Testimonials and References

A History of Success

Two key measures of our success are client satisfaction studies and client interviews about the impact of our analyses and recommendations at mediation, arbitration, or trial. We are pleased we continue to be judged highly in both areas.

Also important are support, recommendations, and endorsements Magnus receives from leading attorneys and firms. We are proud to be able to share some of these with you.

Richard Allen, Esq.
Richard Allen, Esq.
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I have found that in cases that I have, that are either complex in nature or involve a lot of money, that I've had tremendous experience using the services of Magnus.
Jerry Berry, Esq.
Jerry Berry, Esq.
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Magnus...did a great job in helping us decide which way to go on the case, deciding whether to settle, or not, to go to trial, and it wound up in a very, very favorable resolution for my client.
Rick Ellsley, Esq.
Rick Ellsley, Esq.
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From jury selection assistance, all the way through framing a closing argument, Magnus will be there.
Patrick Geraghty, Esq. (Deceased)
Patrick Geraghty, Esq. (Deceased)
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If you don't know what jurors are thinking, or what you believe they're going to think, I think you're doing yourself a disservice by not employing Magnus to give you that information.
David Fonvielle, Esq.
David Fonvielle, Esq.
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In today's jury environment, I don't see how it would be possible or fair to your client to try a case without utilizing the services of Melissa and Magnus for preparation of your jury selection.
Geoff Gentile, Esq.
Geoff Gentile, Esq.
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In the times we've used Magnus, both the mock jury process and the written materials were absolutely crucial into us winning. And the case that we had that no one could win, that was the worst, bad faith case that insurance company lawyer had ever seen, was won and I attribute a lot of that victory to Magnus' help.
Geoffrey Morris, Esq. (Ret.) and Robert Widman. Esq. (Ret.)
Geoffrey Morris, Esq. (Ret.) and Robert Widman. Esq. (Ret.)
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Once we became aware that we had the weakness that we learned through the help of Magnus, we reevaluated our trial strategy, and in some cases settled the cases, and in some cases changed how we tried the case.
David Stone, Esq.
David Stone, Esq.
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In today's jury environment, I don't see how it would be possible or fair to your client to try a case without utilizing the services of Melissa and Magnus for preparation of your jury selection.
Roy Watson, Esq.
Roy Watson, Esq.
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I'm happy to be able to state in every case that they have worked with me and my clients on, the cases have resulted in either defense verdicts, in those cases that were tried, or settlements that my clients found most reasonable and satisfactory.
 George E. “Buddy” Schulz, Jr., Esq. (Ret.)
George E. “Buddy” Schulz, Jr., Esq. (Ret.)
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I've had the good fortune to work routinely and regularly with Melissa, David, and the other professionals with whom they work. They are invaluable. I can't say enough about not only their effectiveness, but the manner in which they go about it. They are true professionals and they have just an unending desire and dedication to do whatever is necessary.
Rick Martens, Esq. (Ret.)
Rick Martens, Esq. (Ret.)
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If you have any case of significance or certainly large dollar exposure if you're defending a case that you should go to a trial without availing yourselves of the service of Magnus. They're the best.
Lyman Reynolds, Esq. (Ret.)
Lyman Reynolds, Esq. (Ret.)
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It has been my honor and privilege to work with Magnus Research for a number of years now on high exposure liability, questionable cases, where they have assisted us in both assessing the value of the potential jury award as well as our anticipated defenses.
Nancy LaVista, Esq.
Nancy LaVista, Esq.
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I I have found Magnus to be highly ethical, highly professional, highly productive and very effective.
Rory Jurman, Esq.
Rory Jurman, Esq.
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Every experience has been extremely insightful,...and it also has been instrumental in predicting what possibly is going to happen in an unpredictable situation, and has helped my clients make very good decisions. Don't leave home without them!
Mike McDonnell, Esq. (Deceased)
Mike McDonnell, Esq. (Deceased)
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The most valuable thing I've gleaned from the services that Magnus has provided is to put me on notice of things I might have missed about a case, things I might have overlooked, or things a jury might be concerned about that I didn't anticipate.
Mike Tanner, Esq.
Mike Tanner, Esq.
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In the cases that we have done with Magnus where we had done a mock jury, we've retooled our case and every one of those cases has come out successfully at trial.
Sidney M. Pertnoy, Esq.
Sidney M. Pertnoy, Esq.
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Your recommendations to do the community attitude survey, the focus groups, and the mock trial proved invaluable. You and your staff conducted all of the exercises with wonderful professionalism and gave us a product at the end that was simply fantastic.
Michael Gunzburg, Esq.
Michael Gunzburg, Esq.
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The mock trials and your reports helped me formulate the overall case themes, reinforce my client’s damages to the jury, and successfully address and overcome defendant’s major defenses in this case.
Henry Latimer, Esq. (Deceased)
Henry Latimer, Esq. (Deceased)
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In addition to the intellectual strength Magnus brings to the table, I am even more impressed with its extra-ordinary preparation, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Jay Solowsky, Esq.
Jay Solowsky, Esq.
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We ultimately recovered in excess of one billion dollars... I do not believe we would have been nearly as successful without the input we received from Melissa and from Magnus.
Peter Restani, Esq.
Peter Restani, Esq.
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...there are certain types of high exposure cases, where we have questions about specific issues that need to be answered sometimes involving negotiations, sometimes assisting the insurance companies in arriving at a strategy for negotiations that it's really helpful in trial preparation and strategy.
Mark Sarnoff, Esq.
Mark Sarnoff, Esq.
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Magnus finds out exactly what type of jury you're looking for...and helps you profile exactly what it is your witness needs to say and what he needs to avoid saying.
Tim McDermott, Esq. (Ret.)
Tim McDermott, Esq. (Ret.)
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I'm a firm believer, that you, in fact, get what you pay for, and you get what you pay for with Magnus. I will hear not just what I'm hoping to hear, not what I expect to hear, but rather candid advice...
Charles Morehead, Esq. (Deceased)
Charles Morehead, Esq. (Deceased)
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I can tell you firsthand, it makes you a better lawyer, gets you better results, and it's worth every penny.
Benjamin Bedard, Esq.
Benjamin Bedard, Esq.
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After doing the analysis Magnus came up with a lot of strategies and ideas, and in fact I changed my presentation on how I originally did it during the mock jury phase, took the information provided by Magnus, and then approached it very differently when we were actually in trial, and as a result I believe that is why we had such a successful result.
Thomas Bishop. Esq.
Thomas Bishop. Esq.
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I do not handle a major case and try a major case without coming to Magnus, and asking for help with it, that's become my rule...When you go with Magnus you know they've got a track record of great success, of great expertise, and they're going to make your case better.
Thomas Dougherty, Esq.
Thomas Dougherty, Esq.
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The assistance we received from Magnus was very successful, and we appreciated everything that we got.
Daniel F. Beasley, Esq.
Daniel F. Beasley, Esq.
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The benefits Magnus provided us in the case were numerous and included:

-Identification of case strengths we had previously not recognized.
-Analysis of thorny issues and how they might be best approached.
-Providing a mirror for the defendant to view third parties (mock jurors) reacting to the facts of the case.
-Qualitative and quantitatively analyzing the downside risks the defense potentially faced.
-Facilitating improved relationship with our client based on improved mutual understanding of the important dynamics in the case.
-Enhancing our ability to articulate salient issues and facts in our conversations with the opposition, our clients and the jury.
-The final report you provided was attractive, comprehensive, insightful and informative. I cannot image the hours of labor that must have gone into its preparation.


I think all of us who interacted with you felt we had found in Magnus a new member of the team.
William R. Amlong, Esq.
William R. Amlong, Esq.
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It is Dr. Pigott’s scientific background and her ongoing research in the field of cognitive psychology that places her several cuts above her closest competitors.
Eugene E. Stearns, Esq.
Eugene E. Stearns, Esq.
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While I believe we had the ability to take what you gave us to a high level, without the information you made available to us it would have been much more difficult to find the right way to package the message.
Kim Hart, Esq. (Ret.)
Kim Hart, Esq. (Ret.)
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I have never had research done by Magnus and not thought I made money on it. I don't step into the courtroom unless I have the advantage that Magnus gives me.
Gary C. Pajcic, Esq. (Deceased)
Gary C. Pajcic, Esq. (Deceased)
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Your analysis of the practice trials we have done with Magnus have been very insightful.
W. McKinley Smiley, Jr. Esq. (Deceased)
W. McKinley Smiley, Jr. Esq. (Deceased)
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Lawsuits involve calculated risks. Magnus helps the attorney assess those risks.
Steven G. Koeppel, Esq.
Steven G. Koeppel, Esq.
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The mock trial results gave us greater insight into the value of the case, and therefore, it enabled us to make an educated settlement decision.
Louis Williams, Esq.
Louis Williams, Esq.
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It is well worth it on both sides, whether it's plaintiff or defense, to use Magnus' scientific-based approach to jury selection and trial consulting.
Ed Koester, Esq.
Ed Koester, Esq.
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Magnus is far better than their competition and I would have to say that they add a level of professionalism, integrity, and honesty to the process that's not only refreshing, but very much value-added.
Jim Messer, Esq.
Jim Messer, Esq.
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Magnus provides the ability not just to help craft arguments from a plaintiff's standpoint but, also to see the pitfalls, to see the defenses that are available.
Mike Eriksen, Esq.
Mike Eriksen, Esq.
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I would unhesitatingly recommend Melissa Pigott and Magnus to anybody who is seriously interested in improving their chances of winning a trial.
Rick Jarolem, Esq.
Rick Jarolem, Esq.
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...the jury came to the proper verdict, much quicker than otherwise would have been, had we not used Magnus.
Brian Joslyn, Esq. (Ret.)
Brian Joslyn, Esq. (Ret.)
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The work that they've done is just invaluable, because we win the cases that they seem to work on with us.
Henry M. “Hank” Coxe, III, Esq.
Henry M. “Hank” Coxe, III, Esq.
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What Magnus has brought to us is the expertise in how to communicate with jurors, how to communicate with the courts, how to communicate with the public, and any host of other issues where communication may be the most important key to the entire process..
Mike Corso, Esq.
Mike Corso, Esq.
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The folks at Magnus are great. They work with you, they take the time to understand your case, will take whatever time necessary.
Bill Hoppe, Esq.
Bill Hoppe, Esq.
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Whether it is a focus group, mock trial or a jury selection, I find that the procedure, the comments and the insights, as organized by Dr. Pigott, are right on the money.