Mock Jury Trials
Test your case before real Alaska jurors — with full recruitment, facility, A/V, real-time juror feedback, and the deliverables your trial team actually needs.
Get your jury dialed in! Utilizing state of the art dial response technology, HRG enables our clients to observe real time measurable data from jurors throughout a mock trial.
What we do
Full mock jury trials
A full mock jury reproduces a condensed version of the actual trial in a controlled environment with recruited jurors who match the demographics and screening profile of the real venire. Both sides are presented (often by the trial team itself, though sometimes by surrogates), the mock jury deliberates, and the results inform case strategy, settlement valuation, jury selection, and trial preparation. Typical project structure: one or two mock juries of 12 jurors each, deliberating for 1–3 hours after attorney presentations.
Focus group-based case research
For earlier-stage research, focus group format is often more efficient than full mock juries. We recruit small groups of qualified jurors, present case themes and key evidence, and facilitate structured discussion to identify which arguments resonate, which framings fail, what the jury fixates on that you didn't anticipate, and which witnesses or documents move opinion in either direction.
Witness preparation research
Test how a witness — particularly an expert witness or a critical lay witness — actually plays in front of jurors. We can run a witness's testimony in a controlled environment, capture both qualitative reactions and dial-response measurement, and produce specific, actionable feedback the witness and trial team can use to refine presentation, anticipate cross-examination challenges, and adjust direct examination.
Jury selection research
Pre-trial research to identify the demographic, experiential, and attitudinal profiles most and least favorable to your case in a specific Alaska venue. Particularly valuable in cases where small jury pools and known community attitudes make selection a meaningful strategic lever.
Shadow juries
For long trials where real-time feedback during the trial itself is valuable, shadow juries observe the actual trial proceedings (in person or via stream) and provide ongoing feedback the trial team can incorporate as the case develops.
How we work
Initial scoping call. We talk through the case, the strategic questions you need answered, the venue, the timeline, and the budget. This conversation is confidential and there's no obligation to engage further.
Engagement structure. We can work directly with your firm or as a subcontractor to a national trial consultant. Both arrangements are common, and we have no preference — what matters is that the right work happens.
Juror recruitment. We recruit from the Alaska Panel and from supplemental sources, screening against the demographic and attitudinal profile of the actual venire. All jurors sign confidentiality agreements before participating, and all materials are handled under appropriate confidentiality protocols.
Facility and logistics. Sessions take place at our Anchorage facility, with full recording, observation rooms for trial team review, and live streaming for team members who can't attend in person. For cases venued outside Anchorage, we can arrange suitable facility space in other Alaska communities.
Real-time juror feedback. Our dial-response system captures continuous, second-by-second juror reactions to opening statements, witness testimony, key documents, and closing arguments. The data shows you not just what jurors said in deliberation, but exactly when their opinion shifted and what caused it.
Deliberations. Recorded in full, with observation by your team in real time. We facilitate post-deliberation debriefs with the mock jurors when useful.
Reporting. Tailored to what your trial team will actually use. Topline summaries, full transcripts, dial-response charts mapped to trial moments, demographic and attitudinal breakdowns of juror reactions, and strategic recommendations as scoped.
Why mock juries matter in Alaska specifically
Alaska is a small state with a small jury pool, distinctive community attitudes, and meaningful regional variation in how cases are likely to be received. A jury in Anchorage is not a jury in Fairbanks, and neither is a jury in Bethel or Kodiak or Juneau. National trial consultants working an Alaska case without in-state research infrastructure are essentially guessing at how Alaska jurors will respond. Mock jury work conducted by Alaskans, with Alaskans, in the actual venue or a demographically matched proxy venue, produces meaningfully different — and more accurate — predictions than national-panel research.
Beyond the demographic match, Alaska juries bring a set of attitudes, experiences, and frames of reference that don't show up in national jury research. Resource extraction, subsistence, tribal sovereignty, rural-urban dynamics, public safety in remote communities, and the particular role of state and federal government in Alaskan life all shape how Alaska jurors evaluate cases. Research conducted with actual Alaskans surfaces these dynamics in time for the trial team to plan around them.
Engagement models
Full-service - Your trial team wants HRG to handle recruitment, facility, A/V, dial response, and reporting end-to-end. We coordinate directly with your firm.
Subcontract to trial consultant. - You're working with a national trial consulting firm and they need credible Alaska recruitment, facility, and execution. We work as their in-state partner, on their terms.
Recruitment-only - You have a moderator or trial consultant in place and need vetted, qualified Alaska jurors plus facility. We deliver participants and venue; you run the session.
Single-issue focus group - Earlier-stage research before a full mock jury is warranted. Small group, focused topic, faster turnaround.
Confidentiality
Litigation research demands tighter confidentiality than typical market research. We handle this as a baseline expectation, not an upcharge.
All recruited jurors sign confidentiality agreements before any case material is disclosed.
All HRG staff working on litigation projects sign confidentiality agreements specific to the matter.
Recruitment screening avoids any disclosure of party names or case identifiers when feasible.
Recorded materials, transcripts, and reports are delivered through secure channels and retained or destroyed per your firm's instructions.
We routinely sign NDAs, conflict checks, and engagement-specific confidentiality protocols required by client firms.
What you get
Recruitment and screening of jurors matched to the actual venire's demographic and attitudinal profile.
Facility, A/V, recording, and observation at our Anchorage location, or arranged statewide for non-Anchorage venues.
Real-time dial-response data capturing second-by-second juror reactions to your case presentation.
Full audio and video recording of presentations and deliberations, delivered securely post-session.
Reporting tailored to your trial team — from topline summaries to detailed analysis with dial-response charts, demographic breakdowns, verbatim quotes, and strategic recommendations.
Direct collaboration with your trial team or trial consulting partner throughout the engagement.
Why HRG
Two decades of Alaska research experience, including extensive litigation research work.
Anchorage facility purpose-built for confidential, high-stakes qualitative work.
In-house juror recruitment through the 10,000-member Alaska Panel.
Dial-response technology for real-time juror reaction measurement.
Established relationships with national trial consultants and with Alaska firms across the bar.
Confidentiality protocols built around the realities of litigation work.
Most cases settle. The ones that don't deserve a thorough test before they reach an actual jury, because by then it's too late to learn that your strongest argument lands flat, your key witness is unconvincing, or the opposing theory of the case is more persuasive than you assumed. A mock jury trial is the controlled environment where you find that out — and where you find it out in time to do something about it. Hays Research Group conducts mock juries, focus group-based jury research, and witness preparation studies for Alaska trial attorneys, defense firms, and outside counsel handling Alaska cases. We provide everything from juror recruitment through facility, A/V, real-time response measurement, and post-session deliverables, and we work seamlessly with whatever trial consulting partner you bring to the project.