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Our Company
The firm is represented by trial consultants with a combined experience of over 60 years in trial consulting. As one of the oldest trial consulting firms in the country, you get
the benefit of a strong commitment to research, and a valid assessment of your case.
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Joseph A. Rice, Ph.D.,
President/Executive Director
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Dr. Rice is President of Jury Research Institute. His principal activities involve the evaluation and testing of case themes, witnesses and evidence in order to provide clients with an objective and realistic assessment of potential liability and damages. Dr. Rice provides particular expertise in research design and statistical analysis related to jury selection and juror behavior. Dr. Rice conducts focus groups, mock trials and surveys to assist litigants in critical decisions related to discovery, settlement and trial strategy.
Dr. Rice has particular experience in the coordination of research and trial support services for complex litigation. These activities have included research in preparation for both bench and jury trials, coordination of graphic artists and use of various courtroom display technologies. Dr. Rice becomes fully involved in the development of persuasive presentations for trial attorneys and witnesses. Moreover, Dr. Rice has been involved in numerous cases dealing with unfair business practices. As a result, he has particular expertise in addressing the compound issues of law and equity.
Dr. Rice is a clinical psychologist trained at the School of Experimental and Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama, where he received specialized training in Psychology and Law. Prior to joining Jury Research Institute, Dr. Rice was a faculty member at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Dr. Rice has been providing consulting services since 1981. He is a frequent guest speaker at chapters of the American Inns of Court, as well as other local, state and national legal organizations. As a result of his role in the OJ Simpson civil case, he has been a frequent guest on CNN’s Burden of Proof, as well as a regular commentator for KCBS and PBS. |
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Susan E. Jones, Ph.D.,
founder
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Dr. Jones is a licensed psychologist and nationally recognized expert on juror behavior. An active writer and researcher in the area of voir dire and jury selection since 1980, articles by Dr. Jones on social science in the courtroom have appeared in numerous legal and psychological journals. In the mid-1980’s she was awarded a research grant from the National Institute of Justice. She undertook pioneering research to study whether jurors give more truthful answers when questioned by a judge or an attorney during voir dire. Her research established empirical support for the superiority of attorney-conducted voir dire in eliciting honest replies from jurors about their attitudes, beliefs and personal experiences. Her research contributed to the successful effort to preserve attorney voir dire in civil litigation in California.
For over 17 years Dr. Jones has successfully assisted litigators involved in virtually every area of civil litigation including product liability, commercial litigation, employment claims (discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge and breach of contract), intellectual property, professional liability, construction defects, personal injury, toxic tort, and many others. She has provided assistance on some of the most significant litigation in the country serving litigators from Anchorage, Alaska to Miami, Florida.
Dr. Jones is a much sought after speaker, known for her lively, informative approach to teaching advocacy skills. She has been an invited speaker at literally hundreds of local, state and national bar association meetings across the country. She holds bachelor and doctoral degrees in psychology from St. Lawrence University and the University of Alabama and is the former Associate Editor for Law and Psychology Review. |
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Aaron Abbott, Ph.D.,
Vice President
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Dr. Abbott helped pioneer the field of trial consulting more than 25 years ago. He formed Jury Behavior Research, Inc. in 1981, which is now part of Jury Research Institute. He helps trial lawyers anticipate the behavior of juries and turn this knowledge into winning courtroom strategies. His firm is recognized as one of the premier research and consulting practices in the country and has consulted on many high profile civil and criminal cases throughout the United States.
As a social psychologist, Dr. Abbott specializes in persuasion and group dynamics. He has studied and interviewed thousands of mock jurors, focus group and survey participants, and actual jurors. He uses his expertise and experience to help trial lawyers and witnesses to better understand how jurors perceive them, how to theme a case, and how to improve the persuasiveness of a case presentation. He is a frequent speaker at FDCC, DRI, Trial Advocacy College, and many other legal forums.
Dr. Abbott earned his B.S. from Oregon State University in 1976, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame in 1978 and 1981, respectively. He taught statistics and research methods at the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University, and now uses a variety of correlational and multivariate analysis techniques to study how to predict and influence juror decisions. While his work is highly sophisticated, Dr. Abbott also has a special sensitivity for translating technical results into usable, applied strategies within the constraints and realities of the courtroom |
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Laurie Plautz,
Senior Litigation Consultant |
Laurie Plautz has over 15 years of experience working in the field of trial consulting. She designs, conducts and analyzes mock trial research and community attitude surveys to assist attorneys in developing strategic approaches to case presentation. Ms. Plautz specializes in complex civil litigation and has been involved in a wide range of cases including intellectual property, antitrust, insurance coverage and bad faith, employment, contract, construction and securities litigation.
Ms. Plautz has written articles on trial consulting and jury research and has been invited to speak to law firms and professional organizations about social science research and litigation.
