PODCAST · business
Trial Lawyers University
by Dan Ambrose, Trial Lawyers University
Satisfied with being an average trial attorney? This isn't the podcast for you.Welcome to Trial Lawyers University (TLU), the ultimate playbook for lawyers that want to achieve trial immortality. Hosted by TLU founder and veteran trial attorney Dan Ambrose, this power-packed podcast features in-depth interviews with Top Ranked Trial Lawyers, including Brian Panish, Keith Mitnik, Joe Fried, Zoe Littlepage, Rex Parris, John Romano, Sach Oliver, Jakob Norman, Dino Colombo, Lloyd Bell, Chris Finney, David Christensen, and more. In each episode, you’ll gain invaluable trial insights, strategies, and tactics directly from the titans of trial.Ready to join the group that continues to dominate the trial world? Register for our live conferences and boot camps at triallawyersuniversity.com. And while you are waiting for the main event, jumpstart your journey to victory now by going to TLUonDemand.com for instant access to live lectures, case analysis, skills training videos, expert depositions
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Trial Mindset: Reframe. Reaffirm. Reawaken. With Przemek Lubecki and Michael Cowen
Depression. Insecurity. Seven-figure verdicts that didn't feel like enough. Michael Cowen — national trucking lawyer, trial veteran with 130+ cases, and host of his own podcast — had achieved the kind of success most lawyers dream about, and it still wasn't working for him psychologically. The turning point came when he stopped chasing a specific result and started trusting the process. In this conversation with guest host Przemek Lubecki, recorded live at TLU Huntington Beach 2026, Michael opens up about the mindset overhaul that unlocked eight-figure verdicts, the mantra he still repeats while waiting for a judge to take the bench, and the firm-wide case review system he uses to prevent his lawyers from undersettling cases. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Michael Cowen | LinkedIn☑️ Cowen Law on Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube☑️ Przemek Lubecki | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode Snapshot★ Michael graduated from law school, clerked on the Fifth Circuit, and joined a big law firm in New York City.★ After moving back to Brownsville, Texas for his future wife, Michael joined a plaintiff firm under mentor Ed Stapleton, tried four cases in his first year, and inherited his own law firm just four years out of law school.★ Michael describes a prolonged period of cyclical depression, weight gain, and insecurity — driven by taking too much personal responsibility for case outcomes.★ His mindset transformation came through intensive coaching with Sari De La Motte, daily use of "The Miracle Morning" routine, and a mantra about trusting judges and juries that he still repeats silently in the courtroom.★ Michael explains that truly earning courtroom confidence requires two experiences: winning a case to prove it's possible, and losing a big one to prove you survive it.★ At Michael's firm, no commercial-policy case is allowed to proceed to a demand or mediation until the attorney has first presented it to the full firm at their weekly Tuesday lunch — a structured review designed to prevent undersettling.★ Michael's Big Rig Bootcamp (July 9) will feature live cross-examination demonstrations, medical testimony training, and a deep dive on why facet joint injuries treated with radiofrequency ablation are million-dollar cases.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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How the Ace of Las Vegas Got 8 Figure Results Against Big Corporations with Patrick Kang and Chris Hammons
Some lawyers find the work. Others are found by it. Patrick Kang, founder of Ace Law Group in Las Vegas, watched lawyers in suits change his family's life when he was a child — and never forgot it. When his father, a GM factory worker, had an engine fall on him, the settlement became seed money for a shoe store — and a chance at a better life. Patrick joins guest host Chris Hammons at TLU Beach. After three straight defense verdicts in 2017 nearly broke his confidence, Patrick stopped mimicking the “reptile” script and won by adapting it to his authentic style. Tune in for insights on a $15 million slip-and-fall verdict, a 15-year sexual harassment crusade, and why non-economic damages are where cases are truly won.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Patrick Kang | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Ace Law Group | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotPatrick's father, a GM factory worker, suffered a serious on-the-job injury when an engine fell on him; the resulting settlement funded a shoe store in Detroit and a move to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan — a turning point that Patrick now believes drove him toward law.After graduating from John Carroll University and Cooley Law School, Patrick moved to Las Vegas on his father's advice — the city had a fast-growing Korean population and zero Korean attorneys serving it, making him an immediate commodity at his first firm.Patrick founded Ace Law Group in June 2009 — the name chosen to work in both worlds: the Las Vegas playing card and the Korean cultural term for a standout individual.After three consecutive defense verdicts circa 2017 trying to deliver “reptile” scripts verbatim, Patrick decided to adapt the method to his own authentic style and began winning.A $15 million verdict against the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas for a slip-and-fall client who suffered a complete hamstring tear was built on non-economic damages.A 15-year personal crusade against Las Vegas sexual harassment defense culture ended with a $1.49 million jury verdict — won in part by a corroborating witness who spontaneously named the porn sites she caught the defendant doctor watching.Patrick builds client confidence heading into trial by wallpapering his office with 20 giant Post-it notes laying out the full trial plan: order of proof, key evidence etc. — then bringing clients in to see it.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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TLU Beach 2026 Recap with the '80's Tracksuit Brothers, Dan Ambrose and Mohamad Ahmad
Most lawyers leave legal conferences with a notebook full of ideas and no plan to use them. Mohamad Ahmad left TLU Beach 2026 having already texted his tech team to implement what he heard — and he hadn't even left the session yet. A plaintiff attorney and TLU veteran, Mohamad joins host Dan Ambrose for a candid debrief on what made this year's conference stand apart — starting with the pre-conference bootcamp, where his biggest takeaway was a surprisingly simple one: breath training. When a trial lawyer stops breathing under pressure, the jury feels it. Train the breath, and the performance becomes natural. Mohamad also breaks down the workshop he led on demonstratives and his team's lecture on extracting evidence from government agencies that routinely withhold it.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Kermani LLP | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode Snapshot★ Mohamad Ahmad describes TLU Beach 2026 as "the best 10 days of legal everything,” adding that he was genuinely sad when it ended.★ His biggest takeaway from the TLU Bootcamp: breath training — when you stop thinking and just breathe, the jury senses confidence instead of tension, and your performance becomes natural.★ Trial is like flying a plane with 25 moving parts; the bootcamp breaks each part down one at a time so that, in the courtroom, it all runs like a synchronized orchestra.★ Mohamad led a packed workshop on demonstratives for trial: using metaphors, props, the classroom space itself — and his partner Michael Carter's principle that "you yourself are a demonstrative."★ In a wrongful death case, Michael Carter places a casket in the courtroom "in a somber, credible way" and never violates that space — a powerful example of how physical demonstratives shape jury perception.★ Mohamad and his team gave a lecture on extracting information from public entities — police reports, ambulance and fire records, DA files — because government agencies, by choice or incompetence, routinely withhold evidence at first try.★ Brian Panish, in the middle of a trial that produced a $176 million compensatory verdict, showed up to TLU Beach on Saturday with a boot on his foot — a reminder that the top of the game still shows up every day.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Massive TBI Verdict Against Topgolf! with Chris Hammons & Anne Foster
Topgolf was warned in 2012. A risk manager photographed the exact spot, flagged it, recommended safety barriers. Almost a decade later, a nine-year-old boy was struck in that same spot at a Portland birthday party and left with a traumatic brain injury — three metal plates now holding his skull together. Anne Foster, founding member of Smith Foster King in Portland, tells guest host Chris Hammons how she built the case around a decade of ignored warnings, turned Topgolf's own marketing tagline against the blame-the-parents defense using focus groups, and forced Topgolf to pay the full verdict plus an undisclosed amount to avoid punitive damages. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Anne Foster | LinkedIn☑️ Smith Foster King | LinkedIn☑️ Chris Hammons | LinkedIn☑️ Laird Hammons Laird Law | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotAfter 25 years defending at Dunn Carney in Portland, Anne transitioned to plaintiff's work and found it transformed her career: "I found my life's dream. It wasn't just being in the courtroom, but I was actually helping to change people's lives."On Veterans Day 2021, a nine-year-old boy attending a birthday party at Topgolf Portland was struck in the head by a golf club — suffering a fractured frontal lobe requiring three permanent metal plates — when Topgolf's Bay host failed to provide the required safety tour to any of the bays that day. Philadelphia Insurance's risk manager had visited Topgolf locations as early as 2012 and recommended installing physical barriers, even photographing people standing exactly where the boy was later struck; Topgolf was told more than 10 times to put up a railing and never did, even as the chain expanded from a handful of stores to 100 locations nationwide. Anne found Topgolf's own website marketing language for kids' birthday parties — "You invite the kids, we'll take care of the rest" — and tested it in focus groups; skeptical mock jurors who had blamed the parents immediately shifted when confronted with that phrase. West Coast incident data produced in discovery showed hundreds of injuries over five years, the majority involving children, with 90% being strikes to the head and neck. To convey the brain injury's impact to the jury, Anne went beyond medical evidence — using adult family friends who were both teachers to testify about the boy's behavioral changes, and building the examination around stories she could reference visually in closing. Topgolf ultimately paid the full jury verdict plus an additional undisclosed amount rather than proceed to a punitive damages trial; the resolution followed a jury finding that the boy had done nothing wrong. Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Aaron Broussard: From a $1M Policy to a $35M Verdict
Juries tune out — so Aaron Broussard tries his cases at what he calls "TV pace or TikTok pace," sometimes putting on 10 to 15 witnesses in a single day to keep jurors awake and engaged. The Lake Charles, Louisiana trial lawyer spent his first five years as a self-described "settlement lawyer," handling roughly 200 cases his father's firm didn't want. After attending the Trial Lawyers College, he tried 30 jury trials in five years. His biggest result came this past year: a $35 million wrongful death verdict after a cement truck hit a family on their way to daycare, killing an 8 year-old girl. Broussard joins host Dan Ambrose ahead of TLU Beach to discuss the slippery settlement slope and how he redefines "reasonable" for a jury.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Aaron Broussard | LinkedIn☑️ Broussard Knoll Law Firm | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAaron's father, a lawyer and judge, was shot in his dominant left arm at 18 in 1968 and learned to do everything — including shooting shotguns and fishing — with his right hand.Growing up on the family farm, Aaron's father dictated each day's chores onto cassette tapes that Aaron played back on his boombox every morning.Aaron's first jury trial was a forcible rape case he won by acquittal — and his client paid him by painting the foreclosure house Aaron had just bought.After one good injury case earned his firm more money than his previous 90 cases combined, Aaron started shifting toward higher-quality cases.The Trial Lawyers College transformed Aaron's career: he tried 30 jury trials in the five years after, compared with just one before [44:30].To stop jurors from tuning out, Aaron now runs "speed trials" at TV or TikTok pace — sometimes putting on 10 to 15 witnesses in a single day.Aaron built a written "Sprint process" for his firm designed to move cases rapidly from the filed petition straight to the first set of depositions, eliminating the bottlenecks that leave files sitting in early stages.In his record $35 million wrongful death case, Aaron asked the jury for $90 million against only a $1 million insurance policy.The "equal trade value" damages argument never rang true to Aaron — there's no equal trade for the loss of a little girl — so he now confronts the money question head-on.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Tax Strategist Sterling Louviere: Win Big Verdicts. Keep More $$$!
