Ross P. Laguzza, Ph.D.

Dr. Ross Laguzza is an expert in the psychology of persuasion. Over the last 30 years, he has consulted on hundreds of complex and high-risk matters in this country and in Europe. His clients include major corporations faced with the challenge of developing persuasive messages for many different types of stakeholders (juries, judges, federal and state regulatory agencies, politicians, environmental and other activist groups, communities, and employee groups).

Dr. Laguzza’s special expertise is developing creative and highly effective communication strategies in extraordinarily difficult situations. He also conducts programs for key messengers (witnesses, corporate spokespersons) to assist them in being persuasive while under attack. Dr. Laguzza is a frequent lecturer on the principles of persuasion. Dr. Laguzza also has worked as an actor on stage and television, which has sharpened his sense for the most effective ways to command an audience’s attention.

 

Education
Ph.D. (Applied Social Psychology and Law); University of Nebraska–Lincoln
M.S. (Counseling Psychology); Western Washington University
B.A. (Psychology); University of California–Riverside

Prior Experience
Senior Vice President, DecisionQuest, Inc.
Managing Director, Litigation Sciences, Inc.
Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology, Monmouth University, New Jersey
Management Development Specialist, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Research Consultant, Crime and Community, Inc.
Psychological Counselor, Counterpoint Inc.
Certified Public Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Selected Publications and Presentations
“Predicting The Pandemic’s Impact on Juror Decision-Making.” Law360, April 2020
“Masterclass.” ExxonMobil Litigation Summit, February 2018
“Tiger in a Lifeboat.” Merck Litigation Summit, October 2017
“Expert Witnesses: You Can’t Try a Big Case Without Them, and You Can’t Kill Them” ABA Section of Litigation Newsletter, November 2017
“Are You Prepared for a ‘Post-Fact’ Jury?” Law360, December 2016
“Are Your Witnesses Watered Down?” Law360, October 2016
“What Is Your Squirm Factor?” Law360, May 2016
“Paul Harvey, R.I.P.” Law360, September 2015
“Magic and Conspiracies in the Courtroom.” ExxonMobil 2009 Litigation Meeting. AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center, Austin, TX, September 23, 2009
“A Winning Beginning: How to Make Phenomenal Opening Statements.” ABA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, July 9, 2009
“Pharmaceutical Litigation Conference.” Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, New York, December 2008
“Brain Mapping for the Courtroom: The Potential Future of Jury Persuasion Research.” Trial Strategies, July 2008, Issue 9
“Persuasion in a Hostile Environment.” Texas State Bar Annual Meeting. Austin, TX, June 16, 2006
“Gorilla in the Courtroom: When Jurors Go Blind.” 22nd Annual Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute. St. Paul, MN, June 2005
“Corporate Image is Everything: Or is It?” IADC Conference. Chicago, IL, April 2005
“The Latest Trends in Jury Persuasion.” Woods, Rogers and Hazelgrove. Roanoke, VA, December 6, 2004
“Analyzing a Jury.” TIPS National Trial Academy. The National Judicial College. Reno, NV, April 18, 2004
“Going to the Cave and Seeing the Beast.” Exxon Mobil Litigation Seminar, Houston, TX, June 2002
“Motive to Kill: Why Jurors Punish.” Texas General Counsel Group, Austin, TX, June 2002
“What You Don’t Know Can Really Hurt You.” 19th Annual Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, MN, May 2002
“Why Jurors Punish Automobile Manufacturers-Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation.” American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Phoenix, AZ, March 21, 2002
“Science Doesn’t Matter: A Blasphemer’s View of How to Win a Causation Battle.” American Bar Association’s The Brief, Winter 2002, Vol. 31, No. 2
“What Persuades Jurors in a Product Liability Case?” ABA Products Liability Mega Conference III, Amelia Island, FL, June 22, 2001
“Persuasive Jury Arguments in Employment Cases.” 19th Annual Multi-State Labor and Employment Law Seminar, San Antonio, TX, May 17, 2001
