Resume

David Island, Ph.D.

David Island, Ph.D., is a Trial Consultant, specializing in the development of case strategy and tactics. He evaluates case materials and writes in-depth analyses of cases for clients, including his assessment of damages potential and exposure at jury trial. He has expertise in jury questionnaire design and evaluation, voir dire, jury selection, opening statements, witness examination, witness preparation, and closing arguments. 

Dr. Island develops "strike profiles," comprised of characteristics of jurors who are deemed to be worst for the client's particular case in a particular venue. He designs and leads mock trials and focus groups. He has particularly deep experience in preparing corporate executives, experts and non-English speaking witnesses for deposition and courtroom testimony. He will also help you to evaluate the jury effectiveness of your witnesses, and the other side's witnesses, by reviewing videotape deposition testimony.

Over the past 23 years, he has worked with trial attorneys on approximately 1,250 cases in such areas as intellectual property, environmental insurance coverage, toxic tort litigation, complex civil litigation, contract law, business law, employment litigation and a variety of other areas. Dr. Island has specialized in harassment and discrimination employment litigation in the 1990's, as well as highly complex patent and business dispute cases.

He has participated in approximately 400 jury selections, 325 sets of mock trials, over 1,500 witness preparations, 30 major community surveys, and 150 sets of post-trial interviews with over 3000 jurors. Dr. Island has conducted his work in both Federal and State courts all across the United States, with his primary experience occurring in California.

Professional Experience after Receiving the Ph.D. in 1967

  • Trial Consultant, Island Trial Consulting, San Francisco, California, 1999.
  • Senior Trial Consultant, FTI Corporation, San Francisco, California, 1995-1999.
  • Senior Trial Consultant (Contract), Trial Behavior Consulting, Incorporated, San Francisco, California, 1990-1995.
  • Founder, Board Chairman, President, Trial Behavior Consulting, Incorporated, San Francisco, California, 1984-1990.
  • Owner and Principal Consultant, David Island and Associates, San Francisco, California, 1976-1998.
  • Director, Sacramento Office of Personnel Decisions, Incorporated, of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sacramento, California, 1982-1984.
  • Professor, Counseling Education, California State University, Sacramento, California, 1975-1977.
  • Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1967-1975.

Academic Background

  • Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, 1966
  • M.A., Educational Psychology and Counseling, University of Minnesota, 1964
  • B.S., General Studies, Portland (Oregon) State University, 1957

Professional Associations and Activities

  • American Society of Trial Consultants
      ­President, 1986
      ­Vice-President, 1985
      ­Board Member, 1985-1988
      ­Member, 1982 to present
  • Speaker, lecturer and presenter at over 150 programs, conferences, and seminars related to trial consulting, 1982-present

Selected Relevant Publications

  • David Island, Ph.D. and Daniel Westman, Esquire. "Bad Strike: Jury Selection Has Become Responsive to Everybody's Needs." Los Angeles Daily Journal, July 7, 1999.
  • David Island, Ph.D. "Civil Jury Selection after J.E.B." FTI Corporation, May, 1996, revised June 1998.
  • David Island, Ph.D., Sharon Lundgren, Ph.D. and Arthur Patterson, Ph.D. "Civil Jury Selection: What We Know and What the Future Holds." Chapter 3, Volume I, Third Annual Personal Injury Institute, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, May 1996
  • Numerous articles on jury research, Research Notes Quarterly Publication by Trial Behavior Consulting, 1988-1995
  • David Island, Ph.D., "Ethical Standards of Trial Consulting," California Continuing Education of the Bar, Trial Practice Symposium on Civil Jury Selection, April, 1986
  • David Island, Ph.D., "Effective Courtroom Presentation," California Education of the Bar, August, 1984
  • David Island, Ph.D. and Charles F. Doolittle, "Evaluation of California's Experiment With Extended Media Coverage of Courts," September 1981