Dr. Melissa M. Gomez, Senior Jury Consulting Advisor at IMS Legal Strategies, holds a PhD in Psychology and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked on over 1000 jury trials across the United States with a focus on the psychology of learning, behavior, and decision making. She has close to three decades of expertise in research design and methodology, as well as in behavioral and communication skills training.
Dr. Gomez is the author of two books: Jury Trials Outside-In: Leveraging Psychology from Discovery to Decision, published by LexisNexis and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA), and The Witness Preparation Partner: A Guide to Becoming the Ready Messenger.
She has appeared as an expert jury consultant on CNN, CBC News, NPR, MSNBC, NBC, and FOX29. Dr. Gomez has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Baltimore Sun. Her articles have been published in Law 360, the Legal Intelligencer, For the Defense, The Jury Expert, and the American Bar Association.
Dr. Gomez works with counsel from the case inception to final decision. From the very start of litigation, she assists counsel in targeting discovery efforts and then developing a case strategy with an end goal of favorable resolution—whether at the negotiating table or at trial. To that end, Dr. Gomez designs and conducts mock trials and focus groups; assists with witness preparation and jury selection; and develops educational and persuasive strategies for trial. Through years of research, she has developed an extensive national database containing key preconceptions, attitudes, and experiences of over 5,000 jury-eligible adults.
Dr. Gomez is a faculty member for the Temple University’s Beasley School of Law LLM Program, teaching courses in Witness Preparation and the Psychology of the Jury Trial. She has designed and delivered CLE lectures for the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the National Seminar for Federal Defenders, Temple University Law School, University of Pennsylvania Law School, The American College of Trial Lawyers, The American Association for Justice, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, Attorneys Information Exchange Group, and the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.
Dr. Gomez is proud of the relationships she has established with her clients, rooted in trust. Her clients know that their needs and the needs of their cases are her first priority.
A Philadelphia native, Dr. Gomez resides in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia with her husband, twin sons, and Australian Shepherd named Figaro.
