Witness preparation is the foundation for:

A confident client who can tell Their Story

A great settlement if the defense attorney believes your client

I will do a live demonstration of witness prep. Record it, and play it back to teach you how to do it.

Direct examination of your experts, witnesses, and client makes or breaks your case. I will show you and give you a try at directing

Dan Ambrose

Tim Felice

TLU Beach 2025 REPLAY - Witness Prep & Direct Examination 

Throughout his 30-year legal career, Ben Rubinowitz has made his mark as a leading trial lawyer combining hard work and dedication with his remarkable courtroom skills and presence. Mr. Rubinowitz began his career as a prosecutor, where he honed the trial skills that would become his hallmark. From there, he began serving as a trial lawyer representing severely injured plaintiffs in personal injury cases, eventually joining 

 in 1989. For the past 16 years Mr. Rubinowitz was featured in New York Magazines' article on "Best Lawyers in New York". For the past 2 years Ben has been recognized in the New York Times as one of the "Top 10" lawyers in the New York Metro area, as evaluated by New York Super Lawyers. Ben was honored by being elected to be a member of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates. The Inner Circle of Advocates is limited to 100 members considered among the best plaintiffs attorneys in the United States and also to be "lawyers of excellent character and integrity."

Ben's meticulous approach to the preparation and trial of cases has produced 28 verdicts and over 180 settlements in excess of one million dollars in cases arising out of car accidents, premises accidents, 

, medical malpractice, civil rights violations and products liability. Mr. Rubinowitz has a thorough grasp of the nuances of complex issues. This, coupled with his ability to translate complicated information into clear terms for a jury, has left an indelible impression on all those who have witnessed him in action--including even defendants' medical experts that he has cross-examined. In addition to his skills as a trial lawyer, Mr. Rubinowitz has successfully argued appellate cases before the Appellate Division and the highest court in the State of New York, the Court of Appeals.

Ben B. Rubinowitz

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. My father was a lawyer, and my brothers are all lawyers. Growing up, I sold programs at Dodger Stadium, and I had a paper route. I attended St. John Bosco High School and Fresno State University, playing football at both. I returned to Los Angeles following graduation where I taught and coached football at my high school alma mater. Still coaching football my first semester, I began attending Southwestern Law School. During law school, I worked at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and conducted almost 100 preliminary hearings. I tried my first jury trial in my first month as a lawyer when I was an insurance defense lawyer. During that time, I tried many defense cases and gained great experience. I later joined a top plaintiff firm where I rose to the rank of partner and stayed 17 years. In 2005, I formed Panish Shea & Boyle LLP in Los Angeles. The firm has grown to include offices in California and Nevada and is now known as Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP. I am the Immediate Past President of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates and I have been in more than 150 jury trials in my career. I enjoy fishing, working out, and attending sporting events including as many Fresno State football games as possible. In 2022, I passed the bar in Nevada with my youngest daughter.

Brian Panish

I am a partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School, and the father of three boys. I am so lucky to be married to Smitha who is an amazing mother and the CEO of USC Care Medical Group, the physician group of Keck Medicine of USC. My wife understands and appreciates my passion for teaching so much so that she was cool when I worked to schedule our Trial College at the time that best worked for everyone – despite it starting the day after my 20-year wedding anniversary! I made the mistake a while back of asking Smitha what my top five qualities were that made her want to marry me. Much to my surprise and disappointment, my sense of humor did not make the list! She is right, I am not funny, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I love the Buffalo Bills, “Dad Jokes”, and taking selfies (especially with my Snapchat filters).

Rahul Ravipudi

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.

I was born in San Diego, California. I was the 4th of 5 kids and the first son. My Dad was a doctor but as a young man he was part of the fight for the establishment of Israel and it was always his dream to live there. My family emigrated to Israel when I was 5 years old. We lived there through the 1973 war after which we moved back to the United States – first to New York and then to Atlanta. After losing several friends in high school to DUI related crashes, I became a police officer. I investigated many crashes and testified in court a fair amount. I saw first-hand the difference that a good lawyer can make. I attended the University of Georgia School of Law, followed by a federal court clerkship and then entered private practice. I was appointed to serve part-time as a magistrate judge, while working full-time as a trial lawyer. Unlike lawyers who do lots of things at the same time, I have always specialized. I spent the first few years of my practice handling mostly birth trauma cases. I then happened into a case where a woman burned alive following a survivable rear impact crash. This led to me specializing this unique aspect of automotive product liability for about 10 years. I told Ford that I would stop suing them if the fixed the problem with the Mustang and while it took a while they finally did.

After some soul searching, I decided to focus on truck crash cases. At the time, lawyers focusing on truck crash cases was not a thing. I have done my part over the last 18 years to make it a thing. I have spent countless hours developing best practices for handling these cases. Knowing that I could only handle a small number of cases and wanting to have a big impact on highway safety, I set out to train lawyers all over the country on how to best handle truck crash cases. I have served in leadership of just about every organization in the Country for lawyers who handle truck crash cases. I am Co-founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Lawyers and the National Board of Truck Crash Lawyers (an NBTA sub-board responsible for Truck Crash Law obtaining ABA recognition as a legal specialty). Most recently I authored “A Law Enforcement Guide to Truck Driving Safety Standards” and I have worked hard to be the best human being I can be, the best husband and father I can be, and the best lawyer I can be. It is a work in progress. At this point in my life, I am trying to pay things forward. Closing in on 1000 days without missing on the Peloton!

