Trial art and science: An exploratory study examining experiential and rational decision-making systems, work specialization and career experience of trial consultants

Although legal professionals seek the advice of trial consultants to prepare for cases, a shortage of research exist about the mental processing approach consultants use to make decisions that formulate their recommendations. In an effort to close the psychological research gap, this study explored the decision-making styles of 76 trial consultants based on their work task specialization and years of career experience. An equivalent-status research design took place to support a non-experimental survey and an adapted grounded theory coding technique. The data analysis investigated relationships among independent (i.e., work task specialization and career experience) and dependent (i.e., experiential and rational processing system) variables. This exploration produced a rational and an experiential conceptual decision-making model for trial consultants. These conceptual models served as a way to advance the knowledge base of Industrial/Organizational psychology and the field of trial consulting by providing a framework for behaviors associated with each processing style.