Daniel Ambrose

Trial Lawyers University

I grew up in Birmingham, MI. I am the youngest of eight children and attended an all-boys catholic school my whole life until I went to college at the University of Michigan. I went to night school at Detroit College of Law. My dad, my uncle, two of my brothers, and sister were lawyers. My first job was cutting lawns at age 10. I started working for my brother as a house painter at age 12. When I was 16 I started my own painting business and continued throughout high school, college, and law school, and a few years after until I was 32. I practiced criminal defense for eighteen years in Michigan until ten years ago when my roommate from the Trial Lawyers College, Nick Rowley, encouraged me to move to LA to become a PI lawyer. The California Bar took me four tries. I moved to Las Vegas this past March. I have recently taken up pickle ball, skiing and golf. I also think I'm competitive at connect four, backgammon, chess, and ping pong.

Daniel Ambrose
Daniel Ambrose

Connection in Opening Statement and Cross Examination

We will focus exclusively on presenting with the use of visuals and mastering cross examination.

Use of visuals:

  • Foam core boards
  • Powerpoints
  • Flip chart
  • Physical models

Cross-examination - Participants will learn how to master the use of:

  • The flip chart
  • Using dialogue in cross
  • Present tense
  • Eliminate tag lines: correct, true
  • Eliminate filler words: and, ok & ah
  • Creating space
  • Dodd’s Three Rules: leading questions only, one new fact per question & all facts lead to goal oriented fact
Dan AmbroseNate Bjerke
Dan Ambrose · Nate Bjerke

Witness Prep

The most important witness in every trial is the plaintiff. The best plaintiff witnesses are calm, vulnerable and testify in a way that transports to the jury into the client’s story. This presentation focuses on getting your clients to that place. As we’ve all seen, juries don’t want to help an angry client. Dan and Nate will show you how to help your clients let go of their anger and find the courage to be vulnerable and share the underlying hurt and loss. Then, after we have our client in the right frame of mind, teach them to re-live their stories on the witness stand to draw the jury in and not just hear but experience your client's story. This method inoculates even the most-skilled cross examination. These techniques will not only make your client the best witness they can be, they help your client heal.

TLU Live HB Agenda