Joe Fried

I was named after Satchel Paige the baseball player. People often ask me why there is not a “t” in my name and the truth is that my parents were afraid I would be called a satchel bag at school. I was raised in the small town of Viola, Arkansas and give the credit of my success to my wonderful parents, Eddy and Jeanie Oliver. I basically drove my mentor, Frank Bailey, nuts until he agreed to hire me. The first three phone calls to Frank’s office resulted in failure because the office manager simply told me, “Mr. Bailey was not hiring.” I brainstormed magic words with my parents and called back a 4th time asking if I could just spend “5 minutes with Mr. Bailey.” Thank goodness Frank agreed. In those 5 minutes, Frank determined I had great potential and hired me to trim the boxwoods and plant begonias in the firm’s garden. I told Frank that I would do whatever he wanted me to do for little or no money under one condition… If Frank went somewhere on a case for any reason, he must take me with him. We have been together ever since. I am married to Codi Oliver who is a pediatric occupational therapist. We have two daughters, Reesa and Reagan. One of our favorite things to do is ride horses together on our ranch in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. I am passionate about my faith and discipling men to be their best.

Sach Oliver

Its hard to write a paragraph that defines who you are.

Who am I? Do we define ourselves? Or do others define us? Or do our actions define us? Identity is challenging. Am I defined by my journey as a Trial Lawyer who wages epic battles with evil corporations and insurance companies? Am I defined by my 7 and 8 figure verdicts? Am I defined by the confidential settlements I can't talk about? Or am I defined by the $50,000 settlements that change my client's lives? Money is not success. But money is success. Am I defined by my childhood? Growing up in South Florida, always wanting to be an actor, a trial lawyer, or a president of something? Does serving as high school student body president make a doosh? I failed (quit) my movie star pursuit in Hollywood, does that boost my cred or detract from it? Am I defined by family?

My three young boys (1,4,6) mean more to me than any case and I would quit practicing law tomorrow if it was somehow necessary to help my kids. There isn't much I wouldn't do for them. I wish I had more hours in the day to spend with them. And yet, when I look at them, I think of my toxic tort client who was diagnosed with Leukemia at 18, has lost one leg and likely another because of a company's toxic emissions, and I imagine if this happened to one of my children. Or am I defined by my pursuit of Karate and mastery of the bow and spear so that one day I may fight like the Viper of Dorne? I want to be the Champion of those who cannot fight for themselves. Who is John Galt?

Kurt Zaner

I’m a tax lawyer who originally planned to be a trial lawyer. Now I serve as Tax and Settlement Counsel to plaintiff firms, focusing on settlement language and arrangements that plaintiffs use to keep far more of their winnings.

As an aspiring trial lawyer at NYU Law I clerked in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Tort Claims Act Section. Everything changed when NYU cancelled my 2L Evidence Course and I switched to a Tax Policy Course. In it I wrote my Law Review Article on a critical plaintiff tax issue raised during my clerkship: the strategic use of Qualified Settlement Funds. To do so I interviewed plaintiff lawyers and advisors across the country, many of whom later became my clients.

I obtained my Tax LL.M at NYU Law and then served as a Fellow in the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy. While at the Treasury I focused on plaintiff tax issues in addition to transactional, trust, and international taxation, which would later help me vet and build arrangements used at settlement today.

After my time at the Treasury I joined a Northwest Law Firm and focused my practice on plaintiff and plaintiff firm taxation. I now serve on the ABA TIPS Plaintiffs’ Practice Committee and Chair the Society of Settlement Planners’ Legal Committee. I write and speak on the subject in a Forbes Column, for trial lawyer audiences, and on CNN, Fox News, and CNBC.

Through my law firm Structured Legal I advise plaintiffs and plaintiff firms. Through my consulting firm Structured Consulting I build new settlement arrangements with trust companies, insurance companies, and other financial institutions.

Using my past experience advising nonprofits I worked with other plaintiff supporters to build the Plaintiff Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity that allows plaintiffs to raise medical funds from their community without losing government benefits.

An extra sentence in the settlement agreement can dramatically increase what a plaintiff keeps. Even in tax-free cases you can save your client from significant taxes – for example, by preserving millions in future medical expenses deductions, or by securing valuable tax subsidies.

This is a presentation for trial lawyers, not financial advisors. How can you issue-spot for tax opportunities (and risks) at settlement? And what steps can you take at engagement to protect you and your client from missing them?

The settlement agreement is your best tax tool. You can force the IRS to bear the burden of proof on audit. You can dramatically reduce the risk of audit. And you can memorialize facts needed to secure tax benefits.

To do so we’ll discuss how to spot potential taxation before signing and flag opportunities to avoid it. We walk through the use of the settlement agreement to effect and protect tax-saving strategies.

We’ll also walk through tax-subsidized and tax-advantaged arrangements. Each “solution” solves a unique problem. What is the “plaintiff double tax”? How can you avoid it? How can you settle while still preserving structured settlement options?

