Trial Lawyers University

“I've always had a ‘presenter mode’… I’m ‘presenting’ to a jury,” says David Christensen. Then, he and his team at Christensen Law attended a TLU bootcamp about forming relationships instead.

They put the strategies – eye contact, slower speech, and other “micro-communication” techniques –  to work at a recent trial.  “It was palpable. I could feel the difference,” he tells host Dan Ambrose, founder of TLU. 

Next month, it will be David’s turn to teach. At TLU Vegas, he’ll break down an unusual case in which he sued a gas station for not calling 9-1-1 fast enough when a mentally ill man was killed at the site by a homeless man. In this episode, David and Dan put their teaching skills to work as they role-play the cross-examination of a doctor as a paid expert witness. Dan guides the lesson into techniques like asking leading questions, “looping” – establishing a fact and repeating that fact in the next question – and refocusing: “Doctor, here’s my question…”

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ David Christensen | LinkedIn | Email

☑️ Christensen Law | LinkedIn | Instagram | X | YouTube

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ 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 | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• “Everybody takes Chinese studies before coming to law school”: David’s unique path
• How a TLU bootcamp changed the way David connects with a jury
• Background of the case David is teaching at TLU Vegas
• What David is most proud of – not one case, but the firm he built
• The wrongful death case that David is taking to trial in October: a woman killed when a truck driver on methamphetamine struck her car head-on.
• How meth is becoming a character of its own in the trial
• How David is preparing to try his case in conservative Jackson, Michigan
• Exposing the lies told in deposition by the truck driver’s corporate bosses

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After years of settling cases out of court, Mike Morse represented the parents of a college student who died at a friend’s house when he took a high dose of “molly,” or MDMA, that he was told was Adderall. The young man’s friends videotaped him and posted videos to Snapchat of him struggling under the effects of the drug, but they didn’t call for help until after he died. 

Tearing up when the student’s parents told him the story, Mike agreed to take the case. But he hadn’t tried a case before a jury in 15 years, so he hired a jury consultant and coach and began listening to recordings, through Trial Lawyers University, of attorneys explaining how they won their cases.

Listen as Mike describes how he picked a jury, tried the case, and secured $75 million. He also reflects on a different case in which he secured the release of his client who had been wrongfully convicted.  

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Mike Morse | LinkedIn | Email

☑️ 855MikeWins | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | X | Facebook | Podcast

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ 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 | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• Why background mattered in Mike’s case representing the parents of a 21-year-old man who died after ingesting “molly” – which his friends said was Adderall. 
• How charges were dismissed during the criminal trial because of prosecutorial misconduct.
• Why Mike hired a jury consultant who also coached him on how to present his case.
• Why Mike told prospective jurors that the case was about poisoning, not a drug overdose.
• Why Mike decided to show jurors the video of the victim after he took the drug. 
• How jurors returned a $75 million verdict. 
• Why Mike ranks his greatest success as a pro bono case where his wrongfully convicted client was set free. 

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When Sean Claggett says that it’s rare for a lawyer armed with data to lose at trial, he has the data to back it up.

The evidence can be found in the pages of JuryBall: The Big Data Revolution is Here, the groundbreaking book that Sean wrote with Alicia Campbell and John Campbell. As Sean explains to host Dan Ambrose, their research made it clear that lawyers should reject the notion that jury trials are risky because “you never know what a jury is going to do… I think juried behavior is very predictable.” In this wide-ranging conversation, Sean recounts the genesis of JuryBall, his recent $24.6 million verdict in a med-mal case, and the tracks he’ll teach at TLU VEGAS.

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Sean Claggett | LinkedIn | Email 

☑️ Claggett & Sykes on LinkedIn | X | Facebook | Instagram  

☑️ Sean’s book with Alicia Campbell and John Campbell: JuryBall: The Big Data Revolution is Here

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ 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 | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• Background of Sean’s med-mal case that ended in a $24.6 million verdict
• Days in the life: How Sean and his team prepped for the trial
• Are you a five-figure lawyer? Six-figure? Here’s why every lawyer needs to answer that question honestly
• Sean’s career path, including his interactions with legal legends at a young age and eventually starting his own firm
• The miracle settlement that saved Sean from bankruptcy
• A preview of Sean’s tracks at TLU Vegas, including his upcoming book about how to overcome a nuclear verdict
• Don’t trust your gut. Trust the data
• The genesis of JuryBall, Sean’s groundbreaking book with Alicia Campbell and John Campbell
• Sean’s firm’s future belongs to its rising lawyers

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For Joe Fried of Fried Goldberg LLC, two upcoming cases offer a great opportunity to share his insight as a founder of truck accident law. That’s what he’ll do at TLU VEGAS.

In this detailed preview, Joe joins host Dan Ambrose to highlight the cases: one on behalf of a brain-injured client and another on behalf of a child run over by an Amazon delivery van. He’ll teach the “speed trial” technique that he plans to leverage in the TBI case, calling a summary witness to sum up the complicated medical testimony in about an hour. His session on the “Amazonation” of trucking will guide plaintiffs’ attorneys on the nuances of different Amazon cases. Tune in for more about his strategies, including a few that some may disagree with, like this one: “I've given up feeling the need to teach medical school every time I have an injury.”

Are you a truck accident attorney? The Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, which Joe co-founded, could be a helpful resource.

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Joseph Fried | LinkedIn | Email 

☑️ Fried Goldberg on LinkedIn | X | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram  

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• A preview of Joe’s presentation at TLU Vegas
• How lessons from being a cop helped his legal career
• Active, instructive, funny: the federal judge who shaped Joe’s view of the law
• His “scary” journey from defense to the plaintiff’s side
• Consider this technique for thinking of depositions in another way
• 117 doctors treated his client over nine years; Joe won’t call any of them. Here’s why
• Joe will take trucking lawyers “back to basics” at TLU Vegas
• Background of his two upcoming trucking cases, including one against Amazon

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The beginning jiu-jitsu student had signed a waiver to take lessons; that much was clear. Also clear, tragically so, was that the young man suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while sparring with his jiu-jitsu instructor. 

Plaintiffs’ attorney Rahul Ravipudi and his team moved, successfully, to get the waiver deemed unenforceable. That was one early strategy that Rahul describes to host Dan Ambrose. In voir dire, the team carefully deselected jurors who may have had biases about engaging in risky activities like martial arts. An expert witness proved powerful: A member of the founding family of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he not only explained best practices to the jury but also demonstrated them – on Rahul. Tune in for more about Rahul’s $46 million verdict against the instructor and club.    

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Email 

☑️ Panish | Shea | Ravipudi on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, & YouTube

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• Getting to know Rahul Ravipudi 
• Rahul’s successful campaign to reform school bus practices in California
• How he tells the damages story: Attend TLU Vegas to learn more!
• The background of Greener versus Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club
• Why he emphasizes the “irrefutable truth” of a case
• The strategies that led to a $45 million verdict against the jiu-jitsu club and instructor

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“It wasn't all so sunny and shiny early on, taking those hits,” Sach Oliver says about his early trial losses. To get back up, he broke down his failures to make sure he’d never repeat them.

The result is a methodology for success that Sach describes in Depositions Are Trial, his new book that he will teach at TLU Vegas. In a preview with host Dan Ambrose, Sach highlights foundational elements of his techniques – starting with the art of establishing the timeline in depositions because, as he’s learned, jurors find timelines influential. From physical strategies – like scouting out the courtroom before trial to prepare for setting up displays – to verbal strategies – like telling the client’s story so it sticks in jurors’ minds – Sach outlines the lessons he’s learned and is eager to share.

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Sach Oliver | Oliver Law Firm | Email | LinkedIn

☑️ Oliver Law Firm on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

☑️ Sach’s book Depositions Are Trial 

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• The methodology that Sach developed and shares in his book Depositions Are Trial
• One of the three most influential factors for jurors and how to provide it to them
• When you’re in “trial mode,” the results skyrocket. 
• Bold and a little crazy: Sach’s approach to burden of proof
• When it comes to the order of witnesses, think of building a sandwich
• The power of 3, from cross-examinations to your rebuttal

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When Michael Alder’s client goes to trial, she will face what Michael believes is the number one type of discrimination today: weight. She’s 5-foot-1, weighs about 235 pounds, and cannot have surgery to relieve pain from injuries suffered in a car accident until she loses weight.

In this dispute over liability, Michael will leverage the skills and strategies he’s developed as a top personal injury lawyer in California. With host Dan Ambrose, Michael describes how this challenging case demonstrates his trial strategies: attacking sensitive issues head-on, being honest, and turning a bad situation into a good one. Tune in to learn more about his philosophy, and be ready for a few bad jokes. After all, finding success in the courtroom is like telling a lot of bad jokes. If you keep telling the jokes – taking on the hard cases and pushing through the failures – at some point, you’ll hit the mark.

Need a financial scholarship to attend TLU Vegas? Email Michael to discuss how he can help.

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Michael Alder | LinkedIn | Email | Instagram | YouTube | Telephone 

☑️ AlderLaw on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• From never west of Houston, to Los Angeles, to becoming a top PI lawyer: Meet Michael Alder
• Using language as a sword and a shield
• A preview of his presentation at TLU Vegas: The anatomy of an insurance company
• How he uses big data – and how he gets it into evidence
• Why you should prepare yourself for being uncomfortable at trial
• The tough issues he’s fighting against in an upcoming disputed liability case

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Struck on an airport tarmac by a fueling vehicle, the United Airlines worker suffered catastrophic injuries. “The worst-hurt person I've ever seen in my life,” recalled his lawyer, Randall Sorrels.

When Randall sued the fueling vehicle company and its driver, he faced a high-powered defense firm, and a famous defense lawyer, that sought to keep the verdict low by using a so-called “nuclear verdict defense.” To host Dan Ambrose, Randall reveals how he and his law firm partner and wife, Alex, foiled the attack. Relying on a blend of strategy (putting the defendant’s corporate representative as the first witness), smart advice (listening to a jury consultant who advised him to keep a juror he wanted to strike), and a little luck (finding a mock juror who had sat through the defense’s mock trial), they transformed a lowball offer of $5 million into a jury verdict of $353 million. 

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Randall Sorrels | Sorrels Law | Email | LinkedIn

☑️ Sorrels Law on Facebook | LinkedIn

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• Grabbing headlines: Randall’s $3.24 million verdict for the son and godson of baseball great Roger Clemens
• How teaching at TLU made him a better lawyer
• Background of his case against a fueling vehicle company and driver
• Why Randall did a portion of his voir dire on the high-profile defense lawyer
• One question plaintiffs’ lawyers in PI cases should ask the jury 
• The defense’s big mistake in closing 
• Securing a $353 million verdict

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“Let me start at the beginning,” says Randi McGinn when asked about what became a $42 million judgment against a semi-trailer manufacturer, the largest ever against that industry. “If I'm going to tell the story right…”

A self-professed storyteller at heart, Randi tells host Dan Ambrose how trial lawyers can persuade jurors through effective storytelling techniques. For example, in the semi-trailer manufacturer case, she took jurors back in time some 50 years when a famous actress died in disturbingly similar circumstances as her client’s son. Tune in to hear the rest of that story – including her strategic use of an expert who did what the industry said couldn’t be done – and for a preview of her lectures at the upcoming TLU Vegas.

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Randi McGinn | McGinn Montoya Love Curry & Sievers PA | Email | LinkedIn  

☑️ McGinn Montoya Love Curry & Sievers PA on X | Facebook | LinkedIn

☑️ Randi’s book: Changing Laws, Saving Lives: How to Take on Corporate Giants & Win

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• Getting to know Randi McGinn
• The connection between the death of an actress and Randi’s case against a semi-trailer manufacturer
• Why timing is everything when it comes to telling your client’s story
• Why trying to “control” a witness is an illusion, and what you can do instead.

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No matter the case, no matter the client, you need a compelling story to convince the jury to award damages. 

“You want that million dollars?” asks jury trial consultant Jesse Wilson. “Tell me the ‘try’ story. Tell me how somebody is trying to overcome their pain.” In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Jesse describes how this approach yields results. In one case he consulted on, a plaintiff who had been injured in a car wreck – and even gone back to work – got a $2.5 million settlement, after initially only being offered $80,000. 

Jesse calls his tactic the “victim-to-victor” approach, and he’ll teach it at the upcoming TLU Vegas. Those who sign up should be prepared for an interactive experience – Jesse’s a Juilliard-trained actor who borrows from his theater background so that participants will “understand and not intellectualize the process.” 

Train and Connect with the Titans

☑️ Jesse Wilson | Tell The Winning Story | Email | X | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok

☑️ Jesse’s Book: Witness Preparation: How to Tell the Winning Story 

☑️ TLU VEGAS

☑️ Trial Lawyers University Website

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Episode Snapshot

• Jesse Wilson’s path from Juilliard to Colorado prisons to courtrooms
• Why his “victim-to-victor” approach can maximize damages
• How he breaks a direct examination into three acts
• What four-letter word you and your client can never say
• What you’ll learn from Jesse at TLU Vegas

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