“Generation X on Trial.” American Bar Association Section of Litigation Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, May 11, 2001
“Communicating With a Jury.” Litigation Services Handbook, Third Edition, May 2001
Panelist, TIPS National Trial Academy 2001, April 29 – May 2, 2001
“A Formulaic Approach to Predicting Punitive Damages.” Texas Lawyer; March 5, 2001, Vol. 16, No. 51
Masters of the Courtroom Panelist, New Orleans Bar Association, New Orleans, LA, December 14, 2000
“The Psychology of Big Trials.” Panelist, Joint Inns of Court Meeting for Loyola Law School, New Orleans Bar Association and Tulane Law School, New Orleans, LA, October 11, 2000
“The Ghost of Pennzoil–Texaco: Hidden Risks of Arguing Alternative Damages.” IADC Defense Counsel Journal; October 2000
“Winning Your Case With Your Opening Statement.” ABA Trial Techniques Committee Annual Meeting Program, New York City, New York, July 2000
“What Future Masters Need to Know About the Psychology of Persuasion.” TIPS National Trial Academy, April 29 – May 3, 2000
“Unfair Attack? Juries May Be Swayed By Prosecutorial Tactic.” Legal Times, April 10, 2000
“What Could They be Thinking? Lessons From American Jury Studies.” American Bar Association’s The Brief, December 1999
“Jury Trial as a Mine Field: Pitfalls in Employment Litigation.” The 26th Annual Labor and Employment Law Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association-CLE, November 18, 1999
“Why Do Well-Prepared Witnesses Crash and Burn?” The Trial Lawyer, November-December 1999, Vol. 22, No. 6
“Don’t Take it Personally: Righteous Anger Usually Leads to a Poor Legal Defense Strategy.” Human Resources Magazine, August 1999
“Figuring Out How Jurors Think.” Legal Times, June 7, 1999, Vol. 22, No. 4
Defense Research Institute-Drug and Medical Device Litigation, “Jury Issues Demonstration: The Use of Focus Groups and Theme Development.” San Diego, CA, April 1999
American Conference Institute-Employment Practices Liability Insurance-Underwriting, Risk Management & Claims Handling, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: An Analysis of Juror Attitudes on Employment Litigation.” New York, NY, March 30, 1999, Benesch, Friedlander, Copland & Aronoff, LLP’s Labor and Employment Seminar, May 2000
Jury Research and Selection: Trial by Masters, Tulane Law School, New Orleans, LA, December 18, 1998
“Towards a Rational Approach to Jury Research and Selection in Drug and Device Litigation.” American Conference Institute-The 3rd Annual Conference on Drug and Medical Device Litigation, New York, NY, December 8, 1998
“Fear and Loathing in Health Care Trials-Notes from a Trial Consultant.” Health Care Fraud & Abuse, Newsletter, May 1998, Vol.1, No. 4
“Juror Trial Innovations: Fast Lane to Fairness or Folly?” Inside Litigation, October 1998, Volume 12, No. 10
“Building Better Trial Stories.” The Mississippi Bar, 1998 Summer School for Lawyers. Destin, Florida, July 13, 1998
12th Annual FELA, Occupational Disease Conference, “Chemical Phobia: Juror Perspectives.” Bar Harbor, Maine, June 11, 1998
Mountain States Employers Council, Inc., Annual Employment Law Update, “The Psychology of Employment Litigation.” Denver, Colorado, May 21, 1998
Hollins University, “Are Jurors Really Crazy: A Psychological Analysis.” Roanoke, Virginia, April 23, 1998
Hinds County Bar Association Meeting, Jackson, Mississippi, April 21, 1998
Federal Bar Association South Texas Chapter, Panel Discussion, Houston, Texas, March 26, 1998
Toxic Tort and Environmental Law Committee, Mass Tort and Environmental Litigation: Practice Inside and Outside the Courtroom, Charleston, South Carolina, March 13, 1998
Texas A&M University Law Center, Advanced Civil Trial Law Conference, “Early Case Evaluation and Strategy.” Houston, Texas, February 5, 1998
ABA Product Liability Committee Fall Meeting, Monster Litigation, “The Decision-Makers: Predicting the Jury’s Reaction to Monster Litigation.” Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, November 21, 1997
Association of American Railroads, Twentieth Annual Meeting General Claims Conference, “Voodoo Jurynomics.” San Antonio, Texas, October 10, 1997
