DOAR’s Peter Fitzgerald has worked in the legal industry for over 30 years. He joined DOAR in 2019 and is a leading trial presentation consultant supporting trial teams in the planning, organization, and presentation of electronic evidence and demonstratives. He specializes in the management of courtroom technology and the creation of analytic visual aids.
Fitzgerald works on cases that include high-profile white-collar criminal defense, intellectual property, contract disputes, and more. He has built a reputation with clients for anticipating their needs at trial and attributes his success to one simple adage – be prepared. He offers the following tips concerning what he believes drives his success in working on cases.
- Stay organized – Carefully and methodically prepare your database. Ensure every graphic and demonstrative is readily available to display during trial. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you are searching for an exhibit or, worse, showing the wrong one at trial. The optics of such a stumble can undercut the attorney’s argument in a case.
- Stay connected – Ensure that your equipment is compatible with the Court’s equipment and have backup plans in place for technology should something go awry with it. Any missteps with the technical presentation that can be attributed to you reflect poorly on the trial team as a whole.
- Be ready to move – A well-trained presentation consultant knows that cases can sometimes progress quickly and unexpectedly, requiring support at trial within days. That’s why it’s essential to prepare for all scenarios and be steadfast about how to achieve tasks efficiently and effectively.
Before joining DOAR, Fitzgerald worked somewhat independently, counter to DOAR’s integrated team culture. As a result, he was admittedly skeptical about jury consulting, particularly regarding the role of jury consultants.
“I assumed that jury consultants made basic assumptions about jurors solely based on their body language or demographics,” Fitzgerald said. “However, since working with my colleagues at DOAR, I realize that there’s great skillfulness and science behind their analysis. They aren’t making simple predictions about juror behavior but rather listening to feedback from potential jurors and assessing their reactions to certain case themes and their interactions with one another during jury research events.”
He adds, “I have tremendous respect for my DOAR colleagues and am truly amazed by their experience and expertise in helping attorneys hone their trial strategy. Our collaborative approach to a case is unmatched in the industry and is what our clients appreciate about us.”
Among the hundreds of cases that Fitzgerald has worked on, one case stood out to him as being the most stressful.
“Last year, I was working on an international arbitration that was both in English and Spanish,” Fitzgerald said. “And I cannot speak Spanish.”
He explains further, “The team and I were working long hours and being pulled in several directions. We were also under very tight time constraints. As a team, my colleagues and I rallied together to not only get the job done but also keep the message and materials aligned between the two languages.”
International arbitration is one of DOAR’s core practice areas, where highly sophisticated evidence presentation is essential. The company has proven expertise in supporting clients at hearings in venues worldwide.
“As a presentation consultant, you have to possess a level of confidence—something I developed and honed as a School Board Trustee who frequently spoke to the public for many years,” Fitzgerald said. “While presentation consultants work behind the scenes, facilitating the technology and the evidence stealthily, they have to have the assurance and trust of the trial team to anticipate the direction of the case and pivot quickly. At DOAR, we’ve earned that trust with our clients and are often the first call they make when the case is complex.”
