Home: About: Frequently Asked Questions & Demonstrative Evidence

DEMONSTRATIVE EVIDENCE - FAQ

Why is being attorney owned and operated an advantage?

What is the advantage of using demonstrative evidence at trial?

How does Animators differentiate itself from its competition?

Does Animators have expertise in my area?

How does Animators charge for its litigation services?

My firm has an in-house graphics department. Why should I hire Animators?

Who should I contact to obtain additional information?

What if Animators does not have an office nearby?

What if I only need a handful of exhibits printed or have a small hearing or trial?

Who are Animators' typical customers?


Why is being attorney owned and operated an advantage?

Many people often ask, why do we need more lawyers working on our case? The main reason is that, by being attorney owned and operated, Animators saves its clients valuable time. Because Animators is comprised of lawyers and former litigators, there is no need for clients to explain legal concepts such as: confidentiality, evidentiary rules, law firm politics or litigation theory. Simply put, Animators speaks your language, ergo we save you time.

Furthermore, by combining the unique talents of attorneys and artists, Animators can suggest trial exhibits rather then simply responding to an already overworked and overstressed trial team. These advantages serve to save the client considerable time and money, and are routinely cited by Animators' clients as one of the primary reasons they consistently choose Animators over its competitors.

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What is the advantage of using demonstrative evidence at trial?

The main reason for using demonstrative evidence at trial is to present information in such a way that is becomes more comprehensible to a jury. Animators transforms the complex and boring into the interesting and understandable.

Psychologists who have studied the way people communicate and learn have discovered that approximately 2/3 of the population (2/3 of any jury pool and judges) are "visual learners." That is, people tend to process new information that is presented to them in a visual format much more effectively than when the same information is presented to them verbally.

Psychologists have also determined that 2/3 of all lawyers are auditory or hearing people. That is, they tend to process information more effectively by hearing information. Furthermore, studies have also shown that people tend to communicate information, or "teach", in the same way that they prefer to learn. Therefore, most lawyers, as auditory learners, prefer to communicate information, or teach, by speaking rather than by showing.

In the typical courtroom scenario, what one finds is a judge and a jury, comprised mostly of visual learners who are waiting to be shown the information, and lawyers, who are auditory learners and teachers, attempting to communicate the information by verbally explaining it. This common situation invariably creates a significant gap in communication between the lawyer and the judge and jury. The impact of this gap upon the success of a case cannot be overstated because if a judge or jury cannot visualize your argument, they typically will not understand it. Animators, by designing persuasive and creative trial graphics, helps to bridge the gap between the verbal communicator and the visual learner.

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How does Animators differentiate itself from its competition?

One important factor which immediately sets Animators apart from its competitors is the fact that Animators is attorney-owned and operated. As a result, the team at Animators can immediately grasp even the most complex legal issues, and can offer a higher level of insight into the development of effective trial exhibits. This critical distinction also serves to save the client money by allowing the client to focus solely on their case, rather than having to waste valuable time explaining basic legal concepts. This advantage is particularly important in the context of litigation because of the rigid deadlines and intense time pressure which litigators often face.

Animators is dedicated to the highest form of customer service. Animators takes great pride in its ability to work as hard as, and to keep pace with, any trial team. Since 1995 Animators has been working on some of the largest trials worldwide, and despite often facing incredibly tight timeframes, Animators has never missed a single deadline.

Furthermore, in addition to Animators' unique legal experience and commitment to customer service, it is the superior quality of Animators' creative team which helps position Animators as the clear leader in the industry. Animators' artists are formally trained professionals whose expertise covers a wide range of artistic disciplines. Because of the high caliber of its artists, Animators is able to offer its clients a customized service that is unparalleled in the industry. For example, unlike others in the industry, Animators never uses clip art, choosing instead to create custom-made illustrations for all its exhibits. Additionally, all of the artists at Animators have been educated in the art of Information Design under Professor Tufte of Yale University. This educational experience gives our artists the unique ability to creatively take complex information and turn it into interesting, persuasive graphics.

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Does Animators have expertise in my area?

