Christina Marinakis, J.D., Psy.D. - Jury Consultant
Dr. Marinakis has over 20 years of experience in jury research, study, and applied practice in law and psychology. Clients have lauded Christina as an insightful, trusted advisor who is the “best in the business” at jury selection and developing pithy trial themes.
Christina is inside the courtroom nearly every week assisting counsel with voir dire and has developed proven methods for obtaining cause dismissals while preserving favorable jurors, which has led to well over a hundred successful verdicts for her clients. Outside the courtroom, Christina is particularly skilled at translating legal concepts into juror vernacular. She regularly assists in developing and implementing trial themes through out voir dire, opening statements, and witness testimony. She has analyzed thousands of mock jurors through focus groups, mock trials, shadow juries, and post-verdict interviews, and she uses these experiences to develop themes that will resonate with a jury.
Christina’s case experience includes product liability, transportation, antitrust litigation, class action, professional malpractice, contract disputes and tortious interference, patents, securities, fraud, trade secrets, employment discrimination, wage and hour, toxic tort, and criminal work for both prosecutors and defendants. Though she primarily works for civil defendants, in 2021, she assisted the prosecution pro bono with jury research, theme development, and jury selection in State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin, and in 2022, she advised the plaintiffs regarding jury selection and trial themes in Vanessa Bryant v. County of Los Angeles, among other successes.
Recent Publications, Presentations, and Appearances
Marinakis, C. & Manrique, J. (2025). From Virus to Verdict: How the Pandemic Reshaped Jury Deliberations. USLAW Magazine (Spring), 16-17.
Marinakis, C.. (2025). Tales From the Trial Table: Successful Storytelling and the Power of Pithy Themes with Today’s Juror. Presentation at Bradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings LLP. Nashville, TN.
Marinakis, C. (2025). Keys to a Great Jury: Getting Jurors to Reveal Bias and Admit They Can’t Be Fair. Voir Dire Workshop at Proskauer Rose LLP. New York, NY.
Marinakis, C. (2025). Tales From the Trial Table: Successful Storytelling and the Power of Pithy Themes. Webinar for the Ohio Bar Association.
Marinakis, C.M. (2025). The Art and Science of Jury Persuasion. Presentation to Trial Advocacy Students at the University of Maryland School of Law. Baltimore, MD
Marinakis, C. (2025). Tales from the Trial Table: Voir Dire Strategies and the Power of Pithy Themes. Association of Business Trial Lawyers Dinner Symposium. Santa Ana, CA
Bassett, M.H. & Marinakis, C.M (2024).
Dr. Christina Marinakis on Evaluating Juries, the Changing Expectations of Evidence, and Why Diversity is More Than Demographics. Guest Speaker on the Podcast, Legal Grounds: Conversations on Life, Leadership, and Law
Kansky, J., & Marinakis, C.M. (2024). Tales From the Trial Table: Nuclear Verdicts: Causes and How to Minimize the Damage. United Fire Group Insurance Claims Conference, Cedar Rapids, IA.
Marinakis, C. (2024). Tales from the Trial Table: Voir Dire Strategies and the Power of Pithy Themes. Association of Business Trial Lawyers Dinner Symposium. Los Angeles, CA.
Marinakis, C. & Yeargin, J. (2024). Testing the Turbulent Waters – Jury Research and Analysis in Asbestos Litigation. Allianz Insurance Webinar.
Marinakis, C. & Yeargin, J. (2024). Re-Imagining Jury Selection. 2024 Casualty Claims Defense Counsel Summit, Scottsdale, AZ.
Hon. Crowley, D.M., Rocha, D., Harris, G. & Marinakis, C. (2024). The Post-Pandemic Jury and Defense Verdicts in a Nuclear World. Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC) 63rd Annual Seminar. Los Angeles, CA.