American Society of Trial Consultants

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
942941237
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
2173212480
Rating
59
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$220,219
Expenses
$210,275
Assets
$199,420
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FAYE HONIG (PAST PRESIDENT)
  • MICHELLE REY LAROCCA (PRESIDENT)
  • ANGIE HICKOX (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • RYAN LIFFRIG (TREASURER)
  • PAUL VALDEZ (SECRETARY)
  • SHELLY SPIECKER (BOARD MEMBER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Astc members help litigators become better at their craft through trial consulting education, networking and professional development.

What it reported doing in 2025

During the year, the organization significantly expanded its professional education, networking, and member engagement initiatives. We hosted our largest annual conference to date, with attendance reaching 150 participants, providing continuing education, industry updates, and collaborative learning opportunities. In addition to the annual conference, we increased the number of educational webinars offered throughout the year, expanding access to professional development and specialized training for members regardless of geographic location. The organization also expanded professional networking opportunities by hosting additional networking events designed to foster collaboration, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing among members and industry professionals. Member engagement and thought leadership were strengthened through an increase in published articles authored by members, contributing to the advancement of professional knowledge and best practices within the the field. Furthermore, the organization updated its professional standards and guidelines to reflect current industry developments, regulatory considerations, and best practices, ensuring members have access to relevant, high-quality professional guidance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 18
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 58%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 60.9%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.5%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.95; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 55.4% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 58% of revenue deployed · 60.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $128K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 15 of 15 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.