The Animators legal team is comprised of top lawyers, with extensive experience covering nearly every type of practice area. Chances are, the answer to this question is "yes." Furthermore, since 1995, Animators has worked on cases cumulatively valued at more than one trillion dollars. Therefore, with its dynamic team of skilled attorneys, and its vast experience working on some of the largest cases in history, Animators has experience in virtually every area of the law.

Animators invites you to browse those sections of its website which are devoted to discussing actual examples of how Animators has approached specific problems in a wide variety of practice areas.

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How does Animators charge for its litigation services?

The services, which Animators offers to attorneys, can be broken down into three general areas: creation of trial exhibits, trial technology services, and jury research.

Because of Animators' considerable experience and superior talent, it is no surprise that Animators is widely regarded as the "Rolls Royce" of the industry. However, despite its exceptional service, Animators succeeds in charging industry standard rates. In short, it is this unique combination of vast legal experience, and superior artistry, which allows Animators to offer its clients a commitment to quality and service that is consistently a cut above its competitors.
With regard to its Trial Presentation Technology Services, Animators offers the rental of this equipment on either a per-day, per-week or per-month basis, depending upon the specific needs of the client. Furthermore, if an in-court operator is needed, Animators is happy to provide one.

With regard to jury research, generally fees are charged on a 1/2 day basis, and can vary significantly depending upon factors such as: venue, size of the jury pool, the number of mock trials required, and the type of research facility and technology to be utilized.

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My firm has an in-house graphics department. Why should I hire Animators?

Animators has extensive experience working on some of the largest areas of the law, and with complex trials, Animators is able to offer its clients a level of experience that law firm's in-house graphics department cannot match. While many of the members of Animators' creative staff have left major law firms in order to join the Animators' team, the artists at in-house graphics departments do not receive the same intense trial experience which the artists at Animators do. For example, the Animators' creative staff is typically exposed to dozens of cases on a monthly basis. Therefore, Animators' creative team is constantly in litigation, and is, therefore, constantly dealing with intense deadlines. In contrast, even the in-house graphics departments at the largest law firms do not work on as many cases in a year.

Another compelling example of how Animators can serve as an indispensable part of any trial team, even one with its own in house graphics department, Animators is proud of the fact that the law firm which was the first to establish, and which continues to have the most comprehensive in-house trial graphics department worldwide, continues to be one of Animators' top 5 clients.

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Who should I contact to obtain additional information?

All of the services provided by Animators are initially handled from its corporate headquarters located in Washington, D.C. The primary contact can be found by clicking here: Contact Page.

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What if Animators does not have an office nearby?

While most of our team is based in our Washington, DC headquarters, local offices and relationships allow us to frequently work in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas, Florida, Philadelphia and many other locations.

The Animators team has discovered over the last 10 years that the creation of trial graphics can easily take place "virtually" over the Internet. That is, usually one or two face-to-face meetings occur, and then from that point on, Animators is able to post designs - both conventional trial boards and complex animations - to a secure web site which can be accessed from any location in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Clients and attorneys alike can leave comments on the site, and can interact with one another in working with Animators to create the ideal trial exhibits for a particular case.

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What if I only need a handful of exhibits printed or have a small hearing or trial?

Every month, Animators works on a number of major national trials, however, proportionally, Animators works on far more "smaller" legal matters typically involving a single summary judgment motion, preliminary injunction hearing, arbitration or small trial. Because Animators bills on an hourly basis, Animators is able to scale its services to fit a particular client's needs. Therefore, as a result of Animators' flexible and highly personalized service, a small project does not need to cost a lot.

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Who are Animators' typical customers?

Animators routinely works with 3/4 of the top 20 law firms in the United States and worldwide. In addition, Animators works with approximately one hundred other major law firms and countless corporations to assist their attorneys in presenting the most effective case possible. While no case is too small to discuss, Animators typical works on cases involving $10 million or more at stake with the vast majority involving over $100 million. However, all of Animators' clients have one thing in common - they all want to win! In short, Animators is hired by clients that understand the value of a dynamic and effective trial presentation.

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More On: Why We Are the Top Choice of Major Law Firms
More On: What Services We Provide/What Problems We Solve
More On: See Examples of Our Work
Study: Attorney - Juror Communication Styles

 

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