Podcast - Part II: The Do’s and Don’ts of Demonstratives
Podcast - Part I - The Do’s and Don’ts of Demonstratives
Podcast - How Do You Define Success?
Podcast - Seek Out Feedback
Podcast - Part I: Being an Expert Is a Lonely Business
Podcast - Finding Common Ground
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 504: Listen and Learn -- Motions for Judgment as a Matter of Law and Motions for New Trial (Civ Pro)
Podcast - "Ready for Trial?"
Podcast - Every Case Is a New World
Podcast - The 3 Core Themes of Trial Law: Do the Right Thing
Podcast - How Did We Get Here?
Podcast - Parting Thoughts: Be a "Peddler of Common Sense"
Against All Odds- Part Four
Podcast - Expert Witnesses, Special Issues
Podcast - Direct Examination of Expert Witnesses
Podcast - Drowning in Complexity
Podcast: Part I - Reading the Jury
Podcast - How to Use Humor and Anger Effectively in the Courtroom
Preparing for Deposition Success
Podcast - Connecting Separate Pieces of Evidence Clearly, Persuasively
An Illinois appellate court recently reversed a $43 million jury verdict in a personal injury case (Kroft v. Viper Trans, Inc.)1 involving an automobile collision, remanding the case for another trial—now the third—after the...more
Here’s a scenario we often see when watching deliberations in a mock trial: The subject of the defendant’s alternate damages number comes up, and jurors see it as a weakness...more
I remember a recent mock trial where a jury reached the point of considering damages, and one juror threw out a number to start the discussion: “Let’s just say five million.” When another juror challenged the basis for that,...more
During a particularly lengthy hardship and jury selection process in the New York City Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) court, a client brought in some interesting research his firm had conducted over the past four years in that...more
Question: How did the jury arrive at the decision to award the plaintiff $20 million in damages? Actual Juror #1: We came up with a percentage approach, and that’s what we all discussed. We started with what she was asking...more
IMS Strategy Consultant Dr. Clint Townson delves into jurors’ anti-corporate bias—including how to uncover biases through social media research and counteract them with an impactful company story—as well as ways to avoid...more
IMS Strategy Consultant Dr. Clint Townson discusses the benefits of early case theme development and the factors leading jurors to award massive damages....more
Data compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute shows that lawsuits targeting the trucking industry have increased at an exponential pace, seen in both the volume of cases and the size of verdict awards. When...more
From the time we were kids, most of us swiftly learned what was likely to get us punished: a spanking or — for more recent generations — a time out. Usually, that was brought out by something we did, or by the situation we...more
As a legal category, punitive damages are not very common in U.S. civil trials, being available and awarded in just six percent of cases. But in the broader sense of “punitive,” the motivation to punish or to correct behavior...more
“Seeing is believing,” and based on the social science, we tend to apply that adage even when the visual aid does not rationally add to the substantive proof. Visuals makes things easier to call to mind later (which makes...more
Sometimes as a defendant, you find yourself in the position where you need to admit to at least some part of the plaintiff’s liability claim. The plaintiff really was injured, and there really was a step that was skipped on...more
It is well known that some people have it in for corporations, especially when these large companies find themselves on the defense side in a courtroom. Our own research has shown that a negative attitude is very common, with...more
For plaintiffs, the topic of monetary damages can be a bit of a mystery. In making the request to a jury, the appropriately named ad damnum, the question is: How much? Obviously, more is better, but common sense and...more