Wendy L. Saxon

As a confidential case consultant, Wendy has provided advice on jury selection, witness preparation, and trial strategies on over twelve hundred forensic cases, both civil and criminal. Her services include comprehensive analysis of the impact of evidence; definition of issues that may arouse bias; psychodrama trial prep with attorneys, witnesses, and clients; development and analysis of juror questionnaires; advanced select mediations; development of oral voir dire questions to expose bias; assistance in the efficient use of peremptory challenges; and post-selection juror profiles with an eye on receptivity to cases in chief.

Between 1977 and 2007, Wendy not only worked on civil cases for both plaintiffs and defendants, but also participated as a jury consultant and mitigation specialist in hundreds of serious felony cases, most of which were capital in nature.

From 2008 to 2015, she worked exclusively with the civil defense community, including the State of California Office of the Attorney General; California Department of Transportation; Los Angeles County Council, including the Law Enforcement Division; the Los Angeles Unified School District; and the Police Litigation Unit of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. She has also worked with major LA defense firms.

In 2015 Nick Rowley invited her to work full time with Trial Lawyers for Justice.

Wendy’s first post-master’s job was in the Psychology Department at Saint Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Fullerton, California. She performed diagnostic assessments and charted detailed written consultations for physicians, engaging in treatment collaboration with various teams of allied health professionals. She provided liaison psychology services for the pain management program, neuromuscular rehabilitation, alcohol rehabilitation, the emergency room, the oncology unit, cardiac rehabilitation, and pulmonary rehabilitation. She responded to special requests by MDs and floor nurses for individual acute-care patients. She also provided ongoing case consultation on psychotic and borderline patients, conducted suspected child abuse investigations, performed crisis intervention, and provided brief psychotherapy, including grief and terminal counseling, with patients and survivors.

In the 1980s Wendy worked as a technical consultant for the Santa Ana Police Department Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse Unit. She was assigned to field investigations and rode on swing-shift in her own unit with a police service officer. This response team assisted officers with mental health crisis situations including domestic violence; child abuse; suicidal, homicidal, and gravely disabled (5150s) people; rape victim support; death notifications; and on-site assistance with survivors of suicide, homicide, accidents, and natural deaths. She logged one thousand hours riding with officers and in her own unit. She also supervised in-station crisis and follow-up short-term counseling of civilians, as well as assistance to sworn officers with difficult situations. Wendy also discreetly provided confidential therapy sessions with officers by accompanying them while on duty.

Wendy has received the following honors: Certificate of Appreciation from the National Association of Attorneys General (2015); Honorable Retirement as a California Marriage and Family Therapist (2015); Certificate of Appreciation from the California Office of the Attorney General (2011); Walter E. Brackelmanns Award for Exceptional Achievement, Association for the Advancement of Ethical Hypnosis (1996); Certificates of Appreciation California Licensed Investigators (1990s); Certificate of Appreciation World Association of Detectives (1993); Certificate of Appreciation London Transit Underground (1997); Letter of Commendation Santa Ana Police Department (1986); Life Member Syndrome Fighter Burnout Policemen’s Association (1985); and Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Human Services Agency, Orange County Mental Health Services (1981).

Wendy holds a BA in French and Psychology from Wilkes University, an MS in Clinical and Community Psychology from California State University Fullerton, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from International College in Los Angeles. During the 1990s, she was certified as a trauma specialist and also certified as a traumatologist. She has lectured extensively throughout the years on medical psychology, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and jury selection techniques. She lectured for the World Association of Detectives on the transatlantic crossing of the QE2 in 1993. She lectured for the European Trauma Practitioners Association between 1994 and 1997, including a daylong workshop on PTSD in the Legal System (1995), and delivered the keynote address on recovered memories. Wendy last participated in lecturing in New York City in 2015 at the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute Jury Selection Seminar.