Plaintiffs attorney Jim Nugent relied on eyes—many eyes in the form of three focus groups—to help him prevail in a million-dollar settlement for a client injured in a head-on collision.

Nugent, a partner with Nugent & Bryant in New Haven, said his main strategy was simple: “To lock down liability. And gather as much evidence as possible to confirm the defendant was negligent, by hiring investigators, pounding the pavement and working the phones myself.”