trial consulting
What Do You Know About Trial Consulting?
There are many firms and experts that offer services to legal firms or lawyers in the field of legal trial psychology. They provide services at stages of court cases that include trial simulation, witness testimony preparation and testimony organization. Trial consultants are social science experts or social scientists, clinical psychologists and communication experts who support lawyers in a trial.
Trial consulting had existed for a long time; it is only of recent that it has come into prominence. This is mainly because of the huge amount of remuneration for the services of trial consultants. Unlike past more and more criminal and civil lawyers are now turning towards trial consulting services to tackle the challenges of the litigation demands.
Trial consultant services are majorly hired for assistance in the following legal matters:
1. Art forgery and copyright suits
2. Health care
3. Environmental and ecological cases
4. Racial and gender discrimination cases
5. Personal loss to property, body or reputation
What is the job description of a trial consultant?
1. Selection of jury: The primary task of trial consultants concern the assistance provided during the jury selection process. Before the trial, the consultants assist the attorneys and provide analytical and commentary information of the tips to pick the best jurors in a particular given case. Trial consultants draft questions that can help in extracting the best possible information about the potential jurors even before the beginning of the trial. They make the selection of jury without any biases as it solely rests on the intuitions and generalizations about the attitude of the jurors.
2. Working with witnesses and evidence: Preparing the witness before examination on the stands. It is almost like dress rehearsal before the big day. The mock trials and focus groups are undoubtedly the best services offered by trial consultants. It is also their responsibility to ready the evidence and exhibits to be presented in court during the trial. They create visual strategies for the cases and craft effective ways to translate complex legal concepts into easy impactful visuals.
3. Creating graphics and presentation for trial: Trial consultants work with the trial team to develop and revise the visual components that the team has plans to make during the trials. The trial consultants work hand-in-hand with the trial team to meet the requirement of the trial.
4. Deciding on trial strategy: They also help in creating persuasive presentations as people learn better through the visuals. The trial consultants’ responsibility includes planning which witness to bring and how to leverage their part of the story. This is extremely important as it helps to shape the juror’s perception. Their recommendations are based on proper research. Also to minimize costs, they work closely with the attorneys, so that they are aware of every little thing in the case.
5. Keep a financial track: Trial consultants also keep a close watch of the financial aspect of the trial. The cost is estimated keeping all the resources in mind. If the case is too expensive for the firm, then they might suggest some changes or tweak it a little.
Remember, a trial consultant cannot assure that the verdict will be in your favor. Trial consultants like attorneys come in different sizes and the benefits of hiring trial consultants largely depends on the kind of the consultants hired. Before hiring trial consultants you need to keep few things in mind. Some of them are listed below for your ease:
- The qualification, credentials and real-world experience are really important. So before hiring the consultants do all these things in consideration. A company that has experience of more than two years must be given preference. Also, check if they have worked on such projects earlier.
- They must be able to work under immense pressure and have a team of experts and professionals who are well-versed in their work. This you can gauge after engaging in a brief meeting with them.
- The service provider must not be too expensive. They must fit in the budget of the attorneys. Before you hire their services be sure of the cost. To find affordable consultants it is advisable to collect quotes from a quite a few trial consultants.
Now that you are well aware of the role of trial consultants don’t undermine their importance. They can actually strengthen your case you take you steps closer to victory.