What will they think about your case?
ASk US LJR Knows juries
Expert at Bringing Juries into Focus for 35 years
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Dr. Ellen Leggett is one of the nation’s premier jury trial consultants specializing in the application of psychology to trial practice. LJR delivers consulting and research of the highest quality to inform the strategic decisions facing trial lawyers and corporate clients. With over 35 years of experience in complex civil litigation in both Federal and State courts around the country, LJR knows juries.
Meet Us
Ellen L. Leggett, Ed.D. – Founder and President Harvard University Ed.D. Human Development Mount Holyoke College A.B. Psychology
Dr. Ellen Leggett is an innovative applied psychologist and pioneering trial consultant with over 35 years of experience working with civil trial lawyers. She was Director of the Los Angeles Trial Consulting practice at Litigation Sciences, widely regarded as the first national jury consulting firm in the industry, and subsequently founded Leggett Jury Research. She is nationally known for her expertise in assisting trial lawyers and witnesses in complex, high-stakes cases. She specializes in strategic and educationally sound approaches to case presentation for optimal juror comprehension. Her philosophy is based on the belief that jurors are competent to hear complex litigation if courtroom communication acknowledges their learning needs. Her consulting, therefore, emphasizes the importance of effective opening statements, the use of visual and memory aids at trial, and concise expert testimony. Read More
Stephanie D. Vollowitz, MBA - Senior Consultant The Pennsylvaia State University MBA Marketing UC Berkeley B.A. Psychology
Stephanie Vollowitz is a Senior Trial Consultant with over 25 years of experience in jury research. She worked with Ellen at Litigation Sciences.and joined LJR as the first employee. Stephanie has successfully collaborated with Dr. Leggett on many national high-profile cases. She is an expert at designing research questionnaires to assess jurors’ pre-existing attitudes and experiences as well as probe their perceptions of case issues. She brings her analytic skills to the task of interpreting quantitative data for strategic consideration. Read More
Services
Tried-And-True Trial Strategy Consulting
Jury Research Projects
Research exercises are custom-designed laboratories where you test out your trial strategies and themes before trial, mediation, settlement conference, or ADR proceeding to learn how lay jurors will reason about your case. Most research exercises can be conducted in person or via virtual technology. Typically, 2-4 juries and a one-day exercise are adequate as a first step to provide statistical analysis that is reliable for decision-making. We are known for our quantitative expertise. To stand behind our strategic recommendations to you, we do not conduct research that is solely qualitative in methodology or small group projects with less than 2 juries.
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Witness Preparation
Experts And Fact Witnesses
Because testifying in a trial is unlike other forms of communication, Dr. Leggett works with both fact and expert witnesses testifying about a wide range of issues. Her experience as a professor creates deep connections to expert witnesses and a unique focus on the learning needs of jurors.
Witnesses have included :
Pre-Trial: Dr. Leggett joins sessions with counsel to prepare witnesses for trial testimony, evaluate testimony and demeanor from the jury’s point of view, and teach the witness techniques to gain both control and confidence. Special attention is given to senior executives and expert witnesses to ensure complex testimony can be understood by laypersons. The goals of credibility, clarity, and concise communication are important for all witnesses to practice through Q and A sessions. Demonstratives are recommended where appropriate to assist the comprehension of direct examination testimony.
Pre-Deposition: Dr. Leggett joins sessions with counsel to prepare witnesses for depositions, evaluating testimony for credibility, clarity, and concise communication within the context of the deposition setting. Special attention to body language and demeanor is given to witnesses who face depositions that will be video recorded since these depositions could be played for a jury at any time in the future.
Trial Graphics
Trial Graphics And Multimedia Presentation
Often, a solution to a communication problem is solved through strategic demonstratives. It is our practice to work closely with graphics consultants to ensure that research guides the development of trial demonstratives for your case in the most effective way and that any demonstratives you already have are tested in jury research. If you need help designing strategic demonstratives in any media (print, animation, or video), we can provide insight.
