Our Team - Cogent Legal

Good people become great teams.

Cultivating a collaborative and supportive environment that attracts and retains outstanding talent doesn’t happen on its own. It takes effort. At Cogent Legal, we are proud of our culture and each member of our team. At the end of the day, a great idea can’t become a reality without the right people to implement it.

Senior Staff

– The Legal Team –

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 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 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.

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.

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.

Kira is a seasoned litigation consultant with a wealth of legal experience. She provides invaluable support to litigators, offering courtroom presentations, graphics, and trial strategy consulting tailored to each case’s unique requirements. Kira’s passion for the law, coupled with her proven track record of success, makes her an indispensable asset in navigating the complexities of litigation.

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 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 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 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. As a Senior Consultant for the Mock Trial division, he provides clients with video production, graphic design, and case presentation services.

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 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 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.

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.

"For the first time in trying cases over the past 29 years, my client and I decided to seek assistance with PowerPoints, jury selection, and trial technology. Cogent Legal was my first choice. To say I am “satisfied” with the services provided is an understatement. Their team provided first class input, collaboration, work product and support throughout the four-week trial. I credit their services to my selection of the best jury possible in a difficult Alameda jury pool, professional graphic display during the trial that many jurors specifically complimented following the trial, and quick on point trial tech support at every moment of need. Their services and support directly contributed to the 12-0 verdict received one hour after submitting the case to the jury. While I have never used any of these trial support services before, I cannot imagine handling a significant trial again without the Cogent Legal team."

"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."

"Cogent Legal is great to work with. They are responsive, work within deadlines, and understand complex medical and scientific information. Cogent has a unique ability to distill high-level technical evidence into demonstratives that really help jurors understand the issues."

"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."

"I wanted to thank everyone at Cogent Legal for the great work on our opening presentation for our trial. I think the presentation scared the other side because all of a sudden opposing counsel wanted to talk settlement after the opening! I am pleased with the overall result. Thanks for all your help!"

"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 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."

"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."

"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!"

Animations

Trial Tech

Mock Trials

Evidence

Maps

Photo/Video

Slideshows

Timelines

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.

Senior Staff

– The Legal Team –

Morgan Smith

Andrew Walker

Deep Athwal

Michael Kelleher

Audrey Murray

Kira Iwinski

Liz Kelleher

– The Creative Team –

David Filippini

Matthew Ritter

Ryan Nichols-Roy

Jessica Weisman

Chris Conlin

Anne Chamberlain

Jenna Lateano