While the technique is already widely used in business marketing and product development, the use of online focus groups in litigation strategy is still in its infancy. There are basically two ways the Internet is being used in trial research. The first is online bulletin boards, where lawyers can post information about their cases and get feedback from mock jurors. Lawyers can use this method to post a statement of the case, opening and closing arguments, deposition testimony, photos or other pieces of evidence. Mock jurors log on and give their reactions over several days or weeks.
Lawyers can print out an analysis of juror responses, answer questions and ask follow-up questions.
Some bulletin boards are accessible to anyone who logs onto the site and is interested in being a mock juror. Other companies select a jury pool to suit the venue of the case. In one construction defects case, he presented a summary of the claim, the contract of sale, witness testimony and a summary of the defendant's arguments. I was surprised by the comments. Things I didn't think were important, they thought were important.