Pete Rowland, PhD

With more than 35 years’ of experience in trial consulting, IMS Senior Jury Consulting & Strategy Advisor Dr. Pete Rowland is an expert in jury research, case assessment, and advocacy strategy. Pete was a founding principal of the Kansas City-based firm Litigation Insights and has advised trial lawyers in hundreds of high-exposure civil cases, specializing in mass torts, employment, product liability, intellectual property, and insurance coverage cases. In 2014, he received the American Society of Trial Consultants Lifetime Achievement Award for his innovative work in the field.

Pete’s focus on theme and story development led to the creation of jury research models that have been particularly effective with assisting counsel in developing their case strategies. One such model called “Insights Focus Group Research” (IFG) focuses on early case assessment. This research helps clients develop an approach built upon juror input rather than assumptions. The information derived from an IFG provides the building blocks to refine themes and strategies—not only for presenting the case at trial, but for the preceding discovery process as well.

Pete has also pioneered jury-selection models that apply mini-max (minimize risks-maximize reward) strategies developed in social judgment theory. These applications have proven especially valuable in mass-torts where potential jurors have been exposed to biased media accounts prior to voir dire.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University, Pete earned a master’s degree in political science and a PhD in Political Science/Political Psychology from the University of Houston. Pete also completed a post-doctoral exchange fellowship in jury psychology and decision making from the University of Kansas.

Pete resides in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and enjoys fly fishing in his spare time. He proudly supports the Fly Fishing Collective’s aquaponic projects in poor villages around the world.