Every Step of the way
Strategy
Venue
Judges & Arbitrators
Are you in a venue where you know nothing about the judge, or do you need to make a decision involving comparing several judges? Have you been given a list of potential arbitrators?
We can not only do the legwork of background research for any judges or arbitrators, but we can also employ our experience and vast network to create a comprehensive profile or comparison, complete with recommendations.
Witnesses
Who testifies, and how they perform, can make or break a case. But, it’s not just about having great witnesses, (more on that below). Which witnesses do you bring to trial? In what order should they testify? Is a rebuttal witness needed?
We can provide strategic recommendations on almost every aspect involving witnesses imaginable, at any stage of the litigation.
Mediation
Trial
We get the same comment consistently from counsel and their clients; that we bring a “calming effect” to any trial team. Trials are stressful, and the guidance and wise counsel that comes from years of experience in the trenches can be invaluable.
As the number of jury trials continues to decline, fewer lawyers have significant trial experience. Lead counsel may have a robust trial record, but a team with little courtroom time. Managing a trial team, making strategic decisions, preparing witnesses and presenting them, crossing the opposition’s witnesses and preparing arguments is a tall order for any team. We bring decades of jury research and countless hours of trial experience that is unmatched in the field.
Consulting
Jury Selection
In many of our cases, jury selection is driven by data derived from pre-trial research and combined with Trask database information to support a robust juror profile. Other times, decades of experience combined with instinct drive our recommendations. Do you which jurors you need to identify? Do you know how to find them?
Voir Dire
Drafting effective voir dire is an art and a science. Executing effective voir dire is a challenging skill for any trial lawyer, particularly because it involves advocating against the positions that you will advance through the rest of the trial. We can help with both.
Supplemental Juror Questionnaire
Today, many courts will allow supplemental juror questionnaires. A case-specific, research-driven, concise questionnaire that is non-argumentative can be a useful tool at trial.
Additionally, the Trask archive contains hundreds of road-tested questions that have proven to be valid and reliable for identifying particular types of jurors.
Witness Preparation
Witnesses can make or break your case. We bring a non-lawyer, social science- based insight to witness preparation; and provide a fresh perspective that mimics that of an “expert juror”. We can work with witnesses during regular pre-trial prep sessions with counsel, set up mock testimony in front of mock jurors, and observe and provide feedback during preparation sessions onsite at trial.
Trask Whole Witness™
Stubborn client representative who is incredibly smart, but thinks he knows everything? Charming CEO whom means well but talks too much? Wonky but brilliant inventor who is scared to death of people? If you have a problem witness or a bet-the-company case, (or both), the Trask Whole Witness™ program is what your witness, or witnesses, need.
A multi-day, multi-dimensional training protocol designed to address the whole testifier; this comprehensive program dives deep. Trask Whole Witness™ leaves no stone unturned in the pursuit of helping a witness achieve their best possible day, (or days) when they go under oath.