Most lawyers know how to make money — but not how to keep it. Sterling Louviere, financial strategist and founder of Financial Architects, has spent about 30 years developing and applying advanced, legal tax mitigation strategies used by the “super affluent,” and he now uses these strategies to help high-earning trial lawyers reduce their tax liabilities. Sterling joins host Dan Ambrose to reveal strategies most accountants have never heard of, including why the tax system is largely voluntary, how a lawyer earning $3 million a year can cut their tax bill by at least $750,000, and why the SEP plan your accountant recommended may be the worst tool available. Don’t miss this episode for practical tax-reduction strategies, including entity structuring, family hiring, and tax-deferred investment vehicles designed to compound over time.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Sterling Louviere | LinkedIn☑️ Financial Architects☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotMost trial lawyers are excellent at making money but aren’t always given the tools to keep it. Sterling Louviere has built his business around helping attorneys close that gap through tax mitigation, asset management, and firm growth strategies.Sterling says most taxes are “voluntary” and that the super affluent use proven, legal techniques to mitigate millions in tax liability that remain largely unknown to most accountants and their clients.After earning the equivalent of $300,000 a year at age 24, Sterling ran into his own tax trouble — and that experience became the catalyst for a 30-year career studying every legal tax strategy available to high-income professionals.For lawyers earning between $1-$3 million per year, Sterling says he can reduce their tax liability by at least half — representing potential savings of $750,000 or more annually.The Augusta Rule enables homeowners to rent their personal home to their own business entity for up to 14 days per year — the income is non-taxable to the owner and deductible for the company.How to build a self-perpetuating investment fund that keeps capital working tax-deferred, allowing you to borrow against the pool for cases, real estate, or other investments without paying tax on the original income.Sterling's closing challenge: a CFO's first job is to minimize the company's tax liability — and for trial lawyers who are also business owners, that same obligation applies to their own firms.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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A Landmark $30.5 Million-Dollar Verdict Against the City of Seattle for a Wrongful Death
A peaceful protester was left to bleed out in Seattle after paramedics fled the scene. Evan Oshan asked for $100 million and won $30.5 million against the city — without ever identifying the shooter. In this episode, Evan joins guest co-host Mohamad Ahmad at the TLU Beach House to break down the Antonio Mays Jr. case, including roughly $24 million in non-economic damages. He also shares how he got expelled from Hastings Law School, had the governor intervene to reinstate him, and built the solo practice that took on Seattle. Listen in to hear what it takes to defeat governmental immunity and the thing that actually drives him — it's not the money.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Evan Oshan | LinkedIn☑️ Oshan and Associates☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Kermani LLP | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotEvan discovered he had severe dyslexia late in his college career and spent years learning through tape recordings and one-on-one conversations with professors, rather than reading.After a ruptured appendix knocked out most of his first year at Hastings, Evan returned at his father's urging, failed civil procedure, and was told "No, you're done" — until his father took the dean's letter to the governor, who got him reinstated the following yearEvan struggled with the bar exam at first but eventually passed in Washington state on his first attempt there — a jurisdiction he'd chosen in part because it didn't use multiple choice, a format he found challenging.When Antonio Mays Jr., a Southern California man shot while peacefully protesting in Seattle's CHOP Zone, needed representation, nearly every other attorney had turned the case down; Evan took it anyway, despite threats made against himself and his family.A pivotal win in the case was getting past governmental immunity by establishing that city paramedics delayed the treatment of Mays Jr., which led to his death.Of the $30.5 million verdict, approximately $24 million was in non-economic damages — with no medical bills to anchor the number, only the truth of what Evan's client suffered.Evan is a sole practitioner with an upcoming case against the New York City Housing Authority involving a 2017 Harlem fire that killed six people.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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The Wall Came Tumbling Down: $15 Million Wrongful Death Verdict
“Walking into Ozaukee County and telling the jury that it was worth $40 million was completely unheard of. I mean, people thought I was crazy.” In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Al Foeckler sets the stage for his wrongful death case on behalf of the family of a woman who was buried alive when a retaining wall collapsed on her. In addition to the conservative nature of the jurisdiction, Al also faced Wisconsin’s rules on damages in wrongful death cases: They are capped at $350,000 for adults and $500,000 for children, so value comes through showing pain and suffering. The case turned on a counterintuitive pre-trial decision: dropping the adult children's wrongful death claims after Big Data studies predicted doing so would nearly double the pain and suffering damages. Tune in to hear how Al won $15 million.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Al Foeckler | LinkedIn☑️ Cannon & Dunphy S.C | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotIn Wisconsin, wrongful death damages for adults are capped at $350,000 and for children at $500,000, so case value is built on establishing non-economic pain and suffering damages.Al’s wrongful death case centered on a woman who died from injuries sustained after a retaining wall at the senior community where she lived collapsed on her.Six weeks before trial, the defense offered $176,000 each to the decedent’s two adult children — just over the $350,000 wrongful death cap. But if accepted, the children couldn’t testify about their loss. Rejecting it meant risking paying the defense's costs if the jury didn't beat the offer.A Big Data study showed that dropping the children's wrongful death claims would nearly double the predicted pain and suffering verdict, so Al restructured the case.When the judge barred Al's large-scale recreation of the retaining wall as a demonstrative exhibit, he relied on building the scene spatially in the courtroom instead.Al is launching lawyersinthearena.com, a plaintiffs-only newsletter featuring trial skills and war stories, and will present three workshops at TLU Beach – including a deep dive into this wall collapse case.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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82 Million Dollar Verdict Largest Amputation Verdict in History
"Insurance bad faith cases provide an opportunity for those attorneys to get seven- or potentially eight- or even nine-figure results on cases that would otherwise be perceived as low-limit cases," says George Sidiropolis, a West Virginia trial lawyer who focuses his practice on these unique cases. In this episode recorded from TLU's recent bootcamp in Hermosa Beach, George joins host Dan Ambrose to share insights about how he holds insurance companies accountable. A must-listen episode for anyone interested in unlocking the potential of these cases.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ George Sidiropolis | LinkedIn☑️ The Injury Right Law Firm | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAs a newly minted law school graduate, George discovered that the go-to expert witness in a major bad faith case was being prosecuted for child molestation — forcing him, with no expert-finding experience, to cold-call Gary Fye, the "godfather of unfair claims settlement practices."George ultimately earned an in-person meeting with Fye that "changed my life" and opened up the inner workings of major insurance companies.George unpacks his motorcycle double-amputation case where his client was accused of driving drunk without a helmet and crossing a center line.His trial team prevailed on a motion to exclude “11th-hour” testimony from a state police officer who said that he had watched a pole cam video showing the client driving erratically; the team reframed the officer as a hero who identified the mark in the road that the crash reconstructionalist had ignored – and that would have proven that George’s client was in his lane.The jury returned an $82 million verdict, driven in part by the "sheer horrificness" of a double amputation plus TBI.George warns of a trend in which insurance companies are using AI — including photo claim assessment software and generative AI to set reserve amounts — to adjust claims, "sometimes without an adjuster." “It’s really unhinged,” he says.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Joe Fried: Breaking the Paradigm of Case Values in Conservative Venues
Joe Fried has a theory about why verdict values stay low in conservative states. “If there are cases where somebody's asking for $30, $50 million, and they're not getting it, I may need to listen to that. But if nobody is asking for that – if they're asking for $5 million in a wrongful death case – then of course they're not getting $30.” The celebrated trucking litigator returns to TLU to share lessons from two recent cases: a $2.3–$2.4 million verdict and a near-$100 million settlement. Tune in to this conversation with host Dan Ambrose for a masterclass in finding hidden trucking coverage, mediating at the start negotiation, and managing fear – but not getting rid of it entirely. After all, your client hired you to be their voice. “I hope you feel the weight of it.”Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Joe Fried | LinkedIn☑️ Fried Goldberg | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotJoe describes a back-to-back trial calendar year in which cases repeatedly resolved days — or even the morning — before trial.In Newport News, Joe represented the family of a teenager who was killed when the car he was riding in struck the rear corner of an illegally parked tractor-trailer.The jury returned a verdict of $2.3–2.4 million — beating the defense's pre-trial offers by roughly a million dollars.In a different case, Joe represented a 10-month-old girl who was left an incomplete quadriplegic after a truck rear-ended her 16-year-old mother's car. The life care plan was approximately $30 million – and the case settled for just under $100 million.At the upcoming TLU Beach, Joe will present on these topics: applying trucking methodologies to non-nine-figure trucking cases (Thursday); understanding his updated “speed trial” approach (Friday), and then back-to-back sessions on connecting with witnesses and covering trucking cases from the basics through advanced strategies (Saturday).Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Sach Oliver - The Magic of Dressed Rehearsals: Preparing to Win & Processing Loss
After Sach Oliver got the defense verdict, he also got the worried calls. “Oh! Oh! Oh!” His response? “I’d go do it again.” The case is under appeal, but in this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Sach offers a deep dive into the psychology of loss as well as the way to move forward. He and Dan also preview TLU Beach, coming up from June 3 to 6 in Huntington Beach. In addition to presenting two workshops, Sach will provide 500 pounds of beef for a “Wild West” dinner on Friday night.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Sach Oliver | LinkedIn☑️ Oliver Law Firm | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotSach describes his team’s use of “dress rehearsals” for jury selection. “We bring in, I think, about 36 people on day one, and we do a full jury selection process,” he says.Sach previews his two presentations at the upcoming TLU Beach: one with Joe Fried about common tractor trailer cases and the other on training witnesses to get the video clip – including through an innovative use of horse training techniques.Sach explains how his team evaluates the business side of a case along with other considerations. Even with that evaluation after the defense verdict in the 2025 case against the construction zone company, “I would make the same decision going forward,” he says.When Sach’s Missouri ranch is ready, he’ll host a future “Depositions Are Trial” program. He gives Dan an update on the progress of the ranch.Dan previews for the two-day Witness Preparation & Direct Examination in May and TLU Beach in June.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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John Demas’s $32,000,000 One Day Wrongful Death Speed Trial
Two big-data studies predicted a verdict between $13 and $16 million. John Demas trusted his instincts and walked out of a Sacramento courtroom with $32 million. The case: An on-duty city detective swerved onto the freeway shoulder and killed two brothers, leaving two children without a father. John joins host Dan Ambrose to break down how he turned down a $15 million pre-close offer, spent 95% of voir dire on an "outside the box" damages framework, and opened with a Fleetwood Mac montage that had half the jury in tears.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ John Demas | LinkedIn☑️ Demas Law Group | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode Snapshot★ John’s family emigrated from Greece to Sacramento in the early '70s; his earliest memories are selling fruits and vegetables at flea markets every weekend and summer through law school.★ His parents steered him toward dental school so he could eventually practice in Greece, but a constitutional law class in his second year of undergrad flipped a switch.★ After being laid off nine months into his first job, John opened his own firm at age 24 with a law school buddy.★ The $32 million verdict was against the City of Sacramento after an on-duty police detective swerved from a freeway lane onto the shoulder, killing two brothers.★ John ran an in-person focus group of 12 people to practice voir dire, recording it to get reps on the "outside the box" framework and the core wrongful death issues before setting foot in the courtroom.★ In voir dire, John drew a physical box on an easel labeled "full value of the loss," then walked jurors through every outside-the-box concern — city impact, the officer's job, making kids rich, money not bringing anyone back — and addressed each one head-on.★ In rebuttal, after the defense called the loss "immeasurable," John wrote that word on his easel and revealed that the city's suggested damages worked out to $1.50 an hour. “This is what the city thinks this loss is worth,” he told the jury.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Humanity, Habitability, and Heart: How Eric Castelblanco Battles Slumlords for Million-Dollar Verdicts
