First Court

What is First Court?

FirstCourt is a legal consulting firm that enlists freelancers to participate in mock trials and legal focus groups.

First Court review

Legal focus groups and mock trails are all about presenting a legal case to a group of reasonable people and determining the right juror profile for an individual case. That means you don’t need a college degree or some experience in the field to get chosen. First Court is likely to choose people from all walks of life.

The site simply expects you to show up on time, follow instructions and participate in discussions. This may include opining on whether you think the presentation provides enough information to make a decision; what your decision is; and what specific aspects of the case were most compelling or weak.

Some mock trial/legal focus groups hold their events online. But FirstCourt holds many of them in person. With in-person groups, the site asks jurors to be available for a 8- to 10-hour day in an office setting. Meals and snacks are served. Hours for online focus groups can vary. But mock jurors say they’re treated well, paid fairly and generally enjoy the experience.

How it works

To sign up, go to First Court’s jury screening site at PrivateJury.com. And here you can scroll through the geographic areas where the site seeks participants. If none of those locations are nearby, sign up for “generic registration for future juries.”

First Court then leads you through a series of questions to answer, including your educational background and political leanings. And you’ll record a short video and take a photo of yourself, using your computer’s webcam.

Some First Court applicants complain that this process feels intrusive. And a few balk at revealing their political preferences. But any information that might influence your perspective on crime is likely pertinent for jury research and that’s what they’re paying for. So we don’t consider this a site shortcoming. That’s simply the nature of legal research.

Expected pay

First Court pays between $150 to $350 for each session. That’s roughly $20 to $40 per hour. But pay depends on the case, hours required and the location. Participants say they’re usually paid within two weeks following the event.

Recommendations

Jurors say they’re given frequent breaks, meals and snacks. And most describe the experience as interesting, pleasant and well-paid. We highly recommend the opportunity for anyone interested in legal focus groups or becoming a mock juror. You can sign up with First Court here.

However, mock jury and legal focus group work is intermittent, at best. To increase your chance of getting a trial, we’d suggest you sign up with several sites.

Other sites worth considering include LegalFocusGroup, Online Verdict and SignUpDirect.

What their users say (from Indeed)

I was given the chance to be part of a legal focus group. The experience was all around pleasant. And the company provided breakfast, lunch, snacks and a generous compensation for my time. The staff involved were professional. You will be greeted with smiles that don’t feel forced. And I never felt pressured at any given moment. We were given breaks about every half hour. Definitely don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Upfront and clear about the reason why you are there. Enjoyable debates with a group of people that may or may not share your point of view. Great cash payout at the end of the day. And a $50 on time cash bonus!

Interesting and well-planned

The day was very professional, well planned, and quite interesting. And the catering was excellent. I was amazed at how well everyone got along. Hard to keep that many people happy for the long day. Great job!!

First Court runs a very professional operation at their ‘mock trials’. The managers seemed very organized. Communication was clear and concise. It was a 10 hour day, but certainly did not feel that long. Breaks and complimentary snack / lunch were served at perfect intervals. I would give a big thumbs up to anyone considering being a juror in one of the First Court Mock Trials.

Great opportunity

This is a great opportunity to be able to experience the juror side of the legal system while being compensated. It’s no secret that public jury duty doesn’t pay anything and it feels more like a chore. And many loathe it. That’s the difference with First Court, Inc. You get to experience being a juror while providing a valuable service to the company and their client. They make it less daunting and the time truly flies by. Best of all, they compensate you very well for your time. And pay super fast.

I was a juror for one of First Court’s trials. The pay was great. And the experience was enjoyable. The recruiter responded quickly to my questions and made sure I knew exactly what to expect and what was going to be required of me. The trial seemed to go by quickly because it was very interesting. I cannot recommend participating in a trial, either in person or online, enough! You won’t regret it.