Susman Godfrey, L.L.P., “Common Myths About Voir Dire.” Grand Cayman Island, September 27, 1997
The State Bar of Texas, 1997 Comprehensive Consumer Law Seminar, “Building a Better Trial Story.” Houston, Texas, September 12, 1997
ABA Annual Meeting, CBS Reports Program, “Enter the Jury Room.” Washington, DC, April 1997, San Francisco, California, August 4, 1997
“Stage Management: Understanding and Reacting to Changes in Jurors’ Attitudes and Perceptions.” Verdicts & Settlements, June 20, 1997
“Playing to Win: Persuasive Messages in the Courtroom.” Fifteenth Annual Multi-State Labor and Employment Law Seminar, May 15, 1997
“Jury Trial Innovations.” 5th Circuit Judicial Conference, Biloxi, MS, May 6, 1997
Panelist, “The Media — and Media Law — Under Fire: Fairness to Public Figures, and the Limits of Covert Journalism.” ABA Litigation Section Conference, April 17, 1997
“Voodoo Jurynomics.” Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 9, 1997
“Effective Voir Dire Techniques in a DTPA Case.” 8th Annual Conference on the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, San Antonio, Texas, December 12, 1996
“In the Land of Gurus and Data Dumpers: How to Choose the Right Jury Specialist, Texas Lawyer, May 20, 1996 Issue
Lectures based on the article: ABA, Litigation Section 1996 Southwest Regional Workshop, Houston, Texas, October 18, 1996, Product Liability Advisory Council 1996 Fall, Conference and Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, October 25, 1996
“Three Deadly Assumptions About Juror Psychology.” Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Inc., Seattle, Washington, April 1996
“Top Ten Factors Leading to Exponential Jury Awards (And What You Can Do About Them).” Minnesota State Bar Association 1995 Labor & Employment Law Institute, November 16, 1995, Eighteenth Annual Employment Law Seminar, Jackson, Mississippi, September 29, 1995, 13th Annual Multi-State Labor & Employment Law Seminar, Tucson, Arizona, May 18, 1995, OU/TAHRA Employment Law Seminar, Tulsa, Oklahoma, November 7, 1996 & Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 14, 1996
“The Role of Jury Consultants and Trial Strategy Consultants in the Prozac Trial.” 1995 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention, Louisville, Kentucky, June 1995
“Courtroom Advocacy-From Motions to Appeal Panel.” The Woman Advocate ’95, San Francisco, California, April 25, 1995
“Technology and its Impact on the Practice of Corporate Law: Are You Ready for the Information Highway?” 32nd Annual Southeastern Corporate Law Institute, Point Clear, Alabama, April 21, 1995
“Preparing for Trial with Mock Trials and Jury Analyses.” ABA, Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law: Litigation and Corporate Practice, Arlington, Virginia, April 7, 1995
“Art and Psychology of Jury Selection.” Preparation By the Masters, Tulane Law School CLE Program, December 1994
“Peering Through The Looking Glass: Demystifying U.S. Juries Through Jury Research.” An Illumination And Overview Of The U.S. System, London, England, October 1994
“Preparing To Win Friends And Influence People On The Jury.” Nashville Bar Association’s Trial Practice Institute, September 14, 1994
“Everything is Evidence: Knowledge, Control and Winning Cases.” Washington Journal, July 1994
“What Can You Believe About Juries?” Mississippi State Bar, Summer School For Lawyers, July 1994
“The Top Ten Misconceptions Counsel Has About Juries and How To Persuade Them.” The Price Waterhouse General Counsel Forum, April 1994
“Trial Without Tribulation.” The Woman Advocate ’94, New York City, New York, April 1994
“Effective Use of Jury Consultants & Techniques for Communicating with Juries.” South Texas College of Law Seminar, February 1994
Co-Author of “Jury Persuasion: Psychological Strategies and Trial Techniques.” with Dr. Donald E. Vinson, 1993
“Why Jurors in Employment Cases Don’t Care About the Evidence.” Employment Law Strategist, October 1993
“Ten Commandments of Persuading Patent Juries.” 9th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, Galveston, Texas, October 1993
“Communication Strategies: Preparation, Presentation, and Persuasion.” Auburn University Bar Association Seminar, Auburn, Alabama, September 1993