Eric Castelblanco was helping a client navigate the immigration system when she told him about her neighbor’s slip-and-fall in their apartment building. Would he help her? Of course he would. Not only did he secure a $250,000 settlement for that client, he later took a case for 92 residents who lived in squalor at the same building. The $2.14 million settlement compelled him to switch from immigration law to habitability law. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Eric reflects on how he built one of California's leading habitability practices from scratch and how he keeps the firm driven to prepare every case as if it’s going to trial.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Eric Castelblanco | LinkedIn☑️ Castelblanco Law Group | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotEric immigrated to the U.S. as a toddler; his family lived in nine different apartments over 12 years, giving him a firsthand understanding of what it means to be a powerless tenant.His father worked in factories and car washes before opening a small machine shop. Working for his father from age 13 "really taught me the work ethic,” he says.Eric attended Loyola Marymount University, passed the CPA exam on his first try, worked two years at KPMG, and then enrolled at Harvard Law School.After five years in corporate law, Eric left because he felt a greater kinship with the plaintiffs’ lawyers he watched in depositions.Eric's first habitability case came through an immigration client who referred him to his neighbor, who was injured from a slip-and-fall at their apartment building. That led to a $250,000 settlement..When Eric's immigration client visited his new office to pay rent, he learned that the same management company owned her residential building — where 92 tenants lived in squalor. He mortgaged his house multiple times to fund their case and nearly went bankrupt before a $2.14 million settlement on the eve of jury selection.Castelblanco Law Group now operates with six attorneys and over 20 staff under the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), which Eric credits with transforming how he holds his team accountable and maintains a long-term vision for the firm.At TLU Beach, Eric will teach a lecture and workshop on how to identify, build, value, and try habitability cases.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Outlaw Roots, Record Verdict: The Road to $126,000,000, The Chris Hammons Journey
At age 37, Chris Hammons made it all the way to the jury level of the hit reality show “Survivor.” The jury voted him off. But more recently, two juries in a courtroom – not on an island – have voted for him in federal civil rights cases: In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Chris breaks down how he secured verdicts of $126 million and $2 million. Tune in as he explains why he takes on Section 1983 cases and why they’re so hard to win. “They aren't car wrecks. There isn't any negligence. You've got to prove this deliberate indifference in all these constitutional violations.”Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Chris Hammons | LinkedIn☑️ Laird Hammons Laird Law | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotChris grew up largely on his own after his father — whom he describes as "a mountain man, but … kind of an outlaw" — went to prison when Chris was around 14. As he explains, his dad was guilty – but the system didn’t work for him. That’s why he pursued law.Chris walked on to the University of Oklahoma football program after an OU coach called his grandmother's house. He rose from walk-on to team captain of the 2000 national championship team.After law school, Chris built his personal injury practice by forgiving criminal defense clients' fees in exchange for referrals.Chris was cast on “Survivor” in 2015 at age 37; he survived 50 days on the show, reaching the jury phase. He later competed on “The Amazing Race.”The $126 million verdict involved the death of an 18-year-old girl who was struck by an off-duty police officer speeding to retrieve keys for a department event. Chris reframed what some saw as a simple car wreck into a Section 1983 civil rights case.The $126 million verdict came in on Chris' birthday, April Fools' Day, with the judge reading "18 million, 18 million, 18 million" — each category set at $18 million because Emily was 18 years old when she died.Two weeks after the $126 million verdict, Chris tried a jail death case involving a man who developed a perforated ulcer during nine days in jail. He secured a $2 million verdict.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Are You Limiting Your Deposition Evidence? Get More from Every Witness
Vancouver-based trial lawyer Robyn Wishart also studied neurology – a discipline that she leverages in the courtroom to get more from witnesses. “I think neuroscience and being able to control our emotions and our brain can lead us on a way, on a path that can move our clients into forgetting that they're in a courtroom and being able to deliver the story,” she explains to host Dan Ambrose. Tune in to learn why she uses a questioning technique called “clean language” to get at what a witness really means behind what they’re saying. She will teach that technique at TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Robyn Wishart | LinkedIn☑️ Wishart Brain & Spine Law | X | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotRobyn grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she escaped the cold through volleyball — playing five years at the University of British Columbia before turning pro.Before law school, Robyn spent four years studying neuroscience at the University of Winnipeg and UBC, where she learned how visualization and attention control translate directly to courtroom performance.Robyn is the only Canadian trial lawyer ever to have taught at the American Association for Justice.Robyn was chosen by 250 professional athletes to be their voice in the Canadian Football League's CTE concussion litigation. The first test case centered on former wide receiver Arland Bruce. In arbitration, her team had no discovery and couldn’t do a deposition. “I got on-my-feet admissions I would never have gotten had I not put the work in,” she says.Robyn explains that "clean language" is a questioning technique that removes a lawyer's assumptions and redirects focus entirely to what a witness truly wants to say, using the witness's own metaphors to draw out deeper, more powerful testimony.Robyn argues that if lawyers leave deposition techniques at the door of the courtroom, they are leaving critical information on the table — the very information a jury needs to understand negligence and damages.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Advanced Deposition Training with Author and Inventor of the “Miller Mousetrap,” Phillip Miller
Trial consultant Phillip Miller takes a deep dive into the two papers he’s written about depositions: one presents the scientific underpinnings of effective persuasion while the other focuses on experiential learning, which means getting on your feet and “actually doing the thing.” “It's great to take notes and have an idea, ‘Okay, here's the context for the behavior I need to model and adapt.’ But until you actually get up and do it, you're never going to be able to integrate it into your style,” he explains to host Dan Ambrose. Tune in for his insights about depositions and how his research aligns with Dan’s TLU training.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Phillip Miller I LinkedIn☑️ Miller Law OfficesI Facebook☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Turning Witness Testimony into an Experience for the Jury, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotPhillip began trial consulting in 1999 and has developed it into his practice, working with top plaintiff attorneys on high-stakes cases.His “Miller Mousetrap” refers to when you learn a technique but don’t execute it confidently because you haven’t practiced it yourself.“Mirroring” is a core deposition skill Phillip teaches: a technique to connect with and control a witness that many lawyers dismiss until they try it.Phillip emphasizes that TLU similarly prioritizes content quality over outside influence, with the only "external control" being Dan's commitment to finding speakers who can deliver and teach what matters.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Susie Injijian — Who Needs an Army to Become an Eight-Figure Trial Lawyer When You're Willing to Do the WORK?
Susie Injijian was running out of resources and out of time. She had put a few hundred thousand dollars into the premises liability case, got some litigation funding, and invested most of her retirement savings to bring it to trial. Tune in as she and host Dan Ambrose break down the complex case that dragged on from 2018, with two trials, until July 3, 2023, when it all paid off with a jury verdict of $25.5 million. “It was career-changing for me. I mean, my dreams came true because of it, and that's no exaggeration,” she says.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Susie Injijian | LinkedIn☑️ Injijian Law Office☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Turning Witness Testimony into an Experience for the Jury, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotSusie is the mother of TLU coach Georgio Injijian, whom she brought on to co-try the case after her original co-counsel abandoned ship in early 2022 with trial set for October.Susie's client, an electrician, suffered severe burn injuries on his right arm when a fuse he was changing at an industrial property exploded in his hand.Susie took the case right before the statute of limitations, filed a cross complaint against the property owner and tenant, and financed it herself.The first trial in October 2022 ended in a mistrial after a defense lawyer claimed a family emergency mid-jury selection. The defense offered $600,000 to settle. Susie rejected it.After the mistrial, Susie attended TLU Live in Las Vegas, connected with a jury consultant, and went to trial in April 2023.During trial, the defense was caught running an unauthorized shadow jury — a demographically matched group secretly watching the Zoom feed. The judge offered a mistrial, but Susie declined because the case was going well.Susie waived $450,000 in specials (medical bills subject to an ERISA lien and lost wages) to avoid anchoring the jury low and instead builtan entirely non-economic damages case.On July 3, 2023, the jury delivered a $25.5 million verdict after a day and a half of deliberations.Post-verdict, the defense brought a motion for a new trial. At that point, she had the total judgment at over $33 million. The defense asked to go to mediation; Susie said “no.”Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Brandon Yosha and the New Generation of Trial Lawyers Winning 8-Figure Verdicts
“From day one, I was taught the right way — because there's a right way and a wrong way." That conviction has defined Brandon Yosha's six-year career, which began with a $20.3 million verdict in his very first trial. Brandon joins host Dan Ambrose in West Hollywood to share the Nick Rowley mentorship that shaped his trial philosophy, the legacy of his father — Indiana trial legend Buddy Yosha — and the opening statement framework he'll be teaching at TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Brandon Yosha | LinkedIn☑️ Yosha Law☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8–9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Warcraft Bootcamp, May 27–June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3–6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode Snapshot★ In high school, Brandon was at one point ranked the seventh-best running back in the country, but he suffered an ACL tear his sophomore year and another his junior year before rebounding for a strong senior season.★ Brandon lettered as a true freshman at the University of Miami, where his freshman-year roster included 40 players who would go on to play in the NFL.★ Five weeks from his first trial, Brandon cold-emailed Nick Rowley — and within one hour, Nick responded; the next day, Nick sent members of his team to Indianapolis to help Brandon prepare for trial.★ Brandon's first trial involved an electric shock injury. The jury awarded $20.3 million.★ Brandon's father, Buddy Yosha, has practiced law since 1963 and tried over a hundred personal injury jury trials in Indiana — more than any lawyer in the state's history — losing just six, four of which were his first four, before going on a 70-case win streak.★ In his second trial, Brandon tried a case alongside Buddy; when opposing counsel objected during Buddy's rebuttal, the judge said "Sit down, counselor" before she could state her reason. The jury awarded $2.3 million.★ Inspired by his first verdict, Brandon wrote From Running Back to Giving Back: A Lineage of Civil Advocacy, which became an Amazon bestseller in trial advocacy, reaching the top 20.★ Brandon and Nick Rowley are co-counsel on a case against Amazon — which Brandon expects to go to trial next May.★ Brandon is teaching an opening statement workshop at TLU Beach; he is asking workshop participants to send their draft opening statements before arriving in Huntington Beach.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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George Moschopoulos — Minimal Employment, Maximum Verdict
Three weeks before trial, George Moschopoulos got the call. A sexual harassment case venued in San Bernardino: no physical contact, no expert witnesses, no treaters to testify — and a plaintiff who had already been sexually harassed at three prior employers. The defendant's offer was $125,000. George joins host Dan Ambrose to break down how he reframed the bad facts into immovable case frames, sequenced witnesses to tell a compelling story, and fought to get a damning surreptitious recording admitted as substantive evidence. The jury returned a $2 million verdict. Tune in for George's approach to framing, voir dire, witness sequencing, and his upcoming workshops at TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ George Moschopoulos | LinkedIn☑️ The Law Office of George Moschopoulos☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotIn November, George tried a sexual harassment "he said, she said" case in San Bernardino with no physical contact, no experts, and a short-term, part-time plaintiff — and won a $2 million verdict.George was parachuted into the case about a month before trial when settlement discussions between a $125,000 defendant offer and a $250,000 plaintiff demand stalled; by the time he stepped in, he had three weeks to prepare.The case carried severe constraints: no physical touching (words only), no expert witnesses or treaters set to testify, and no before-or-after witnesses — leaving the plaintiff herself as the sole source of emotional distress testimony.A surreptitious recording made in California, a two-party consent state, was initially at risk of exclusion; George argued at a 402 hearing that the crowded restaurant setting left the defendant with no reasonable expectation of privacy — and won, getting the recording admitted as substantive evidence.George builds his cases around immovable "frames" — like steel columns supporting a structure — identifying bad facts first, then turning them into central themes; in this case: an unusually susceptible plaintiff (three prior harassment incidents) and every employee's universal right to dignity in the workplace.His mini opening strategy is to front-load bad facts so the jury hears them from plaintiff's counsel first — surfacing jurors who may not be fair and impartial.For cause challenges, George uses a sequencing tactic: start with the second-strongest challenge to test the judge's threshold, then move to the strongest to build momentum.George sequenced his four witnesses across three acts: CEO first (bad actor, recording played on day one) → wife via video deposition → HR office manager → plaintiff last.After the verdict, jurors told co-counsel they were put off by hearing the defendant's financials early in trial — a lesson George took about the risks of trying punitive damages in a single, unbifurcated phase.George will teach two workshops and deliver two lectures at TLU Beach on framing and sequencing employment cases, and building cross-examinations of HR investigators, neuropsych experts, and executive witnesses.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Ted Wacker – Litigation Is a Civil War. Here’s How I Win
