Trial Consulting Home – Biography

“Trial consulting is both an art and a science.  As such, the best service to the attorney client is provided by the consultant with the uncommon characteristic of being both analytical and creative.”  David Tunno

Tunno & Associates Trial Consulting represents all the backgrounds, experience and skills required for full-service trial consulting and jury consulting, including;

Jury research & selection
Witness evaluation and preparation
Opening statement consultation and preparation
Demonstrative exhibits
Video productions
Computer animation productions

In his former capacity as a Director at Litigation Sciences, Inc. and in his private practice, David Tunno has specialized in high profile, high stakes cases: including the following types:

Anti-Trust
Insurance Disputes
Professional Malpractice
Contract Disputes
Lender Liability
Intellectual property
Trade Secret Violations
Bank Failures
Eminent Domain
Sexual Harassment
Fraud
Securities Violations
Criminal
First Amendment Violations
Product Liability
Police Excessive Force
Toxic Tort
Employment Disputes
Discrimination
Qui Tam

Tunno & Associates Trial Consulting is experienced in surrogate jury research used to forecast juror reactions to a case.  These research projects are tailored to the needs of each specific case.

Preparing witnesses for trial is a specialty of David Tunno’s.  He has developed techniques for helping all witnesses produce credible, memorable testimony, appeal to the jury, comply with the needs of friendly counsel and withstand vigorous cross examination.

Expert witness training is a specialty of  Mr. Tunno.  His training manual for experts entitled, Taking the Stand, Tips for the Expert Witness, has been in widespread use since 1995.  By invitation, Mr. Tunno wrote a condensation of the work for the American Bar Association, which was published in their Trial Practice Newsletter.  Mr. Tunno has also been a seminar leader for the ABA’s annual litigation conference.

Experts prepared for trial by Mr. Tunno represent a wide range of backgrounds, including;

Economics                             Accounting                            Biotechnology
Metallurgy                               Medicine                                Computer Sciences
Engineering                            Banking                                 Venture Capital
Chemistry                              Textiles                                   Police Use of Force
Patents                                   Business Appraisal               Bioengineering
Accident Reconstruction

In addition to these, the list includes many witnesses with specialized industry expertise, as well as many foreign witnesses.  His work in this field includes travel to Japan to prepare witnesses for patent litigation in the U.S.  His CLE offerings include a seminar on preparing experts for trial and on surrogate jury research.

Phase II of the Rodney King civil suit (the punitive damages phase) was an example of trial strategy consulting by Mr. Tunno, who was retained by Ira Salzman, representing Stacey Koon.  The jury returned a verdict of no punitive damages.

In the William Lozano criminal case in Florida, attorney Roy Black took advantage of both witness preparation sessions with his client and key strategic advice that helped turn a prior conviction into an acquital.

At the suggestion of Los Angeles District Attorney, Gil Garcetti, the L.A. County Coroner’s Office retained David Tunno to teach its staff the skills of expert witnessing.

Mr. Tunno has been called upon to provide expert commentary by CBS, NBC, KABC TV, WABC TV, KCBS, FOX News Network and Court TV in the Rodney King, Reginald Denny, Menendez, Tyco, O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson cases.  He has also lectured at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

In preparing attorneys to deliver powerful opening statements, Mr. Tunno relies on his training and experience in acting, directing and speech, as well as his trial consulting experience.  He has found that applying professional acting training techniques is the effective in preparing attorneys for the theatrical requirements of the courtroom.  He also has an advanced degree in communications.

With an expertise in research, case analysis, courtroom communication and demonstrative evidence of all kinds, David Tunno is able to fulfill many consulting roles simultaneously.  This has resulted in more efficient and effective litigation consulting for clients and significant cost savings as well.

Read Fixing the Engine of Justice:  Diagnosis and Repair of Our Jury System Learn more by clicking on the Jury Book tab. 

Buy the book on Amazon.com                     Buy the book on Barnes & Noble

Also by David Tunno, Taking the Stand, Tips for the Expert Witness, a training manual, is described in the “Publications” tab of this site.

Comments are closed.