Delphi Partner and Senior Consultant Biographies
Ryan Malphurs, Ph.D.
Dr. Ryan Malphurs is the managing partner of Delphi Litigation Strategies. Dr. Malphurs’ background in persuasive and legal communication provides an effective foundation for litigation and trial consulting services including witness training for deposition and trial; focus groups and mock trials; voir dire and jury selection; development of opening statements and closing arguments; and general trial strategy. Dr. Malphurs has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation (IP, Oil and Gas, Breach of Contract, etc….) and is regularly called to handle cases where witness testimony is critical. His unique experience observing more than 150 U.S. Supreme Court arguments also enables him to advise attorneys preparing for bench trials and appellate arguments.
Dr. Malphurs received his Ph.D. in Communication from Texas A&M University. During his time at Texas A&M, he began researching U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments, later writing a book published by Routledge Press titled Rhetoric and Discourse in Supreme Court Oral Arguments. Dr. Malphurs has published his research in Communication Law Review, Journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors, Journal of American Culture, and The Jury Expert among others. His research has also been prominently covered by a variety of news sources, most notably the New York Times, National Public Radio, and the Washington Post.
As a Jesuit alum at both the high school and college level, Dr. Malphurs remains committed to the Jesuit mantra of “men and women in service for others,” working closely with the Dallas legal community through pro bono services when his time permits. Dr. Malphurs has assisted the Human Rights Initiative, Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, local Prosecutor¹s Offices, and various local attorneys with clients in need of assistance. He welcomes anyone seeking pro bono trial services to contact him to ensure equal access to justice for all people.
Dr. Malphurs played rugby in high school, college, and semi-professionally, and now enjoys the less physical but equally challenging games of golf and billiards. When his family and work permit him the opportunity, Dr. Malphurs enjoys traveling to remote destinations to pursue his passion for backpacking and fly- fishing. Dr. Malphurs lives in Dallas with his wife and two children. He may be reached via email: Ryan@ConsultDelphi.com
Steve Tuholski, Ph.D.
Dr. Steve Tuholski is a partner of Delphi Litigation Strategies. Dr. Tuholski’s background in cognitive and quantitative psychology informs his work in mock trials, focus groups, jury selection/voir dire, thematic development, witness preparation, and all aspects of trial consulting. Dr. Tuholski began his career in academia, where he was a tenured professor at Southern Illinois University. Since entering the consulting world in 2004, Dr. Tuholski has worked on over 200 trials throughout the United States, ranging from simple slip and fall cases to complex bet-the-company cases to high stakes white collar criminal cases. In addition to his experience across the spectrum of civil and criminal litigation, Dr. Tuholski has developed a proprietary risk assessment/damages modeling tool, based upon quantitative psychology and statistics, to inform clients regarding the potential verdict risks they may face at trial as well as the potential settlement value of their cases.
Dr. Tuholski grew up in the Boston area and earned a B.A. in Psychology from Westfield University before moving on to the University of South Carolina, where he earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology. During his time as a graduate student and as a university professor, Dr. Tuholski developed a scholarly research program in the area of individual differences in memory and attention, which included publishing peer-reviewed studies that have been cited more than two thousand times in the academic literature. Dr. Tuholski’s rigorous attention to research design and consulting informs his approach to research and consulting, which is to “practice like you play.”
Whether it has been competing in the United States Amateur Golf championships, ice hockey, or in mixed doubles tennis with his wife, Dr. Tuholski has always enjoyed competing against himself and others. Dr. Tuholski currently focuses his competitive energy on training for and competing in marathons and half marathons across the country. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and basset hounds. He may be reached via email: Steve@ConsultDelphi.com
Kevin-Khristian Cosgriff Hernandez, Ph.D.
Dr. Kevin-Khristian Cosgriff Hernandez is a partner at Delphi Litigation Strategies with a background in organizational communication and a specialization in negotiation. Kevin-Khristian specializes in witness training for deposition and trial; focus groups and mock trials; voir dire and jury selection; development of opening statements and closing arguments; and general trial strategy. His background in negotiations and certification as a Texas mediator makes him well suited to assist clients in obtaining favorable settlements at mediation or through protracted negotiations.