His dad taught him persistence. Soccer taught him strategy. Ted B. Wacker combines both skills in the courtroom. That’s how he wins what he calls the “civil war” of litigation. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Ted traces a career defined by bold bets: from clerking on the Exxon Valdez oil spill case, to knocking out expert cardiologists in the bellwether case about Merck’s Vioxx pain medication, to leading a “monster” wrongful death litigation against Uber. He and his brother and law partner will teach the Uber litigation at TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Ted B. Wacker | LinkedIn☑️ TBW Law on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotTed grew up in Seattle where his father was a judge; as a young kid, he watched a client who had lost her leg in Seattle's first Bastille Day Parade toast his dad at a dinner for getting her a $500,000 settlement — the largest personal injury settlement in the city's history at the time. That memory quietly shaped his path to plaintiff's law.Ted played on the state championship soccer team in Washington, earned all-state honors, received pro tryouts from Seattle and San Jose out of high school, and played at San Diego State — ranked No. 2 in the nation his senior year in 1987.Ted paid his own way through law school by bartending and clerking. His first clerk position at San Diego's oldest and biggest plaintiffs’ firm came through a surprising connection: the firm's office manager turned out to be a distant uncle.On the trial team case against the drug manufacturer Merck, Ted deposed both of retained cardiologists. Ultimately, the team won a $51 million verdict.After transitioning out of mass torts, Ted scored back-to-back landmark verdicts: a $3.1 million elder abuse verdict with punitive damages (settling closer to $10 million after attorney's fees) and a $14.6 million verdict in a case where State Farm had refused to pay a $25,000 policy.Ted's advice to aspiring trial lawyers: Find a mentor, prioritize getting into trial, and understand that there is no better teacher than actually practicing in the courtroom and getting reps in trial.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Ryan Medler – Born to Be a Trial Lawyer: A Lifelong Quest to Be the Best
At four years old, Ryan Medler had cancer — and the doctor who nearly missed it changed his family's legal history. His mother quit her defense firm and launched the plaintiff practice that Ryan now calls home, Medler Law. He joins host Dan Ambrose to share highlights of his path, which includes 11 trials to date. Tune in as he reflects on his first trial that earned him thousands less than he’d asked for, his innovative decision to bring a habitability claim into a slip-and-fall case, and the chainsaw case that he brought under a section of the California labor code. As he says: It’s more interesting than it sounds.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Ryan Medler☑️ Medler Law | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Warcraft Bootcamp, May 27 - June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotRyan grew up in St. Louis, attended UCLA for his undergraduate degree, and then moved to New York, managing nightclubs for several years before enrolling at New York Law School on a full scholarship.Ryan began his legal career as a floater at Wilshire Law Firm before joining trial attorney Gene Sullivan's five-person firm, where he co-first-chaired nine trials in just over three years. He now practices at the firm that his parents founded.In a slip-and-fall case against a slumlord with a leaking skylight over a staircase, Ryan won over $6.5 million at verdict — a figure that grew to more than $9 million by the time it was paid out.Ryan added a habitability claim to that slip-and-fall so he could introduce photos of mold, rats, holes in walls, and exposed wiring. Post-trial, jurors confirmed that the photos made them so angry they raised all damages across the board.Ryan's takeaway from his “chainsaw” case under a California labor code: Rather than attacking the opposing witness directly, he used that witness to expose six lies told by the defendant, defense counsel, and defense expert. The defense settled for the $1.5 million policy limit.Ryan will teach a case analysis session and trial preparation workshop at TLU Beach.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Orlando De Castroverde - From Las Vegas Billboard Lawyer to Trial Lawyer: My 8-Year Journey with TLU
Orlando De Castroverde was done referring his best cases to other lawyers. A billboard lawyer and co-owner of a Las Vegas personal injury firm, Orlando had the cases — he just needed the conviction to try them. After stepping away from trials to build the business, he committed in 2018 to becoming a real trial lawyer, including through training on the TLU platform with founder host Dan Ambrose What followed: the last pre-COVID verdict in Vegas, the city's first post-COVID trial, and a $1.72 million verdict against an offer of $125,000. In this episode, he shares how he uses a flip chart to box in defense experts, why he never tries a case alone, and how TLU On Demand sharpens his whole team.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Orlando De Castroverde | LinkedIn☑️ De Castroverde Law Group | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand: Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Warcraft Bootcamp, May 27 - June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotOrlando's father, Waldo, a former blackjack dealer who became a lawyer in his late 40s, inspired Orlando to follow in his footsteps. Orlando worked at his dad's office through junior high, high school, and college.After clerking for district court judge Lee Gates in Las Vegas for a year and a half, Orlando learned the court from the inside out — watching trials, meeting judges, and building the confidence to eventually join his dad's firm.Within a month of joining his dad's firm, Orlando tried his first case — a criminal matter involving a Brazilian client charged with six or seven felony counts of not paying back casino markers at the Bellagio — and won an acquittal.In 2018, after noticing a pattern of cases settling for less than their value, Orlando made a firm-wide commitment to trying cases rather than giving away the best cases to other lawyers.For Orlando, every trial is a team effort, including a November 2023 case he tried with a lawyer who had been practicing for just two weeks and who has since earned verdicts of $1 million or more in all three of her trials.To win $1.72 million against a $25,000 pre-trial offer, Orlando and his team scripted witness presentations, used a flip chart to draw the spinal extrusion in front of the jury, and left it up throughout trial to continually reinforce the injury to the jury.In his most recent case — a delay-in-diagnosis matter involving a lymphoma patient who was not told of her results for six months — Orlando argued that his client lost a chance of remission. The defense paid policy limits of $1 million.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Tim McKey — From CPA to Law Firm Consultant; Fixing the Leaks Costing You Millions and Adding Value to your Firm
Tim McKey is not a lawyer, but he’s been inside over 300 plaintiff firms, and he sees where lapses in operations mean lost dollars. A CPA by training, Tim and a colleague formed Vista Consulting to help law firms “de-bottleneck.” In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Tim describes the journey that led to Vista and how it achieves its mission of helping law firms. Tune in as he reveals the operational mistakes – including intake methods – that could be quietly draining your firm's revenue.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Tim McKey | LinkedIn☑️ Vista Consulting | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury, April 17-18, Hermos Beach, CA☑️ TLU Trial Skills Training, April 21- 25, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp, May 27 - June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotTim McKey spent 18 years with Deloitte before converting his CPA firm into a business consultancy around 1999 when he realized he was "keeping score" but not "affecting the score."Vista Consulting has worked with over 300 plaintiff law firms, getting referrals entirely through word of mouth.Tim outlines key areas that Vista evaluates at every firm: vision, people in the right seats, intake, case management, HR and training, technology, financial reporting, and physical plant — now including AI and tech stack analysis.On Alternative Business Structures (ABS), Tim explains that only Arizona, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., currently allow non-lawyer ownership in law firms, and he believes that model is going by the wayside in favor of the MSO (Managed Service Organization) structure.The MSO model — where a law firm spins out all non-legal personnel and assets into a separate entity that then contracts services back to the firm — allows private equity investment without violating bar ethics rules on non-lawyer ownership.At TLU Beach, Tim will deliver a one-hour lecture about what the top-performing firms in the country do operationally and financially to get more clients and increase case values.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Building Finch: First Hires, First Customers, First Wins
What happens when a DoorDash veteran with no legal background spots a logistics problem inside plaintiff law firms? He delivers “white-glove pre-litigation in a box.” Viraj Bindra spent eight years at the food delivery company before co-founding Finch, a tech-based platform that provides tools for growing firms so they can say “yes” to every case that’s worth taking. He visits with host Dan Ambrose to pull back the curtain on successes and lessons learned while building the firm. And he has the distinction of being the first guest on Dan’s new TLU's “Founders Podcast” — a series on tech and AI companies that are reshaping the plaintiff bar.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Viraj Bindra | LinkedIn☑️ Finch | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury, April 17-18, Hermos Beach, CA☑️ TLU Trial Skills Training, April 21- 25, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp, May 27 - June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotViraj spent his pre-Finch career at DoorDash, an experience that he describes as "a masterclass in building a company focused on logistics and operations plus great tech.”Finch was born out of a problem: A friend had started his own firm, had 50 cases referred within three months, and was turning away work because he had no staff. Viraj and his co-founder flew to Austin and became his case managers.Finch launched in April 2025 and now has 85 to 90 employees; the company doubled its revenue between January and early February 2026.To find their first customers beyond one friend, Viraj and his team posted on Reddit PI law forums “enough to get banned,” cold-called from Google searches, and showed up at conferences.Named after “To Kill a Mockingbird’s” Atticus Finch, the company's long-term mission is to close the gap for the 78% of Americans who have a legal need but no access to counsel.Finch will host a party for TLU Beach attendees on Tuesday, June 2, in Huntington Beach.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Sagi Shaked - Rejecting the Lowball Offers: Two Trials, Two Verdicts, and Lessons Learned
A thousand-pound gate falls on a woman. The last thing she remembers is being on the property and going down stairs. She suffers a TBI. The defense's theory: She’s a liar. So is her husband. So are the fire personnel who responded. And the bystanders. Sagi Shaked takes host Dan Ambrose through the play-by-play of how he exposed the defense’s “conspiracy theory.” The jury saw through it and awarded a $4.5 million verdict. He also breaks down a case where a client stuffed a component TBI after his vehicle was T-boned. Sagi turned a $200,000 offer into an $800,000 verdict. And Sagi previews his TBI masterclass at TLU Beach, where he will explain why plaintiffs’ lawyers may be undersettling their cases – and how to avoid it..Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Sagi Shaked | LinkedIn☑️ Shaked Law | LinkedIn | X | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury, April 17-18, Hermos Beach, CA☑️ TLU Trial Skills Training, April 21- 25, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp, May 27 - June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotSagi got involved in the Tampa auto case — a T-bone collision with a passenger client — just four months before trial, when the defense's best offer was $200,000.The client had drugs in his system at the time of the crash; the defense argued that the evidence of the drug use should be allowed. Sagi successfully persuaded the judge to exclude it.In the premises case, a 24-foot, thousand-pound gate fell on Sagi's client at an industrial complex. The defense offered $50,000 on the eve of trial and argued that she had simply fallen down the stairs.Sagi used the fire rescue officer's report — written before any lawyer was involved — to get four bystanders' statements admitted as excited utterances, after the officer testified the scene was "frantic" and people were "in shock."In his TBI masterclass at TLU Beach on Friday, June 5, Sagi will cover identifying TBIs, medically managing the case, deposition prep, and trial sequencing.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Russell Pate - Island Justice in the U.S. Territories: $6.3M & $113M verdicts
Little island. Big cases. Bigger verdicts. Russ Pate is a solo plaintiff lawyer in St. Croix whose career has included a combined $113 million verdict in two consolidated tobacco cases and $6.3 million verdict in a premises liability trial. He also worked with the Virgin Islands’ attorney general to pursue civil claims against the Jeffrey Epstein estate using the Virgin Islands' unique tax credit program. Taking a break from the TLU ski bootcamp in Big Sky, Montana, Russ sits down with host Dan Ambrose to reflect on his journey from that first roach-infested, $500-a-month office in St. Croix.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Russ Pate☑️ The Pate law Firm☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury, April 17-18, Hermos Beach, CA☑️ TLU Trial Skills Training, April 21- 25, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp, May 27 - June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAt Chapel Hill (UNC) law school, Russ missed the first week, had no idea what a study group was, and received some of his worst grades in torts. As he says, “To be a plaintiff trial lawyer, you don't have to graduate from Harvard and be top of the class.”After law school, Russ landed a federal public defender clerkship placement in Dallas, where he worked as second chair on Ponzi scheme fraud and child pornography collection cases.Russ launched his solo practice in St. Thomas in a $500-a-month office with moldy carpet, A.C. units held together with rocks, and cockroaches that ate the bindings off his law books. His first client was a murder defendant appointed by the court the same week he opened.Russ worked with the Virgin Islands’ attorney general to pursue civil claims against the Jeffrey Epstein estate using the Virgin Islands' unique tax credit program, resulting in approximately $135 million in a victims' fund — the only state or territory to create a fund for Epstein's victims outside the private civil justice system.Russ filed his first tobacco cases in 2010, saw them delayed by two hurricanes in 2017, and finally tried them in 2018 with two juries simultaneously — one returned $31 million and the other $83 million for a combined $113 million.In his most recent premises liability trial, Russell represented a client who had fallen over a low railing at a hillside restaurant with a 0.22 blood alcohol and made a remarkable recovery. He countered the defense's paid medical experts by leaning on three lay witnesses who were present that night, leading to a $7 million verdict (reduced to $6.3 million at 10% fault).When the defense attacks his client on damages, Russell embraces it. He calls it “tightening the bow”: The harder they pull back, the farther the arrow of damages will fly when they finally let go.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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In the Trenches with Melissa Scartelli – The Making of a Medical Malpractice Warrior
They offered $100,000. She demanded $450,000. They wouldn't budge — so she went to trial. The jury came back with $10 million. To this day, it remains the highest pain-and-suffering verdict in Luzerne County history. Meet Melissa Scartelli, the author of that verdict and many others. A 35-year trial veteran and founder of Scartelli Olszewski, Melissa has built her practice around medical malpractice, earning rare punitive damage verdicts against physicians and going to verdict in cases where she could not name a specific dollar amount to the jury. Host Dan Ambrose draws out stories behind Melissa's wins, including the way she anchors damages and the time she flipped a retrial in her favor by calling a defendant doctor first. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Melissa Scartelli | LinkedIn☑️ Scartelli Olszewski | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | TikTok☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury in Direct (Dan Ambrose), March 6-7, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotMelissa grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in a middle-class family; her father nearly died of a heart attack when she was a freshman in high school, and her mother was later diagnosed with kidney disease — experiences that made her empathetic to people’s suffering. Melissa attended Dickinson College and Dickinson Law School, became captain of the trial advocacy team, and won the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award in Advocacy at graduation.After clerking for a civil trial judge to study the best trial lawyers in the courtroom, Melissa joined Hourigan, Kluger and Quinn, becoming the first woman partner and trying cases nobody else wanted. Twelve years into her career, Melissa left the firm with no book of business, no clients, and no family connections in law to start Scartelli Olszewski. She was joined by her husband — a former judge — and her daughter Rachel. Melissa's first major med-mal win came in a misdiagnosis case involving a 16-year-old with a pilonidal abscess treated incorrectly with Preparation H for eight months; she obtained a $10 million verdict despite her client facing no wage loss and having no specifiable damages.In a second malpractice case, a doctor removed a patient's finger for cancer that didn't exist — then “just kind of blew him off” after the misdiagnosis was revealed. After a mistrial, Melissa retried the case to a $1.5 million verdict. At TLU Beach, Melissa will teach practical “do’s and don’ts” for med-mal trials.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Przemek Lubecki - Strategy, Skills, and Confidence from more than 100 Civil Jury Trials
Przemek Lubecki embodies the American dream. He and his family emigrated from Poland, living in Germany before gaining asylum in the United States in 1989 and settling in St. Louis. After trying over 100 cases during seven and a half years at a Chicago defense firm, Przemek transitioned to the plaintiffs’ side. TLU 2021 proved transformational, exposing him to plaintiff lawyers operating at the highest level. The following year, with help from the TLU network, Przemek secured his first eight-figure verdict of $12.5 million. Przemek discusses trial preparation, skill development, and mentorship with host Dan Ambrose.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Przemek Lubecki | winforyou.com | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-16, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury in Direct (Dan Ambrose), March 6-7, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotEmigrating from Poland as a political refugee, Przemek and his family settled in St. Louis. He attended Tulane for undergraduate school and then relocated to Chicago for law school.He tried over 100 cases during seven and a half years at a Chicago defense firm before switching sides to represent plaintiffs.TLU 2021 was transformational because it exposed Przemek to plaintiff lawyers operating at the highest level.Lawyers should resist the temptation to compare developing their skills to Michael Jordan, Przemek suggests. The basketball star wasn’t just “born that way.” Like exceptional lawyers, he put in the work.His focus on witness preparation is storytelling rather than simply regurgitating facts.Przemek emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor with the skillset you want to acquire, prioritizing experience over salary.At TLU Beach in June, Przemek will teach on two cases that are expected to go to trial in Louisiana.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Andrew Pickett – Learning from the Greats, and Making It My Own
A former prosecutor who now runs his own firm, Andrew Pickett visits host Dan Ambrose to reveal his strategies for success in the courtroom and in business. From his origin story as a college swimmer to his 42 jury trials as a prosecutor to his recent $9 million wrongful death verdict, Andrew shares lessons learned. Tune in for his insights about how hiring a psychodramatist transformed his witness preparation and why being an entrepreneur mirrors personal development. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Andrew Pickett | LinkedIn☑️ Andrew Pickett Law, PLLC | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-15, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Witness Prep and Examination (Dan Ambrose), March 6-7, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Warcraft (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), May 27-June 2, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAndrew graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was a four-year varsity swimmer. It taught him discipline, time management, and grit to command his body to do things his mind doesn't want to do.After law school at University of Florida and an LL.M. from University of Miami, Andrew worked as a prosecutor at the State Attorney's Office in Brevard County's 18th Circuit, trying over 40 jury trials in four years.Andrew started his own firm eight years ago and has grown it to 16 employees, including four attorneys.In January 2024, Andrew secured a $6.7 million verdict against State Farm in an uninsured motorist case where the policy limits were only $100,000.A “watershed moment” of the trial occurred during Andrew’s cross-examination of a defense doctor, when he got the doctor to admit that he’d written a draft report concluding that his client wasn’t injured – before he even examined his client.In November, Andrew secured $9 million in a wrongful death case involving a man who was killed by a drunk driver, where the insurance company took almost three months to pay a $100,000 policy limit while another insurer paid within 12 days.Andrew credits his presentation skills with practicing in activities like teaching basic criminal law to police academy recruits and taking improv classes.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Jeremy Babener – Helping Plaintiffs Keep More of Their Hard-Won Cash
Jeremy Babener helps plaintiffs and trial lawyers keep more of their settlements and verdicts through tax-saving agreements. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Jeremy reflects on how he landed in this specialized field during law school – his evidence course was canceled, so he switched to a tax policy class. Before graduating from law school, he was already advising on $20-30 million settlements. He earned his tax LL.M. at NYU, served in the US Treasury's Office of Tax Policy, started his own law firm, and eventually founded Structured Legal, which helps lawyers and plaintiffs make the most of their recovery. In June, he will provide a high-level look at settlement agreements during TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Jeremy Babener | LinkedIn☑️ Structured Legal☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Bad Faith Cases (Dan Ambrose and Kimball Jones), March 3-7, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Performance Skills, March 14-21, Winter Park, CO☑️ Case Story Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and Eric Oliver), May 19-23, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), May 27-June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotJeremy earned his tax LL.M. at NYU Law and spent a summer clerking in the Department of Justice’s torts group.During his clerkship, Jeremy observed that lawyers with large settlements would typically push structured settlements. When he asked them about the tax benefit, their answers revealed that plaintiffs could gain far more by their advisors better understanding the available tax subsidy.Back at law school, he interviewed lawyers for a law journal paper on tax issues related to litigation. “I started getting calls, even while I was in law school, asking if I could provide tax advice on a number of settlements.” His career spiraled from there.Before graduating from law school, Jeremy worked with a firm where he advised on how plaintiffs could keep more of $20-$30 million settlements.Jeremy serves on the legal committees of three national settlement planning associations and trains financial advisors to help them issue-spot for tax opportunities.Jeremy helped create plaintifffund.org, where personal injury plaintiffs can learn how to raise money without losing and jeopardizing their government benefits.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Reflections from Cabo – Next Level Performance and Connection Training in Paradise
Broadcasting from Cabo San Lucas, host Dan Ambrose gathers five participants in the recent TLU bootcamp to reflect on their experience and role-play techniques. The guests include Johnnie Bond from D.C., Matt Nakajima from Cincinnati, Mohamad Ahmad from Los Angeles, Alejandro Gonzalez from Miami, and Jared Smith from Kentucky. Tune in for their insights about discipline, self-coaching techniques, and the benefits of TLU bootcamps.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Matt Nakajima | LinkedIn☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Johnnie Bond | LinkedIn☑️ Jared Smith | LinkedIn☑️ Alejandro Gonzalez | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-16, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Bad Faith Cases (Dan Ambrose and Kimball Jones), March 3-7, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotDan selected these guests for the episode because they were in the same advanced coaching group.Johnnie joined the Cabo program after attending his first bootcamp in Las Vegas. “When you really understand what you're learning, and what you're delivering to a jury and why, you'll see that you want to attend as many bootcamps as possible,” he says.Matt Nakajima observes how he has unconsciously absorbed bootcamp training lessons, such as moving his hands and making eye contact.Alejandro Gonzalez lauds the bootcamp environment as a place to “get into the nitty-gritty of why you’re doing certain things.”“I think the point of the bootcamps is you struggle now so that your jury doesn't struggle to understand what the hell's going on in your story,” says Mohamad Ahmad, who recently achieved a $51 million verdict after working with Dan.Jared Smith recalls how he didn’t know what to expect in his first bootcamp. Coming to his second, in Cabo, was “eye opening. You could be the best presenter in the world, but when you're presenting to a jury, you've got to make whatever story you're trying to tell come to life.”Dan leads the guests through cross-examination exercises that emphasize tone and pace.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Kimball Jones - Case Framing: Six Trials, $700+ Million in Results
Over the past year, Kimball Jones has taken six cases to trial, securing more than $700 million in verdicts and settlements. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Kimball breaks down the cases that led to a $550 million verdict, $114 million verdict, and $31 million verdict. Kimball explains that a huge part of his success is knowing what cases to take to trial and understanding how to frame cases to get maximum value. Nick Rowley opens the episode by discussing his million-dollar battle against Uber’s ballot measure that would kill the contingency fee system. Dan closes the episode by demonstrating his witness preparation technique, which focuses on helping witnesses “transport” themselves back to the key moment of the story that’s necessary for trial.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Kimball Jones | LinkedIn☑️ Bighorn Law | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Nick Rowley | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ The Rowley Law Firm☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-16, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Bad Faith Cases (Dan Ambrose and Kimball Jones), March 3-7, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotGuest Nick Rowley explains Uber's ballot measure initiative in California that threatens the contingency fee system by proposing fee caps that would prevent ordinary people from affording representation against corporate giants. “Access to civil justice will be dead, will be effectively ruined,” he says.The anti-Uber campaign has a goal of raising $100 million by September 2026.Guest Kimball Jones previews his bootcamp on insurance bad faith cases from March 3 to 7 in Las Vegas.“Bad faith” fundamentally comes down to the duty of good faith and fair dealing, Kimball explains. In the bootcamp, Kimball will teach participants about the concessions, admissions, and evidence they need to take such a case to trial.In October 2024, Kimball secured a $550 million verdict for a woman whose husband was killed after a DUI driver crashed into their vehicle.In November 2025, Kimball won $31 million for a client who, after hospitalization, tried to walk to a rehab center when the hospital didn’t call a ride for him. The client passed out in the Las Vegas heat and ended up suffering dementia.In January 2025, Kimball obtained a $114 million verdict after an insurance company refused to pay a $250,000 policy for a client who had suffered a traumatic brain injury.Dan offers a 30-day free code for anyone interested in learning his witness preparation techniques through TLU On Demand. Email [email protected] or text him at 248-808-3130.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Sach Oliver - From Cowboy to Trial Titan with a “Magical Place” for Learning
Picture learning trial methodology while fishing in the afternoon, shooting archery, and riding horses across 1,750 acres of Missouri ranch land. Celebrated trial lawyer Sach Oliver tells host Dan Ambrose how this "magical place" will host his intensive “Depositions Our Trial” workshops starting in November 2027. Before that, at TLU Beach in June 2026, Sach will share lessons about managing money that he learned from his grandparents. Tune in as he unveils his vision for the revolutionary legal education destination and his insights about how money works.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Sach Oliver | LinkedIn☑️ Oliver Law Firm | X | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Sach’s book Depositions Are Trial ☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2025 Programming☑️ TLU Performance Skills | Cabo Edition (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Dec. 15-22, Cabo San Lucas, MX2026 Programming☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Jan. 13-17, Las Vegas, NV☑️ Bootcamp & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 8-15, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Depostions Are Trial (Sach Oliver and Dan Ambrose), March 3-7, Rogers, AR☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotSach's multi-generational ranching heritage began with his great-great-grandfather's homesteaded property; in 2009, he and his wife started the Oliver Angus Ranch in Rogers, Arkansas.His new 1,750-acre ranch in Missouri will feature two rivers, multiple caves, a train bridge, and will include five authentic log cabins housing 60-80 guests, a glass chapel, and a 55,000-square-foot indoor arena.Sach’s “Depositions Are Trial” workshops will be held at the Missouri ranch starting in November 2027. Before “Depositions Are Trial” relocates to Missouri, it will be held at the Arkansas ranch from March 3-7, 2026.At TLU Beach, June 3-6, 2026, Sach will present on best practices for managing money.Sach explains the foundational lessons about money laid by his grandparents: "They had a very strict, regimented cashflow methodology.”Sach’s accolades include serving as president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association (2022-2023) and being named Outstanding Young Trial Lawyer (2008) and Outstanding Trial Lawyer (2015).Sach's father modernized the family's financial methodology by leveraging positive cashflow assets to buy more assets, keeping 6-12 months overhead in cash and paying off highest interest debts first.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Mohamad Ahmad — Overcoming Self Doubt, Fear and Insecurity To Get a $51,000,000 Verdict
Clashes with the judge. Nineteen expert depositions. Ten hours of court hearings leading to trial. Outcome: $51.3 million for a construction worker who was electrocuted on a job site. Mohamad Ahmad discusses the remarkable journey of the Maggio case and his career in this conversation with host Dan Ambrose. After getting no job offers after his UCLA Law summer clerkship and starting his own firm, Mohamad endured a decade-long drought between seven-figure verdicts and spent about $1 million of his own money on Maggio. Tune in for his insights about assembling a trial team, mastering cross-examination, and videotaping yourself – an uncomfortable but essential training tool.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Kermani LLP | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2025 Programming☑️ Case Story Bootcamp: (Dan Ambrose and Eric Oliver), Oct 28-Nov 1, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Performance Skills | Cabo Edition (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Dec. 15-22, Cabo San Lucas, MX2026 Programming☑️ Bootcamp & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 8-15, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Depostions Are Trial (Sach Oliver and Dan Ambrose), March 3-7, Rogers, AR☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAfter graduating from UCLA law with no job offers, Mohamad started his own firm.His first trial was a restraining order case, where he defeated a 20-year veteran lawyer from a white shoe San Francisco firm.In 2013, Mohamad obtained his first seven-figure verdict ($1.57 million) on a case that was going to settle for $45,000.After a 10-year drought between major personal injury verdicts, Mohamad spent about $1 million of his own money preparing the Maggio case, in which he represented a construction worker who had been electrocuted at a solar plant.During the trial, Mohamad waived all past economic damages and future lost wages, asking for only $2.7 million in future medical costs. When a defense's electrical expert claimed during cross-examination that the "bible" of electrical injury contained errors, Mohamad challenge him with an exchange that left the jury laughing.In 2023, the Maggio jury awarded $51.3 million — the highest in Monterey County history.Mohamad credits TLU bootcamp training for teaching him to slow down, maintain eye contact, and get comfortable being uncomfortable by videotaping himself repeatedlyProduced and Powered by LawPods
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Alex Ivanov - From Belarus KGB to Dallas Courtrooms
Alex Ivanov’s journey to Angel Reyes & Associates in Texas started when he fled his native Belarus after refusing KGB recruitment, arriving in America at age 21 with $380. Just three years into trying cases, he secured his first seven-figure verdict on a non-surgical pain management case where the defense offered only $90K on a $250K policy. How? Leveraging strategies developed by host Dan Ambrose for his TLU platform to prepare the witness and transport the jury back to the crash scene, The jury awarded $1.075 million. Since 2022, Alex has tried about 15 jury trials and recently earned recognition as a Texas Rising Star. He’s also the third most prolific TLU On Demand user; tune in to learn why he considers daily learning non-negotiable for trial success.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Alex Ivanov | LinkedIn☑️ Angel Reyes & Associates | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2025 Programming☑️ Case Story Bootcamp: (Dan Ambrose and Eric Oliver), Oct 28-Nov 1, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Performance Skills | Cabo Edition (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Dec. 15-22, Cabo San Lucas, MX2026 Programming☑️ Bootcamp & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 8-15, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Depostions Are Trial (Sach Oliver and Dan Ambrose), March 3-7, Rogers, AR☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAlex graduated top of his class from Belarusian State University with a degree in international law, competing in moot court competitions at Oxford and the International Court of Justice in The HagueAfter refusing KGB recruitment, Alex found himself facing three criminal charges (fraud, money laundering, tax evasion) that appeared overnight, with documents bearing his signature pleading guiltyAlex and his wife, Kate, escaped Belarus on a midnight bus with $380, gambling that border guards wouldn't check passports; he turned 21 at JFK International Airport. Starting over in America, Alex and Kate sold vape liquids door-to-door, building the business to $20-30K monthly before being cut out by their Austin partner, leaving them homeless.Alex earned his LL.M. from Texas A&M in 2020, passed the bar during Covid, and started as a paralegal at Angel Reyes & Associates after other firms rejected him due to his accentAlex has tried approximately 15 jury trials since 2022, securing his first seven-figure verdict ($1.075 million) on a non-surgical pain management case with a $250K policy.Alex secured a $500K verdict for an undocumented client terrified to appear in court, helping her overcome fear to receive justice for her injuries on an $85K offer caseThe third most prolific user of TLU On Demand, Alex uses the platform to onboard new lawyers at his firm on topics from tracking to expert cross-examination.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Will Meekins and Ryan McCollum - What We Got Out of the Joe Fried TLU Trucking Bootcamp: Practice, Practice, Practice
Two North Carolina attorneys who served their country and are now serving their clients discuss what they gained from the Trial Lawyer University’s Joe Fried Trucking Bootcamp. Will Meekins, with two years of experience handling catastrophic injury cases in western North Carolina, and Ryan McCollum with three civil trials under his belt in Raleigh, both graduated from West Point. They met years later at a North Carolina Plaintiffs' Lawyers Convention. In this wide-ranging discussion with host Dan Ambrose, they share insights from their military service, transition to trial law, and intensive training at the bootcamp. Tune in for their takeaways about witness preparation, cross-examination skills, and the importance of making the unconscious conscious in every aspect of trial performance.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Ryan McCollum | LinkedIn☑️ Whitley Law Firm | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | YouTube☑️ Will Meekins | LinkedIn☑️ Teddy Meekins & Talbert | Facebook | LinkedIn | X | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2025 Programming☑️ Case Story Bootcamp: (Dan Ambrose and Eric Oliver), Oct 28-Nov 1, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Performance Skills | Cabo Edition (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Dec. 15-22, Cabo San Lucas, MX2026 Programming☑️ Bootcamp & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 8-15, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Depostions Are Trial (Sach Oliver and Dan Ambrose), March 3-7, Rogers, AR☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA Episode SnapshotBoth Will and Ryan graduated from West Point and served as infantry officers.The attorneys attended Joe Fried’s Trucking Bootcamp to elevate their practices: Will wanted Joe’s take on a case that he was preparing, and Ryan had just settled his second big trucking case and his firm was giving him more.The bootcamp emphasized micro-connection skills, including intentional eye contact, emotional state control, and deliberate hand movements to build rapport with jurors.Ryan discovered his intensive forehead wrinkles made him appear angry and combative, learning to project warmth instead of intensity during witness examination.Will learned to avoid treating all witnesses as adversaries, understanding that even defense experts need guidance rather than confrontation.Both attorneys emphasize the importance of understanding why a case matters to the jury, not just the attorney and client.The social aspects of the bootcamp created lasting professional relationships and referral opportunities among participants.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Eric Oliver - Bringing 41 Years of Experience to the Trial Story Bootcamp
In 1984, Eric Oliver was teaching persuasion skills to marketeers in computer firms. When he transitioned to trial consulting that year, he found a new audience. In two years, “lawyers took all my time…because nobody had ever taught persuasion, influence, and communication to attorneys at that time. They still don't.” In this wide-ranging discussion with host Dan Ambrose, Eric reveals how he accidentally discovered his calling. Now, he teaches lawyers how to manage juror perceptions, combat post-truth decision-making, and overcome impaired attention in modern courtrooms. Tune in for his insights about anchoring techniques, mirroring for rapport, and opening statements that can put you far ahead of your opponent.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Eric Oliver☑️ MetaSystems Consulting | YouTube | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ “Case Story Bootcamp,” Oct. 28 - Nov. 1. In Las Vegas☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotEric entered trial consulting after teaching marketing to computer firms when a lawyer read his Yellow Pages ad for nonverbal communication; the lawyer asked for help facing his most feared opponent and did “remarkably well” after working with Eric.Eric discovered that most law school training is counterproductive to effective communication, requiring lawyers to unlearn academic approaches to connect with real people.Nearly 50% of jury pools now consist of "post-truth deciders" who assume the game is rigged, prefer deciding against defendants over for plaintiffs, and believe wrongdoing should be knowing rather than mere negligence.Modern jurors suffer from impaired attention in three ways: shorter attention spans, weaker concentration abilities, and fragmented focus that creates self-distraction even without phones.Eric pioneered a "frame of mind exercise" that uses anchoring techniques to help lawyers connect physical cues to confident mental states.Successful case storytelling requires consistency, using the same framing sequences to help jurors with short attention spans follow the narrative thread.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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John Martin — From Debt Collection to Million-Dollar Wins
It was a longshot case. After all, the jury knew that John Martin’s client, suing for employment discrimination, already had retirement benefits. But this fight was about whether she was entitled to a different category of benefits. Confident they’d win, the defense rejected an offer to mediate. A jury awarded $1.75 million. “I just got the email this morning that they just mailed the checks,” John tells host Dan Ambrose in this wide-ranging discussion about his career. With 35-40 civil jury trials under his belt since graduating from Suffolk University Law School in 2009, John reflects on his journey from debt collection rookie to winning trial lawyer at Keches Law Group. Tune in for his insights about how modern AI is revolutionizing case preparation, how the settlement trap derails many lawyers' careers, and how personal adversity can forge fearless courtroom warriors. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ John Martin☑️ Keches Law Group | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotJohn uses AI tools like GPT Pro to synthesize deposition transcripts, create contradiction tables, and streamline case preparation for his upcoming trial.After failing to complete high school initially, John participated in Up With People, a traveling performance organization that taught him service and built performance confidence.His path to law school was sparked by his fiancé's mother's misdiagnosis of kidney cancer and the unresponsiveness of top Boston medical malpractice attorneys.After graduating from law school during the 2008-09 recession, John’s commitment letters were rescinded, so he turned to a debt collection law firm. His career there lasted through one court appearance, when he told a judge that many debtors were “judgment proof.” “No one's ever judgment proof, so they no longer needed my services.”In his first civil jury trial against the Boy Scouts of America, John secured $152,500 in economic damages plus $300,000 in punitive damages.John's son Jack was born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome and pulmonary vein stenosis, requiring three years of chemotherapy and multiple heart surgeries.Through Jack's medical journey, John learned to let go of outcome obsession and developed fearlessness in the courtroom that dramatically improved his trial results.John represents an iron worker who injured his shoulder while replacing braces on a high-end construction project in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He’s preparing for trial, scheduled to start this month.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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George Moschopoulos -- From Engineer to Employment Lawyer; Six-Figure Offer to $3 Million Verdict
“Every employment case is a story about betrayal,” says George Moschopoulos, who recently convinced jurors that the Los Angeles Unified School District failed to work in good faith to find his disabled client another role in the organization. Host Dan Ambrose unpacks the case, from the six-figure pretrial offer to the juror who compelled the team to pivot their strategy to the $3 million verdict. Tune in for George’s insights about presenting clients as resilient survivors and mastering trial skills through deliberate practice.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ George Moschopoulos | LinkedIn☑️ The Law Office of George Moschopoulos☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotEngineer by day, law student by night: George traces his path.George describes how his first mentor, a Cornell Law grad with a BigLaw pedigree, guided his early career.At plaintiff’s bar panel in the early-2000s, George was impressed by a speaker who discussed sexual harassment and disability discrimination and retaliation law. “I said, ‘Who's discriminating against anybody these days?’ Just goes to show how little I knew.”George characterizes every employment case as a story of betrayal: the trusted relationship intentionally broken for the wrong reasons.George's first trial victory came in a disability discrimination case he thought was hopeless until discovering a smoking-gun email that advised the employer to "delete this email, smiley face."George credits TLU bootcamps for helping him change tactics, from focusing on "selling the bad" (victim suffering) to "selling the glad" (client resilience and recovery).In unpacking his recent victory on behalf of an injured school safety officer, George explains how he reframed the case after jury selection, when a 30-year district employee described school safety officers' physical intervention duties. George and Dan role-play cross-examining a defense medical expert.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Joe Fried – Trucking Bootcamp and the Future of TLU
Looking back on this month’s TLU Beach, Joe Fried says attendees and even vendors declared it the best program yet. The renowned trucking attorney from Fried Goldberg joins host Dan Ambrose to reflect on the event’s success and preview their five-day Trucking Bootcamp in August. That event will combine Joe's 20-plus years of trucking expertise with Dan's performance skills training, guiding trial lawyers through intensive hands-on practice.The Trucking Bootcamp will be held Aug. 12-16 in Huntington Beach, CA. Learn more here.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Joe Fried | LinkedIn☑️ Fried Goldberg | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotTLU Beach 2025 achieved universal acclaim with balanced teaching, fellowship, and entertainment at the Pasea Hotel in Huntington Beach, California.Joe's three-hour trucking masterclass featured intimate group discussions and individual case problem-solving.The upcoming August bootcamp combines trucking expertise with performance skills through small group intensive training.Six pre-bootcamp Zoom sessions will establish foundational knowledge before the in-person intensive practice.TLU’s performance skills training focuses on eye contact, emotional state control, and creating courtroom illusions.Every participant will be on their feet every hour practicing cross-examination and presentation techniques.Dan emphasizes connection-building through monthly Zoom meetups leading to TLU Beach 2026.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Bobby Taghavi – Trial by Fire: From Prosecuting Evil to Leading Sweet James
Working on the Golden State Killer Task Force, which prosecuted a notorious California serial killer, was a career highlight for Bobby Taghavi. But, after serving in a prosecutor’s office, “the next step is to be a manager until you run for a judge” – and Bobby was “way too young to run for judge.” He made the leap into personal injury law. Now managing partner at Sweet James Accident Attorneys, Bobby has secured three consecutive multi-million dollar verdicts. With host Dan Ambrose, he recaps his victories and previews his session at TLU Beach (June 4-7), where he’ll teach trial lawyers how to make non-economic damages tangible and relatable to jurors.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Bobby Taghavi | LinkedIn☑️ Sweet James Accident Attorneys | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotBobby immigrated from Iran during the revolution at age 14, not speaking English; his first assigned book, "To Kill a Mockingbird," inspired his legal career.After graduating from University of San Diego Law School, Bobby joined the Orange County DA's office in 2006, trying close to 90 cases including sexual assault, homicides, and the Golden State Killer investigationInspired by a Steve Jobs’ commencement address, Bobby left prosecution after 13 years when he realized he was spending energy on management tasks rather than trials.Since joining Sweet James in 2020, Bobby has helped grow the firm from 30 to 40 employees to over 400, with 60+ attorneysBobby's three civil jury trials have resulted in verdicts of $23.7 million (wrongful death), $17.4 million (elderly sisters car accident), and $3.9 million (hospital slip and fall)Bobby credits his athletic background with teaching him preparation routines, sportsmanship, and maintaining professionalism even during heated litigation.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Conal Doyle – Born Different, Built for Trial Greatness
Born without his right leg, Conal Doyle is an accomplished athlete who refuses to let challenges get in his way. “And I've carried that through my legal career, taking really tough cases to trial.” With host Dan Ambrose, Conal shares his journey from defense attorney to a leading plaintiff’s attorney in California. The founder of Doyle Law, Conal handles only 5 to 10 high-value amputation and TBI cases at a time, and his results include a record-setting $26.8 million medical malpractice verdict and a recent $100 million shareholders' rights victory. At TLU Beach (June 4-7), he’ll teach a TBI masterclass, covering everything from case intake to trial strategy.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Conal Doyle | LinkedIn☑️ Doyle Law | Facebook | YouTube☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotConal started his career at Florida's largest law firm, trying 11 to 12 jury trials in his first five years as a defense attorney representing government entities and hospitals.After six years in defense work, he moved to California in 2003, eventually starting his own firm 20 years ago.An appearance on 60 Minutes, regarding a client who died of penile cancer after government health agencies wouldn’t provide a biopsy to rule out cancer, propelled his practice and led to his arguing before the US Supreme Court.He focuses on 5 to 10 high-value cases at a time, specializing in amputation injuries and traumatic brain injuries.In 2014, Conal achieved a historic $26.8 million medical malpractice verdict in conservative Bakersfield, California - the highest in county and state history at the timeHis recent shareholders' rights case victory in Delaware Chancery Court will exceed $100 million after interest, making it his first nine-figure resultConal has competed in paralympic ski racing and played basketball and volleyball against able-bodied athletesAt TLU Beach, Conal will present a TBI Masterclass covering case identification, workup strategies, and trial presentationProduced and Powered by LawPods
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Ash Mohamadi – No Plan B
To effectively talk with a jury about non-economic damages, you need a star witness – usually not your client – who can communicate how an injury affected your client. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Ashkahn Mohamadi discusses how he leveraged his technique in recent trials to secure multi-million-dollar verdicts. He’ll teach the formula at TLU Beach (June 4-7).Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Ashkahn Mohamadi | LinkedIn☑️ Sweet James Accident Attorneys | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | YouTube☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotAsh’s mom gave him three options for a career. Doctor and engineer were “against the grain” – but he could always talk, and he loved to argue.At Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, Ash interned at the district attorney’s office, but he says his substantive training started when he started practicing law.As a young lawyer, Ash was lead or co-counsel on about five trials, including 12 that went to verdict.Ash describes the pivotal moment at trial when a partner asked if he wanted to examine a witness. “I looked at him and I immediately said, ‘Yes.’ And then I could see him kind of reeling.”At TLU Beach, Ash will present on how to communicate non-economic damages, breaking down each element and finding the “magic sauce”: your star witness.In a recent slip-and-fall case against a hospital, Ash secured a $3.9 million verdict after proving the hospital's floor polishing created an unsafe surface.For a wrongful death case involving a developmentally disabled woman, Ash used the mother's book to show the value of their relationship, resulting in a $22.5 million verdict.In a Central California auto case, Ash turned down a $7.65 million offer and secured a $17.4 million verdict for two elderly sisters by demonstrating how the crash stole their hard-earned independence.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Randy Calvert – Designing the Perfect Focus Group
About 25 years ago – years after stints as a professional pilot, steel worker, and certified public accountant – Randy Calvert discovered focus groups. “I just saw the value, and then, the more you do it, the more value you see in it,” he explains to host Dan Ambrose. Tune in to learn how Randy’s methodical approach—such as using statistically representative participants rather than recruits from Craigslist—has transformed his practice. At TLU Beach (June 4-7), he will guide attorneys in designing, implementing, and analyzing focus group results that unlock maximum case value.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Randy Calvert | LinkedIn☑️ Calvert Law Firm | LinkedIn☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotRandy began his career as a professional pilot and flight instructor, later working as a steel worker and CPA before becoming a trial lawyer at age 32.As a high school debater, Randy developed foundational skills in research, organization, and public speaking that would later serve him in the courtroom.After Shell Oil refused a $3 million settlement offer, Randy secured an $83.6 million verdict, defeating seven major law firms through years of litigation.Randy emphasizes conducting focus groups early in a case—before depositions—to understand juror perspectives and craft effective deposition strategies.Instead of finding participants through Craigslist or unemployment agencies, Randy created a company that solicits focus group jurors through direct mail to active voters across all precincts.Randy's focus groups are conducted at neutral locations without revealing which side he represents to allow for unbiased feedback.For Randy, the key to effective focus groups is finding the right jurors, understanding what information they need, and refining the case strategy based on their reactions.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Tim Felice – From Back-to-Back Defeats to a $92 Million Verdict
After suffering two trial losses, Tim Felice wondered if he wanted to put himself out there again. But as he read about a new case, and spoke with the client, “I just started getting fired up more and more and more.” In this case break-down with host Dan Ambrose, Tim discusses how he represented a musician who was catastrophically injured by a drunk truck driver. The verdict—$77.3 million in compensatory and $15 million in punitive damages—resulted from masterful legal maneuvering that allowed jurors to hear evidence about the client's psychological trauma from being falsely accused of killing her passenger. Tim will highlight this record-setting case at TLU Beach (June 4-7).Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Tim Felice | LinkedIn☑️ Felice Trial Attorneys | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotTim's journey includes pivoting from insurance defense to plaintiff's work after witnessing an adjuster's callous treatment of a legitimately injured client.After two trial defeats, Tim cleared his mind before tackling the catastrophic injury case of a musician whose minivan was struck by a drunk truck driver.The $92 million verdict included $77.3 million in compensatory damages and $15 million in punitive damages against a driver with a 0.196 BAC seven hours after his last drink.Tim's strategic pleading of comparative negligence enabled him to introduce crucial evidence about the defendant and his client. In conservative Suwanee County, Florida, an all-white jury awarded the substantial verdict to Tim's Black client, reinforcing his belief that jurors should never be stereotyped or pigeonholed.At TLU Beach (June 4-7), Tim will conduct a live case analysis of his verdict, breaking down the legal maneuvering that led to success.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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LEADERSHIP and PASSION in DISCOVERY and TRIAL: BE ALL YOU CAN BE!
"When you get a verdict, you have till midnight to either celebrate or to sulk," observes John Romano. With 51 years of trial experience, John reflects on his journey from military JAG prosecutor with 125 trials under his belt to becoming one of America's most prolific trial advocacy teachers. Tune in to this conversation with host Dan Ambrose for John’s breakdown of a spine injury case where he secured a $5 million verdict on a $50,000 offer. At TLU Beach (June 4-7), he will teach his OSPA (Opposition Strategy Prediction Assessment) technique, showing lawyers how to anticipate defense tactics and communicate damages effectively.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ John Romano | LinkedIn☑️ Romano Law Group | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotJohn has been a trial lawyer for 51 years, trying his first case just three days after being sworn in as an attorneyAfter earning a football scholarship to Florida State, John joined the Marines through the Platoon Leaders Class program while attending law schoolDuring three years in the Marines, John tried approximately 125 cases (50 jury trials) as both a defense attorney and prosecutorJohn recently secured a $5 million verdict in an underinsured motorist case where the insurance company offered only $50,000 for a client with cervical fusion and lumbar laminectomyAt TLU Beach, John will teach how to apply the OSPA (Opposition Strategy Prediction Assessment) method to anticipate defense strategiesJohn believes most spine cases are lost in the first 24 to 72 hours when critical evidence isn't preserved and patients aren't directed to proper medical careJohn practices law with his sons Eric and Todd and credits teaching and mentoring other lawyers as his greatest professional accomplishment.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Kurt Zaner – Trial losses: They Make You or Break You. You Decide
"I lost a huge trial and it was a very sobering and depressing, challenging verdict to receive," recalls Kurt Zaner in a candid conversation with host Dan Ambrose. After 20 consecutive civil trial victories, Kurt shares the hard lessons from his first defense verdict in a six-week ethylene oxide exposure case. Tune in for his insights about how even elite trial lawyers must continually refine their approach to cross-examination, witness sequencing, and jury selection. He will teach these refined techniques at TLU Beach (June 4-7), leading a premises liability masterclass and interactive workshops on creating courtroom drama.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Kurt Zaner | LinkedIn☑️ Zaner Harden Law | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotAfter 20 consecutive civil trial victories, Kurt faced his first loss in a six-week toxic tort case involving ethylene oxide exposure from a medical equipment sterilization facility.The defendants' regulatory compliance defense proved challenging as jurors were swayed by evidence that Terumo followed government requirements.Kurt identified key areas for improvement, including more focused cross-examinations, better witness control, and spending more time probing regulatory compliance issues during voir dire.For his next trial in the series, Kurt plans to streamline the case from six weeks to three weeks, believing that longer trials can lead to jury fatigue and forgotten testimony.Kurt emphasizes the importance of relying more on co-counsel rather than taking on 80% of the witnesses, which left insufficient preparation time between witnesses.Kurt will teach a premises liability masterclass at TLU Beach, covering case selection, expert witness identification, deposition strategy, witness sequencing, and creating drama in trial presentations.Kurt sees the defeat as an opportunity for growth, quoting former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink: "You missed something? Good. You lost a trial? Good."Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Kenny Berger – How to Fight Tort Reform & Win
Kenny Berger is fighting tort reform in South Carolina, so he has advice for lawyers who are joining similar fights: “Have themes and principles that transcend party.” The founder of The Law Offices of Kenneth Berger, Kenny visits with host Dan Ambrose for a conversation about his political work and his legal practice. He also previews his session at TLU Beach (June 4-7), where he will teach how to visually connect defendant misconduct directly to plaintiff damages and secure record verdicts.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Kenny Berger | LinkedIn☑️ The Law Offices of Kenneth Berger | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | YouTube☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotAfter working at a small PI firm for 18 months post-law school, Kenny started his own practice at age 28, using grassroots marketing strategies and creating content that answered common client questions.Kenny recognized early on that he wanted to focus solely on bringing in cases and practicing law, so he hired a chief operating officer to handle the firm’s business side.After meeting attorney Brian Ward at a Trial By Human workshop, Kenny formed a collaboration that led to working with Nick Rowley on a case involving a child who suffered severe chemical burns at a resort pool.The team's "relentless pursuit of trial" approach and unwavering commitment to their demand led to a $26 million settlement that exhausted all available insurance coverage.Kenny is working to prevent tort reform legislation in South Carolina that would not only reform liquor liability laws but also eliminate bad faith claims and add non-parties to verdict forms.At TLU Beach, Kenny will teach how to visually connect defendant misconduct directly to plaintiff damages by using arrows and demonstrative exhibits.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Stephen Burg – From Columbine to the Courtroom, Overcoming Hurdles in the Pursuit of Justice
"By getting the first impression on a topic—whether good or bad—you create something that sticks, making it much harder for the defense to change it later," explains Stephen Burg in conversation with host Dan Ambrose. From surviving the Columbine tragedy to overcoming a rugby injury that left him with a traumatic brain injury, Stephen shares the moments of personal adversity that shaped his advocacy for clients. He discusses his strategic "First to Frame" approach for defusing problematic facts in jury selection, resulting in multiple seven-figure verdicts including an $18.1 million award for a client with addiction issues. Stephen and his father, Michael, will teach these framing techniques at TLU Beach (June 4-7), where they will coach trial lawyers on how to seize control of case narratives from the start.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Stephen Burg | LinkedIn☑️ Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. | Facebook | X | LinkedIn | YouTube☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotStephen was a student at Columbine High School during the 1999 school shooting, a pivotal moment that shaped his desire to help people who have experienced trauma.During a University of Wyoming alumni rugby game, Stephen suffered a brain injury that required two and a half years of cognitive therapy, giving him unique insight into his clients' experiences.In 2022, Stephen shattered his leg in a skiing accident that left him in a wheelchair for months, further deepening his understanding of loss of freedom and mobility that many clients face.Stephen has tried about 14 cases to verdict at Burg Simpson, the firm co-founded by his father, renowned trial attorney Michael Burg.His "First to Frame" method focuses on getting ahead of defense tactics by addressing problematic facts early in jury selection.Stephen recently secured a $5.3 million verdict in a case where the defense blamed his client for not looking both ways before entering an intersection on a green light.He effectively neutralized a client's history of drug use and addiction in jury selection, helping secure an $18.1 million verdict.Stephen emphasizes the importance of entertaining and educating jurors, including using demonstrative evidence like his electrical circuit demonstration that disproved defense theories in a recent case.At TLU Beach, Stephen and Michael Burg will present their "First to Frame" approach in both lecture and workshop formats.Produced and Powered by LawPods
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Moses Kim – From Missionary Kid to Medical Malpractice Maverick
Moses Kim shares his unique journey from growing up as a missionary's son in Argentina and rural Alabama to becoming a successful medical malpractice attorney in Atlanta. After spending nine years on the defense side, Moses took the leap to start his own plaintiff's firm, overcoming fears to build a thriving practice. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, he discusses his philosophy of using technology to uncover hidden truths in medical cases, the challenges of expert testimony, and his approach to winning complex trials. He also previews TLU Beach in June, where he will teach advanced deposition tactics.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Moses Kim | LinkedIn☑️ The Moses Firm | LinkedIn☑️ TLU Beach☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotMoses shares how growing up as a missionary's son in Argentina and Alabama shaped his perspective and drive to help others through lawAfter nine years as a defense attorney, Moses took the entrepreneurial leap to start his own plaintiff's firmMoses discusses the importance of uncovering hidden communications in hospital systems and leveraging technology in medical malpractice casesMoses reveals key deposition techniques that can help win cases before trial begins. At TLU Beach, he will teach a session called “Advanced Deposition Tactics and Expert Witness Strategies.”His approach to expert witnesses focuses on narrowing the battlefield and creating binary choices for juries to understand.Dan and Moses describe performance skills that elevate trial attorneys: eye contact, emotional state control, and voice modulationProduced and Powered by LawPods
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Satisfied with being an average trial attorney? This isn't the podcast for you.Welcome to Trial Lawyers University (TLU), the ultimate playbook for lawyers that want to achieve trial immortality. Hosted by TLU founder and veteran trial attorney Dan Ambrose, this power-packed podcast features in-depth interviews with Top Ranked Trial Lawyers, including Brian Panish, Keith Mitnik, Joe Fried, Zoe Littlepage, Rex Parris, John Romano, Sach Oliver, Jakob Norman, Dino Colombo, Lloyd Bell, Chris Finney, David Christensen, and more. In each episode, you’ll gain invaluable trial insights, strategies, and tactics directly from the titans of trial.Ready to join the group that continues to dominate the trial world? Register for our live conferences and boot camps at triallawyersuniversity.com. And while you are waiting for the main event, jumpstart your journey to victory now by going to TLUonDemand.com for instant access to live lectures, case analysis, skills training videos, expert depositions
HOSTED BY
Dan Ambrose, Trial Lawyers University
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