Cogent Legal helps trial teams win by turning complex cases into clear, persuasive stories. We run mock trials and focus groups, study how real jurors react, and build the strategy and visuals attorneys rely on at trial — often with several cases in production at the same time. We're a close-knit team, and we're looking for a new teammate with a legal background to grow with us.

This is a role for someone with deep research instincts and a fascination with human behavior. You'll move through the full arc of a case. In pre-production, you'll help our team design how we'll test the story and build materials behind the scenes. On production days, you're with us in the room running mock trials and focus groups, moderating a juror panel, reading the room and capturing and analyzing juror feedback as deliberations unfold. In post-production, you'll work with us to turn that data into rigorous findings and strategy. And when a case goes to trial, you get the opportunity to move with it into jury selection, armed with everything we've learned from the mocks.

We're hiring a full-time researcher, a PhD or equivalent, to own that arc across several cases at once: perfect for someone who loves the structure of production days but also values the flexibility to prep and analyze in their own time. You won't be doing any of it alone: you'll be part of a tight-knit team that shares the prep, the production days, and the wins.

What You'll Do

Run multiple mock trials and focus groups in parallel: tracking deadlines and prepping materials without dropping a detail
Observe and analyze live deliberations, reading juror behavior and capturing what drives their decisions
Analyze juror feedback and case materials, turning qualitative and behavioral signals into clear, strategic findings
Develop jury selection and voir dire insights grounded in research on persuasion and group dynamics
Be involved in the mock production day: manage jurors, logistics, video, and slides, and adapt on the fly
Edit deposition and trial video and build polished PowerPoint presentations on tight timelines
Be the analytical engine behind active cases

What We're Looking For

PhD (or ABD/advanced degree): psychology, sociology, communication, political science, behavioral science, or a related research field is ideal
A researcher fascinated by how people reason, decide, and persuade
Built for pace: comfortable moving fast and applying rigor under real deadlines, not just in the lab
Sharp analytical mind that distills messy, qualitative input into clear takeaways
A trusted teammate who communicates findings clearly to non-academics
A creative streak: you enjoy turning analysis into compelling PowerPoint presentations and edited video, and you care how the finished product looks
Comfortable with PowerPoint and video editing software, or eager and able to learn fast

Education

PhD or advanced degree (ABD considered). Research background in human behavior or decision-making strongly preferred.

Why Cogent Legal

Apply your research training to high-stakes, real-world questions with immediate impact: no grant cycles, no publish-or-perish. You'll work on real cases with an experienced team, and no two production days look alike.

Pay: From $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k)
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

Do you have a PhD or advanced degree? If so, in what field?
Do you have experience with qualitative research or analyzing human behavior/decision-making?
Are you comfortable working occasional long production days during mock trials?
Do you have experience editing video and/or building PowerPoint presentations?
Are you able to reliably commute to Sacramento County?
What is your desired compensation?

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Sacramento County, CA

Cogent Legal

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