jury consulting: focus groups

What if you could have a made-for-your-case focus group done for you ... and then get a report that lays out how to tell your client's best story?

You have spent days, weeks, and months working with your client, uncovering the facts of your case, and trying to identify how to win. Now, you need to figure out how to put your trial story together in a way that will be persuasive to jurors. Very often, you have spent so much time with the case and the facts surrounding it that you start to get tunnel vision, or as I like to call it, “lawyer vision.” Normal humans don’t necessarily see the facts the way that you do as a lawyer. One of the things that can help you move past “lawyer vision” is conducting a focus group. You’ll have the opportunity to see what the average person thinks about the facts of your case.
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Take a look at some of the benefits that you get from conducting a focus group:

Case evaluation: 

  • gauge how potential jurors may perceive your case
  • assess the strengths and weaknesses of your arguments and evidence
  • refine your strategies
  • identify areas that may require further investigation or clarification

 

Jury selection: 

  • gain insights into the characteristics, attitudes, and biases of potential jurors
  • learn how to make informed decisions during jury selection
  • increase your chances of selecting jurors who are receptive to your case

 

Witness preparation: 

  • test the effectiveness of witness testimony  
  • identify potential weaknesses or areas that need improvement  
  • gather feedback on witness credibility, likability, and persuasiveness
  • better prepare witnesses for trial

 

Case presentation refinement: 

  • refine your case presentation, including opening and closing statements, visual aids, demonstrative evidence, and arguments
  • identify which arguments and evidence resonate most with the focus group members
  • learn how to tailor your presentation to maximize persuasive impact.

 

Settlement negotiations:

  • get feedback to assist you in assessing the potential value of your case
  • gain a better understanding the risks and merits associated with going to trial
  • help you and your client make more informed decisions regarding settlement offers

If you'd like to conduct a focus group, I'd love to be your facilitator.

I’m Keeley Blanchard, and over the past 18 years I’ve facilitated over 70 focus groups in both civil and criminal cases. I’d like to help you take the information we can gather from your focus group and help you to develop a story that motivates a jury to take action on behalf of your client. 

Having a done-for-you focus group can save you time in your trial preparation, focus you in on the right issues, and give you the support you need in figuring out how to tell your client’s best story. 

Here's how it works:

  1. Schedule an initial zoom meeting with me to discuss the issues in your case and your goals for the focus group. 
  2. Send me any discovery you’d like me to review before our meeting. 
  3. We’ll pick a date and time for the focus group.
  4. I’ll create a focus group plan and present it to you so that we can refine it together. I’ll also write your opening statement, your voir dire, and a mock opening, voir dire, and cross examination for the opposing party in cases where we’re doing a mock-trial style focus group. 
  5. I hire and pay the focus group participants according to your geographic requirements. (That’s included in your fee.) I guarantee a minimum of 8 focus group members, with a maximum of 16. For an additional fee, I will hire an attorney to play the opposing party and/or people to play witnesses as needed.  
  6. I’ll facilitate the focus group.
  7. The focus group will be recorded.
  8. I’ll provide you with a copy of the focus group recording, along with a detailed report analyzing the results of the focus group. 
  9. We’ll schedule a zoom meeting to debrief about the results of the focus group.

Here's what you'll get in your post-focus group report:

  • quantitative information gathered from your focus group that helps you to assess major issues in your case
  • interpretations of the quantitative information (I’ll tell you what it means for your case!) 
  • easy-to-understand charts and graphs that help you interpret the information gathered 
  • qualitative information gathered from your focus group that will help you develop your trial story
  • interpretations of the qualitative information 
  • a roadmap of what your trial story should look like 
  • feedback about voir dire questions 
  • final edits to your voir dire questions 
  • feedback on the delivery of your opening statement 
  • a fully edited complete opening statement 
  • information to include in cross-examination and closing argument
  • feedback on direct examination, if applicable  

How much lead time do you need to conduct a successful focus group?

The ideal lead time for doing a successful focus group is 4 weeks. I want you to get the most out of your focus group, and if we can take our time working through each step, you’ll be able to maximize your benefit. 

I know that sometimes, your schedule just doesn’t work that way. You have a need to focus group your case and get the feedback on your trial story, but don’t have that kind of lead time. I’m still here for you. I’m able to put together an online focus group if you can give me 7 days. 

Schedule Your Initial Meeting Here