It’s Easy: Transitioning to Online Jury Research

The Challenge

After a winter of cancelled events as a result of the global pandemic, a jury consulting firm found itself facing a slew of proposals suddenly requesting mock jury trials. Used to the routine of conducting these entirely in focus group facilities, they began to realize it would be impossible to conduct these successfully without moving at least some elements to an online solution. They were looking for a platform that would give the attorneys the ability to do live presentations of the case and enable the jury to deliberate in smaller groups. 

The Solution

After assessing several platforms, they chose Civicom Mock Jury Trials Online, for its flexibility in room size, options for multiple chat rooms, individual pods for each juror to type in comments, and, among other things, its quality technical support . As the global leader in facilitating web-enabled in-depth interviews and focus groups, Civicom emerged as an expert in transitioning their all-in-person mock jury trials to an online setup. Civicom’s platform is designed to be manipulated based on the flow of each session. The positioning of evidence, graphics, videos, audios, and live presentations were arranged based on their preferences for trial flow as well as the client’s specific needs. 

What We Arranged

Given that this was their client’s first online mock jury project, Civicom equipped the jury consultants  with the necessary knowledge for success by conducting training prior to setting up the live project. They were taught how to turn their webcams on/off, manipulate the materials and to manage the back end chat with their clients. A final run-through of the session was also conducted to ensure that everyone who would be presenting would be comfortable navigating the platform. A Civicom facilitator remained in the web room throughout the session to ensure that any technical concerns were addressed.

Outcomes

The client’s courage to transition what they typically do in-person to an online setup, combined with Civicom’s technical expertise and support, made it possible for them to achieve their objectives.

Compelling Presentation
In a traditional setting, attorneys walk into the courtroom and present their case, and must deliver their argument in a manner that is believable to the jurors. With the training that they received from Civicom, the attorneys were able to present their cases comfortably and believably compelling via webcam, while displaying evidence and videos simultaneously. The presenting attorneys, the jury consultants, and their clients  also had the ability to see the jurors’ reactions throughout the presentations as if they were in a courtroom. This helped them gauge how compelling the presentations were.

Productive Deliberation
The case was presented to the jurors in one large group, followed by deliberation sessions, where the jurors were divided into four smaller groups. To make the deliberation sessions  as effective as what the clients would typically experience in person, we took  a brief pause that allowed us to separate each group into their own assigned webrooms to deliberate. There were dedicated Civicom facilitators assigned to techncially and supportively assist with each deliberation group to ensure a smooth transition. Within a short amount of time, deliberations were lively and underway.

A Partner You Can Trust
Finding the right platform and the right team to support you in a non-traditional setting is the key to successful project execution. It is necessary to work with a provider with the expertise, experience and reputation you can count on. Civicom’s experience in facilitating web-enabled focus groups made it easy for the client to transition their mock jury project online. Our facilitators and technicians are second to none in handling focus groups and they pay close attention to making sure your clients are handled well. This jury consulting firm is making it’s way through its volume of mock jury trials that have come to life with the help of Civicom Mock Jury Trials Online. Civicom is definitely the team you can depend on.