what is a jury consultant

A jury consultant is a trial strategy expert who helps attorneys in the presentation of a criminal trial or civil lawsuit by understanding social dynamics and presenting effective, cohesive, and persuasive arguments. They are behavioral experts who help legal teams understand the jurors they are likely to face, the hidden biases they may hold, and the best way to present their case to the jury. Jury consultants are also known as litigation consultants, and their main responsibilities include advising attorneys on how to select jurors for trials, preparing witnesses, improving arguments and rhetoric, and selecting juries. Although traditionally sophisticated jury selection methods were a mainstay of trial consultants, they now place far less emphasis on jury selection than they did in the past, and many in the field now prefer the term "trial consulting" to "jury consulting".