Ruth Whitney

Ruth H. Whitney is the Founder and CEO of Select Litigation. Ruth has built a reputation as one of the nation’s leading jury consultants based on over 25 years of experience in law, government, politics and public opinion. She has served as counsel on high profile civil and criminal trials throughout the country for individual, corporate, and federal government clients.

Ruth has been privileged to work with members of the top 100 trial lawyers in the country based on her expertise conducting mock trials and voir dire and in the development of winning trial strategy.  Her groundbreaking approach, the Integrated Selection Model®, has proved successful in many trials, including the two trials styled USA v. McGregor et al (2:10-cr-00186-MHT-WC), USA v.Chattin et al (2:12-cr-00021-WKW-WC), USA v. Richard Stephen Stringer, Sr. (1:13-cr-00180-CG-B), and SEC v. Ferrone (11-cv-5223).

Ruth has extensive legal experience, including over 10 years as a healthcare lawyer with the Arkansas Department of Human Services and as counsel to Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard.  Ruth also served as counsel and chief of staff to Attorney General Mike Beebe (AR) and developed professional relationships with attorneys general across the country.

Ruth earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Arkansas. She is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and is admitted to practice in Arkansas and the U.S. District Courts in Arkansas.  Ruth has also been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions in the course of her service as a national jury consultant. She is a member of the American Society of Trial Consultants.

Harrison Hickman

Harrison Hickman has conducted jury research for over 30 years. His professional practice has focused on all aspects of opinion research, message development and testing, and statistical. Harrison has created and adapted unique research methodologies, statistics, and analytical techniques used in community surveys, mock trials, juror polling, and focus groups, and has been instrumental in the design and refinement of the firm’s Integrated Selection Model.

Harrison and his work have been recognized by national media outlets as the “best in the business” and the nation’s “most valuable pollster.”  In addition to his work for private clients, he served as an election consultant to CBS News for 25 years, including 15 years as the principal consultant for the anchor desk.  He has testified as an expert witness on public opinion research methods in federal court.

Harrison earned his master’s degree at the University of Nebraska, completed doctoral exams in political science at Tulane University, and received advanced training in opinion research and statistical methods at the University of Michigan. He has taught graduate level classes at the University of Maryland and George Washington University and lectured at numerous institutions including Harvard, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Tim Leathers, J.D.

Tim Leathers joined Select Litigation after nearly 40 years with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.

After serving as the department’s chief counsel, he served as the department’s deputy director and commissioner of revenues where he was responsible for oversight of the Office of Budget, Personnel Management, Accounting, and Purchasing and Revenue Division.

Under Leather’s tenure, the state implemented the Arkansas Tax Procedure Act, which provided a standard process for the administration of all state taxes and fair method for taxpayers to comply with tax laws. He is also responsible for the current organizational structure of DFA – combining administrative functions and management structure resulted in financial savings and efficiencies that enhanced the agency’s performance.

Leathers serves a valuable resource and consultant to the firm’s governmental clients.

Kelly Sullivan, J.D.

Kelly Sullivan manages jury research and litigation support matters for Select Litigation. A licensed attorney, Kelly utilizes her extensive background in research and data analysis to provide insight into the jury pool and to advise attorneys on potential jurors’ conflicts, experiences, and beliefs that may influence their perception of issues in the case.

Kelly has conducted jury research in both civil litigation and criminal trials in various jurisdictions throughout the country. Her fact-based findings have helped legal teams assess potential jurors and make critical strike decisions during voir dire. She has managed a variety of jury research projects, from complex civil litigation to high profile federal cases.

In addition to jury research, Kelly provides due diligence research on litigants, expert witnesses, and other key trial participants. Following jury selection, Kelly monitors trial activities, examining and analyzing information as needed.

Kelly graduated magna cum laude from the University of Central Arkansas, where she was a member of the Honors College. Kelly earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is admitted to the Arkansas State Bar.  

Nathan Green, J.D.

Nathan Green serves Select Litigation as a seasoned lawyer and public relations expert.  He assists clients in developing trial strategy based on his extensive experience in public relations, legal analysis, due diligence and opinion research. Nathan conducts detailed background research on the case, parties and jury pool.  In addition, he assists the Select Litigation team and its clients with communications and public relations strategy – from compelling graphic presentations to press management.

Nathan earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude in economics from Saint Louis University and Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. Nathan spent several years in private law practice working with clients on corporate, nonprofit, estate, tax, and government issues. He is licensed to practice law in Arkansas.

Benjamin Margolis

Benjamin Margolis manages data analytics for Select Litigation. He has over twelve years of experience in jury consulting as well as extensive experience with advanced statistical methodologies that give him unique insight into juror attitudes used to predict voting preferences and the best approaches for trial strategies. Beyond his statistical modeling experience, he also has organized hundreds of mock trials, focus groups, and public polls to better understand the intricacies of individual and collective juror perspectives on issues relating directly to the cases and how to approach them from both prosecution and defense perspectives to ensure victory.

Benjamin previously worked at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, improving the care of children through statistical modeling of patient and family surveys in the Health Policy and Clinical Effectiveness Department. He earned a B.S. in Economics from Duke University.