Julie Blackman & Associates, LLC | Trial Strategy Consultants
Julie Blackman & Associates, LLC | Trial Strategy Consultants
Julie Blackman trial consultant
Principal
Julie Blackman is a social psychologist who has worked as a trial strategy consultant for over 25 years. Dr. Blackman received her B.A. from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She taught at Barnard College for 10 years. She began her work in courtrooms as an expert witness at trials of battered women who killed their abusers, and then broadened her practice to include a wide variety of cases. Currently, Dr. Blackman works primarily on white collar crime and patent matters. She has worked on a number of high-profile cases, and specializes in making complex positions more understandable and persuasive. Complete C.V.
Ellen Brickman trial consultant
Director of Research
Ellen Brickman is a social psychologist who has worked in trial consulting since 1987, with special expertise in the design and execution of pre-trial research. Dr. Brickman received her B.A. from Barnard College as a dual major in Psychology and English, and her Ph.D. from Columbia. She has over 20 years of experience directing large-scale research studies in the social sciences, including telephone and mail surveys, focus groups and interviews. Dr. Brickman has taught courses in social psychology, research methods and statistics. She draws on her research and teaching experience to help attorneys craft the best messages and deliver them most effectively in court. Complete C.V.
Alice Greenwood trial consultant
Consultant
Alice Greenwood is a sociolinguist who received her B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, holds Masters degrees in English and Linguistics, and received her Ph.D. in Linguistics from the City University of New York, with a specialization in the communication styles of different social groups. She was a communications and information analyst at Bell Labs and AT&T Labs in New Jersey. She served as executive editor of a prenatal care book for low literate women, and has co-authored an educational text for health care managers. Dr. Greenwood teaches courses in communication strategies. Her specialty is the "translation" of complex ideas into language that is accessible to all people.
Megan Kozak trial consultant
Consultant
Megan Kozak is currently an assistant professor of psychology at Pace University. She received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and both her M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University. Dr. Kozak has taught courses in many areas of psychology, with a particular focus on research methods and design. Her goal is to apply her theoretical understanding of social psychology and her research skills to the analysis of pre-trial research activities.


Jane Chan trial consultant
Consultant
Jane Chan is a licensed psychologist who has worked as a trial consultant since 1991. Dr. Chan received her B.A. in Psychology from Barnard College, her M.Ed. from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She has helped conduct and analyze the results of many focus groups and mock trials. She has also participated in jury selection for criminal cases, in both Federal and State Court in New York.


Judith Usdan trial consultant
Consultant
Judith Usdan earned a B.A. as a dual major in Sociology and Psychology from Hunter College, and an M.S. in Social Research (Sociology) from Hunter College. She has worked with plaintiffs' and defendants' attorneys for more than a decade in complex civil cases, and for the defense in criminal matters. In addition, she has been the Court-appointed jury consultant in more than two dozen capital murder trials in both State and Federal courts across the country. She brings particular skill and experience in qualitative research and analysis. Her experience, training, and insight enable her to obtain useful and reliable information from individuals and groups.
Chioma Ajoku Research Associate
Summer Research Associate
Chioma Ajoku is currently a Ph.D. student in the Clinical Forensic Psychology program offered by the CUNY Graduate Center and housed at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She received her B.A. in psychology from Dartmouth College, and both her M.A. in psychology and her J.D. from Duke University. She is licensed to practice law in the state of New York. Her goal is to use her background in both psychology and the law to be an asset at Julie Blackman & Associates.


Jed Dinnerstein Research Associate
Summer Legal Intern
Jed Dinnerstein just completed his first year at Fordham Law School and is working as a Summer Intern at the New York Civil Liberties Union. He has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Cornell University. Between college and law school, he worked as a Research Associate for Julie Blackman & Associates, and is glad to return as a Summer Legal Intern for specific projects. He looks forward to overseeing the logistical aspects of upcoming mock trials, and to adding his insights to the quantitative and qualitative information gathered from mock jurors.

Christine Stoddard Research Associate
Summer Intern
Christine Stoddard received her B.A. in Psychology and Political Science with a Pre-Law concentration from Boston College. As an undergraduate, she studied trial consulting and completed an honors thesis on scientific jury selection. Since then, Christine has worked in marketing and as a professional editor. She uses her background in psychology and the law to inform her work as a Summer Intern at Julie Blackman & Associates and plans to continue her studies in the fall.


Andrew Dawson trial consultant
Actor
Andrew Dawson has been a professional actor for 15 years. As a member of Julie Blackman & Associates, he uses his experience to help witnesses prepare to testify. He studied at Trinity University in San Antonio, the University of Houston, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. He is a member of the Harbor Theater acting company, and he has directed and performed with ArtsPower, one of the nation's preeminent touring theaters. Mr. Dawson helps witnesses relate to jurors, hone in on their true feelings, and articulate the emotions they mean to express. His goal is to refine the emotional authenticity of their testimony.

Jason Jennings trial consultant
Actor
Jason Jennings moved to New York from London in 1997, after graduating with distinction from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. As a classical actor, he is drawn to works that are language-based, and to developing the vocal and physical skills necessary to communicate language, character, and story most effectively. He uses these skills with defendants and attorneys by working with them to find emotional truth, while using technique to support the effectiveness of presentation. His goal is to provide defendants and attorneys with the storytelling techniques that actors use in order to improve their public speaking effectiveness.