Frequently Asked Questions

A trial is always teamwork. Each member of the trial team should be given a role to best use their talents. You shouldn’t try cover every aspect of a trial because it minimizes your areas of specialty. Naturally we can see everything and having an extra set of eyes, ears and brain will only make your case better.  By relying on testing trial organization and preparation, you increase your chances of a verdict.

Litigation consulting is the use of specialized expertise, experience and training (typically legal, psychological, or social science) to aid attorneys in building a case, whether it goes to trial or settles. Litigation consultants help prepare witnesses, improve case themes, assist with visual aides, direct examination, clarify communication of opening statements, assist with selecting juries, and run focus groups and mock trials.

Most lawyers contact a litigation consultant after filing a lawsuit. Elizabeth would recommend before you file because this give the opportunity to run a focus group and learn before you expend time and money on a case.

Elizabeth offers different levels of assistance depending on the stage of the case and therefore the cost varies. You can schedule a free consultation to learn more.

Absolutely. Gaining an outside perspective from an experience consultant and focus groups can make all the difference in deciding whether to settle or go to trial. You are much better off having the information to make decisions before walking into mediation.

Lawyers will naturally develop blind spots to their own cases, and a litigation consultant bring a fresh set of eyes and ears to the situation.  Additionally a litigation consultant can set up focus groups to further find any damaging juror assumptions or attitudes. Consulting can help you prepare for all possible changes and decision you have to make.

If your case is significant then it’s worth the time to probe and discover hidden assumptions and biases that jurors have, and find out what they are before trial so you can hopefully minimize problems.

You can do it yourself, and of course you’d save money. But you probably wouldn’t save time. More importantly, you may miss things an experienced focus group presenter/moderator could find from a group and learn more.

Our focus groups are developed from a different approach, instead of a 1-size fits all approach like a mock trial. Focus groups come in a variety of styles and approaches – just like cases. Not every case needs a mock trial, but every case going to trial needs to be put in front of a focus group.

Attaining unbiased feedback can be difficult for you to obtain as a lawyer working on the case. I will organize all the logistics, work together with you on the presentation and questions, and moderate the group to guarantee reliable feedback.

The best time is when you’ve spent the least amount of money – made the lowest investment, lowest out-of-pocket in your case, because:

(1) you’re going to maximize the benefit of that first FG through the whole case, and 

(2) you will be able to build your case around what jurors think instead of what you think

If you can identify right up front of what’s going to be two major hang ups, even one major hang up – you can solve those problems before discovery and depos, and you’ll position yourself phenomenally better than your opposing counsel because no one else is doing focus groups.

An experienced moderator will be able to present and question in a time-efficient manner, and keep the entire group engaged.  As an un-invested person, it is easy to remain neutral and dive deeper on negative comments or opinions to find the hidden reason for the participant’s position.

By using an experienced moderator, you can observe anonymously and devote all your attention to the participant feedback. This extra attention will allow you to take in body language cues and observe the reactions of the other participants. You will be able to learn more during the focus group and have a deeper analysis of the new information.

Yes. Virtual focus groups allow you to connect to folks in the comfort and safety of their own home, and keep pushing your case forward.

Elizabeth has years of experience in focus group presentations and is happy to offer assistance in choosing the right focus group to yield your desired feedback.

This is a great set-up and highly recommended. Presenting to a group of 12 strangers is practice for public speaking and will improve a lawyers skill level. Elizabeth will jump in to ask the feedback questions of the focus group and keep the conversation neutral.

Focus groups can provide feedback on … really anything! You want to learn about yourself and how you are perceived – a focus group can do it. You want to learn about the holes in your case and where you need to give attention – focus group it! You want to test your case theory, test your witness credibility, test the defense theory or defense witness credibility – focus group it! The hardest part about a focus group is learning how to present the information and ask the questions to receive unbiased feedback. (Biased feedback may make you feel fantastic, but it won’t help you learn and definitely won’t help your case!)

Elizabeth works with the lawyer to understand the client and case, review case materials, and create an individualized plan for the client testimony preparation. Elizabeth meets directly with the client for several hours. During the client meetings, Elizabeth addresses concerns, educates the client on the deposition or trial process, and works with the client to empower them to tell their story.

Typically 10-12 hours. Can be done in 2-4 days, dependent on client availability.

Yes.

As soon as you believe your client will benefit from an individualized testimony preparation, contact us. We can format a timeframe around your client and the dates of the deposition or trial.

That is not an issue.

Elizabeth has experience assisting clients involved in family law, offshore injuries, medical malpractice, wrongful death, criminal law, tractor-trailer crashes, and other specialized areas of the law. Her focus is the client and is willing to learn what is necessary to assist the client in their testimony.

Yes, as part of the Larrick Law Firm PC consulting services, I can travel to you.

Try to have all necessary documents from the case organized. That way, we can work together gathering any other information and reviewing it all in relation to the case.