Why Should You Consider a Mock Trial Consultant?

What would happen if a racecar driver got behind the wheel of a car capable of going 200 mph for the very first time at the starting line of the Daytona 500? Can you imagine if professional football teams just went out and played in the Super Bowl without any practice? What if a surgeon performed surgery for the first time on a real-life sick patient without ever practicing on dummies and cadavers? In all of these instances, it’s painfully obvious that they would be unprepared. Even a talented professional needs a lot of practice before doing the real thing. This concept is true for lawyers as well! 

Just like racecar drivers, doctors, and athletes, attorneys should practice their arguments and questions in order to know they’re on the right track. Not doing so is just as much a mistake as assuming driving a racecar will be the same as driving your sedan to the grocery store. Too many times, attorneys mistakenly believe they have determined the key points and themes of their case that will predict a verdict. After all, your team around the office thinks it is right so it must be! The truth is that if an attorney only decides upon their trial strategy by discussing the major case issues with other attorneys, this is a crucial pre-trial error.

What you need is to set up a mock trial. A mock trial consultant is exactly what it sounds like, essentially a fake trial for practice. If you only discuss your trial strategy with other attorneys, this gives you a false sense of accomplishment. “Of course that makes sense!” your fellow attorney will say. What you’re failing to keep in mind is that this person is well-versed and knowledgeable in things that the average person on the street will not be. Those average people are who will be filling the jury box, and therefore it’s those people you need to convince!

When a jury panel consisting of non-attorneys unfamiliar with law or specific cases listens to the information presented, their views and perceptions are often quite different from those of trained legal professionals. This is how a mock trial can help you prepare for the real thing. You may be shocked to find part of your argument doesn’t go over well to the average person, but you’ll be happy to learn it now rather than when a verdict is handed down that you didn’t foresee. You don’t want to go to trial thinking your case is easy to understand, when really it is only simple to someone who has trained for years in the legal field the way you have. A mock trial consultant will provide you with guidance and support as you prepare for the real trial.

Don’t head to court hoping and guessing that you’ll get the verdict you want! If you don’t practice ahead of time, you will be risking a lot. Professional trial consulting services, like those provided by Evidence Room, are the only way to know for sure how your plan for trial is going to actually play out.