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Mock Trials & Focus Groups | Houston Criminal Law

Dan Cogdell | 1082 Views | 08/21/2015

Mock Trials & Focus Groups

What are they, when are they used, and how can they help? Hello, my name is Dan Cogdell. I’m a criminal lawyer here in Texas, and I want to talk to you about focus groups or mock trials. A focus group or a mock trial is an exercise designed to better inform the parties as to what a real jury might do with the same or similar facts. A focus group or a mock trial is usually conducted on a Saturday or Sunday. The focus group or the mock jurors generally respond to an ad in the newspaper, and typically what happens is they are given a very shortened or condensed version of what both sides expect the facts to be and then they act or react accordingly.

Cost of Mock Trials or Focus Groups

Now, to be clear, focus groups or mock trials – and the words are kind of interchangeable – are not done in every case. They’re very expensive. Sometimes they can run 25,000, 30,000 or more. They’re not cheap, but if you have the resources to test your various defensive theories or try to anticipate how the real jury is going to react to your defensive theory or the prosecution’s defensive theory, they can be absolutely invaluable at educating you as the defendant.

Purpose of a Mock Trial or Focus Group

You’re not supposed to win or lose a mock trial or a focus group, you’re supposed to learn. And the more you learn at a focus group or a mock trial, the better positioned you’re likely to be at the real trial. If you have questions about mock trials or focus groups, we do them with some frequency, we do them with a couple of different providers. We’re happy to help you. We’re happy to discuss those, so give us a call. Thank you for watching.

By: Dan Cogdell

Mock Trials & Focus Groups | Houston Criminal Law

Mock Trials & Focus Groups

What are they, when are they used, and how can they help? Hello, my name is Dan Cogdell. I’m a criminal lawyer here in Texas, and I want to talk to you about focus groups or mock trials. A focus group or a mock trial is an exercise designed to better inform the parties as to what a real jury might do with the same or similar facts. A focus group or a mock trial is usually conducted on a Saturday or Sunday. The focus group or the mock jurors generally respond to an ad in the newspaper, and typically what happens is they are given a very shortened or condensed version of what both sides expect the facts to be and then they act or react accordingly.

Cost of Mock Trials or Focus Groups

Now, to be clear, focus groups or mock trials – and the words are kind of interchangeable – are not done in every case. They’re very expensive. Sometimes they can run 25,000, 30,000 or more. They’re not cheap, but if you have the resources to test your various defensive theories or try to anticipate how the real jury is going to react to your defensive theory or the prosecution’s defensive theory, they can be absolutely invaluable at educating you as the defendant.

Purpose of a Mock Trial or Focus Group

You’re not supposed to win or lose a mock trial or a focus group, you’re supposed to learn. And the more you learn at a focus group or a mock trial, the better positioned you’re likely to be at the real trial. If you have questions about mock trials or focus groups, we do them with some frequency, we do them with a couple of different providers. We’re happy to help you. We’re happy to discuss those, so give us a call. Thank you for watching.

By: Dan Cogdell