Firehorse Trial Consulting LLC

Science + Art + Experience

At the intersection of science, art, and experience, Firehorse Trial Consulting, LLC stands as a premier national jury research and litigation consulting firm. We bring together the analytical precision of behavioral science, the strategic creativity of communication arts, and well over a century of real-world courtroom experience to provide our clients with unparalleled insights.

Whether you’re preparing for a complex civil trial or seeking support on a high-stakes criminal case, our tailored consulting solutions empower legal teams to understand juror perceptions, refine case narratives, and ultimately enhance courtroom outcomes. At Firehorse, we don’t just support litigation — we strategically shape it for success.

Services We Provide

Firehorse provides expert support at every stage of litigation—from pre-trial research to post-trial analysis—tailored to strengthen your case.

Pre-Trial Research

Surveys: Venue/Attitude/Juror Profiling
Focus Groups
Case Evaluation Studies
Mock Jury Trials
Mock Bench Trials, Mock Arbitrations
Proprietary Damages/Risk Assessments

Pre-Trial Research

Case Assessment
Theme, Storyline and Strategy Development
Opening Statement Consultation
Witness Effectiveness Training
Voir Dire Consulting
Visual Concept Creation

In-Trial Research and Consulting

Our Team

Cindy Andrews, Ph.D.

Founder & Chief Trial Consultant

Dr. Andrews is the Founder, President, and Chief Trial Consultant of Firehorse Trial Consulting, LLC. Dr. Andrews has been designing and conducting small-group research for over 36 years, with the last 27 years litigation specific. She specializes in the full range of jury research and trial consulting services and has worked on over 2,200 cases. Dr. Andrews possesses expertise in jury psychology, cognition, decision-making, behavior modification, and research design and methodology.

She has published 21 articles and chapters and is a frequent speaker at national conferences, corporate counsel meetings, and state bar events. She has also appeared on CNN, Fox News Chicago, and WGN. Dr. Andrews graduated magna cum laude with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School, where she was honored with the Scientist-Practitioner Award.

She also has an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Arizona State University, graduating summa cum laude from both. Prior to litigation consulting, Dr. Andrews worked as an associate and adjunct professor, clinician, clinical researcher, and consultant.

Steve Tuholski, Ph.D.

Sr. Trial Consultant

Based in Fort-Worth, Dr. Tuholski became a trial consultant in 2004 after a successful academic career at Southern Illinois University. He is an expert in pretrial research and how to effectively leverage data from research to increase client success at trial, mediation, and other alternative dispute resolution settings. Dr. Tuholski has worked on several high-profile cases in the areas of securities, antitrust, toxic tort, intellectual property, product liability and insurance litigation. Dr. Tuholski used his background in statistics to develop a robust analytical approach that effectively forecasts litigation risk based on quantitative and qualitative data from Mock Trials research. Dr. Tuholski holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Psychology from the University of South Carolina, and a BA in Psychology from Westfield University. He has published several scholarly articles and presented on juror cognition.

Michelle Larson, J.D., Ph.D.

Sr. Trial Consultant

Dr. Michelle Larson is a Chicago-based consultant. For the past 28 years Dr. Larson has consulted on a diverse range of litigation matters including antitrust, breach of contract, employment, fraud, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, negligence, patent and trademark infringement, product liability, securities fraud, discrimination, theft of trade secrets, and toxic tort issues. Dr. Larson graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in psychology. She continued her education in a joint degree program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and a J.D. The primary focus of her doctoral research was on decision making within the legal system. While at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law she served as editor of the Nebraska Law Review.

Kristle Kendrick, M.S.

Trial Consultant

Kristle Kendrick has been consulting since 2011. After receiving her M.S. in Forensic Psychology, she transitioned to the field of jury consulting after gaining skills as a small-group research Project Manager for a market research firm and a legal assistant for a corporate law firm in Los Angeles. Combining her training and work experience in market research, psychology, and law, she contributes valuable insight to the design and implementation of mock jury research, voir dire and jury selection, venue surveys, community attitude surveys, juror questionnaire evaluations, and post-trial juror interviews. She has worked on civil and criminal matters across the United States. Ms. Kendrick is also a member of the American Society of Trial Consultants and the American Psychology and Law Society.

Stephanie L. B. Cavanaugh, M.A.

Trial Consultant

For nearly 20 years, Ms. Cavanaugh has organized and consulted on hundreds of cases in numerous areas of civil and criminal litigation. She assists with the development of jury research instruments, moderates focus groups, analyzes data, conducts post-trial juror interviews, creates trial venue overviews, performs social media searches, and assists with report production. Ms. Cavanaugh holds an M.A. in Forensic Psychology from Marymount University and received a B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University. Her insights have been published in Evolution and Human Behavior and For the Defense: Trial Tactics.

Tiffany Jacobs, B.A.

Research Director

Tiffany Jacobs has been an essential asset in the trial consulting field, managing projects across the nation for over 15 years. She coordinates mock juror recruiting, organizes and manages all sizes of mock jury exercises, creates psychometrically-sound questionnaires, evaluates data, assembles reports, conducts post-trial juror interviews, and has moderated hundreds of focus groups. Ms. Jacobs graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.A. in Art History and a minor in English.