Law360 reporter Matt Perez covered the launch of the DiCello Levitt Trial Center in his article, “DiCello Levitt Opens ‘Trial Center’ For Litigators.” Read the full feature below or view a PDF here.
DiCello Levitt Opens ‘Trial Center’ For Litigators
By Matt Perez | 2024-10-28 15:36:35 -0400 · Listen to article
Litigation firm DiCello Levitt announced Monday that it has launched a physical “Trial Center” that offers attorneys a space to stress-test their litigation through focus groups, trial preparation and other exercises.
The DiCello Levitt Trial Center serves as a “training ground” for attorneys, with courtroom facilities in Chicago and Cleveland, according to the firm’s announcement on Monday. Outside firms are welcome to collaborate with attorneys associated with the Trial Center to refine their arguments, test the impact of certain evidence and practice their court presentations through mock trials.
The firm said the Trial Center recently assisted Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman in a fully digital trial, resulting in verdicts totaling $11.1 million.
“We teach lawyers how to teach jurors the facts of their cases,” Bobby DiCello, firm partner and the center’s co-leader, said in a statement on Monday. “The Trial Center has been quietly operating behind the scenes for some time, helping numerous trial lawyers find the winning message in their cases. Our formal launch opens the door for more lawyers to benefit.”
DiCello Levitt handles class actions and other litigation related to environmental issues, mass torts, securities, financial services, antitrust matters, business-to-business disputes, whistleblower allegations, personal injury, and civil and human rights cases.
Earlier this year, DiCello Levitt and Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky PC were chosen by the city of Baltimore to pursue litigation targeting the owner, charterer, manager and operator, and manufacturer of a 985-foot container ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, destroying the bridge.
As another example of its work, the firm noted a $102.6 million trial verdict won against General Motors LLC two years ago in relation to hidden engine defects. DiCello Levitt said Monday that the class action was won after its trial team conducted more than 20 focus groups, uncovered how potential jurors viewed the automotive company and tested factors such as which language resonated most powerfully.
“We take a trial-first approach, which means getting every aspect of a case ready for trial,” Ken Abbarno, co-leader of the Trial Center and the firm’s managing partner for Cleveland, said in a statement. “We’re going to tailor our discovery and push on the discovery requests. We’re going to get the depositions we need done and the experts we need. And we’re going to test each of these aspects when and how they need to be tested.”
DiCello Levitt was founded in 2017 and began with 11 attorneys in offices in Chicago and Cleveland. Today, the firm has more than 65 lawyers and has expanded to New York City, Washington, D.C., San Diego, Santa Fe, and Birmingham, Alabama.
–Additional reporting by Katryna Perera. Editing by Robert Rudinger.