How To Run Affordable Legal Focus Groups That Work With Kate Franke

Circle City Conversations

Kate Franke is the Founder and a Partner at Broadwing Legal, a personal injury law firm based in Indiana. She focuses her practice on representing clients in cases involving truck and car accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and product liability. Kate is actively involved in the legal community, having served on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and as a member of the American Association for Justice. She frequently speaks at industry events on topics such as personal injury law and the integration of technology in legal practice.

In this episode…

Trial preparation often hinges on anticipating how a jury will react — but many attorneys hesitate to run focus groups due to concerns over time, cost, and complexity. Without external feedback, lawyers risk presenting cases based solely on their own assumptions. How can attorneys validate their arguments, refine their storytelling, and prepare for surprises without draining their budgets?

Kate Franke, an experienced trial lawyer, has mastered the art of running affordable focus groups, utilizing platforms like Craigslist and Facebook to recruit diverse and representative jury pools. Drawing from her extensive experience, including insights gained from the American Association of Justice seminars, she emphasizes the importance of understanding what jurors find relevant about each case. Through focus groups, lawyers can identify potential weaknesses and fine-tune their presentations, ensuring they resonate with actual jurors. By conducting multiple focus groups and tweaking their approach, attorneys can adapt their narratives and strategies, ultimately increasing their chances of success in the courtroom.

In this episode of Circle City Conversations, Alex Limontes interviews Kate Franke, Founder and a Partner at Broadwing Legal, about practical ways attorneys can run budget-friendly focus groups. Kate discusses how to balance logistics and facilitation, the value of pre-discovery feedback, and why attorneys should resist relying on friends or family for mock juries. She also shares insights on participant vetting, incentive strategies, and effectively moderating online sessions.