Mastering Reptile Tactics: How Plaintiff Attorneys Secure Larger Verdicts and How Defendant Attorneys Can Avoid Them (2026 Edition)

Rachel York Colangelo, Ph.D., Managing Director | Magna Legal Services

Rachel York Colangelo, Ph.D., is the National Managing Director of Jury Consulting at Magna Legal Services. With two decades of experience in litigation consulting, Dr. Colangelo has provided litigation support for a wide variety of civil and criminal matters across the country, with a particular focus on jury decision-making. Her work encompasses the full range of litigation consulting services, from pre-trial jury research and case analysis to trial strategy development, witness preparation, voir dire consultation, jury selection, in-court assistance, and post-trial juror interviews. She has consulted on numerous multi-million dollar and high-profile cases spanning a broad range of practice areas, including commercial litigation, property and contract disputes, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, accounting fraud and malpractice, legal and medical malpractice, negligence, personal injury, and product liability.

• Education & Credentials

Dr. Colangelo holds a doctorate in legal psychology from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology from the University of Virginia. Her academic training included extensive coursework and research specifically focused on jury decision-making.

• Recognition & Leadership

Dr. Colangelo has been recognized as a nationally cited expert and is regularly sought as a source by prominent media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Law, USA Today, the Associated Press, Law360, and Business Insurance, among others. She has served as faculty and featured speaker at prominent legal forums, including the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute, the CLM Alliance Conference, the ATA Litigation Center’s Trucking Legal Forum, and the American Society of Trial Consultants Annual Conference. Dr. Colangelo has also served as a guest lecturer and instructor at Marymount University, George Mason University, and Florida International University, where she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in psychology. During her academic career, she was inducted into both the Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, where she served in leadership roles as Vice President of Initiation and Secretary.

• Professional Involvement

Dr. Colangelo is a member of the American Psychology-Law Society, a division of the American Psychological Association, as well as the American Society of Trial Consultants. In addition to her consulting practice, she conducts scientific research at the intersection of psychology and law, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology, has authored several publications, and has presented papers at various research conferences.

• Experience

Dr. Colangelo serves as the National Managing Director of Jury Consulting at Magna Legal Services, bringing two decades of litigation consulting experience across a broad range of civil and criminal matters nationwide. Her practice spans the full litigation lifecycle, encompassing pre-trial jury research, including focus groups, mock trials, damages assessments, and community attitude surveys, as well as voir dire consultation, jury selection, witness preparation, shadow juries, trial monitoring, and post-trial juror interviews. She has consulted on numerous multi-million dollar and high-profile cases across practice areas, including commercial litigation, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, malpractice, negligence, personal injury, and product liability.

Daniel Wolfe, J.D., Ph.D., Senior Director | Magna Legal Services

Dr. Daniel Wolfe is Senior Director of Jury Consulting at Magna Legal Services, a full-service litigation consulting and strategic communications firm with offices across the United States. With over 35 years of jury consulting research experience and more than 2,500 cases to his credit, Dr. Wolfe provides research-based and experiential data analysis to trial teams nationwide and oversees the standards and practices of the jury consulting team nationally. He works on high-profile and large-exposure litigation involving matters such as antitrust, product liability, intellectual property, professional malpractice, environmental, and securities, consulting across a variety of industries including automotive, airline, pharmaceutical, petroleum/petrochemical, biotech, and medical. An expert in witness preparation, voir dire, and jury selection, Dr. Wolfe is also skilled in providing quantitative and qualitative analyses of venues through focus groups and mock trials and has been in the national spotlight on numerous occasions for his work on high-profile criminal and civil cases involving celebrities and professional athletes.

• Education & Credentials

Dr. Wolfe holds a Ph.D. in law and psychology, a J.D., and a Master of Arts in psychology, all from the University of Nebraska. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology, cum laude, from Colorado State University, where he was also a member of the Phi Eta Kappa National Honor Society. During his doctoral studies, he received National Institute of Mental Health Fellowships for the periods of 1986 to 1987 and 1989 to 1990. He also received the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Student Advocacy Award and the American Jurisprudence Award for Civil Clinical Practice, both in 1989, and was listed in Who’s Who Among American Law Students from 1986 to 1989.

• Recognition & Leadership

Dr. Wolfe has been honored to present for numerous legal organizations throughout the country, including the American Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Defense Research Institute, several Inns of the Court, and various state and local bar associations. He has appeared as a commentator on both local and national talk shows and has been quoted in a wide range of national publications, including The National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly, Newsweek, and USA Today. Dr. Wolfe served as President of the American Society of Trial Consultants from 2004 to 2005 and as President of the American Society of Trial Consultants Foundation from 2014 to 2020, having previously served as a Board Member of the Foundation from 2006 to 2020. He also teaches advanced trial advocacy courses at Northwestern University Law School and Loyola University Law School.

• Professional Involvement

Dr. Wolfe’s professional affiliations include the American Psychological Association, the American Bar Association, where he is active in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Sections, the American Psychology-Law Society (Division 41 of the APA), and the American Society of Trial Consultants, of which he is a past president. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters about juries, juror perceptions, ethics in trial consulting, and the interrelation of attorney gender and courtroom bias, with publications appearing in outlets including The National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly, and a wide range of legal and academic publications. Beyond his professional practice, Dr. Wolfe serves as a lawyer volunteer for Administer for Justice and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (C.A.S.A.), reflecting his ongoing commitment to community service and access to justice.

• Experience

Dr. Wolfe serves as Senior Director of Jury Consulting at Magna Legal Services, bringing over 35 years of jury consulting research experience and a record of more than 2,500 civil and criminal cases consulted nationwide. His career in litigation consulting began in 1986 and has spanned senior leadership roles at Magna Legal Services, Decision Quest, Trial Graphix, FTI/Consulting, Inc., and Litigation Sciences, Inc., where he consistently held responsibility for consulting staff development and training, business development, and general litigation consulting. His practice encompasses pretrial jury research conducted in all 50 states and more than 100 federal jurisdictions, including focus groups, mock trials, witness preparation, voir dire strategy, jury selection, and post-trial analysis across complex matters in antitrust, product liability, intellectual property, professional malpractice, environmental, securities, and numerous other high-profile practice areas.

I. Understanding Reptile Theory and Using Safety Narratives in Modern Civil Litigation | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This session provides a foundational and strategic examination of Reptile Theory, tracing its origins, the behavioral psychology behind it, and how fear-based narratives, safety-rule framing, and community protection themes drive instinctive juror decision-making. Participants will explore how reptile arguments are built and deployed across the entire litigation lifecycle, from pleadings and discovery through depositions and trial, and how corporate policies, industry standards, and safety violations are used to construct plaintiff narratives that fuel nuclear verdicts and social inflation.

Attorneys will gain practical insight into when reptile strategies are most effective, including in catastrophic injury, trucking, and product liability matters, and how opposing counsel frames safety rule violations to amplify damages exposure. The session concludes with an honest assessment of the ethical considerations surrounding emotionally persuasive trial techniques and the risks of overreliance on fear-based arguments.

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

II. Countering Reptile Tactics: Defense Strategies, Jury Selection, and Trial Advocacy | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

Building on Session I, this session shifts to the practical defense strategies attorneys need to recognize, neutralize, and overcome reptile tactics before and during trial. Participants will learn how to identify reptilian questions and safety-rule framing in depositions and cross-examination, prepare witnesses to avoid damaging safety admissions, deploy targeted motion practice to limit reptile-style arguments, and construct counter-narratives grounded in reasonableness, context, and factual accountability that resonate with jurors without sacrificing credibility.

Attorneys will also receive practical guidance on addressing reptile themes during voir dire and jury selection, identifying juror attitudes toward corporate responsibility, and leveraging opening statements, expert testimony, and closing arguments to reframe the case on defense-favorable terms. The session concludes by examining the role of jury consultants and behavioral insights in modern trial preparation, the most common mistakes defense attorneys make when responding to reptile arguments, and concrete strategies for minimizing reptile influence and controlling damages exposure in high-stakes litigation.