Dr. Marissa Beyers is CEO and Senior Jury Consultant of Trial Behavior Consulting. Marissa is a social psychologist recognized for her expertise in developing winning strategies, including in jury selection, pre-trial research, witness preparation, courtroom communication and graphics. She combines training in statistics with expert knowledge of qualitative research methods and analysis. Marissa has selected numerous juries, interviewed hundreds of jurors, and conducted a wide range of trial research including survey, focus group, shadow jury, and mock trial research. She has consulted on a number of high exposure cases where she has worked hand in hand with trial teams from the facilitation of pre-trial research extending through trial to a successful outcome. Working closely with counsel on voir dire, witness preparation, opening statement, closing argument, and trial graphics has ensured key themes and arguments are effectively understood by jurors.
Marissa works on a broad range of cases but has developed a special expertise in high damages product liability, personal injury, fraud, securities, and health care litigation. She leads a consulting team overseeing major serial litigation and has worked with trial counsel to develop and refine strategies that have yielded significant success. She regularly conducts training on best practices for the large team of lawyers trying these cases.
Dr. Beyers received her Ph.D. from Brigham Young University, where she taught developmental psychology, statistics, research design, and general psychology along with conducting her doctoral research. Her research involved studies on how people’s interpretations of evidence and judgments are biased by their frameworks of perception. Marissa has presented her research findings at both national and international meetings and was twice recognized for her research at the American Psychological Association’s national convention.
Dr. Beyers heads Trial Behavior’s Los Angeles office.