Picking Justice

By Harry Plotkin & Dan KramerBusiness Education Careers

Picking Justice episodes

April 20 Samantha Teal – What I’ve Learned from Consulting on More Than 100 Trials
What a difference a month makes. Trial consultant Samantha Teal had not worked on a $14 million sexual assault verdict, $1 million employment verdict, $10 million employment pregnancy discrimination verdict, and $307 million verdict in a prisoner neglect case when this episode was recorded. A month later, hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer play their conversation. With experience consulting on nearly 100 trials, Samantha unpacks lessons learned – including why the instinct to prejudge jurors by demographics or professions could backfire, how she frames her signature voir dire question on "taking responsibility,” and when it might be okay to tell jurors that you’re nervous.
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☑️ Samantha Teal | LinkedIn
☑️ SMT Litigation Consulting on LinkedIn | Instagram
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Episode sponsored by Focus Graphics.
Produced and Powered by LawPods
55 min
April 06 Daniel Rodriguez – This Farmworker's Son Seeds Million-Dollar Verdicts
Daniel Rodriguez is the child of migrant farm workers who settled in California’s agricultural heartland, where his law practice is based. So it makes sense that the metaphor he uses for his voir dire technique is “seeding.” With $122 million and $116 million verdicts under his belt, Daniel explains this and other strategies to hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer. Tune in for his insights about where clients should be in the courtroom (out of it) and what his biggest verdicts over the past five years have in common. Spoiler: He held off giving a specific damages number.
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☑️ Daniel Rodriguez
☑️ Rodriguez & Associates | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X | YouTube
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
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51 min
March 23 Dirk Vandever – The “Jeff Bezos” Approach to Winning Conservative Jurors
Dirk Vandever asks jurors to say it themselves: "I'm just as rich as Jeff Bezos." It's how he gets conservative jurors to see that a low-income client's quality of life is worth just as much as anyone else's. A Kansas City trial lawyer with phenomenal verdicts in challenging venues, Dirk joins hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer to share what drives his success. Tune in for his secrets to framing equality-of-harm for vulnerable clients, asking jurors if they're skeptical before giving them reason to be, and approaching conservative jurisdictions by identifying community values first.
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☑️ Dirk Vandever | LinkedIn
☑️ Popham Law Firm | X | Facebook | LinkedIn
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
56 min
March 09 Keith Mitnik – What Package Are You Delivering to Jurors?
“How many of you care if the Amazon guy that delivers your package struts up like a pretty peacock?” asks Keith Mitnik. “All you care about is what's inside the package.” Pretend you’re the Amazon guy, and jurors are expecting the package. Keith, the author of “Don’t Eat the Bruises,” the definitive book on jury selection, tells you how to deliver in this episode. Visiting with hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer, Keith reveals his voir dire techniques — some “hot off the presses.” Tune in for his "evidence plus reality" framework to reframe bias, his "dignity of damages" concept to ground large verdicts in full recognition of what was taken, and his “breaking the scales” theory to combat bias against large verdicts.
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☑️ Keith Mitnik | LinkedIn | Website | Podcast | Products
☑️ Morgan & Morgan on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Advocate Capital, Inc.
1 hr 19 min
February 23 Keith Bruno – The Jurors Seem to Like You? Get Over It
If the juror’s laughing at your dumb jokes but their answers scream “danger zone!” – don’t bask in the laughter. Watch out for the danger. With 200 jury trials on his resume, trial lawyer Keith Bruno breaks down the critical difference between being seduced by good vibes and focusing on your job: picking the best jurors. With hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer, he recalls an incident when he called out two jurors who were overheard in the bathroom giving opinions on the case. “It was uncomfortable. And I don't mind uncomfortable moments in court.”
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☑️ Keith Bruno | LinkedIn
☑️ Bruno Nalu Law Firm on Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Advocate Capital, Inc.
1 hr 1 min
February 09 Jude Basile – Two Goals that Win Juries From the Start
When he stands up at voir dire, Jude Basile has two goals: to empower the jury and get them involved in the case. With results that include a $150 million wrongful death verdict, Jude reveals how he achieves both goals in this conversation with hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer. If this has ever happened to you – a juror asks if you’re “in it for the money” or a juror discloses a sensitive experience like the loss of a child – tune in for Jude’s strategies. And if you still call your client a “client” at voir dire, drop that word from your vocabulary. He suggests an alternative word that builds trust.
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☑️ Jude Basile | LinkedIn
☑️ The Basile Law Firm | LinkedIn | Instagram
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Advocate Capital, Inc.
54 min
January 26 Christian Morris – Getting into Jurors’ Minds, One Scenario at a Time
A woman browses in a knick-knack store that has a sign: “You Break It – You Buy It.” Sure enough, she accidentally breaks a figurine – and it has a $78 price tag! The woman protests: “That wasn't worth $78! And your shelf sticks out too much!" Christian Morris presented that scenario to jurors in a case where her client was injured in a low-property damage incident. Tune in to hear what Christian learned from juror reactions to the story. And stay tuned as shares her voir dire playbook with hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer, including how she navigates damages, peremptory challenges, and notes.
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☑️ Christian Morris
☑️ Christian Morris Trial Attorneys | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Tisa Film and Baldwin Settlements.
1 hr 1 min
January 12 Jesse Wilson – Why Jurors Root for "I Can" Over "I Can't"
Everybody loves an underdog story - so why do lawyers often tell the opposite in the courtroom? Juilliard-trained actor and jury trial consultant Jesse Wilson developed a “victim-to-victor” approach that capitalizes on the universal appeal of “I can” instead of “I can’t.” In this conversation with hosts Dan Kramer and Harry Plotkin, Jesse explains that jurors respond more powerfully when they see strength rather than just suffering. Tune in for his insights about treating yourself as "the most important juror" to transform your courtroom presence and ditching performative "good morning" pleasantries to create genuine connection.
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☑️ Jesse Wilson | X | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok
☑️ Tell The Winning Story | Facebook | YouTube
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Tisa Film and Baldwin Settlements.
1 hr 3 min
December 15, 2025 Harry and Dan – Celebrating 12 Months of Helping You Pick 12 Jurors
"Voir dire is the scariest thing to do for a lawyer," Dan Kramer says as he reflects on the first year of “Picking Justice” with co-host Harry Plotkin. This special episode celebrates a year of exceptional guests: Ibiere Seck, Ricardo Echeverria, Steve Vartazarian, Gary Dordick, Claire Plotkin, Arash Homampou, Joe Fried, Bob Simon, Lourdes DeArmas, Khail Parris, David Ball, Randi McGinn, Craig Peters, Kurt Zaner, Pat Salvi, Sean Claggett, Kathleen Nastri, Rahul Ravipudi, and Mike Alder. Tune in for their insights about everything from biases, questionnaires, and creating authentic courtroom connections.
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☑️ Ibiere Seck | LinkedIn | Instagram | X | Facebook
☑️ Ricardo Echeverria I LinkedIn
☑️ Steve Vartazarian | LinkedIn
☑️ Gary Dordick | LinkedIn | Instagram
☑️ Claire Plotkin | LinkedIn | X
☑️ Arash Homampour | LinkedIn
☑️ Joe Fried | LinkedIn
☑️ Bob Simon | LinkedIn | X | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Attorney Robert Simon
☑️ Lourdes DeArmas | LinkedIn
☑️ Khail Parris | LinkedIn
☑️ David Ball | LinkedIn
☑️ Randi McGinn | LinkedIn
☑️ Craig Peters | LinkedIn
☑️ Kurt Zaner | LinkedIn
☑️ Pat Salvi | LinkedIn | Instagram
☑️ Sean Claggett | LinkedIn | Instagram
☑️ Kathleen Nastri | LinkedIn | Instagram | X
☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram
☑️ Mike Alder | LinkedIn | Email | Instagram | YouTube
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Baldwin Settlements and Verdict Videos.
50 min
December 01, 2025 Mike Alder – What I Learned about Jury Selection after 9 Trials in 10 Months
After completing nine trials earlier this year, Mike Alder describes lessons learned about jury selection with hosts Harry Plotkin and Dan Kramer. Tune in for his insights about how being practiced makes you conversational rather than aggressive, why he starts with easy questions before diving into hot-button issues, and how asking "I need your help" invites jurors to participate authentically in the selection process.
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☑️ Mike Alder | LinkedIn | Email | Instagram | YouTube | Telephone
☑️ AlderLaw on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram
☑️ Harry Plotkin | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
☑️ Dan Kramer | LinkedIn
☑️ Kramer Trial Lawyers on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Produced and Powered by LawPods
Episode sponsored by Baldwin Settlements and Verdict Videos.
1 hr 10 min

About Picking Justice

From the publisher's feed

Attention Trial Lawyers: You’ve meticulously crafted your opening statement, mastered your directs and crosses, and fine-tuned your closing argument. But have you developed a strategy for jury selection? What will you do when a potential juror gives an unexpected answer? Do you even want that person on your jury? The clock is ticking — you need to think fast.