Hourly Services

In addition to focus group and case presentation planning packages, MetaSystems proudly offers these additional services to support the communication of your case story.

Case Assessment
For whatever reason, when a case doesn't warrant the investment of a focus group, but the attorney wants the benefit of a consultant's perspective, we offer a presentation plan for negotiation, mediation or trial, without the time and expense of a focus group. These assessments also include two follow up conferences, as the focus group packages do, to help you apply the plan to your actual delivery of the case story, and review your draft work before it must be delivered to the decision makers.

And, just like the focus groups, case assessments can be delivered in oral or written formats.

Opening Statements
We can review, provide input and edit opening (or closing) remarks beyond the corrections and suggestions in the post-group conferences. This effort can include reviewing multiple drafts, producing draft openings, reviewing live or video-taped presentation of the opening, as well as coordinating the presentation of visuals or other demonstrative effects.

Demonstrative Visuals
Like opening statements, work on the demonstratives accompanying the verbal delivery of a case story can reach further than the verbal critique offered in the post-plan phone conference. Every major case story topic needs an image - mental or actual - associated with its verbal packaging to be most memorable and convincing. This service includes the review and editing of multiple drafts to best match the needs of the presentation plan, coordinating their sequence and method of presentation, as well as their medium (hard boards or power point slides, etc.).

Our team includes a legal graphics provider to whom we can turn should you determine their services are for you. www.nextstep-designsolutions.com

Witness Preparation
Since the bulk of the case story will be delivered, for better or worse, from the witness stand, a presentation strategy for witnesses is absolutely critical. This service provides communications strategies in the following areas: story sequencing, including the order and use of visuals supporting the key story points, the integration of the smoothest and most effective case story vocabulary, the assessment and handling of witness presentation strengths and weaknesses, and helping to determine that the key witnesses are ready to deliver the story as planned and needed.

Voir Dire
As with opening remarks, draft outlines and potential juror questions often need more than a single review by phone in the post-plan conference. This is the first chance to establish and reinforce the case theme and other story elements, without appearing to indoctrinate the venire. Often, written questionnaires are employed, and must be designed to both further the oral follow up (where allowed) and to coordinate the establishment of the case story for the potential jurors in the paper medium, instead of the personal one. Also, voir dire offers us the first chance to provide you with experienced review and assessment of the nonverbal reactions prompted by our case story questions for the panelists.

Trial Observation
By being present from voir dire (where allowed) or opening statements into some, or all of the trial presentation, we can offer assessments of where elements of the case story plan are making headway, and where their presentation may need adjustment. This service has similar application with arbitration and mediation panels (where applicable), and bench trials, as well. Just as human beings make decisions in very similar ways despite their education or training, so do they reveal much of their thinking process in ways that are both verbal and nonverbal.

Assessment of Prior Focus Group Work
Many times, attorneys want our perspective on the content and the results of a group(s) that they or someone else has conducted. We can review these materials and, after collecting supplemental information from the attorney, produce a case presentation plan based on these prior group efforts.

Additional services may be contracted independently, or added to focus group and case presentation packages.