Robert Hirschhorn

Robert Hirschhorn

Trial Lawyer, Jury Consultant, Trial Consultant

Key Facts

Biography

Robert Hirschhorn is lawyer and a jury and trial consultant. After graduating from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1981, he tried cases as a criminal defense lawyer until he hired renowned jury consultant Cathy (Cat) Bennett. Cat had just picked the jury that acquitted John DeLorean of drug charges. Cat had been a jury and trial consultant since the mid-1970s. Robert hired Cat on a very difficult criminal case that resulted in his client being acquitted, and Robert's life forever changed.

After that trial, a tipping point occurred and Robert decided he wanted to learn about being a jury consultant. He spent the next year attending the Cathy Bennett School of Jury and Trial Consulting and learning from her. The only rule was that Robert would watch and learn, but he was not allowed to express his opinion (if you know Robert, you know how difficult that was for him to do). Thereafter, in 1985, Robert began his journey as a full-time jury and trial consultant. Robert and Cat married and worked side by side on some of the biggest trials in the United States until Cat's death in 1992.

This was another tipping point in Robert's journey—at that point, he had to decide if he wanted to go back to practicing law and make a mountain of money with the tools and knowledge that Cat had imparted to him, or try to keep Cat's voice, spirit, and mission alive. Robert chose the latter option, and to this day, he proudly runs Cathy Bennett & Associates.

Since Cat's death, Robert has devoted his professional life to helping lawyers communicate more effectively in and out of the courtroom. The vast majority of his work is in the civil arena, assisting both plaintiffs and defendants. The associates in his office assist with the jury selection in most of the criminal cases, but Robert will pour himself into a few criminal cases each year. The civil cases allow him to help some fellow citizens who otherwise could never afford his services.

Robert is a much sought-after speaker and a prolific writer. He has coauthored books with three giants in the field of jury and trial consulting. He wrote his first book with Cathy Bennett, his second book with JoEllen Dimitrius, and his last book before The Little Blue Books series with his best friend and the coauthor of The Little Blue Books, Lisa Blue.

Robert tells people that he has the best job in the United States—he gets to work with great lawyers, he has worked with fascinating clients and witnesses, and he has the privilege of working on the most interesting and important cases in the country. He truly feels honored to be part of and to have played a small role in making sure our legal system is the greatest and fairest in the world.

His message to all lawyers: if you really want to be a great trial lawyer, be a great person.

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