FAQs

IMS offers customised search services for expert witnesses. For each project, we dedicate a unique search team to source, recruit and manage our client’s expectations. The expert witness search team consists of researchers, recruiters, associate recruiters, quality assurance staff and a dedicated schedule coordinator. Our researchers conduct custom searches to locate the best talent and our recruiters thoroughly vet and qualify each expert candidate.

When an attorney contacts IMS about an expert witness need, we utilise our best-in-class sourcing processes to locate experts that fit the client’s specifications. We conduct a collaborative specification call with the client and IMS search team to gather search requirements. We then locate and contact expert candidates to confirm qualifications, availability, and interest and ensure they are conflict-free. The most highly credentialed and experienced candidates who meet the project needs are then presented to our client. After the client reviews presented candidates, IMS facilitates the coordination and kick-off of an expert-client interview.

Once the client selects an expert for engagement, IMS handles the administrative actions for the contracting process. Upon engagement, the expert is matched with a dedicated engagement manager who becomes their primary point of contact for all case milestones and project-related inquiries. They set the stage for the continued success of a project and allow the expert to focus on delivering the highest value for the client.

Each expert search runs through our internal conflict-checking process to ensure there is no conflict with IMS taking on the new project. To conduct our conflict check, IMS needs the case caption and venue, the parties-in-suit, any relevant case documents, the patent number (if applicable) and legal representation for the parties.

An IMS client relationship manager will schedule a 30-minute specification call with the client and the internal IMS search team to gather all requirements for the client’s expert request.

Our experienced team of Client Relationship Managers facilitate the entire expert search process for our clients and their legal teams. This tenured group of professionals have worked with the world's top law firms and their clients since 1992. Our focus is centered around a long tradition of high client satisfaction.

We conduct our expert witness searches based on each client’s needs. Our standard turnaround and search completion date is 10 business days, unless the client’s need is more urgent. IMS sends expert candidate options on a rolling basis during that timeframe.

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IMS pioneered the executive-recruiting approach to align clients involved in complex commercial disputes with the very best subject matter experts across all industries.

IMS now provides expert witness, consulting, visual advocacy and presentation technology services. These offerings deliver the essential tools to our clients, including a compelling case story, experts who clarify and inform, case research to test and validate strategies, visual advocacy to engage and educate and flawless technical presentations (on-site and online).

From physical to digital, our design team employs a variety of mediums to provide stand-alone visual support and comprehensive multimedia presentations for any phase of dispute resolution. Using a variety of mediums, such as custom illustrations, 2D and 3D animations and photography, our visuals can be used in the following areas:

• Domestic and international arbitration
• Mediation proceedings
• Bench trials and jury trials
• Expert witness reports and evidence presentations
• Focus groups and mock arbitrations
• Preliminary case hearings
• Internal client presentations
  
• Press conferences and public hearings

The process can vary based on the needs of a case, but it usually starts with the client providing our team with reading materials allowing us to familiarize ourselves with the case issues. This would be followed by a kick-off call to discuss our general thoughts and provide graphics suggestions. We have some clients who really enjoy collaborating on the process, while others heavily rely on our consultants and graphic designers to analyse the case materials and develop an initial visual strategy.

In either scenario, our visual advocacy team would prepare a first draft of the visual materials, requesting supporting documents where necessary, and send everything to the client for feedback. This iterative process continues until it is time to finalize and/or prepare exchange files for the proceeding. We are accustomed to supporting legal teams remotely and providing on-site support in the war room and courtroom.

Our visual advocacy team can begin working on an initial draft of your legal presentation with some basic reading materials, exhibits and/or an outline.

At IMS, we pride ourselves on providing each client with a dedicated team. This typically includes a consultant and graphic designer who partner with the client’s legal team from start to finish.

This largely depends on the type of graphics project we have been engaged for, e.g., reworking and cleaning up an existing presentation versus creating a new 3D animation or complex illustration. The short answer is always “The sooner we engage, the better.” However, our visual advocacy teams span six time zones, so we are in a strong position to meet critical deadlines.

For more than three decades, we have been at the forefront of developing compelling presentations that have played pivotal roles in some of the most prominent and impactful legal cases in modern history. To date, our team has worked on numerous international disputes across every region including Europe, the Middle East, Far East and Australia, as well as North and South America.

Our visual advocacy team hails from a diverse array of backgrounds as varied as law, technology, design and communication. Our consultants utilise their multifaceted perspectives to create strategic presentations in a variety of practice areas, with particular expertise in construction, intellectual property, environmental, insurance and financial matters.

