John De Witt, Ph.D. - A jury consultant for your trial team
John De Witt has conducted
successful trial strategy and
jury
research for a wide range of cases since co-founding Nevada's first
full time trial
consulting firm in 1986. A pioneer in the use of social
science
methodology for trial assessment, settlement, and jury analysis, Dr.
De Witt
emphasizes the importance of accurately assessing the dynamics that
exist
between jurors and the elements of a particular case. His
approach
focuses on the psychological and demographic characteristics,
communication and
persuasion processes, and social forces that affect juror attitudes and
decisions.
Believing
that advanced
studies in psychology, sociology, communication, language, and research
methodology would be essential to a sound trial consulting practice, he
augmented his B.A. in Psychology from California State University,
Sacramento with a doctorate in Social Psychology from the University of
Nevada-Reno, with an emphasis on communication and persuasion.
His doctoral
dissertation on
juror attitudes and decision making - titled Novel Scientific
Evidence
and the Juror - won an award from the American Psychological
Association's
Law and Psychology Division, and he has held positions as Director of
Survey
Research and Assistant Research Professor of Justice Studies at the
University of Nevada
- Reno.
In
addition to consulting on hundreds of cases in Nevada and
across the country, Dr. De Witt has conducted several projects for the
Nevada
Supreme Court, including studies on Gender Bias in Nevada's courts,
Attorney
Advertising,
and an
evaluation of the impact of the court-annexed Arbitration
Program in Clark County.
John's
background also includes a wealth of work experience that gives him a
penetrating insight
into
human behavior - first in the US Navy on nuclear and conventional
submarines,
with a top secret security clearance - and later as a radio engineer
and
announcer,
concert promoter, political pollster, and university professor.
As a social psychologist,
John has expertise in the only academic discipline centrally concerned
with social interaction and influence processes, communication and
persuasion, and public opinion research. This, combined with over two
decades of experience as a jury consultant, ensures that you will
receive the highest quality services possible. If you would like
to learn more, please email or call; we look forward to meeting you and
discussing how we can be of help in specific cases.
