Source of article 2's Company - Magnus Insights.

In any industry, business, or practice, one gets to know one’s colleagues/competitors. And, we have, in the past 30 years, seen the gamut of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Melissa started her career with Litigation Sciences, Inc. and many of the consultants who were affiliated with LSI remain among the top consultants in the country. There are many other highly educated, qualified consultants around the U.S. However, going forward on this post, I want to comment on some who fall into the bad and the ugly categories. Without naming names, I provide these examples because it sometimes seems clients do not fully understand the need to vet their potential consultants to ensure that the consultant being considered is indeed an expert and has valuable knowledge. We have known a consultant who regularly cut corners on research practices, who was unethical in the treatment of mock jurors and staff, and who changed research results as she saw fit. We have known someone who has only a GED as an educational qualification. We have known of a consultant who, while working on a contingency fee basis, reportedly (according to the plaintiff’s attorney for whom he was working) “cheerleaded” this attorney that the case was worth far more than it was (which was $0, i.e., a defense verdict). We’ve been undercut on a project bid by a consultant who was a paralegal, with no education beyond paralegal training – no college – no grad school – though she claimed both on the resumé she gave to clients. It surprises me how often I encounter clients, or potential clients, who have had to wade through the swamp of these unqualified and unethical consultants. Prompted by a recent conversation with an attorney, I just want to say, again: Trial consultants are not all the same! Because, unlike attorneys, there are few barriers to entry as a trial consultant, it is clearly the duty of the attorney who is considering hiring a consultant to do his or homework. The ultimate client is counting on it!