’s HQ office in Philadelphia. He is a Temple University alumnus and joined the Magna team in 2009. For over a decade with Magna, Kevin has demonstrated strong dedication to his clients, supporting them throughout the litigation cycle.
Kevin resides in Philadelphia with his wife and three children and enjoys playing golf in his free time.
Gail Kalnajs
Business Development Manager
Gail Kalnajs is a Business Development Manager at Magna, based in the company’s Chicago office. In this role, Gail assists law firms and corporate clients by learning about their practices and identifying the specific litigation support services they need to achieve a positive outcome, all within their budget.
Gail has over 20 years of experience assisting executives, founders, partner attorneys, associates, paralegals and assistants. She has supported businesses in every stage —from start-ups companies to international business ventures. Gail’s primary goal is to meet the needs of the client and remain client focused at all times.
Prior to Magna Legal Services, Gail worked for two national litigation consulting firms.
Sarah Kim
Senior Media Artist
Sarah Kim is a Senior Media Artist based in Korea. She is a designer with experience working in different industries from healthcare to legal services. She collaborates with designers, team of lawyers, and experts to create persuasive demonstratives for multi-million-dollar litigation. She is fluent in data visualization and infographic design and has worked with many high-profile clients such as Citi, Apple, Intel, FedEx, Whirlpool, and Exxon.
Sarah Kim joined Magna Legal Services with the acquisition of TrialGraphix. Prior to joining TrialGraphix in 2021, Sarah was the Graphic Design Project Manager at Paul Weiss and the Associate Art Director at Impact Trial Consulting. She began her career as a Medical Illustrator and Animator for OPENPediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, developing engaging visuals of medical procedures, anatomy, and physiology.
Sarah holds a B.F.A. in Animation from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Andrea Krebel, Ph.D.
Litigation Consultant
Andrea Krebel received a Ph.D. in applied Social Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago, and a B.A. in Applied Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her education involved extensive research, training, and coursework in jury decision making, statistics and research methodology. Her thesis and dissertation specifically involved research on damage award judgments.
Dr. Krebel has over a decade of experience in litigation consulting. She has extensive experience in pretrial juror research, including focus groups, mock trials, damages evaluation studies, mock arbitrations and mock bench trials, community attitude surveys, and profiling surveys. She has also assisted clients with witness preparation and communication training, jury selection, SJQ development and scoring, shadow juries, and post-trial juror interviews. Dr. Krebel has assisted on several hundred cases nationwide, including medical malpractice, personal injury, contract, intellectual property, employment, civil rights, toxic tort, pharmaceutical, and false claims act cases.
Dr. Krebel is a member of the American Society of Trial Consultants. She conducts CLEs and presentations nationwide. Prior to working in litigation consulting, Dr. Krebel was a research statistician at a major market research firm. In her spare time, she could be found watching hockey or knitting.
Senior Medical Animator/Illustrator & Creative Consultant
Peter Kuempel M.A.M.S
Senior Medical Animator/Illustrator & Creative Consultant
Peter Kuempel has over 10 years of experience as a Medical Illustrator and 3D animator. His education includes a strong foundation in biology and traditional art training from Minnesota State University. Peter then went on to earn his Master’s degree in Biomedical Visualization from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Prior to Magna Legal Services, Peter worked as a Medical Illustrator and 3D animator for 3FX inc. in Philadelphia. More recently, Peter was Lead Animator and Medical Illustrator for the Department of Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
Peter is currently Lead 3D Animator and Medical Illustrator for Magna Legal Services where he specializes in creating a wide variety of informative graphics and demonstratives intended for court room presentations. Peter’s skills in the medical legal and biological fields include medical animation and illustration focusing on accident reconstruction, medical device/appliance demonstration, drug mechanism of action, disease state pathophysiology, and surgical demonstration produced specifically for court room environments. Peter is skilled at translating complex scientific ideas and processes into clear, dynamic visuals.
Chief Operating Officer of Litigation Consulting
David Kurzman
Chief Operating Officer of Litigation Consulting
As COO of the Ligation Support group, David Kurzman oversees all operations, employees and service offerings; including Jury Research, Graphics Consulting and Presentations Consulting.
Mr. Kurzman has been instrumental in spearheading the technical development of Magna’s online research tool, JuryConfirm. JuryConfirm uses instant feedback technology, online polling, and a fully integrated presentation interface to effectively emulate the benefits of in-person research in an online environment.
David Kurzman has been working in the litigation support field since 2004, first starting as a Jury Research Coordinator and Trial Presentation Consultant. As research coordinator, Mr. Kurzman is responsible for all aspects of Jury Research project coordination and set-up; which include matter venue and demographic analysis, mock-jury selection, juror feedback systems and team project management. Mr. Kurzman has participated in numerous jury research sessions for a variety of litigation matters including but not limited to asbestos, mold/mildew, environmental, toxic tort, contract, technology, construction, patent, employment, personal injury, antitrust and medical malpractice.
In his role as a Trial Presentation Consultant Mr. Kurzman’s worked hand in hand with the trial team and witnesses to prepare documents, video depositions and graphics for presentation in the court room. In addition, he advises and assists in honing presentations to optimize juror communication strategies, aiding attorney’s oral arguments. Mr. Kurzman has been engaged in numerous matters including but not limited to asbestos, mold/mildew, environmental, toxic tort, contract, technology, construction, patent, employment, personal injury, antitrust and medical malpractice.
Prior to joining Magna Legal Service’s Mr. Kurzman served as Trial Presentation Consultant and Research Coordinator at Trial Alliance litigation support company.
Eric Lalande
Litigation Consultant
Eric Lalande, M.A. is a Litigation Consultant with Magna Legal Services, LLC. Eric’s primary role as a litigation consultant is to assist trial counsels with creating effective trial strategies and arguments for a wide range of complex litigation issues using various research methodologies including, focus group moderation, mock trials, shadow juries, jury selection/voir dire and quantitative research development. In addition Mr. Lalande also works directly with counsel to develop complex trial graphics to present the most persuasive themes at trial. Before working in the litigation consulting field, Mr. Lalande spent years working as a therapist for individuals with substance abuse addictions and developmental disorders. He brings hands-on experience to our consulting team regarding how individuals learn and retain information and how individuals make decisions in group settings.
Mr. Lalande has worked on a diverse set of cases including but not limited to medical malpractice, personal injury, insurance coverage, financial, patent/IP, construction and contractual disputes. Eric Lalande is a regular guest-lecturer at the Pennsylvania State University and has presented lessons on jury research, focus groups, jury selection and voir dire. He has provided continuing legal education courses and presentations for various legal firms and organizations. Mr. Lalande is a Penn State graduate with a degree in Psychology and he obtained his Master’s in Criminology from DeSales University.
Wendy Lam
Graphics Consultant
Wendy is a Graphics Consultant with Magna Legal Services/TrialGraphix, based in Chicago, IL. A true city girl at heart, she is originally from the Big Apple and is no stranger to intense and fast-paced environments.
Prior to joining the litigation world in 2021, Wendy worked for non-profit organizations creating impactful presentations to help further their missions and purpose. She has since traded her desk for war rooms, where she now produces compelling visuals from openings through closings.
Outside of mocks and expert preps, you can catch her out on runs or searching for the perfect bagel that will give her a taste of home.
Wendy obtained her Bachelors of Arts from the International Academy of Art and Technology in Chicago.
Alexandra Lerner
Business Development Manager
Alexandra has a background in Business Development and selling Language Services to top International Arbitration and Litigation Law Firms around the Globe. She’s currently writing her first novel.