“Jury Selection-Common Misconceptions.” The Mississippi Bar, Summer School For Lawyers, Jackson, Mississippi, July 1993
“Juror Psychology in Employment Cases: Methods, Myths and Magic.” Eleventh Annual Multi-State Labor and Employment Law Seminar, May 1993
“What can I believe? Finally Some Straight Answers to Questions Frequently Asked by Lawyers Trying “The Big Case.” Louisiana State Bar, March 1993
“Voir Dire in Employment Cases.” National Law Journal, June 1993
“Juror Persuasion in Employment Litigation.” State Bar of Texas, Advanced Employment Law Course, 1992
“Psychological Persuasion in Patent Cases.” The American Intellectual Property Law Association Bulletin, July 1991
“The Lawyer Image Study.” The Texas Bar Journal, April 1991, with Dr. Bob Minick
“Verdict on Our System of Justice: A Critical Review of the system of Justice in Travis County.” The First Annual Bench Bar Conference, Lake Conroe, Texas, April 1991
“Communication Strategies for Intellectual Property Cases.” Institute for Intellectual Property Law, The Texas State Bar, March 1991
“The Cost-Effective Use of Experts.” Committee on Corporate Counsel: Mid-Winter Meeting of The American Bar Association, Naples, Florida, February 1991
“Strategies for Jury Persuasion.” Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 1990
“Special Challenges for Patent Law Attorneys.” The Southwestern Legal Foundation’s 28th Annual Institute on Patent Law
“Development and Utilizing Effective Video Taped Depositions for Trial.” American Inns of Court-Chapter XXXII, Tulsa, Oklahoma, November 1990
“Communication Strategies for Attorneys.” The Missouri State Bar Annual Meeting Educational Programs, St. Louis, October 1990
“Persuading the Jury from Voir Dire through Closing Argument.” the State Bar of Texas, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Midland, October 1990
“Psychological Components of Complex Business Litigation.” Louisiana Chapter of the American Corporation Counsel Association, New Orleans, July 1990
“Handling Sensitive Cases in Front of the Jury.” Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Institute, The State Bar of Texas, Houston, Dallas, March 1990
“Juror Reactions to Anti-trust Cases.” Dallas Bar Association Anti-trust and Trade Regulation Meeting, Dallas, March 1990
“The Psychology of Demonstrative Evidence.” Milwaukee Bar Association, January 1989
“Opening Statement Strategy.” American Inns of Court, Tulsa, Oklahoma, January 1989
“How Jurors Decide Product Liability Cases.” Products Liability and Personal Injury Law Conference, The University of Texas Law School, Austin, November 1989
“Jury Selection Strategies.” American Inns of Court, Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 1989
“Winning at Trial.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas, September 1989
“Advanced Persuasion Techniques.” 12th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course, The State Bar of Texas, July 1989
“The Art of Persuasion.” The Texas State Bar Association, Houston, Dallas, May 1989
“Modern Techniques for Preparing and Presenting the Big Case.” The Texas State Bar, Houston, Dallas, March 1989, and March 1988
“Jury Strategies.” Seminar Sponsored by the Oklahoma Bar Association, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1988
“Developing a Convincing Story for Your Case.” Hillsborough County Bar Association, Tampa, Florida, November 1988
“The Importance of Attitudes and Values to Juror Decision-making.” Annual Meeting of The Pennsylvania State Bar Association, Harrisburg, May 1988
“The Psychology of Juror Motivation.” USAA Annual Claims Legal Conference, San Antonio, Texas, April 1988
“Seventy Years of Family Courts: A Critical Evaluation.” The American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, August 1985
“A Decision Process Model of Distributive Justice.” The Midwestern Psychological Association, May 1985
“The Use of Simulated Juries in Psycho-legal Research.” The Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Columbia, Missouri, April 1984
“The Effect of Race and Consequences on Jury Decision-making.” Bellingham, Washington, June 1982