Lastly, we’ll cover the plaintiff firm’s ethical obligations on tax and financial issues. What if you don’t spot these issues? Can you exclude them from your scope of representation? What should you know when referring clients to settlement advisors?

No one expects you to become a tax lawyer. But your team may be in the best position to spot tax opportunities and risks. We’ll walk through what to watch for.

Jeremy Babener

Kathryn Wickenheiser

I grew up in Detroit as one of seven children. After high school, I attended Grand Valley State University on a full-ride swimming scholarship. After graduating from college, I worked in Washington, D.C., for Congressman Peter Hoekstra. Thereafter, I pursued a Master’s in Political Science at Wayne State University before teaching at Colorado Mountain College in Aspen, Colorado. After three years living in the best place on Earth, I decided I wanted to make a greater impact in my community. I therefore returned to school to earn my law degree from Michigan State University. Upon graduation, I returned to Colorado to start my own practice. Outside of my practice, I travel regularly. In the last 2 years, I have visited Aruba, Bali, Costa Rica, Curacao, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Mexico, and Spain. Outside of traveling, some of my favorite pastime activities include basketball, snowboarding, surfing, and wakeboarding.

Jerry Bowman

Michael Alder

I was born and raised in warm, sunny, Sherman Oaks, Ca. As a child, I loved to dance. Anywhere, anyhow, life was a stage, and I loved performing. Despite my distaste for cold weather, one day in 1997, I strapped into a rented snowboard and fell in love. Like dancing, but on jumps and handrails.

By the following fall, I moved to South Lake Tahoe to attend community college at night, and ride during the day. Almost immediately I was competing on the women’s professional slopestyle snowboard circuit and gaining sponsorship support.

After many years traveling, competing, coaching, and training year-round, I was ready to pass the torch to the next generation of kick assery girls who were just slaughtering it out there. On to law school I went.

People often ask, “Wasn’t it hard to go from Professional Snowboarder to Trial Lawyer?” The answer is an easy, “NO!” It’s almost identical. Nothing beats the feeling of standing on top of your run, about to drop in, all eyes on you, legs shaking in fear and excitement, visualizing the countless practice runs in your head, laser focus, adrenaline pumping, wondering why you keep putting yourself through this! Swearing that you’ll never do it again…. Then you drop in and everything around you just stops, and you’re in your moment. And somehow, it’s absolutely silent. And then you land, and the world comes back, and you sit down and think…. Man, I love this! Can’t wait to do that again!

Today I love sharing my passion for adventure and adrenaline with my ex-pro-freeskier husband and my 3 & 6-year-old boys. Between zoom meetings and trial prep, you'll find us riding dirt bikes while RV camping, skiing or snowboarding, and cheering from the little league or soccer fields.

Sarah Havens

I started trying cases right out of law school, and in my first year of practice, I tried 3 cases and haven't stopped since. I enjoy trying cases and always fight hard to represent my clients. I always wanted to help people, but it wasn't until I recently switched sides and got my first plaintiff verdict that I realized how much better it is to help people on the plaintiff side. I believe my knowledge of what works and does not work from many years and trials on the other side helps me to be a better advocate in seeking justice for my clients, and I have found working on the plaintiff side to be more rewarding and I am excited for what's ahead.

Jennifer Russell

I’m from Milwaukee, WI. I’m the oldest of six kids and three of us are lawyers. I’m married with two girls, 10 and 12. I enjoy skiing, working out, yoga, traveling with my wife and watching my kids play volleyball and going to their dance competitions. I went to Marquette Law School (no Wisconsin bar exam! Yeah) and graduated in 1998. I took the California bar last summer and passed on the first try. Looking forward to learning from all the great lawyers at the conference.

Robert Welcenbach

Tom is an experienced attorney at Brown & Crouppen, dedicated to advocating on behalf of injured persons against insurance companies. Since joining Brown & Crouppen in 2008, Tom has worked tirelessly to obtain fair results on behalf of his clients, including as a member of a team that secured a $618,000 jury verdict in Jackson County, Missouri Circuit Court in 2012. He has been involved in several other successful jury verdicts and appeals in Jackson County, Clay County, Wyandotte County, Johnson County, and the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District. He has also recovered several other $1 million to $6 million settlements for his clients in just the past few years. Tom has been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 every year since 2012.

Tom is licensed to practice in Kansas and Missouri and has represented clients and resolved cases on both sides of the state line. He received his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. While in law school, Tom received multiple honors, including placing second in the American Moot Court Association’s National Tournament and named Top Speaker. He also was part of the UMKC Law Review team and earned 5th Place in the CEDA Debate National Championships in 1990. He graduated from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

In addition to his work at Brown & Crouppen, Tom has been involved in several pro bono juvenile and family court cases in Jackson County, Missouri, including one that went to trial and led to a successful appeal in the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District. He also founded a downtown Kansas City business development organization and was involved in Kansas City’s downtown renaissance in the early 2000s. Tom is involved with DEBATE – Kansas City, which encourages student participation in high school debate programs in the inner city.

When not practicing law, Tom enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, jogging, and weight training. He also enjoys cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and Missouri Tigers.

