Source of article 2's Company - Magnus Insights.

I recently attended a meeting with an attorney, who is a client of mine, and the attorney’s client, the person who paid for my services. It is rare in my world of jury/trial consulting to attend a meeting that involves the “end client,” that is, the party to the litigation, as opposed to his/her/its attorney. (I include the pronoun, “its,” in that most of Magnus’ end clients are not individuals; rather, they are corporations represented by attorneys, who then retain my company.) The purpose of this meeting was to review an extensive written report I prepared, with the excellent help of my staff, of course, regarding the results of several mock trials my firm had conducted on the case. Although every case on which I consult includes a report review session with all of the attorneys who are involved and sometimes, a general counsel, risk manager, insurance adjuster, or another corporate type person, it is highly unusual for me to interact with the actual plaintiff or defendant unless I am involved in selecting a jury. On this case, however, the individual who retained Magnus is a very sophisticated and wealthy person who wanted to meet me in person, to discuss the case face to face. The meeting began on a positive note, with the client exclaiming to me, as soon as I introduced myself, that my report was impressive and worth every penny I charged. Later in the meeting, things took a different turn when I was asked to describe additional services that would be beneficial for the case, along with their price. It was at this time that the client remarked, “I just want you to know: You’re not cheap!”. Instead of being insulted, I accepted the client’s comment as a compliment. I replied, with a happy tone in my voice, “Thank you! It has never been my desire to be cheap! I’m glad you recognize I’m not cheap!”. The attorney gasped, fearful I had alienated our client, but the client burst out with laughter and said, “Well, you’ve got a good point, Dr. Pigott. I guess the last thing you want to be accused of is doing cheap work.” I couldn’t wait to return to the office to tell David what happened. He, more than anyone else, knows I am not cheap, regardless of the circumstances. No, I’m not cheap; the services I provide to clients are anything but cheap; and if someone is looking for someone to work for them cheaply, I encourage them to look elsewhere!