First Court is the premier jury research firm for all your trial preparation needs.
First Court is a top recommended legal focus group company because of our sophisticated and completely unique software that instantly gathers and reveals data in real time. You don't have to wait to see what the participants are thinking. Our software exposes the thoughts and reactions of the research participants as they type their notes or answers to questionnaires.
First Court's skilled and experienced trial consultants guide each jury research project from start to finish. We are more hands on than any other legal research and trial consulting company and are always available to assist your team in ensuring that the best possible case is presented to the jurors because the more closely the presentations mirror those at trial, the more accurate the data and results from our research will be.
Our online or in-person legal focus groups are an ideal tool to help you explore, early on in the life-cycle of a case, what themes, evidence, and arguments should be the focus of your case for the jury. Our focus groups are also less expensive compared to a typical mock trial.
In the fast-paced legal world, we are flexible for our clients by providing quick turnaround times. We can (and have) executed productive and valuable research within less than a week. Ideally, we prepare for a legal focus group over the course of a month in order to ensure the research is as organized, efficient, and satisfactory as possible.
Our software is one of First Court’s crowning achievements. It collects and creates graphs from jurors' answers to the questionnaires and shows the jurors’ live notes throughout the day. Witnessing the jurors' real-time reactions to the presentations is priceless.
To ensure realism and professionalism, we conduct multiple prep calls and a dry run with your team prior to the research project. Our trial consultants deeply familiarize themselves with the case to offer pre-exercise presentation advice to the attorneys.
Our recruiting team meticulously screens and matches the jury panel with the trial venue's demographics.
For online and in-person legal focus groups, our remote or in-person tech team will record and live-stream the entire process throughout the day. The tech will also share exhibits, videos, and other demonstratives so that the legal focus group is as stress-free as possible for your team. Additionally, our team provides real-time written commentary on each deliberation.
For in-person legal focus groups, First Court will also find a facility suited to your needs.
Our jury research reports receive widespread acclaim from our clients, often cited as a major factor in choosing First Court. Led by our trial consultants, these reports offer data analysis and recommendations for case presentation improvements.
Whether you choose an online or an in-person legal focus group, there are certain benefits to each format. Although an in-person focus group provides a more realistic environment and allows for increased personal interaction with the jurors, online trials are often more convenient and cost-effective.
In-person legal focus groups provide the opportunity for personal interaction between the attorneys and the legal focus group participants. This helps to build rapport and trust, which can be important in understanding how jurors may react to the case. It is a more natural setting for attorneys to practice both voir dire and persuasive arguments. Counsel will be able to observe the expressions during presentations, hear any audible gasps during the introduction of photographs, and generally feel the shift of energy in the courtroom.
In an in-person legal focus group, counsel has the option to present case facts to the participants and get experience presenting the case.
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One of the most significant advantages of online legal focus groups is the convenience for everyone involved. They can be conducted from anywhere, eliminating the need for travel and lessening scheduling conflicts for counsel and clients. With the rise in technology, even the most non-technical attorney in your office can participate in the online process. Considering the increase in working from home and with clients in different time zones, an online focus group can accommodate most schedules with ease.
Online focus groups can also be more cost-effective than in-person focus groups. Without the need for travel or a physical location, the costs associated with the focus group are significantly reduced. Not only is this a positive benefit for the parties’ bottom line, but it also allows parties who may not have the budget to pay for an in-person focus group to engage in a jury research project. This can also be an attractive option for those clients who may not need an entire trial but have a single issue of focus for the legal focus group participants. The ability to conduct online research in smaller sections than a full trial could be perfect for the cost-conscious client.
At First Court, you can expect the top recommended legal focus group, according to Attorney at Law. First Court legal focus groups combine the power of our experienced trial consultants with our unique and innovative software. With First Court’s software, you can watch in real time how legal focus group participants feel about the case and any questions that they may have. As participants type their notes and answer staggered questionnaires, you can see their thought processes and verdict leanings change while they hear different facts of the case. When the group opens up for discussions, all conversations will be recorded so you and your team can re-watch them any time.
In a First Court legal focus group, our top-notch trial consultants and project managers will work with you every step of the way. We will work with the trial team to identify several critical issues that will be important in informing your legal strategy. During the legal focus group, one of our trial consultants or an attorney presents the facts of the case, typically giving a neutral opening, a plaintiff statement, and a defense statement (either via video or in person). At this time, the legal focus group participants can be shown any key pieces of evidence, such as video depositions, accident reconstructions, or expert testimony. We find that the more concise and accurate these presentations are, the more useful the results. All of this is completely customizable and made to fit your case and team’s needs. Additionally, our team is here to help create graphics, edit videos, and review presentations
Once presentations have wrapped up, our trial consultants lead the focus group participants through a series of follow-up questions. It is here that participants can share some of the most persuasive points from each side and how they felt about different pieces of evidence. While participants have been keeping live notes on the case, the follow-up discussion allows participants to solidify their thoughts and possibly get answers to their questions. Here, the moderator has the opportunity to correct any misunderstandings the participants may have and introduce hypotheticals that the trial team is curious about. The professional trial consultant will lead the group in discussion, but the trial team can provide any questions they want posed to the group at any time.
At First Court, we offer the choice to conduct legal focus groups in person or online. Both follow the same process and agenda, and use participants who could potentially be acceptable jurors within the case venue. While online projects can allow for trial teams across the country to watch at their own locations, we find that in-person legal focus groups elicit more natural conversation between the participants.
If you’re considering utilizing a legal focus group for your next trial, legal focus groups are most effective when done early in the litigation cycle. They offer a chance for trial teams to creatively brainstorm their legal strategy with an elite team of trial consultants. Typically, we recommend a three-hour legal focus group, which can be paired with a more robust mock trial later. Using a legal focus group prior to a mock trial allows for the findings of the legal focus group to be tested prior to trial.
Legal focus groups are an effective first step in litigation research, while the trial team is working through their legal strategy. In a focus group, participants demographically mirroring the trial venue hear brief presentations from a professional trial consultant or attorney, and the trial consultant leads the participants through debriefing and additional probing questions to gauge their views on critical issues and the case in general. As each case is different, there is no one-size-fits-all focus group, and all processes and questions are completely customized to the case at hand.
Projects in 49 of the 50 States!
Individual Clients Served
Jurors Hired Every Year
Interested in becoming a focus group participant? CLICK HERE to view any openings in your area.
Contact us with any questions or submit your case, and we will get back to you promptly. You can reach us at the address, phone, or email below or by filling out the contact form.
104 3rd Ave NW Suite 300, Mandan, ND 58554
(701) 671-9160
info@firstcourt.com
