About Us
Staff: Partners
Bob Ackerman, CCR, President
Bob has been in the legal services field for more than 40 years. Upon Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps, he received an Associate's Degree in Court Reporting from the Hefley & Browne School of Business in New York. He was first employed as a Hearing Reporter with the Homicide Division of the Kings County District Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, NY. He then became a Court Reporter with the Kings County Supreme Court.

In 1969, he became an Official Court Reporter for the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. After working there for 13 years, Bob started his own court reporting and related services company, Krauss, Katz & Ackerman, Inc. KK&A grew to become the largest company in the country providing court reporting and related services. In 1997, he merged his company with a public company.

In April of 2007, Bob joined Magna Legal Services, as president. Magna has offices in NJ, NY, PA, DE, FL & SC. In addition to court reporting, Magna offers Trial Presentation, Jury Research, Graphics Consulting & Design, Document Management, Subpoena Services.

Mark Calzaretta, Director of Litigation Consulting
As a founding partner, and Director of Litigation Consulting, Mark oversees the operations for Magna Legal's Litigation, Graphic and Trial Consulting Team. Mark is a recognized expert in assisting attorneys with development of complex trial strategies, drawing on his extensive background in jury persuasion and analysis, trial technology and behavioral psychology. He has served as lead litigation consultant for hundreds of cases spanning more than twenty jurisdictions, and has mastery of more than a dozen litigation software applications. He has been a leader in the litigation consulting industry for more than 15 years. Recognized for his ability to combine an impressive technological knowledge with his background in Psychology, he has been featured in various publications, including PC Magazine and the National Law Journal, on the subjects of jury research, juror persuasion, legal technology, trial presentation, and litigation support.

Mark has lectured at Temple Law School and Seton Hall School of Law on the subjects of focus groups, jury research, jury selection and voir dire. He has provided continuing legal education courses, presentations and training across the nation for various organizations, law firms, judges and corporate litigation departments. Mark has provided pro bono services for victims of the 9/11 tragedy, in addition to his consulting engagements and legal seminar presentations. Mark is a graduate of SUNY Albany, with a degree in Psychology and Anthropology.

Trial Experience:

  • The first fully multimedia criminal trial in New Jersey: State v. Alex Levine
  • Numerous multimillion dollar medical malpractice cases.
  • Numerous fortune 100 Company product liability cases.
  • Numerous catastrophic personal injury cases.
  • Numerous asbestos cases
  • Numerous toxic tort cases

Jury Selection:

Mark has used his vast trial experience and expertise to aid in the selection of more than 100 juries in high-profile cases.

Litigation Consulting Engagements:

  • Facilitated Numerous Focus Groups and Mock Trials
  • Settlement conferences before numerous judges and arbitrators
  • Depositions and pretrial hearings
  • Expert and Witness Communication Training
  • Pro Bono consulting for WTC victim P.B. who received second largest award from WTC Committee of $7.5M

Provided Presentations and Training For:

  • CLE course: �Juror Persuasion: How Jurors Form Decisions, Case Strategies and Theme Development�, accredited in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Denver, Colorado, Texas, California and Florida
  • New York CLE classes in Court Room Techniques and Technology
  • CLE courses for Pennsylvania Bar Institute & Dispute Resolution Institute
  • Pennsylvania Paralegal CLE courses
  • ATLA Association of Trial Lawyers
  • New Jersey Bar Association
  • New Jersey Board of Governors
  • New York Bar Association
  • Technological Advances in Voir Dire
  • Focus Groups and Mock Trials
  • Courtroom Technology 101

Certifications/Expertise

  • Sanction II since product inception
  • Certified in LiveNote

Completed manufacturer reseller training in:

  • Case Map, Time Map, Concordance, Summation & Litigator's Notebook
  • Advanced training in Power Point, Illustrator and Photoshop

Peter Hecht, Executive Vice President of Sales
As the Executive Vice President of Sales for Magna Legal Services, Peter Hecht has orchestrated the company's growth from a single office start-up to an industry leader. Mr. Hecht brings to the company significant experience in identifying emerging markets, managing sales professionals and establishing new marketing partners. He has directed the company�s national and local sales and marketing initiatives through a period of remarkable growth. Peter is a leader in forging and cultivating strategic customer relationships in the legal services field. He is also the Editor-In-Chief of the quarterly newsletter called Magna-FY and co-chairman of the Educational Committee for Magna�s highly successful seminar series called, �Streamlining Relationships with Outside Counsel�. Mr. Hecht speaks frequently at professional associations and meetings on a wide range of issues regarding the litigation support and consulting industry.

Prior to Magna Legal Services, Peter was Director of National Account Sales for a global court reporting and litigation support firm. He created and implemented a multi-level sales and national rollout program that was successfully adopted by the entire organization. Mr. Hecht also negotiated and closed numerous national agreements. Previously, he was Global Account Manager for AT&T, where he secured $20 million in new contracts over a period of five years and was inducted into the company�s President�s Circle. Mr. Hecht earned his BA in psychology and sociology from Rutgers University.