Tom Davis

Michael Sanchez

I live and practice in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. I’m one of the few people in the World to experience a Cat 10 hurricane in 2017 - Irma on St Thomas and then Maria on St Croix two weeks later. Really puts “man” in perspective to the power of Nature/God. I hand-planted an orchard and have 30 different Caribbean fruit trees and also I have a “Bush Tea” garden. I’ve sued for federal voting rights for US Citizens in the Territories but lost. I’ve run for the local Senate - and lost too - but I’ll run again and one day you may see a jumbo jet of military veterans from the USVI escorting our 3 representatives to Congress. My wife is from Ukraine and her dad, brother and uncle are fighting for freedom and democracy in Ukraine. We have sent 2 dozen drones to Ukraine which helped target 2 tanks and 3 APVs. Outside of law, I’m likely chasing a 16 month old. And if I have the rare free morning - I may be paddle-boarding or fixing pot-holes.

J. Russell Pate

Alex Guerrero

I grew up in rural Conway, SC, and my first job was at the age of six as a farmhand on my grandfather's tobacco farm in Horry County. I have worked and made money every year since. Hot, humid summer days in the tobacco fields were my inspiration to get a good education and work in a climate-controlled environment. My father was a high school teacher and football coach who had been co-captain of the 1957 South Carolina Gamecock football team. Coach Derrick was very competitive, and his children were raised to compete to win in anything they pursue. Everything was a competition, including who could be the most productive in their summertime farming jobs, who could make the best grades in school, and who could win a particular athletic competition. I earned a football scholarship to Wofford College, where I played for four years. After graduating, I coached college football at East Tennessee State University for one year, where I met my wife, Michelle. We were married in 1985, the same year I began law school at the University of South Carolina. I graduated in 1987 and began practicing in Horry County in 1988. Due to early success in the courtroom, I worked my way into a partnership after just three years. In 1991, I left the partnership and established Derrick Law Firm Injury Lawyers. I am a founding member and elder of The Rock, Conway's Community Church, and have been involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for over 45 years. My wife and I have two sons, Dakota and Peyton, the perfect daughter-in-law, Taylor, and two grandchildren, Able and Winnie.

Dirk Derrick

Raquel Gomes is the Co-Founder and CEO of Stafi, a company that helps law firm owners grow their practices without sacrificing their personal lives. With a background in psychology and an MBA in International Business, Raquel climbed the corporate ladder in the high-tech industry before founding Stafi.

After hitting a breaking point trying to balance a demanding career and family life, she created Stafi to offer law firms top-tier virtual staffing from Latin America, combined with hands-on support to ensure law firms can scale efficiently while maintaining balance.

Raquel Gomes

Jordan M. Jewkes is the founder and managing attorney of The Jewkes Firm, a results-driven personal injury law firm serving clients all across Georgia, including Fayette County, Coweta County, and the greater Atlanta area. With nearly two decades of legal experience, Jordan brings a rare and valuable perspective to personal injury litigation — before representing injured individuals, he worked as an insurance defense attorney. This background gives him critical insight into how insurance companies evaluate claims, defend lawsuits, and attempt to minimize payouts.

Today, Jordan uses that insider knowledge to level the playing field for victims of car accidents, trucking crashes, slip and falls, wrongful death, medical and dental malpractice, and other serious injuries. His clients benefit from a strategy-driven approach that anticipates insurance tactics and aggressively pursues maximum compensation. His results speak for themselves, having secured millions in compensation for his clients.

But beyond the courtroom, Jordan is a proud husband, father of four, and a man of deep faith. He and his family live in the South Metro Atlanta area, where they’re actively involved in the community — from school events, service outreaches, church activities and local youth sports. The Jewkes family also includes a beloved family cavapoo dog named “Bear,” rounding out a life rooted in values, service, and connection.

Jordan is known not only for his strong trial skills, but for being genuinely trustworthy, responsive, and hardworking. Clients often describe him as someone who listens, who cares, and who gets results.

Jordan is active in and served in leadership roles in various local and state bar associations and has contributed to numerous civic organizations, including speaking and presenting on various topics. He is committed to raising the standard of legal advocacy and overall safety in Georgia, both inside and outside the courtroom.

Jordan Jewkes

Taylor is a partner at Gideon Asen LLC (www.gideonasen.com). He specializes in medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Taylor has multiple seven figure verdicts, including the largest sex abuse verdict in the history of Maine.

Taylor Asen

Attorney Christian Petronelli offers aggressive and compassionate representation to his clients, and is pride to represent the “little guy” when the deck is stacked against them. Christian handles all types of employment cases, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, unpaid wages, meal and real break claims, disability claims, and class action claims. He strives to provide excellent representation to his clients, and works tirelessly to obtain the best possible outcome for each of his clients.

Since 2015, Christian has been ranked by Super Lawyers as one of the top Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyers in California. In his career, he has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of his clients.

Christian Petronelli

I grew up on the southside of Milwaukee going to Catholic school, playing tons of baseball, and working at my parents’ ice cream shop at the age of 12. I added a job selling shoes at a local shoe store during high school to help make ends meet for my family. It’s at these jobs I learned at a young age the value of hard work, developing relationships with people, and the art of selling. As the second person to go to college (after my older sister) and the first person to go to law school in my family, I thought a law degree would propel me to a career as a progressive politician. But after clerking for a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice after graduating from law school, working at big silk-stalking corporate firm, and then taking a leave to run for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2004 and losing, what I was really meant to do found me. I was recruited to join the firm I’ve been at over 20 years, Cannon & Dunphy, by an attorney I met during the State Assembly campaign. Everything happens for a reason – it’s crazy – and I’m so lucky. I’ve been fortunate to be trained and mentored by Inner Circle member Pat Dunphy. I credit his mentorship for the successes I’ve had including the 2017 Wisconsin Trial Lawyer of the Year, being a member of ABOTA, as well as a member of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB). And I got to itch my political bug after serving as the 2023 President of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ) and continue to do so as co-chair of WAJ’s Legislative Task Force – so I get to take our fight in the courtroom to Wisconsin’s capitol in Madison.

And here’s a story that will tell you a little bit about me and my family: During the summer of 1994 I interned for a member of Congress in Washington, D.C. 1994 was the summer of O.J. and the white Bronco – and Coolio’s hit “Fantastic Voyage” – and Forrest Gump. One night I may have been stumbling back after a night out with my friends and stopped at a palm reader at like 2 a.m. The palm reader said I’d meet my wife in the next year and have four to six children. I met my wife Sherry eight months later (at a bar – another good story) and we have five children – four boys and our little a girl. Crazy.

Finally, as much as I love being a trial lawyer, if I could do it all over again I wouldn’t be a politician like I originally thought. Rather, I’d be a late-night talk show host, pro golfer, or late 80s to early/mid 90s alternative rock lead singer (think INXS – or maybe even a little Jane’s Addiction – and definitely some Beastie Boys).

Al Foeckler

I was Born in Bogotá, Colombia, I moved to Los Angeles with my parents at a young age. From the age of 13, I worked weekends and vacations in the family business, which specialized in the aerospace industry. This experience ignited my entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, I have ventured into several businesses. Ranging from the telecommunications industry to document destruction (shredding) and now a law firm focusing on housing and personal injury. Not all have been successful, however, all have been a learning experience.

As an entrepreneurial lawyer with over two decades of independent law practice, I have honed a deep-seated passion for advocating on behalf of disadvantaged communities. This commitment not only defines my career but also enriches my professional journey, driving me to deliver impactful legal solutions where they are most needed. Outside of my professional life, I am an avid boater, kayaker and hiker. These activities let me connect with nature but also provide a respite from my busy law practice.

Eric Castelblanco

ric Gerard is a former prosecutor and accomplished trial lawyer fiercely committed to protecting our communities. He has recovered over $250 million from reckless corporations and their insurance companies in the last 5 years alone.

Eric brings endless energy and a drive for excellence to everything he does. He graduated in the top 10% of his class from the prestigious University of Virginia School of Law, winning national honors in mock-trial competitions, trying cases as a student prosecutor in Philadelphia and Richmond, and publishing a peer-reviewed journal article on neuroimaging evidence—all while completing a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University’s top-ranked foreign policy school. He earned the top score in the country when he took the Texas Bar Exam.

Eric began his career as a prosecutor, serving in the Trial Division of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York before joining the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. His criminal trials spanned a range of offenses and subject matter, from international money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy to murder-for-hire, identity theft, and foreign sex trafficking. Serving in DOJ’s white-collar and major crimes divisions with TS-SCI clearance, he also led complex, often high-profile investigations of pain doctors and pharmacy chains fueling the opioids crisis, arms dealers exporting weapons to terrorists, fraudulent medical clinics and military contractors cheating taxpayers, and a corrupt DEA agent caught laundering money for foreign drug cartels.

Eric Gerard

I grew up in California and was in trouble a lot in school, but excelled at playing music. I also loved lawyer movies (To Kill a Mockingbird, A Few Good Men, Philadelphia, etc.), but I didn't know any lawyers growing up. It wasn't until my final year of majoring in music theory in college that it occurred to me to go to law school. I loved my time at the University of Oregon School of Law and, for the first time, excelled as a student (the law review, Order of the Coif, Mock Trial Team, etc.). I then worked initially as a public defender, then for a year as a corporate defense attorney, but then decided to work for myself and move back to California. I eventually founded Bay Area Bicycle Law, where I work to this day alongside my partner, Lucy Allen, and a few other family members/friends. These days, I spend the vast majority of my time on TBI and Wrongful Death cases.

Michael Stephenson

 who has focused his career on catastrophic personal injury, product liability, nursing home abuse, police brutality / civil rights, and truck accident cases. At heart, he is a storyteller who takes pride in becoming his client’s voice during the litigation process and trial. His most recent success in achieving a 

 highlights how Shahrad’s dedication to being an ever-improving personal injury trial lawyer paid off for his client in a difficult case.

Since the beginning of his career, Shahrad has worked on catastrophic injury cases such as 

 (TBI), serious orthopedic injuries, including quadriplegia and paraplegia. He has also worked with other law firms as a consultant for trials, litigation in personal injury, police brutality, and 

 that resulted in significant pre-litigation settlements. His wealth of high stakes litigation, trial, and mediation experience, gives Shahrad an edge in protecting his clients’ interests and telling their stories.

