American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC)

What American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) does

The American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) is the sole professional membership organization in the United States dedicated to trial and litigation consultants, founded in 1982 in Phoenix, Arizona by 24 practicing trial consultants. The organization develops and enforces professional standards, provides continuing legal education (CLE)-accredited programming, and operates as the industry's central networking and referral body, currently serving 300+ members across psychology, communication, theater, sociology, law, and related disciplines. ASTC is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and supported by a small staff (1-10 employees) headquartered in Austin, Texas.

ASTC's product surface consists of tiered annual memberships (Individual $340, Recent Graduate $170, Retired $170, Student $85), a 45-year-old annual conference series with CLE accreditation, regional in-person meetups across Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, monthly First Friday Connection virtual networking events, members-only educational webinars, the public Find a Consultant directory, the Voir Dire Masterclass series, The Jury Expert journal, and the Professional Code that all members must adhere to. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; distribution is conducted through a Wix-hosted website (astcweb.org), email, LinkedIn, and Zoom-based virtual events. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: recurring annual membership dues, one-time annual conference registration fees, and tiered conference sponsorships (Platinum $7,500 down to Bronze and à la carte sponsorships).

The organization's strategic agenda extends beyond member services into public-policy and academic research via two flagship initiatives: the Trust in Justice Project, a multi-phase research effort on public trust in American justice institutions (Phase 1, 2, and 3 reports published), and a multi-year collaboration with NYU School of Law's Civil Jury Project on the decline of civil jury trials. ASTC also partners with the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) on jury trial practice initiatives. The organization is independently member-funded with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or venture capital exposure.

Name

American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC)

Legal name

American Society of Trial Consultants, Inc.

Website

https://astcweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) is the sole U.S. professional membership organization for trial and litigation consultants, serving 300+ members with annual dues, CLE-accredited conferences, regional meetups, professional standards, and the Find a Consultant public directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees with quarterly payment options available. Individual members pay $340/year, recent graduates and retired members pay $170/year, and students pay $85/year.
2. Conference Sponsorship: Revenue generated from conference sponsorships at various tiers including Platinum ($7,500), Gold ($5,000), Silver ($3,000), Bronze sponsors, plus session sponsors ($500), LinkedIn Lunch sponsors ($2,500), and various other sponsorship opportunities.
3. Conference Revenue: Annual conference generates revenue through registration fees. ASTC 45th Annual Conference (2026) at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Q, 44th Annual Conference (2025) in New Orleans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ASTC is a non-profit professional membership organization that provides tiered annual memberships to trial and litigation consultants along with a Professional Code of ethical principles and practice guidelines. Members gain access to an annual CLE-accredited conference, the public Find a Consultant directory, a members-only webinar program, monthly First Friday Connection virtual networking, regional meetups, and The Jury Expert journal.

Product overview

The American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) operates as a professional membership organization offering tiered annual memberships (Individual, Recent Graduate, Retired, and Student) that provide access to its core offerings including the Find a Consultant directory, the Annual Conference with CLE credits, the Webinar Program with continuing education, the Voir Dire Masterclass series, and monthly First Friday Connection networking events. Additional member resources include the Professional Code and Standards, The Jury Expert journal, and participation in research initiatives like the Trust in Justice Project. The organization does not offer a standalone software product but rather provides professional development, networking, standards, and advocacy services to trial and litigation consultants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual professional membership for practicing trial and litigation consultants priced at $340/year (or $85/quarter) with access to the Find a Consultant directory, members-only webinars, conferences, networking events, and the Professional Code of ethics and practice standards.
• Recent Graduate Membership Discounted annual membership at $170/year (or $43/quarter) for individuals within 2 years of graduating from an undergraduate or graduate program, requiring graduation document verification.
• Retired Membership Reduced-rate annual membership at $170/year (or $43/quarter) for retired trial consultants age 55+ who were ASTC regular members for 5+ years and no longer provide paid trial consulting services.
• Student Membership Annual student membership at $85/year (or $22/quarter) for current undergraduate or graduate students interested in the trial consulting profession, requiring student registration verification.
• ASTC Annual Conference The flagship annual industry conference for trial and litigation consultants featuring CLE-accredited educational sessions, networking, workshops, AI-focused programming, and professional development. The 45th Annual Conference is scheduled for June 4-6, 2026, at the Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Q, and the 44th was held May 29-31, 2025, at Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans.
• Find a Consultant Directory Public, searchable directory of active ASTC members that enables attorneys and clients to locate trial consultants by service offered, area of practice, and jurisdiction.
• Webinar Program Members-only recurring webinar series covering topics such as AI in trial consulting, trauma awareness, confidentiality in witness preparation, jury representation, and Voir Dire Master Classes for member continuing education.
• Voir Dire Masterclass Multi-session professional education series covering voir dire goals and philosophy, voir dire strategy, creation of juror profiles, and courtroom presence skills.
• First Friday Connection Monthly 45-minute virtual networking meetup held on the first Friday of each month for ASTC members to connect, share ideas, discuss best practices, and engage with the trial consulting community.
• Professional Code and Standards Comprehensive professional code comprising Ethical Principles, Professional Standards, Practice Guidelines, and Commentary covering venue surveys, witness preparation, jury selection, small group research, online research, visual communication/trial technology, and post-trial juror interviews — required for all ASTC members.
• The Jury Expert Journal Widely-read professional journal covering topics of interest to trial consultants, lawyers, judges, and the general public on litigation advocacy, persuasion, and jury decision-making.
• Trust in Justice Project Multi-phase research initiative examining public trust in American justice system institutions, including national surveys (Phase 1), focus group findings (Phase 2), and community forums on best jury trial practices (Phase 3), conducted in collaboration with ABOTA and NYU's Civil Jury Project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ members across the country with diverse backgrounds in psychology, communication, theater, sociology, law and other disciplines

