May 14, 2025

Juror Attitudes Toward High-Tech Companies in Patent Litigation

In a changing patent litigation landscape, the DOAR Research Center studied how jurors view high-tech companies across key venues. While jurors often view technology companies favorably, skepticism remains around issues such as market power and fairness. The research shows that venue alone no longer drives risk. Instead, juror demographics and political orientation play a larger role, highlighting the need for precise jury selection and tailored trial strategies.

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Jun 24, 2025

Public Attitudes Toward White-Collar Crime in the Aftermath of the Presidential Election

Following the 2024 presidential election, the DOAR Research Center conducted a national survey revealing a shift in how jurors view white-collar cases. Traditional assumptions about defense- or prosecution-leaning jurors no longer hold. Instead, political identity, combined with demographic factors and trust in institutions, now plays a central role in how jurors evaluate corporate defendants, prosecutors, and enforcement priorities. The findings have important implications for jury selection and trial strategy in an increasingly polarized courtroom.

By Ellen Brickman, Ph.D.

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Research Center: Employment

Report cover page showing an inside view of two buildings meeting at an inside corner. The entire photo is in black in white but the middle portion on left and right side is tinted with a copper color.

Dec 5, 2024

A Study of Jurors’ Attitudes Toward Theft of Trade Secrets Cases

The DOAR Research Center conducted a national study to understand how jurors evaluate trade secret disputes in today’s workplace environment. While jurors strongly disapprove of employees taking confidential documents, many see exceptions when the employee helped create the work or relied on memory rather than files. Attitudes vary more by demographics and professional background than by venue, revealing why trade secret cases often hinge on jurors’ personal views of work, ownership, and fairness.

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Report cover page showing people sitting in an office lounge area around a small table. There are three men and a woman. The entire photo is in black in white but the woman is tinted with a copper color.

Jun 25, 2020

Implications for Litigating Employment Cases in a #MeToo World

The DOAR Research Center examined how jurors approach workplace harassment and discrimination claims in the post-#MeToo era. Most jurors report personal or close experience with these issues, bringing strong assumptions into the courtroom. Views on credibility, retaliation, and fairness vary sharply by political affiliation, gender, and age, showing why employment cases are increasingly evaluated through personal experience rather than legal doctrine alone.

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