Shahrad gained his trial and courtroom experience while working with the district attorney’s office and as a civil trial attorney. He has handled cases from inception to verdict as the primary trial attorney. Over the past 22+ years, Shahrad has handled serious personal injury and 

 involving tires, motorcycles, trucks, big rigs, buses, ATVs, as well as household and industrial products.

Shahrad has been at the forefront of promoting the use of technology in trial presentations and has tried numerous cases to verdicts with significant results. He developed one of the first comprehensive courses on how to effectively use an iPad in a trial. Utilizing his research and understanding of human decision-making and technology, Shahrad has been incredibly effective in telling his clients’ stories in a compelling and human way.

Shahrad is also an experienced mediator who has effectively mediated over 120 cases involving personal injury, product liability, guardianship, property, business and community disputes. His trial and mediation experience make Shahrad a very effective 

 who can see cases from many angles. This provides him with significant advantage against his opponents and allows for a much more effective approach in presenting his clients’ cases.

As an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Law, Shahrad taught trial skills and coached the Golden Gate trials teams between 2001-2014. Shahrad has taught mediation skills to attorneys, mediators, human resources, psychologists, and other professionals. He has taught in training programs for Rosenberg Mediation, Center for Human Development, and the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is also an instructor with the 

National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA)

 teaching in NITA’s trial and deposition training programs. Shahrad is also a proud member of the Board of Directors for 

Shahrad Milanfar

Attorney Brett A. Eckstein has dedicated his career to representing clients in need of experienced personal injury, appellate, and civil rights legal representation. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Marquette University Law School, where he was a member of the Moot Court, the Marquette Law Review, and was on the dean’s list. Following his graduation, Mr. Eckstein worked as a law clerk under Wisconsin Court of Appeals Chief Judge R. Thomas Cane and Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis B. Butler, Jr.

Brett A. Eckstein

Melissa Scartelli

I was born in Moscow and immigrated to the United States when I was six years old. I grew up in Sunnyside, Queens playing stickball on NYC streets and was a big Mets fan. My father worked in a printing company in midtown Manhattan that published magazines like the Heavy Metal magazine Circus among others. My mother worked for Eagle Electric in Long Island City as an engineering aide. We spoke Russian at home and loved to take vacations to a lake in Maine during the summer months. In high school, I was on the debate team competing throughout NYC and continued in college as part of APDA going up against Ted Cruz from Princteon, Austan Goolsbee from Yale, and other top speakers. My favorite debate was a trip from NYC to Stanford where my partner and I made the finals and debated a funny topic about the World Wrestling Federation in front of a large audience. After my undergrad at Vassar College, I backpacked through Europe all summer and started law school at UT Austin in Texas. I am admitted in NY & TX and have been doing plaintiff's personal injury since 1999. I love helping serious injury victims and families. I started a YouTube channel that is growing with over 2 million views. In the year before Covid, I tried nine (9) cases with two seven figure results. I am on a journey to become the best trial lawyer I can be. In my spare time, I play tennis, pickleball, and a little ping pong. My favorite foods are seafood, sushi, and ramen. I am married with 2 kids, a 15 year old boy who can whip me at tennis and a 10 year old girl who is an amazing artist and gymnast. My wife who also plays tennis keeps me balanced and prevents me from overpreparing for trial.

Arkady Frekhtman

Robyn Wishart, personal injury lawyer and founder of Wishart Brain and Spine Law LLP in Vancouver BC, has represented clients in the BC Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal since March 2001. Robyn’s practice focuses on catastrophic and complex personal injury cases, as well as insurance litigation. For the first 7 years of her practice Robyn represented some of the largest insurance companies including Lloyds of London. Robyn is a highly respected trial 

 lawyer in both Canada and the United States.

Robyn Wishart

My parents divorced when I was a very impressionable 6-years-old, and my mom could not afford a divorce lawyer. After hearing about the difficult situation that my mom was trying to escape from, a solo practitioner decided to help my mom 

. Ever since, I’ve wanted to be a lawyer so that I could help people in need. A couple of decades later, I find myself doing exactly the kind of work my 6-year-old self hoped I would be doing. As the cherry on top, I get to work with my family, which is a great joy that I do not take for granted.

Brittany Sanders Robb

Sharif is a trial lawyer at Broughton Injury Law and of counsel with The Hanzel Law Firm. He tried cases as a United States Army JAG Officer and as a Drug and Vice Prosecutor, served as a Federal Judicial Law Clerk at a trial court, and now takes cases to trial as a personal injury and criminal defense lawyer. There is nothing more professionally exciting for Sharif than preparing for and going to trial. And there is no greater privilege for Sharif than getting results for his clients.

Sharif cares deeply about his work and the people he represents. His record is evidence of this: in the Army, he successfully defended hundreds of soldiers at trial, in adverse administrative proceedings, and under investigation; as a prosecutor, he pursued justice for victims and earned a reputation among judges and defense attorneys for being persuasive and fair; and as a personal injury lawyer, he has won millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements.

Sharif represented Soldiers and Officers of all ranks in the Army, to include members of Delta Force and the Special Operations community. He was stationed at Fort Bragg and at Fort Stewart. But he also handled cases while deployed, to include a sexual assault separation board in the Sinai in which his client was exonerated after a full-day trial.