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp QminorOthersConference venue host for ASTC 45th Annual Conference June 4-6, 2026. Located at 435 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101.
• Hotel Fontenot (Kimpton)minorOthersConference venue host for ASTC 44th Annual Conference May 29-31, 2025 in New Orleans. Located at 501 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130.
• Fieldwork (Atlanta)minorOthersCo-host of Atlanta regional meetup on March 27, 2025 at Fieldwork's research facility at 200 Galleria Pkwy SE, #1600 Atlanta, GA 30339.
• SAGOminorOthersPartner for ASTC Regional Meetup in New York City on May 1, 2025 at 711 3rd Ave 9th floor, New York, NY 10017.
• Trust in Justice ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-phase research initiative examining public trust in American justice system institutions. Phase 1 Report on trust trends, Phase 2 Report on focus group findings, Phase 3 on community forums and best jury trial practices.
• ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on collecting and sharing effective jury trial practices through the Trust in Justice Project. Collaboration includes Tex-ABOTA's Best in Voir Dire Competition and joint initiatives to enhance jury trials.
• Civil Jury Project at NYU School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year initiative examining the evolving role and diminishing frequency of jury trials in the civil justice system. ASTC members conducted surveys to understand attorneys' experiences regarding decline of jury trials.
• San Diego County Bar AssociationminorOthersCLE provider for ASTC 2026 Conference session 'Jury Connection and (De)Selection: Merging Authentic Delivery with Winning Question Strategy'.
• New Orleans Bar AssociationminorOthersCLE provider for ASTC 2025 Conference session 'Command the Courtroom: Mastering Speech, Credibility, and Persuasion for the Modern Jury'.
• Decision AnalysisminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor at Platinum tier level.
• Dubin Research & Consulting (DRC)minorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor at Platinum tier level.
• Olympic ResearchminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• FieldworkminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• SMI AwareminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• IMS LegalminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Ridgeline RecruitingminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Vulcan Litigation ServicesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Persuasion StrategiesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Trask ConsultingminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Magna Legal ServicesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Social ProfilerminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• NJP Litigation ConsultingminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Audience Response SystemsminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Jury-MappingminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• INCBA (International Nursing Law Association)minorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• SAGOminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Civicom MJSminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor providing Quillit AI research assistant tools.
• Focus ForwardminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Fat Pencil StudiominorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Jackson AssociatesminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• Focus CrossroadsminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• ThreadeominorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• ACT of CommunicationminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.
• TEXABOTAminorGTM or Marketing Partner2026 Conference sponsor.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association: Largest U.S. professional association for lawyers. Comparable to ASTC as the dominant legal professional association offering CLE, conferences, sections, and member resources, though vastly broader in scope and not specialized in trial consulting.
• American Association for Justice (AAJ): National trial lawyer association for plaintiff attorneys. Comparable to ASTC as a membership body serving trial lawyers with annual conventions, CLE, and publications; much larger and broader, focused on the plaintiff bar rather than trial consultants.
• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC): Global membership association for in-house counsel. Comparable to ASTC in its membership association model, CLE programming, and conferences serving the legal profession, with overlap on the litigation services side.
• Defense Research Institute (DRI): National membership organization for civil defense lawyers. Comparable to ASTC as a large professional association serving the litigation community with CLE, conferences, and member resources, though much larger and focused on the defense bar rather than trial consultants.
• International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC): International association of defense lawyers and corporate counsel. Comparable to ASTC as a peer-level professional association serving the litigation community with member publications, conferences, and advocacy resources.

Others

• Federal Bar Association: National professional association for federal practitioners. Comparable to ASTC as a legal professional association with chapter-based membership, annual conferences, and CLE programming, though focused on the federal bar.
• National Legal Research Group: Legal research and litigation support services provider. Comparable to ASTC as a participant in the litigation support ecosystem serving trial lawyers, overlapping in client base rather than operating model.

Direct peers

• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA): National professional association for trial lawyers. Directly comparable to ASTC as a membership body serving the U.S. trial advocacy community; ABOTA is also an active ASTC partner via the Trust in Justice Project, sharing a member base of trial lawyers and consultants.
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA): Educational organization providing trial advocacy training and CLE programming. Comparable to ASTC in mission (CLE, skills training, advocacy standards) and audience (trial lawyers and litigation support professionals), though focused on lawyer-side rather than consultant-side training.

Emerging players

• International Legal Technology Association (ILTA): Membership organization for legal technology professionals. Comparable to ASTC in operating a member-led professional association with annual conferences, vendor sponsorship, and CLE content, but focused on legal technology rather than trial consulting — an adjacent category increasingly intersecting ASTC's work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-society-of-trial-consultants-astc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC)