By Natalie Gordon, M.A., Ph.D. student, DOAR analyst When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, many Americans asked—how did this happen?  Some attributed it to James Comey’s decision to re-open the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s e-mails just days earlier, while others looked farther back in time to Trump’s success on the Apprentice.  This investigation into what led Trump to become President exemplifies the human inclination to create causal chains when trying to understand events.  And we do this all the time, whether we’re trying to understand public events like the space shuttle disaster or the 9/11 attack, or private

In DOAR’s web series “Sidebar,” Jury Consultant Roy Futterman, Ph.D. provides his insights, analysis and commentary on the state of the world from the intersection of the legal system, popular culture and the zeitgeist. Join us for a heady mélange of juries, judges, the nature of consciousness, physics, metaphysics, the multiverse, the Oracle at Delphi, edibles before dinner, something tangentially related to the law, and the illusory feeling of having a self, won’t you? The post Sidebar – Episode 3: Simulating appeared first on DOAR.

In DOAR’s web series “Sidebar,” Jury Consultant Roy Futterman, Ph.D. provides his insights, analysis and commentary on the state of the world from the intersection of the legal system, popular culture and the zeitgeist. Join us for a heady mélange of juries, judges, the nature of consciousness, physics, metaphysics, the multiverse, the Oracle at Delphi, edibles before dinner, something tangentially related to the law, and the illusory feeling of having a self, won’t you? The post Sidebar – Episode 2: Articulating appeared first on DOAR.

In DOAR’s web series “Sidebar,” Jury Consultant Roy Futterman, Ph.D. provides his insights, analysis and commentary on the state of the world from the intersection of the legal system, popular culture and the zeitgeist. Join us for a heady mélange of juries, judges, the nature of consciousness, physics, metaphysics, the multiverse, the Oracle at Delphi, edibles before dinner, something tangentially related to the law, and the illusory feeling of having a self, won’t you? The post Sidebar – Episode 1: Spoofing appeared first on DOAR.

By Chad Lackey, Ph.D. and Emily Stein, J.D. Download the White Paper We call them striped unicorns — that ideal expert for a given case, a respected, unimpeachable authority with exceptional communication skills and an unflappable demeanor. It can be difficult to differentiate the ideal from the not-quite-right when legal teams are under the gun to find an expert, but there is a methodology for ensuring their suitability. In a new white paper, DOAR’s Chad Lackey, Ph.D. and Emily Stein, J.D. provide practical guidance on how to assess an expert’s suitability and minimize potential surprises. Download the White Paper on

View the Infographic Jury selection in white-collar cases is always challenging as class biases and life experiences all too often taint potential jurors’ view of the defendant.  Throw in a very public persona and widespread media coverage, and the task of finding 12 people, plus alternates, who can keep an open mind will be a monumentally high hurdle for the Manafort defense.  And, it appears they will have to do it twice as the former Trump campaign chairman will be tried on an 18-count federal indictment in July and a separate five-count indictment in September – two trials, two venues,

DOAR’s Ellen Brickman, Ph.D. discusses the challenges faced by litigators during jury selection in White Collar Criminal matters and offers insightful strategies to help during jury selection in this New York Law Journal article.   Read Here   The post Jury Selection in White Collar Cases: Challenges and Strategies by DOAR’s Ellen Brickman, NY Law Journal appeared first on DOAR.

Examining race, age & the power of authority As experts in trial strategy who routinely assist clients involved in high-profile, white-collar criminal cases, we are always struck by the influence the federal government has over the evolution of these cases. The rules of criminal procedure and the resources of the government seem to put even the most wealthy, well-represented defendants in an imbalanced, unfair predicament. Of course, there is an even greater imbalance in more traditional criminal cases where the defendant has little or no ability to invest heavily in his defense. The DOAR Research Center was interested in quantifying

Last week, lawyers for Brendan Dassey, whose conviction was documented in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer,??? asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court decision that ruled a young Dassey’s confession was voluntary. He was 16 years old at the time he confessed to helping his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and murder photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005, and according to court filings, he has suffered from intellectual disabilities most of his life. Dassey’s attorneys claim investigators took advantage of his youth and mental deficiencies to coerce a false confession, and now, the case that became a

On Native Americans, Patent Trolls, And One Hugely Important Upcoming Supreme Court Decision Julie Blackman, Ph.D. Senior Vice President The best way to determine the validity and so the value of patents is in play.  In 2012, the AIA changed the rules of the game, and the value of patents changed abruptly.  An upcoming Supreme Court decision may roll back the changes that have followed from the AIA.  In the meantime, certain Native American tribes have profited more; patent trolls less. Native Americans:  The AIA Does Not Apply (Source:  New Yorker, November 20, 2017, “The Financial Page:  Patently Odd” by