Episodes

Scott Schlesinger has known what it means to be a trial lawyer from his earliest days, growing up in the shadow of his father, legendary Florida trial lawyer Shelly Schlesinger. Scott talks about how the lessons and values he learned for his father shaped his approach. Scott has continued to legacy by becoming a one of the country’s best plaintiff’s trial lawyers in his own right, continuing to fight for clients impacted by the scourge of Big Tobacco, childhood exposure to Juul and many other ca...

Join Ben and Rahul for a conversation with Spencer Lucas, Partner at Panish Shea Ravipudi, in which Spencer talks about his recent $135 million verdict on behalf of two victims of sexual assault by a teacher at a public school, and his work on the leadership trial teams representing sexual assault victims in claims against the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese and Boy Scouts of America. Spencer talks about how he found a passion for championing the rights of victims of sexual assault and how he has n...

Join Ben and Rahul for their conversation with Michael Talve, Founder and CEO of Expert Institute, a nation-wide expert search and research firm. Michael talks about how he stared the business in his apartment with a few friends and grew it to hundreds of employees that service more than 5000 plaintiff law firms across the United States. Michael discusses trends he has witnessed in the practice of plaintiff law and what he sees for the future of expert search and the role of AI in the plaintiff ...

From a young age, Robert Glassman worked hard to perfect his abilities as a public speaker. When he was in high school, his parents enrolled him in a Dale Carnegie program to develop confidence speaking in front of strangers. From high school to law school, Robert was a perennial class president and accustomed to giving planned speeches before large audiences. Join Rahul and Ben as they discuss with Robert the advantages and challenges of transitioning his public speaking skills to success in th...

Join Ben and Rahul for their in-depth discussion of Ben’s recent three-week jury trial in which Ben represented a little girl who developed cerebral palsy following the development of necrotizing enterocolitis in the NICU. Ben discusses how decision-making guided by big data led to him and his client to turning down an $11 million offer after closing arguments to take a verdict. He discusses what he learned following extensive discussions with jurors following the trial. Ben describes how this v...

Tampa Florida trial lawyer Steve Yerrid has done it all. He was a boxer in his youth and a fighter for justice in his career as a trial lawyer. Steve was the youngest member of the Tobacco “Dream Team,” which secured a $17 billion settlement from Big Tobacco and numerous changes in their business practices which have saved thousands of lives. Steve has many record setting jury verdicts. He has served as personal counsel to NY Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner. And he has given back to his commu...

Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with Jake and Tor, breaking down the recent 495 million Dollar verdict in a product liability case against Abbott Laboratories for pre-term infant formula that increases the risks for developing necrotizing enterocolitis. Hear how Jake and Tor navigated this difficult case and won this epic battle. About Jacob Plattenberger https://www.torhoermanlaw.com/team/jake-plattenberger/ Jacob Plattenberger has taken hundreds of depositions, argued in countless hea...

Join Ben for his conversation with Dylan Ruga, trial lawyer and co-founder and President of Steno, a long-time sponsor of the pod. Dylan updates us on the new functionality and services offered by his innovative court reporting service, Steno. Steno allows plaintiff attorneys to defer costs of court reporting and videographer services until the end of the case. In states that allow it, these deferred costs can be non-recourse. Steno now operates through the Zoom platform but offers an app that i...

Join Ben and Rahul for their interview of famed Los Angeles trial lawyer, Arash Homampour. Arash has perfected the ability to trial difficult liability and damages cases to outlier high verdicts. Arash explains how he channels his innate connection with his clients and abilities as a trial lawyer to achieve these results. Arash discusses his upbringing as the child of first-generation Iranian immigrants and how he went from failing the bar examination to being one of the most accomplished and su...

Join Ben for this conversation with John and Johnny Simon and Tim Cronin of the Simon Law Firm. This episode covers discussion of two fascinating recent cases in which the Simon firm obtained more than $ 1 billion in combined verdicts on behalf of a client killed by a driver high on nitrous oxide and a rape victim in a psychiatric hospital. Learn about John, Johnny and Tim expertly built these cases around themes of corporate malfeasance, greed, neglect, and punitive damages. Both verdicts are h...

When Conal Doyle started his plaintiff’s practice, he faced long odds and daunting obstacles. But as one born without one of his legs who went on to become a ski racer, long odds and obstacles were nothing new to Conal. Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with Conal about how he bet on himself and his clients time and again, achieved monumental verdicts and changes to the legal system on his way to becoming one of California’s most successful trial lawyers. About Conal Doyle https://conaldo...

Before he became a trial lawyer, Colorado lawyer Kurt Zaner wanted to be an actor. But rather than just play a role, Kurt decided that he wanted to be a real-world champion and decided to become a trial lawyer. Now, Kurt applies lessons about presence, storytelling and drama from the stage to help achieve landmark verdicts for his clients. Join Ben for his wide-ranging discussion with Kurt that covers how a trial lawyer can use acting skills to enhance courtroom impact; strategies that have enab...

Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with top Alaska trial lawyer, Meg Simonian. Meg shares her journey from growing up as one of seven children with parents who did not graduate from high school to attending law school and becoming one of the nation’s best trial lawyers. After graduating from law school, Meg worked as a Federal public defender and then joined the practice of legendary trial lawyer, Rick Friedman. Meg shares lessons learned during her time working with Rick before leaving to ...

With 37 verdicts of more than a million dollars, few lawyers in America can match the track record of success of New York trial lawyer Judy Livingston. What’s more, many of Judy’s verdicts came at a time when few women were trial lawyers. Join Ben and Rahul for their in-depth interview with Judy in which they explore the sources of the courage and fortitude that fueled her success. Judy shares accounts of her early trial practice, where she literally had to create a new mold as a woman in the co...

Join Ben for his conversation with legendary Kentucky trial lawyer, Peter Perlman. Peter talks about how his upbringing, as the son of a 5 and 10 cent store owner, shaped his values and taught him the importance of finding ways to help others. During his long and successful career as a trial lawyer, Peter applied these lessons in cases that helped his individual clients and led to larger industry-wide changes that have helped countless others. These cases span a wide range of practice areas, fro...

Join Ben for his discussion with attorneys Taylor Asen and Trevor Savage about their recent $2.4 million verdict in Bangor, Maine in a case involving a surgical mal positioning that caused an arm injury and CRPS. Taylor and Trevor explain how they worked closely with the client to get her to the right specialist who could diagnose her medical condition. They talk about the challenges of presenting a CRPS injury at trial. They discuss how they resisted the defense effort to stipulate to liability...

Join Rahul and Ben for their conversation with Canadian trial lawyer, Paul Miller, who shares the fascinating account of his effort to find justice for Canadian diplomats impacted by Havana Syndrome. Paul explains the mounting evidence showing that Canadian and American diplomats posted in Cuba, England, Russia, Vietnam, and China have been targeted by weapons that use microwave or similar technology that is invisible but can cause brain damage, leading to a variety of life-long injuries and sym...

Join Rahul and Ben for their discussion with Indiana trial lawyer Lee Christie and Trial Lawyers for Justice Attorney, Karen Zahka, as they break down their recent trial against Tesla. Although the case started out as a simple pickup truck vs. motorcycle accident involving a left turn, the personal involvement of Elon Musk led to an unusual investment of resources on the defense side and high drama in the courtroom. To get to verdict, the plaintiff had to navigate a series of landmines and obsta...

In this episode, Rahul and Ben discuss major trends in trial practice and big picture take aways from the last 3 ½ years of the podcast. The conversation begins with a discussion of nuclear verdicts in the golden age of trial, moves on to case analysis and key issues, then to strategies or courtroom success, and ends with discussion of the impact of the MAGA juror. About Rahul https://www.panish.law/ravipudi.html Rahul Ravipudi is a partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP and has spent his le...

We’ve all heard the stories of doctors who cause harm to patients by systematically performing medically unnecessary procedures, just to line their own pockets. These circumstances rise to a level beyond ordinary medical negligence to fraud or criminal acts. However, when we litigate individual medical malpractice cases, the rules of discovery and evidence can pose barriers that make it difficult to determine whether a client’s experience reflects a larger pattern and practice by the doctor and ...

Louisville, Kentucky trial lawyer Sheila Hiestand has harnessed the same competitive zeal she had as a starting center on a division one college basketball team to become one of Kentucky’s leading trial lawyers. Sheila has successfully litigated and tried many high-profile cases, including a recent case in which she obtained a $36 Million judgment on behalf of the family of victims of a January 2018 shooting at Marshall County High School in which two students were killed and several others inju...

Before Maryland-based trial lawyer Reza Davani began rolling the dice with juries, he was a competitive poker player. Join Ben and Rahul for their discussion with Reza, in which he recounts how principles and lessons learned from playing poker translate to trial practice. Reza provides many valuable strategies for trial success, including identifying and planting “landmines” for the defense as part of his case. In addition to his phenomenal success as a trial lawyer, Reza is a sought-after speak...

From representing Yoko Ono to winning class action lawsuits on behalf of actors and musicians, Neville Johnson and his partner Douglas Johnson (no relationship) have built one of the most interesting and successful entertainment law practices in the nation, specializing in representing “talent” as opposed to the business side of the industry. Join Rahul and Ben for a fascinating discussion with Neville and Doug, as they describe how they got their start in this practice, recount some of their mo...

Chicago-based trial lawyer Jeffrey Kroll is no stranger to risk. On the road to some of his biggest verdicts, including a 2017 verdict for $148 million, Jeff has turned down big money to cast his lot with the jury. Join Ben and Rahul for their conversation with Jeff, in which he discusses some of the core beliefs and strategies that inform his highly successful approach to trying cases to juries. Listeners will come away with many insightful tips that will benefit their own trial practices. Abo...