Let’s face it – some cases are more complicated than others. And when you land a particularly difficult one, it can lead you to a bit of a standstill.
Do I settle or go to trial? Is all the information organized? Will your witnesses be credible to a jury?
Will your presentation of the evidence lead to the result you’re hoping for?
Focus groups are a great way to get the unbiased feedback you need to make decisions, and Elizabeth is here to help you do that.
If you’re stumped by a case issue, settlement decision or difficult client expectations, checking in with 8-12 individuals with no other knowledge of the case can be extremely beneficial. Elizabeth Larrick offers focus groups (in person and virtual formats), including mock trials, on several different levels.
Schedule a Free Consultation Call.
~ Ryan Johnson
You will learn what potential jurors think and feel about your case. By presenting the facts and circumstances of your case in a neutral environment, potential jurors will provide more insight and comments into their positions.
Often, lawyers will develop tunnel-vision on their cases and block out other possible points-of-view. This tunnel-vision can cause lawyers to miss holes or red flags during file development, which leads to lost case value and defense verdicts.
Focus groups are the tool lawyers can use to test their case and learn the problems prospective jurors may have toward the facts, circumstances, and involved parties. Focus groups come in a wide variety of styles and designs, including mock trial, which can be used by lawyers to expand their knowledge.
From the start, a focus group can be used to issue-spot and provide guidance on discovery to conduct and investigations to perform.
In the middle, the focus group can assist in checking your case theory, test witness credibility, and gain deeper understanding of damages.
At the end, a focus group is a fantastic practice round before trial – getting on your feet to run an opening statement, check your jury selection questions or take a swing at your closing argument.
But if you find yourself at the doorstep of trial with no time or money to run a focus group, I offer a Trial Strategy session. The one-on-one session is to focus on what jurors may think about your case and how best to present the evidence. Plus we tackle your questions and concerns about the case!
Yes.
Over the past four years, Elizabeth has created a system to advertise and recruit participants from your chosen venue. Each participant will pass through a screening process which includes a technology check and photo identification.
Elizabeth has years of experience in trial consulting and 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 lawyer’s skill level. Elizabeth will jump in to ask the feedback questions of the focus group and keep the conversation neutral.
Trial consulting and 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!)
Yes, but virtual options can offer beneficial feedback with less hassle for you and your team.
Focus Groups will find and provide hidden gems that will help you shore up their case. If you wait to run the focus group, you could lose value time that allows you to make corrections. Waiting could mean potentially leaving money on the table.
Rescheduling is dependent on the circumstances and contract terms.
Elizabeth has developed a system for finding and vetting the individuals to participate in the focus group. These individuals are chosen from a group of people who complete an online questionnaire and screening system. The selected group is representative of a cross-section of the community – range of ages, occupations, backgrounds, etc. Participants are vetted to prevent repeat attendance.
When you chose Elizabeth for your focus group, you receive a chart of the participants demographic information in the days leading up to your focus group.
We have every participant sign a confidentiality & non-disclosure agreement before entering the focus group (in person or virtual). Additionally, all participants are notified at the beginning of every focus group and asked to verbally agreement on video.
If the case has a protective order, we can also have participants sign & agree to the protective order.
In certain situations, we have re-worked the presentations to prevent disclosure of party names.
All the focus groups, virtual and in-person, and mock trials are video and audio recorded.
With in-person focus groups and mock trials we hire a professional videographer to ensure a quality audio and video recording.
Having a video file to review at a later time is essential for squeezing all the information from the focus groups.
~ Will | Austin, Texas
Two years ago, Elizabeth started her own podcast Trial Lawyer Prep to talk about preparing cases, interview lawyers, and provide ‘how to’ tips for lawyers.
Because you’re so close to your case, it can be hard to ask the right questions to get unbiased feedback. That’s why our focus group design and implementation will help you get the real results you need to move forward. Schedule a focus group consultation call today.
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