Sharif graduated valedictorian and as a distinguished military graduate from the Virginia Military Institute. Among other honors, his class elected him to serve as a prosecutor on VMI’s Honor Court, where he prosecuted honor offenses and first discovered his love for trial work.

Sharif received his law degree from the University of Virginia. During law school, he served on the Virginia Journal of Criminal Law’s Managing Board; led an Army Reserve Drill Sergeant Unit; and clerked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Solicitor General’s Office.

Sharif earned his masters of law degree in trial advocacy from the Temple University Beasley School of Law, which has consistently been ranked as the nation’s top trial training program for more than twenty years. Sharif also graduated from the Gerry Spence Method — the premier training for trial lawyers who represent people.

Sharif Gray

Orlando De Castroverde has more than 20 years of experience practicing in the areas of 

 in 2005, Orlando is both a skilled trial lawyer and an experienced counselor. He oversees the firm’s attorneys and staff, and over the last five years, has helped the firm grow from 3 attorneys to 17, with 110 team members.

Orlando attended Cuesta Junior College and in 1997 received his undergraduate degree from California State-Fullerton. While at Cuesta, Orlando wrestled, and was a Junior College All-American and later a two-time NCAA Division I qualifier at California State-Fullerton.

He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi in 2000, graduating Magna Cum Laude. At the University of Mississippi, Orlando earned the American Jurisprudence Award in three of his courses. He also obtained the highest MBE score in the state of Nevada for the Nevada State Bar Exam in 2000.

Following law school, Orlando De Castroverde clerked for District Court Judge Lee Gates for approximately a year and a half and then began to work for his father, attorney 

Within weeks of going to work for his father, Orlando and Waldo tried a seven-count felony case in which the state charged Orlando’s client with defrauding the Bellagio for failing to pay back $300,000 in casino markers.

Orlando was tasked with the jury selection, opening statement, and cross-examination of several of the state’s key witnesses. After a four-day trial, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. It was the first not guilty verdict on such a casino marker case in Las Vegas.

Like his older brother, Orlando was inspired to become a lawyer by his father, Waldo (1941-2014).

A Cuban immigrant, Waldo decided to become a lawyer when Orlando was a young man growing up in Reno, NV.

Orlando saw his parents work hard to make Waldo’s goal a reality – his mother worked as a dealer in a casino to support the family, and his father worked and attended night school.

After Waldo graduated from law school and started his practice, Orlando and Alex helped out in his office, an experience that inspired both brothers to become lawyers.

Orlando is fluent in Spanish and represents Spanish-speaking clients. He is active in the Southern Nevada community, serving as a member of the Nevada Justice Association’s membership committee and as a Guardian of Justice.

Orlando is also on the Board of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Department Foundation, where he helps the Foundation raise money to support LVMPD and the Las Vegas community.

Orlando De Castroverde

I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, where I attended Andover High School. I later attended John Carroll University, where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. After college, I went on to attend Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, where I received my Juris Doctor.

My interest in the law started at a young age. When I was a child, my father was involved in a serious work-related accident at the automobile factory where he worked. I remember the struggles my family faced during that time and the difficulties my father went through while recovering from his injuries.

One moment that has stayed with me ever since was when my father’s attorneys came to our home with the settlement check for his injuries. I remember seeing the relief on my parents’ faces when that financial support finally arrived. That experience had a lasting impact on me and ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in law. It showed me how meaningful the work of a lawyer can be for families going through difficult times.

Today, my practice focuses primarily on personal injury and employment law. I have tried many cases to verdict, including car accident cases, slip and fall claims, and other serious injury matters. My goal is to help injured clients navigate the legal process and pursue the compensation they deserve.

I also represent employees in cases involving workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, and hostile work environments. Over the years, I have handled hundreds of employment cases and recovered millions of dollars for my clients.

I approach every case with the mindset that it may ultimately go to trial. I continue to study trial advocacy and attend seminars so I can keep improving as a trial lawyer. In my experience, the best way to hold large corporations and insurance companies accountable is through preparation, persistence, and a willingness to take a case all the way to trial if necessary.

Helping people during difficult moments in their lives is the reason I chose this profession, and it continues to motivate the work I do every day.

Patrick Kang

Scott S. Bethune is a founding member of the law firm Davis Bethune Jones. Scott concentrates his trial practice in the areas of complex litigation, personal injury/wrongful death cases, product liability, and mass torts.

Scott is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers, and has been inducted as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, serving as President of the Western MO/Eastern KS Chapter in 2012. Scott is also a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America and member of the Trial Law and Diversity Law Institutes.

Scott served as a Commissioner and Secretary of Missouri’s Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission from 2016-2021 and was a member of the 16th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission from 2010-2015.

Scott is listed in The Best Lawyers of America ® and was named Lawyer of the Year for Mass Torts Litigation in Kansas City for 2017 and 2021, Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury for 2018, Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation for 2020 and 2023, and Lawyer of the Year for Medical Negligence for 2022. Missouri Lawyers Weekly lists Scott as one of the POWER 30 attorneys for Personal Injury Law and Top 100 Attorneys in Missouri and Kansas.

Scott currently serves on The Missouri Bar Board of Governors, representing District 12. Scott was President of Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association in 2015, is on the Board of Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation and served as President of the Board of Trustees for the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Foundation from 2018-2023. In 2015, Scott was presented with the Pat Kelly Service Award from the UMKC Law Foundation and Law Alumni Association.