Ms. Plautz earned her Bachelors degree from Stanford University, graduating with distinction. Prior to entering the field of trial consulting, Ms. Plautz worked for the Stanford University Medical Center where she conducted social science research. She is a member of the American Society of Trial Consultants and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. |
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David E.Cannon,Ph.D.,
Senior Trial Consultant
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Dr. Cannon is trained in clinical psychology and is the Senior Trial Consultant for JRI’s Los Angeles office. Dr. Cannon’s principal activities involve witness workshops, focus groups and mock trials, web surveys, voir dire and jury selection consultation, and post-trial juror interviews.
Dr. Cannon earned his Masters’ and Doctorate degrees at the University of Alabama, one of the few institutions in the country that offers a concentration in clinical psychology and law. His academic and applied experience provides a rare blend of expertise in clinical psychology, communication, research methods, and law.
Dr. Cannon began his consulting and research practice in forensic psychology in 1998. He has been the lead trial consultant in cases across the country, ranging from insurance defense and corporate litigation, to capital cases and white collar crime. Dr. Cannon returned to Los Angeles where he had earned his Bachelor’s degree at USC to become JRI’s Senior Trial Consultant for its Los Angeles office in January, 2007.
Dr. Cannon uses his clinical and communications expertise to prepare witnesses for deposition and trial testimony. He has worked with witnesses from various ethnic and cultural groups throughout the country. He also provides psychological assessments of prospective jurors for jury selection, provides voir dire training, and has developed a special expertise in the effects of diversity in the courtroom and the effects of lawyer characteristics on juror decision-making. He uses his research and statistical expertise to conduct Web Surveys and community attitude surveys, develop statistical profiles of high-risk jurors, develop juror questionnaires, and conduct focus groups and mock trials.
He is a member of the American Psychological Association and is actively involved with the American Society of Trial Consultants. |
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Bryan Edelman, Ph.D.,
Trial Consultant
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Dr. Edelman earned a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno and a LLM in International Law from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. At the University of Nevada, Dr. Edelman developed a broad foundation in research methodology and statistics. Specializing in the application of social psychology to the legal system, his research examined how attitudes, race, and stereotypes influence juror decision-making.
Prior to joining Jury Research Institute, Dr. Edelman was employed as a researcher at the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies where he worked on several national surveys, including one which examined the judiciary’s understanding and application of Daubert to the admissibility of scientific evidence. He has also explored judges’ and attorneys’ ability during voir dire to uncover jurors’ exposure to pretrial publicity and their resulting biases.
At the Center, Dr. Edelman oversaw a study of the Washoe County’s pretrial release program and also assisted with the development of training programs for foreign justices, court administrators, prosecutors, and defense attorneys who were brought to the United States by the Department of State. In this capacity he co-authored several grants, including one which established a business training center for Afghan women in Kabul.
Dr. Edelman began working as a trial consultant in 1998. He has worked on numerous criminal and civil cases. As a consultant, he applies his training in social psychology, persuasion, group dynamics and social cognition to the courtroom. His particular area of expertise is in complex litigation where jurors are most likely to rely on their prior attitudes, life experiences and heuristics to process evidence and reach conclusions.
Dr. Edelman has served as a presenter at national and international conferences and has written several articles. He recently authored a book, Racial Prejudice, Juror Empathy & Sentencing in Death Penalty Cases, on the effects of in-group identification and empathy on jurors’ sentencing decisions in capital cases. |
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Adam Davis, J.D.,
Public Opinion Analyst
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Mr. Davis’ areas of expertise include quantitative and qualitative research design, questionnaire development, and fielding administration. He has conducted more than 600 research projects throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. His research projects have taken him from doing face-to-face interviews with Natives in Bush Alaska to doing focus groups with wealthy consumers in New York City and Beverly Hills, California.
Mr. Davis has also completed research projects to support strategic planning efforts for legal and business leaders. He designed and implemented the Oregon Values and Beliefs Survey in 1991 and in 2002. This research provided an innovative look at the core values and beliefs of Oregonians to assist law firms and business leaders in getting a better understanding of what drives juror, financial, and social decisions.
Mr. Davis is a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association and American Marketing Association. He is recognized as a national authority on public opinion research design, has published articles in national periodicals, and has served as an expert witness. He is a frequent guest speaker for a variety of legal and trade organizations, including, The American Society of Trial Advocates, American Food Services Association, American Planning Association, and the Northwest Public Schools Public Relations Association.
Mr. Davis earned his B.S. in Political Science from the Portland State University in 1974, and his J.D. from the University of Oregon in 1977. While at the University of Oregon, he was director of the Interviewing Skills Project.
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Christopher Glenn, Ph.D.
Research Analyst
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Dr. Glenn is a research psychologist specializing in questionnaire and survey design, statistical analysis, and report writing. He has been responsible for the statistical analysis and report writing for a variety of types of cases, including medical, travel and tourism, housing agencies, electricity companies, and school districts. He has also served as consultant to the State of Oregon Health Planning and Development Agency, where he developed urban and rural primary health care databases, and has worked for the State of Oregon Health Division and Center for Health Statistics where he produced reports on a wide range of vital statistics.
Dr. Glenn earned his M.S. in Counseling from the University of Oregon and his Ph.D. in General Psychology from Texas Tech University. Dr. Glenn is proficient in considering human motivational factors and attitudes in research design and report writing.
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