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Please note: Cogent Legal provides litigation consulting services to attorneys. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice on any matters.
The Cogent Legal Offices
San Francisco, CA
44 Montgomery Street, Third Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
Folsom, CA
101 Parkshore Drive
Folsom, CA 95630
Telluride, CO
3130 Last Dollar Road
Telluride, CO 81320
Senior Staff
– The Legal Team –
Morgan Smith
Founder & CEO
Morgan Smith thrives at the juncture of law and art. With over 17 years of experience as an attorney litigating high-value cases, he combined his litigation background with strong creative and visual communication skills to found Cogent Legal. Now he helps other attorneys hone their strategies and translate their stories into compelling and creative visuals for trial.
Andrew Walker
Co-Executive Director - Sacramento
Andrew is the Co-Executive Director of the Sacramento office, and brings over 15 years of experience as an attorney to the job. Andrew was the founding member of Focused Decisions, and developed a successful nationwide practice in mock trial work. Andrew and Deep now head this department for Cogent Legal.
Deep Athwal
Co-Executive Director - Sacramento
Deep has over 15 years of experience as an attorney, and developed an expertise in the art of mock trials over the last few years at Focused Decisions, before joining Cogent Legal. Deep brings an extensive knowledge of combining compelling visuals and themes to test your case in a mock trial, and then provides the analysis afterward for trial preparation.
Michael Kelleher
Litigation Consultant
As a graphics consultant and trial technician, Mike provides courtroom presentations, custom litigation graphics, e-briefs, and trial strategy consulting. Mike works side-by-side with litigators in court and trial war rooms, using his technological expertise and his 16 years of experience litigating complex business and intellectual property cases. Mike is a registered patent attorney and a former nuclear submarine officer.
Dustin Cameron
Attorney Consultant
Prior to joining the Cogent team, Dustin was a practicing litigator handling: business disputes, product defect, and high value personal injury cases. Dustin tailored his career to trial work with an emphasis on case presentation and persuasion. Dustin now assists attorneys as a consultant, and is heavily involved with case strategy throughout each phase of litigation.
Audrey Murray
Director of Public Relations
Audrey has been a dedicated member of the Cogent team since 2014. She brought over 19 years of experience in the legal field, both as a paralegal and consultant. Audrey focuses on consulting and building client relationships. She is often instrumental in crafting case strategy and developing themes with trial teams. She prides herself on her creativity, resourcefulness, and leadership skills.
Liz Kelleher
Trial Technician
Liz supports trial teams with in-trial technical services and graphics. With strong organizational skills, an analytical mind, and a keen eye for graphics, she keeps things running smoothly from the war room to the courtroom. Liz is certified in TrialDirector, and skilled in OnCue (trial presentation software). She is adept at providing creative solutions to complex issues and excels in high-pressure situations.
– The Creative Team –
David Filippini
General Manager
Creative Director
David has over 10 years of professional expertise within architecture, environmental graphics, and industrial design, and is uniquely equipped to analyze/visualize the built environment. He puts himself in the shoes of clients, juries, and judges to understand their needs and perspectives, then reinterprets the case to create compelling graphics in all phases of litigation.
Matthew Ritter
Senior Animator
Matthew brings with him over 11 years of 3D production, and design expertise. Matthew’s thoughtful approach to design details are created using the highest levels of technology. With these techniques, he is able to achieve real-world accuracy for use across a wide array of litigation purposes. His work product has been utilized to great effect on countless high-value cases.
Ryan Nichols-Roy
Marketing Director
Senior Consultant
Ryan brings over 18 years of experience in the digital marketing industry to the Cogent Legal team. With a passion for photography, videography, graphic design, and web development, Ryan excels at simplifying the message and perfecting the presentation. He supports the Mock Trial department as a Senior Consultant, providing clients with video production, graphic design, and case presentation services.
Jessica Weisman
Director of Medical Illustration
With a master’s degree in Medical Illustration, Jessica heads up the Medical Illustration and Animation Department at Cogent Legal and is an expert in creating all kinds of high-quality, anatomically accurate images for your case. She has an acute understanding of medical/technical terminology, making it easy to dialogue with expert witnesses. This knowledge base is paramount in developing medical illustrations in a meticulous fashion.
Chris Conlin
A/V Production Specialist
Chris is a talented visual artist with over 13 years of experience across the A/V industry. His unique history has provided him with a wealth of knowledge focused on problem solving, communicating, and motivating through visual media. As a licensed drone pilot, videographer, and audio engineer, Chris uses his skill set to create compelling settlement and day-in-the-life videos for our clients.
Anne Chamberlain
Design Associate
Anne is a multidisciplinary designer who joined the Cogent Legal team shortly after receiving her BFA in Communications Design. She is an adept information architect who employs a contemporary, methodical approach to data visualization and information design. She is also an avid photographer, editor and fine arts fanatic.
Jenna Lateano
Design Associate
With multiple years of experience designing for human advocacy, Jenna applies her creative problem-solving skills and analytical eye for design to create compelling visual stories. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design giving her an acute understanding of typography, design thinking, and brand language. Outside of her design career, Jenna has been recognized for her digital and traditional art.
America's top attorneys trust Cogent Legal.
"We trusted you to partner with us to hold the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office responsible in our recent civil rights case. And you delivered! Cogent was invaluable in helping us to distill down the facts and organize them effectively in a way that made the job for the jurors easier. When we needed to make sure that the jurors understood how to properly value the case, you brainstormed with us on the development of graphics that captured the depth and breadth of the harm that was done. Thank you Cogent Legal for your work in telling our client’s story!"
"I highly recommend Cogent Legal; they are wonderful to work with. Morgan’s former life as a trial attorney gives him insight into each case and his ideas and suggestions are terrific. Without a doubt my favorite source for Day in the Life videos."
"We all know good demonstratives drive home damages. Cogent Legal understands how to make damages visual and concrete. I have no doubt that their work has led to better results for my clients and I have absolute confidence in the Cogent team to deliver the level of quality that I’ve come to expect for my personal injury cases."
"We hired Cogent Legal to create an animation for a multimillion-dollar case, and the firm made an exceptionally powerful presentation. As a former trial lawyer, Morgan is able to think about a case thematically, and translate it visually, to best present it to a jury."
"Morgan was a fantastic law partner for over a decade. The best trials are the true art of presentation, and Morgan is an amazingly creative lawyer who could turn the most complicated issues into an easy-to-understand demonstrative exhibit. I wish I still had Morgan’s creativity on all of my cases, but we’re happy to use Cogent Legal for his services now."
"The artists and thinkers at Cogent Legal are superb. They have three essential qualities for the creation of excellent graphics in court: they are highly creative, detail-oriented, and you can absolutely depend on them to be completely prepared in court. When it comes to complex issues, they understand the importance of storylines, and they know how to educate decision-makers—juries and judges alike."
"Cogent Legal was particularly helpful in my defense of a product liability case with its rather technical defenses. Morgan Smith’s insights and suggestions helped to refine our demonstratives and exhibits, and simplified our message. The jury certainly heard that message, with its defense verdict after a 30-minute deliberation."
"I have known and worked on the same cases with Morgan for over eight years. He immediately stood out as an exceptional opposing counsel and far ahead of most plaintiff attorneys, with superb organizational skills, legal expertise, and the ability to document and illustrate his key points with exhibits. He’s a true master at visualizing important and complex information for each case."
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What we do
You've come to the right place.
It's no secret that going to trial is one of the most stressful and intimidating experiences that an attorney will face.
At Cogent Legal, we craft high-quality demonstrative graphics designed to help you explain your case. We have decades of combined experience in creating persuasive trial exhibits for use in openings, closing, and witness examinations. Cogent Legal also provides strategic case consulting and trial support. In myriad ways, our team helps attorneys prepare and present their cases for maximum results with minimum stress. We specialize in creating artful and persuasive graphics meant to complement each case’s own unique story.
What is said is not always understood. That is reason alone to incorporate compelling visual concepts into your case narrative. We also provide counsel and strategic guidance in areas of admissibility, design, tactics for presentation, interpreting legal issues, and other nuances. In addition to our design and consulting practice areas, we also offer in-court technology services, pre-trial support, mock trials, and focus groups. We pride ourselves in creating a boutique, client-focused experience, with the capability to handle any sized case.
