Every trial’s outcome depends on how jurors perceive the case’s facts, evidence, witnesses and attorneys, and mock juries give attorneys a critical advantage before walking into the courtroom. At EmCee Research, we design and host realistic mock jury sessions that help legal teams understand how jurors think, what arguments resonate, which witnesses are believable a case’s strengths and weaknesses.
What Is a Mock Jury?
A mock jury is a simulated version of a real jury trial. Attorneys present opening statements, witness testimony exhibits and closing arguments to a group of individuals recruited to represent the demographics of an actual jury pool. Then, like real jurors, mock jurors then deliberate, reach a verdict and award damages.
The setting mirrors a courtroom, but the purpose is insight, not outcome. Mock jury participants are observed and recorded, and every reaction, question and conversation provides attorneys with data to refine their strategy before the real trial begins, or to be in a stronger position in settlement discussions.
Attorneys use mock juries to:
- Focus group a single topic
- Conduct a single-day mock jury with multiple jury panels
- Two-day mock jury for attorneys to practice and refine arguments
- Two or three simultaneous mock jury panels to see how jurors evaluate evidence
- Identify damage awards and settlement targets
Benefits of Mock Juries
A mock jury provides a testing ground to see how real people interpret complex evidence and emotional testimony, because the best argument on paper isn’t always the one that moves jurors to a particular outcome.
Key benefits include:
- Test Arguments and Themes: Discover which storylines resonate and which hurt a case
- Evaluate Witness Credibility: Observe how jurors react to witnesses’ tone, demeanor, personality and clarity
- Measure Damages Perception: Gauge how jurors view liability, responsibility and appropriate compensation
- Identify Biases and Confusion: See where jurors may misinterpret key facts or legal instructions
Turn Insight into winning strategy
A courtroom is not the place for lawyers to test arguments and find out that they don’t resonate with jurors. A mock jury gives attorneys the chance to see their case from jurors’ perspectives early in the trial preparation process and adjust trial strategy based on the mock juries’ deliberations and verdicts before a real jury is selected.
At EmCee Research, every mock jury we host is built to reveal how real jurors will think, feel, deliberate and decide, and the insights gained from mock juries are used to shape a case’s entire strategy, including opening statements, witness preparation, closing arguments and settlement posture.
Don’t wait until trial to learn what jurors think. Partner with EmCee Research and uncover the insights that win cases.