Thanks to courtroom dramas, the “CSI effect” and Netflix documentaries, there’s often an unrealistic evidentiary expectation in courtrooms. This makes it difficult for the average person to predict jury decisions in the modern world. By using online focus groups, it’s possible to remove some of this uncertainty. These focus groups provide the benefits of analytics in trial prep, and they can help you recognize and correct weaknesses in your legal strategy.
What is an Online Focus Group?
Online focus groups are used in many industries to garner ongoing feedback related to products, entertainment, political campaigns and other areas where public opinion is important. In the legal world, they provide a virtual simulation of the courtroom environment. This allows for jury research and real-time analysis of juror decisions.
The best legal online focus groups present a realistic recreation of the courtroom setting. This includes breakout deliberation rooms and interactive avatars that represent live jurors. By mimicking these real-life situations, it’s possible to get the same benefits of mock trials in a virtual environment.
What You Can Learn from an Online Focus Group
Identifying the right jury can be difficult even if you’ve done everything right in your trial preparation. If you haven’t built your case around the appropriate themes to avoid confusion, though, this process can be downright daunting. In the end, this can cause an otherwise solid case to go downhill quickly.
Fortunately, online focus groups allow you to pinpoint the most persuasive themes before standing in front of a live jury. You can identify the problems with your storylines, correct them and then attempt your new strategy in a time-efficient manner.
Online focus groups also allow you to identify areas that are confusing, important or most relevant to your case prior to trial. By utilizing this process, you can pinpoint the perfect strategy without having to test it in a real-world focus group or the courtroom.
Is an Online Focus Group Right for You?
Online focus groups are one of the easiest and most economical means to test your case in your venue. You may still be wondering, though, whether such a strategy is right for you. In reality, there’s no case that can’t be improved through the use of an online focus group.
If for no other reason, this is true simply because it alleviates time and budgetary constraints that prevent you from making the most effective case for a jury. Additionally, you can recruit mock juries from your trial venue without traveling yourself. It’s also possible to ask targeted questions that can later help in jury selection and trial strategy.
You’ll find that online focus groups are especially beneficial in the areas of personal injury, commercial litigation and criminal law. When it comes down to it, though, this insight can strengthen a case in any area of litigation.
Future Advancements
Technology has turned online focus groups into a powerful tool in the legal arena, and future advancements will continue to build upon their effectiveness. The explosion in interactive and software technology over the past few years has resulted in the growth and increased acceptance of online jury research.
The improved strategies and acceptance of this tool no doubt mean that better things are on the horizon. This includes more robust platforms, improved analytics and better juror interactions in the courtrooms. There’s no way to predict everything that will happen in a real-world trial setting, but online focus groups will get you as close as possible.
Learn More About Online Focus Groups
Online focus groups are increasingly becoming a necessity in trial preparation. They provide all the benefits of mock trials while avoiding many of the prohibitive costs. To learn more about online focus groups and what they can do for your trial strategy, contact us at Magna Legal Services today.
Related: