Trial Innovations

What Trial Innovations does

Trial Innovations is a private trial consulting firm co-founded in 1998 by Dr. David Cannon and Dr. Bryan Edelman, operating from offices in Hermosa Beach and Oakland, California. The firm provides litigation support services to U.S. law firms across three engagement phases: pre-trial (mock trials, focus groups, community attitude surveys, venue analysis, witness preparation), trial (scientific jury selection, trial monitoring, shadow juries, voir dire support), and post-trial (juror interviews, CLE programs, post-conviction appeals consulting).

The firm's methodology applies clinical, social, and experimental psychology to jury decision-making, combined with quantitative tools including statistical juror prediction models, online-administered mock trials, and phase-based community attitude surveys. Online-based research delivery was added in 2020, broadening the channel beyond traditional in-person formats. The firm has supported high-profile matters including the Flint water crisis, Aurora theater shooting, and Jason Van Dyke police shooting trial.

The business operates on a customized professional services model with per-case project pricing and onsite consultant travel. The customer base spans civil litigation (insurance defense, corporate, personal injury) and criminal defense (capital cases, white-collar crime, high-profile matters). The firm draws on the principals' combined 40+ years of experience and a network of university researcher partners, with delivery concentrated in two principal consultants.

Name

Trial Innovations

Legal name

Trial Innovations

Website

https://trialinnovations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trial Innovations is a private trial consulting firm providing jury research, mock trials, witness preparation, and voir dire support to U.S. civil and criminal defense law firms. Founded in 1998, it is led by two PhD-level principal consultants based in California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trial Consulting Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Other Legal Services (54119), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Trial consulting services
• Jury research
• Witness preparation
• Mock trial research
• Litigation strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Hermosa Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Trial Consulting Services: Project-based professional services revenue model providing trial consulting to law firms and attorneys. Services span pre-trial (mock trials, focus groups, venue analysis, witness preparation), trial (jury selection, trial monitoring, shadow juries), and post-trial (juror interviews, CLE programs). Each engagement is tailored to client needs rather than standardized, with pricing likely quote-based given the customized nature of litigation support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trial Innovations is a private trial consulting firm that helps attorneys and law firms prepare for, conduct, and analyze litigation through applied research and psychology-based services. Its offering is structured across three litigation phases: pre-trial research and witness preparation (mock trials, focus groups, community attitude surveys, venue analysis), in-trial support (scientific jury selection, trial monitoring, shadow juries), and post-trial analysis (juror interviews, CLE seminars). Engagements are custom-scoped and delivered by two principal consultants with doctoral training in clinical and social psychology, supported by an Oakland-based research team.

Product overview

Trial Innovations offers a unified suite of trial consulting services organized into three phases: Pre-Trial Services (Mock Trials, Focus Groups, Community Attitude Surveys, Venue Analysis, Witness Preparation, and Statistical Jury Profiles), Trial Services (Scientific Jury Selection, Trial Observation, Shadow Jury, and Voir Dire assistance), and Post-Trial Services (Jury Interviews and Continuing Legal Education). The company leverages over 40 years of combined experience in clinical, social, and experimental psychology to help attorneys craft, test, and refine persuasive trial narratives for both criminal and civil litigation cases across the country.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Trial Services Research and preparatory services conducted before trial, including mock trials, focus groups, community attitude surveys, venue analysis, witness preparation, jury questionnaire development, and statistical jury profiles, designed to help attorneys craft and refine their trial narrative.
• Trial Services On-site consultation during trial proceedings, including scientific jury selection, trial monitoring, expert witness testimony, shadow jury, and voir dire assistance, to help attorneys make real-time strategic decisions.
• Post-Trial Services Analysis and evaluation after trial concludes, including post-trial jury interviews and continuing legal education seminars, designed to help attorneys understand jury deliberations and improve future case outcomes.
• Mock Trials Formal dress rehearsal exercises using condensed mock trial formats with larger sample sizes to test case narratives, themes, and arguments, providing insight into how jurors interpret evidence and how jury instructions, verdict questions, and group dynamics influence verdicts.
• Focus Groups Informal exploratory exercises designed to test potential strategies and themes during the discovery process, helping develop a compelling trial story by gathering participant feedback as the trial narrative is presented in layers.
• Community Attitude Surveys Surveys designed to assess case-relevant attitudes and potential bias within the jury pool, measuring extent of case awareness, knowledge, connections to parties, and opinions about the dispute to develop statistical juror prediction models.
• Venue Analysis Studies designed to assess the extent and prejudicial nature of media coverage around high-profile cases and the impact on the jury pool, including Phase I coverage collection, Phase II community surveys, and Phase III content analysis for venue change hearings.
• Witness Preparation Workshops teaching witnesses how to effectively communicate their part of the trial story through practical tools for direct and cross-examination, addressing fears, reducing anxiety, and helping witnesses appear more likeable and credible.
• Trial Story Strategy Consulting service focused on crafting and refining a persuasive trial narrative that connects with jurors' attitudes and life experiences, serving as the foundational structure that weaves together themes and evidence.
• Scientific Jury Selection Systematic scoring method taking into account how jurors may interpret competing trial stories and the influence they may have on fellow jurors during deliberations, including strategies for achieving successful cause challenges.
• Trial Observation On-site monitoring of jury reactions to opening statements, witness testimony, and closing arguments, with consultant feedback on how to better convey case themes and enhance demonstratives.
• Shadow Jury Real-time feedback service providing a small group of community residents similar to the actual jury, who follow the case and are debriefed daily with reports on how shadow jurors' leanings and opinions develop.
• Post-Trial Jury Interviews Interviews designed to gain insight into how the jury evaluated competing stories, reacted to witnesses, and reached a verdict, providing candid feedback demystifying the deliberations process.
• Continuing Legal Education Seminars designed to help legal professionals empathize with jurors by seeing the trial experience through their eyes, covering jury selection, witness preparation, storytelling, social inflation, and damages.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University ResearchersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrial Innovations collaborates with university researchers on research projects. The company has a policy limiting institutional indirect costs (F&A) for university contracts to a maximum of 10% of direct costs, reflecting a collaborative relationship with academic institutions for research purposes.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Keen Trial Consulting: Trial consulting firm providing mock trials, focus groups, jury selection, venue analysis, and witness preparation. A direct competitor to Trial Innovations in the boutique trial consulting segment, with comparable psychology-driven methodology.
• Jury Impact (formerly DecisionQuest): One of the largest U.S. trial consulting firms offering mock trials, jury selection, focus groups, and witness preparation to civil and criminal defense attorneys. Directly competes with Trial Innovations in jury research, mock trials, and venue analysis across the same enterprise law firm customer base.
• The Focal Point: Trial consulting firm specializing in jury research, mock trials, focus groups, witness preparation, and trial graphics. Compares to Trial Innovations in service breadth and in serving plaintiff and defense firms across civil litigation.
• Persuasion Strategies: Boutique trial consulting firm providing jury research, mock trials, witness preparation, and trial graphics to plaintiff and defense counsel. Closely comparable in boutique scale and in the psychology-driven approach to jury selection.
• A2L Consulting: Trial consulting and litigation graphics firm providing mock trials, jury research, witness preparation, and trial presentation services. Overlaps with Trial Innovations on jury research, witness preparation, and trial monitoring for AmLaw firm clients.
• Litigation Insights: Mid-sized trial consulting firm providing jury research, mock trials, focus groups, witness preparation, and post-trial jury interviews. Closely comparable in service portfolio and target customers (civil and criminal defense law firms, insurance defense firms).
• Courtroom Sciences / TCDI: National trial consulting and litigation support firm offering jury selection, mock trials, focus groups, and trial graphics. A close comparable in methodology, PhD-led psychology-based consulting, and high-profile case experience.

Broad incumbents

• Magna Legal Services (Epiq): National litigation support services firm (now part of Epiq) providing court reporting, trial support, and trial consulting. Offers overlapping jury consulting and trial support services but as part of a much broader enterprise litigation services portfolio.
• Epiq (parent of TrialGraphix / Magna): Global legal services and technology company offering end-to-end litigation support including eDiscovery, managed document review, and trial consulting through its TrialGraphix and Magna brands. Indirectly competes with Trial Innovations as the largest scaled player in adjacent trial services.
• TrialGraphix (Epiq): Large-scale trial consulting and litigation graphics division of Epiq. Provides mock trials, jury research, witness preparation, and trial presentation services as part of a broader eDiscovery and litigation support platform. Competes on the same services but with significantly larger scale and broader corporate client relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trial Innovations