Merrie Jo Pitera, Ph.D., is a psychology and communications expert who specializes in complex litigation and trial consulting and is the CEO of Litigation Insights, a full-service trial consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City. She has more than 25 years of experience in the field and focuses on helping clients perform at their highest levels. She has managed hundreds of cases during her career, and as a result, understands what’s at stake and knows how to help clients build persuasive themes. As one of the leading trial consultants in the country, Dr. Pitera is a perceptive listener and observer of jury dynamics and sentiments and provides clear insights into how they are likely to impact a case. In addition to being a jury specialist, she also prepares witnesses for depositions, trials and congressional hearings. She is a frequent national and international speaker on jury behavior and witness prep methods and routinely publishes articles on witness preparation, jury selection and trial preparation. In addition, she is one of the leading experts on hindsight bias in the courtroom, most specifically reducing jurors’ tendency to engage in hindsight. In the over 10 years Dr. Pitera has been CEO/Managing Partner of Litigation Insights, the company has grown to include among its clients 53 Fortune 500 clients and many of the leading legal firms in the country. In 2010, she was selected as one of the “Women Who Mean Business” by the Kansas City Business Journal for her leadership role at Litigation Insights and within the community.
