On October 8, 2025, Arnold & Porter’s New York office hosted Next Frontiers in Product Liability: Litigation Trends & Tactics in the Changing Courtroom, a full-day program that brought together thought leaders to discuss evolving strategies in product liability litigation. Among the featured speakers was IMS Senior Jury Consulting Advisor Jill Leibold, PhD, who led the session on “Jury Pools: Conspiracism, Safetyism, and Anti-Corporate Sentiments.”
Dr. Leibold’s presentation examined how juror attitudes have fundamentally changed over the past five years amid unprecedented social and political disruptions. While distrust of institutions and risk aversion have been slow-growing trends for decades, she explained that the pandemic acted as a catalyst, transforming gradual changes into a widespread cultural shift. Today’s juries are navigating a climate of heightened anxiety, polarized beliefs, and pervasive skepticism toward corporations and government, resulting in more unpredictable and extreme verdicts across a range of litigation types.
Offering both psychological insight and practical solutions, Dr. Leibold shared how trial teams can identify and adapt to these evolving juror mindsets: conspiracism, safetyism, and anti-corporate bias. Her strategies included approaches to rebuild trust, mitigate risk, and craft narratives that resonate authentically with increasingly complex jury pools.
The Arnold & Porter event also featured panels on creative dismissal strategies, impacts of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, expert witness management under Rule 702, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence in litigation. The program concluded with a fireside chat featuring Hon. Judge Merrick Garland, who provided a judicial perspective on the current and future landscape of product liability law.
Want to know more about Dr. Leibold’s research on safetyism, juror decision-making, and nuclear verdicts? Find insightful articles and podcasts below, also featuring senior jury consultants and respected litigators.
