Do you imagine a career in jury and trial consulting intriguing? If you envision yourself with this career but simply feel unsure on how to break into the field, this webinar is for you! Some of the topics of discussion include: 1.) Find where your passion and trial consulting intersect; 2.) Future trends in trial consulting—and recent innovations—online focus groups, courtroom technology, media driven graphics; 3.) Do you need an advanced degree to even be considered for a job in trial/jury consulting or to be successful; 4.) What the hiring consultant looks for when considering a new hire; 5.) What are the benefits of working in a firm or small group versus going solo; 6.) Being an in-house consultant—the advantages and disadvantages; 7.) Starting out with contract work; 8.) Making a name for yourself when you have little experience; and 9.) Is the profession just a fad?
Katherine JamesKatherine James is a trial consultant who specializes in live communication skills based in the discipline of theatre, and has been working to make attorneys and witnesses better courtroom communicators since 1977. Over 40,000 attorneys have taken ACT of Communication™ workshops that she developed with co-founder Alan Blumenfeld. She has helped take over 1,500 cases to trial and helped prepare literally thousands of witnesses, including experts of every stripe. She coaches witnesses and their lawyers to reach, persuade and activate jurors.Daniel Wolfe, JD, PhDDr. Daniel Wolfe is Senior Vice President of DecisionQuest, Inc., a trial consulting and strategic communications firm, and he is based in their Chicago office. Dr. Wolfe provides research-based and experiential data analysis to trial teams nationwide and oversees the standards in practice of the jury consulting team nationally. Dr. Wolfe works on high-profile and large-exposure litigation involving such matters as antitrust, product liability, intellectual property, professional malpractice, environmental, and securities. He consults on national litigation matters pertaining to a variety of industries, including automotive, airline, pharmaceutical, petroleum/petrochemical, biotech, and medical. An expert in the fields of witness preparation, voir dire, and jury selection, he is also skilled in providing quantitative and qualitative analyses of venues through focus groups and mock trials.Dr. Wolfe received his J.D., his Ph.D. in law and psychology, and his M.A. in psychology from the University of Nebraska. He holds his B.A. in psychology and sociology from Colorado State University.Bliss PivergerBliss Piverger’s background includes a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University, a Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of Hartford, and a JD from American University Washington College of Law (WCL) in Washington, D.C. Bliss has performed research on numerous topics in psychology and law. Also, for many years, she served as a reviewer for the Graduate Student Journal of Psychology at Columbia University. Before law school, Bliss worked on various workforce development initiatives through the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). After her first year of law school, she served as a law clerk at the Legal Aid of the District of Columbia. In her second year, Bliss was a law clerk for a boutique law firm in Chicago, Illinois, aiding primarily on trusts and estates cases. In the summer of 2016, she completed intensive training through the Litigation Skills Summer Institute in Washington, D.C. Upon graduating law school, Bliss worked as an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) specialist for the U.S. Department of the Navy. She draws from her background in law and psychology as well as previous work experiences to inform and assist in jury research services.Faye HonigFaye Honig graduated with her Masters in Forensic Psychology from the George Washington University in May 2018. During her studies, she completed a 2-year trial consulting internship under the mentorship of Ed Lazarus of Winning Works. She has been doing contract trial consulting work for the past five months.