Source of article 2's Company - Magnus Insights.

Not too long ago, I attended a lawyers’ luncheon at which the speaker was the president of the Florida Bar. He made a few comments about various challenges lawyers face with their clients, specifically, the expectation by the client that they essentially have all of the answers so that they get it right the first time, and every time. That’s a pretty tall order, but it sums up the expectations. In the types of high stakes cases in which we get involved, the pressure is on high for everyone! Good lawyers know there are limits to what they know and the results they get are constrained by the facts of the case. But litigating a case is not a world where there is room for trial and error or guess work. The lawyer generally has one shot to get it “right” for this case, with this client, with a certain judge, the potential jurors and ultimately, the chosen jury. Do overs are rare. While we’ve observed many “seat of the pants, know it all” attorneys, the subset of all attorneys who become our clients have realized that navigating some of the treacherous unknowns in a case involves hiring us, or someone like us. Getting it right in our world, and that of our clients, means achieving the best outcome for their clients. The chances for a best outcome are improved by conducting mock jury (or other mock fact finder) research to learn what “real people” think, how they react, and how they comprehend the case. Only by knowing, not guessing, about these things can a more clear perspective of a positive outcome be foreseen. We’ve written before that “positive outcome” is nebulous and depends on which side of the case one occupies, but the establishment of a benchmark against which to measure possible results and with which to make informed decisions goes a long way to getting it right – the first time, and every time.