Using visuals can provide several benefits for the judge or tribunal evaluating the case. They clearly convey information, clarify complex concepts and enhance the overall understanding of the case.

• Enhanced Understanding: Complex legal concepts, technical information or intricate details of a case can be difficult to grasp fully solely through verbal descriptions. Visuals help clarify these concepts for adjudicators.
• Clear Communication: Visual aids can bridge communication gaps by providing a visual representation of facts, evidence, timelines and relationships. This is especially important when dealing with complex evidence or expert testimony that might be difficult to crystallize otherwise.
• Engagement: Visuals engage the audience’s attention more effectively than spoken words alone. Arbitrators and other decision-makers are more likely to stay focused and attentive when presented with visual materials that complement verbal arguments.
• Memory Retention: People generally remember visual information better than spoken information. When people associate key points with visual aids, they are more likely to retain that information throughout the proceedings.
• Strategic Impact: Visuals can be strategically designed to enhance the effectiveness of arguments. For example, a well-designed chart or graph can highlight trends, discrepancies or correlations that support a particular side’s narrative.
• Credibility: Presenting information through visual aids can enhance the credibility of the legal team’s arguments. Well-prepared visual materials demonstrate that the legal professionals have thoroughly reviewed and analysed the evidence.
• Efficiency: Visual demonstratives can help streamline the dispute resolution process by presenting information more efficiently. Instead of spending excessive time explaining complex concepts verbally, lawyers can use visuals to convey information more succinctly.
• Uniformity: Visuals provide a consistent reference point for everyone involved in the trial. Arbitrators, witnesses and legal teams can all refer to the same visual materials when discussing specific points, reducing the risk of misunderstandings.
• Witness Testimony: In addition to supporting expert witness testimony, visual aids can be particularly effective during cross-examination or when presenting a rebuttal. They allow legal teams to immediately respond to opposing arguments by displaying relevant evidence or countering claims with visual representations.
• Accessibility: Visual aids can be particularly useful when dealing with an audience from different backgrounds and language barriers or accessibility needs. Visual information transcends language barriers and can ensure that everyone understands the information being presented.

Working with a visual advocacy consultant is a valuable way to enhance advocacy efforts by incorporating visual elements and strategies. Our experienced consultants specialize in creating compelling visual content and strategies that effectively communicate a message, engage an audience and drive advocacy goals. Here is a guide to the visual advocacy process:

• Initial Scope Call: Clients will have an initial call with their assigned visual advocacy consultant to clearly outline the goals, key dates and general scope of the project. This will serve as the foundation for the visual content and strategies the consultant will create.
• Consultation: The visual advocacy consultant will work with the client to understand the case themes and begin to develop an idea on complexity of demonstratives, scope of work, budget, etc. The consultant will provide the client with a proposal, and if accepted, an engagement agreement will be sent and work will officially begin.
• Share Information: The client will then provide the visual advocacy consultant with any relevant information on the matter, including background materials, existing content, data and any branding guidelines or visual assets available to begin creating visual content.
• Collaborative Planning: The consultant will work with the client via email or phone/video calls to develop a visual advocacy strategy. This might include deciding on the types of visuals to be used (timelines, technical tutorials, etc.) and the overall visual style that aligns with the case.
• Concept Development: The consultant will develop concepts and ideas for the visuals and overall presentation content. They might provide sketches, mock-ups, or written proposals to the client to help visualise their ideas.
• Content Creation and Feedback: The consultant will work with our in-house design team to execute the visual strategy and create the materials. The consultant and the client will have an iterative relationship where the visuals will be revised and refined until they are ready to be presented at the hearing.

Our team pioneered the use of interactive technology in legal proceedings and offers industry-leading multimedia services, including:

• Timelines: easily navigable timelines with clickable events that link to documents, videos, photos or other exhibits
• Maps: with zooming and panning features and layers of clickable icons that link to photographs, documents or other exhibits
• 3D Electronic Models: with full interactions that allow moving the camera viewpoint around and into a complex structure or device
• Custom Presentations: bespoke interactive combinations of 3D models, exhibits, photographs, video, maps and/or timelines to tell a strong story

Headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, IMS's physical footprint extends coast-to-coast throughout the US in addition to a foothold in the UK. With expertise in virtual hearings and a strong remote workforce, we are primed to deliver visual advocacy services worldwide.

