The Challenge

We received a request from a focus group facility partner for an in-person Mock Jury project where the mock jurors would be present in a live group inside the facility. However due to scheduling conflicts for some and travel concerns for others, the attorneys and deliberation moderators were unable or desired to not attend in-person. So the focus group facility asked us if there might be a way to stream the attorney arguments virtually to the live, in-person mock jurors and also for the moderators to facilitate deliberation virtually.

 

Since the participants had already been fully recruited, and the date set at the focus group facility, along with deadlines for client expectations in place, there was meaningful concern that postponing the project might cause respondent fall-outs and delays. Hence it would be ideal if the mock jurors could be at the focus group facility in person, but have the attorneys present from their own locations, and the deliberation group moderators to do the same.

The Solution

Due to the unique nature of the project, we decided to use our in-person research platform, Civicom CCam® focus. We are in partnership with well over a hundred focus group facilities across the country, including the facility chosen for this mock jury trial. Since the CCam focus technology kit was already at the facility, and the facility team was familiar with using it, setting up the technology was effortless. We were able to stream the attorney arguments across each deliberation room as well as securely broadcast everything to remote observers. A team of Civicom Mock Jury Trial tech facilitators were also assigned to watch over the sessions in order to provide live technical assistance and in-the-moment problem solving as needed.

What We Arranged

We provided additional CCam focus camera kits to the facility in order to accommodate the number of deliberation rooms that would be needed. We then coordinated with the facility manager to position our HD 360°cameras within each deliberation room to give the best possible line of sight for the moderators. We also assisted in positioning the equipment so that the mock jurors would be able to communicate with the moderators with ease. With our extensive experience working closely with focus group facilities for in-person research, and the chosen facility’s familiarity with our technology, the setup was both simple and trouble-free.

 

We prepared the attorneys and moderators by conducting a walkthrough of our CCam focus streaming platform. They were taught how to view the attendee list, utilize the backroom chat and share files within the platform. A short client run-through was also conducted for the remote observers so they would be able to switch back and forth between deliberation groups with ease.

Outcomes

The client was extremely pleased that the mock jury trial was able to be held on the desired date with recordings available immediately. They were impressed that working alongside our facility partner, we were able to successfully create a Hybrid experience that enabled the attorneys to present remotely. They were further impressed by the way the deliberation moderators were able to observe and communicate with the mock jurors remotely as well. The portability and flexibility of our CCam® focus equipment made it immensely adaptable to the unusual project requirements. The facility manager valued the expert assistance of the Civicom technical team during set-up and recording. 

 

The client initially thought that having critical attorneys and moderators not being able to attend the sessions in person would pose a problem for their plans. With our CCam® focus HD 360° streaming solution they did not miss a single detail during deliberations. Joining the session with just one click, no download needed, enabled the attorneys and trial consultants to present and communicate with the participants easily. Our active viewer feature let them see close ups of mock jurors as they were talking. They were able to benefit significantly from the technology’s capacity to be a fully integrated solution for recording, streaming, analyzing, and organizing vast quantities of multimedia data.

 

CCam® focus is made up of an advanced video streaming solution utilizing a 360° video camera with omnidirectional microphones that capture every detail of the sessions. The remote observers were able to get an up-close and personal view while the respondents spoke as they expressed their views on the case. Even though they were unable to attend the sessions in person remote viewers were still able to get the best seat in the house! The mock trial was a success. It demonstrated that Hybrid solutions, when managed properly, present a unique way to move mock trials along quickly, accommodate the varying travel and social distancing expectations of individuals, and achieve outcomes that meet trial consultant and client goals.

 

CCam® focus is a product and service solution of Civicom, and supports mock jury trials. 

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