Dr. Cosgriff Hernandez earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, Masters degree from John Carroll University, and Ph.D. in Communication from Texas A&M University. While at Texas A&M, Kevin-Khristian conducted research in various small group settings that focused on conflict and competing narratives. Dr. Cosgriff Hernandez’ extensive background in narrative analysis and small group decision-making informs his analysis of product liability, oil and gas, transportation, and complex commercial litigation cases.
Kevin-Khristian serves clients in need by working with various local attorneys in a pro bono capacity. He welcomes anyone seeking pro bono trial services to contact him. Dr. Cosgriff Hernandez is passionate about building stronger communities by volunteering his time with various youth and faith-based organizations in the Austin area.
Kevin-Khristian swam for the University of Chicago and lettered as a pitcher on the baseball team. Dr. Cosgriff-Hernandez continues to play baseball and manage men’s teams; when his time permits, he also enjoys golf and traveling. Dr. Cosgriff Hernandez lives in Austin with his wife and two sons. He may be reached via email: Kevin@ConsultDelphi.com
Jeff Dougherty, M.S.
Jeff Dougherty is one of the few consultants in the country to have studied Jury Research and Psychology at the only program of its kind in the country during his graduate education. He earned an M.S. degree in Clinical and Research Psychology and completed additional post-graduate studies focusing on jury research and psychology. Since 2002 Mr. Dougherty has applied his educational training and jury consulting experience to a broad range of civil litigation across the country by designing and conducting mock trials and focus groups, synthesizing jury research findings into winning trial strategies, crafting voir dire questions and assisting in jury selection, facilitating shadow juries, and conducting post-trial juror interviews. One of Mr. Dougherty’s specialties is helping witnesses prepare for deposition and trial testimony, with a special emphasis on uncovering and resolving the emotional, psychological, and communication barriers to effective testimony.
Mr. Dougherty has been invited to speak at various Bar Association conferences and continuing legal education seminars all around the country. Additionally, Mr. Dougherty has been published in techniques for effectively preparing witnesses to testify in depositions and at trial, the essential stages of change for witness improvement, avoiding the traps of cross-examination, and the reasons medical professionals fail when they testify in deposition and at trial. Mr. Dougherty also writes articles in the areas of ideological considerations when selecting juries, the nexus of confirmation and ideology on juror decision making, the impact of nonverbal communication on witness effectiveness, and narrative theory in opening statements.
In his spare time, Mr. Dougherty enjoys spending time with his wife and four kids. He also loves to stay physically and intellectually active by participating in triathlons, running, wakeboarding, playing the acoustic and electric guitar, drums, and bass guitar.
Michelle Larson, Ph.D.
Dr. Michelle Larson is one of the few consultants in the country to have studied legal decision-making at a joint Social Psychology Ph.D. and J.D. program. Dr. Larson provides jury research and trial consulting services such as focus groups and mock trials, community attitude surveys, creative opening and closing statement development, courtroom observation, settlement assessment and witness preparation. She also creates and analyzes juror questionnaires for jury selection and post-trial juror interviews.
In the past twenty-seven years Dr. Larson has consulted on a diverse range of litigation matters such as antitrust, breach of contract, employment, fraud, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, negligence, patent and trademark infringement, product liability, securities fraud, sex discrimination, theft of trade secrets, and toxic tort issues.
Prior to merging with Delphi, Dr. Larson headed Larson Litigation Consulting, Inc. Dr. Larson worked in the Jury Research Group of FTI Consulting for over nine years where she consulted on a variety of complex civil litigation matters. She provided clients with pre-trial research, demonstrative exhibit ideas, and on-site trial support and monitoring services. Dr. Larson started her career as a Senior Litigation Analyst at Courtroom Sciences, Inc., where she conducted research and consulted on a variety of litigation matters.
Dr. Larson has presented at the national conferences of the American Psychology and Law Society and the American Bar Association. Her presentations include "Ten Bonehead Ways Not to Examine a Witness in a High-Tech Courtroom" and "The Effect of Context and Legal Instruction on Perceptions of Obscenity." In addition, Dr. Larson has written a book chapter and made CLE presentations regarding post-trial interviews.
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 NebraskaLincoln where she received an M.S. and 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.