Presentation technology is a comprehensive service provided by IMS that offers expert support in presenting cases seamlessly during all phases of dispute resolution. Our veteran team ensures that clients deliver flawless presentations, captivate decision-makers and effectively convey legal arguments.

IMS’s senior technology consultants have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in court or 100 trial completions. Our experienced technicians support legal teams in complex and high-stakes disputes across the country. We offer proprietary technology with our TrialLink® virtual services and a production workflow that provides support at any point in the trial timeline.

We offer strategic support not only during trial or arbitration but also in the preparation and planning phases, ensuring comprehensive case presentation throughout each stage of dispute resolution.

IMS’s services include evidence presentation assistance, strategic technology setup guidance, precise video evidence editing and innovative virtual support through TrialLink®. Our experienced team provides seamless support in the war room and courtroom.

IMS specialises in virtual presentations for trials, hearings and arbitrations in the US and worldwide. Our exclusive TrialLink® virtual services were developed to give lawyers a competitive advantage in any online setting and allow them to make their case without touching the technology. TrialLink® includes real-time document display, exhibit management and evidence presentation—all overseen by skilled technicians.

Another popular offering is our professional remote set (or “Zoom Studio”) that IMS can implement entirely for clients and the parties involved. The virtual proceeding can be transmitted to any videoconferencing platform over a secure connection. All parties utilising the broadcast are visible on the same screen in one viewing box. Additional features are available, such as transcript captioning and simultaneous display of documents.

Our consultants provide a full range of services to support the world's top lawyers throughout the lifecycle of complex dispute resolution, including:

• Early Case Assessment
• Strategy and Theme Development
• Focus Groups & Mock Proceedings
  
• Witness Communication Training
  
• Case Presentation Consultation
• In-Court Monitoring

IMS meets clients’ needs even from afar, and all of our dispute resolution consulting services may be conducted remotely. In fact, virtual case research is invaluable for gaining insights from representative decision-makers while reducing travel, facility and associated expenses. It can be a robust, effective and efficient option for the majority of cases, even complex matters.

While online exercises are conducted in much the same way as their in-person counterparts, it is important to explore your project goals and structure the research to suit the virtual format. We have significant experience conducting online case research and have identified many important considerations that guide us in our approach.

We have more than three decades in the business. Our dispite resolution consultants offer unmatched real-world experience and a deep knowledge of cognitive psychology, communication theory and  decision-making. Built on the foundation of several key consulting firm acquisitions—The Focal Point, Litigation Insights, Z-Axis, Tsongas and MMG Consulting—our team and reach are extensive and only continue to grow.

We design and staff our case research projects to generate actionable data and qualitative feedback. Our recommendations inform clients’ strategies through science, not superstition. We recruit mock participants to match the precise demographics of your likely audience - a step that ensures reliable results and sets us apart from many competitors. Following each research project, clients receive a written analysis and/or detailed presentation of the top findings and practical recommendations for case strategy.

Not least, IMS consultants are exceptional storytellers. We help clients turn the bare case facts into something that your audience will care about and remember. Through decades of jury research and hundreds of trials, our team has tested countless narrative themes and their outcomes across a vast range of litigation genres. We work with your team to isolate what works and develop talking points that stay with judges and arbitrators as they make critical decisions.

IMS dispute resolution consultants have supported leading legal teams on thousands of matters across all industries and practice areas. Our consultants see more proceedings in a year than lawyers may see in their lifetime, and this experience allows us to become a trusted partner from start to finish.

Our consulting team has particular expertise in disputes related to product liability and toxic torts, mass torts including transportation, professional negligence including medical malpractice, intellectual property disputes including patent infringement and insurance coverage including bad faith cases.

IMS consultants use case research to test mock participants’ reactions to key issues, measure the effectiveness of arguments and learn what questions still need to be answered. Case research feedback helps define a compelling narrative and identify strategic next steps.

From focus groups to mock arbitrations to hybrid designs that incorporate deliberations and moderated discussions, we tailor each case research project to our clients’ specific dispute, venue and research goals. We are happy to discuss your case with you to offer guidance on how research can best fit your needs.

While we are often referred to as jury consultants, jurors are not the only decision-makers. And because judges and arbitrators are prone to many of the same cognitive biases as lay jurors, tight messaging is just as important. IMS consultants can conduct research with qualified mock judges and arbitrators that align as closely as possible to those overseeing your dispute, offering crucial feedback no matter your ultimate audience.