Scott Bethune

Maxey Scherr

I was born in New York and lived there until my parents lost everything in the winter of 79-80 and moved us to Florida. We first lived in a campground in South Florida. Working our way back from a tent to an RV, to a townhouse was a character-building experience for our whole family. I am proud of those humble beginnings, and they steeled in me a mantra to never take things for granted and that with hard work anything is possible. I grew up for the most part in Ponce Inlet, Florida surfing and playing sports. I attended the University of Florida, obtaining my BSBA in Finance and Juris Doctorate degrees with honors. I went to law school to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. Along the way, I took Trial Practice and fell in love with the Courtroom and being a trial lawyer. I worked as an insurance defense attorney for over 7 years, defending car crash cases, medical malpractice cases, insurance claims, etc. In 2001, I switched sides and started my own firm representing those injured and killed at the hands of others. My crusade into trucking and CMV crash cases started in 2008 when I signed up my first real trucking case. I represented the family of a beautiful 19-year-old girl killed by a tractor pulling double trailers down a little county road in Florida. The truck driver was illegally driving the county roads between Jacksonville and Tampa, but logging the miles like he drove I-95 to I-4, so he could run one more trip without being over hours in his logbook, even though he clearly was. What was worse, the local terminal managers for the over 5,000-unit national motor carrier were training its drivers to do this! I dove into the applicable regulations and laws, I was relentless in written discovery and depositions, and consulted the pioneer trucking attorneys like Joe Fried. At the conclusion of that case, we were able to: 1) tell the family exactly what happened and why; 2) obtain a substantial recovery for her family; 3) educate the trucking company of the improper training and company sanctioned hours of service violations; and 4) get the large national motor carrier to agree to never drive tractors pulling double trailers on the county roads of Florida again. I was hooked. The greatest reward in handling trucking cases is when you can get safety measures changed or improved and knowing that there are potential clients you will never meet because you prevented future crashes and saved their lives. Since that case, I decided to jettison all other types of PI cases and for the last 8 years have handled almost exclusively tractor trailer, bus, and commercial motor vehicle crash cases. I was among the initial class of 9 lawyers that achieved NBTA board certification in Truck Accident Law. I am also Board Certified in Civil Trial by the Florida Bar and the NBTA. I have been in leadership in many of the national trial lawyer leadership organizations that deal with these cases. I am a past president of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, past chair of the AAJ Bus Litigation Group, Chair-Elect of the AAJ Interstate Truck Litigation Group, Co-Chair of the Florida Justice Association Truck Litigation Group, and remain on the board of the National Board of Trucking Trial Advocates and the Board of Regents for the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. My passion is pursuing justice for these families and helping other great trial lawyers do the same. Whether through being active on listserv, sharing forms, depositions and documents, teaching at various programs, or helping strategize via zoom or a telephone call. When I am not working, I am hanging out with my wife and daughters, coaching soccer, when I can surfing or playing golf.

Joseph Camerlengo

I was born into a family of trial lawyers. My parents started their husband-and-wife Plaintiffs’ firm in the mid-80s, and growing up in the 1990s I thought that all law partners had to be married to each other. Sure enough, after clerking and a couples of years at a biglaw firm in New York City, I joined my parents’ law firm and I am married my law partner, Brittany. We now have the privilege of representing injured people and their families in their greatest time of need, with a focus on aviation accidents. Because I get to work alongside my family on behalf of such deserving clients, I consider myself to be a very, very lucky lawyer.

Andrew Robb

Ike Kaludi

I was born into a military family. Originally from Texas, my father was in the US Army. He retired to Houston, Texas when I was in high school. I have been in Houston ever since. I played college soccer at Houston Christian University, and graduated with a double major in political science and communications. I went to law school at South Texas College of Law. I started my career doing defense work at Fulbright & Jaworski, and have been practicing plaintiffs’ law for 34 years. I have been president of the Houston Bar Association and State Bar of Texas, and have been active in several other bar associations and groups. I am board certified in personal injury law, as well as in civil trial law. My wife, Alex Farias-Sorrels, and I started our firm about four years ago and we have 20 lawyers now. On a personal basis, I have six children, including two who are lawyers.

Randall Sorrels

I grew up in Milwaukee, WI and studied philosophy at the University of Iowa. After graduating and bouncing around different career paths I decided to go to law school. I eventually joined my father in his family law practice. I quickly realized family law wasn’t for me. I was unhappy and didn’t see a future for myself in law. Every so often we would take in a personal injury case. Since I didn’t want to handle divorces or family law cases, the personal injury cases wound up on my desk. Around that time, I was introduced to Gerry Spence, Trial Lawyers University, Trial Guides, and things started clicking. In 2022, I tried my first case and won. From that point on I knew I was meant to be a jury trial lawyer. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to becoming the best trial lawyer I can be. I recently founded Trial Lawyers of Wisconsin with my partner, Bob Welcenbach. We have already obtained a handful of 6, 7, and 8 figure results. When I’m not working, I’m spending time with my wife Megan and my two daughters, Kennedy and Quinn.

Michael Karp

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. My grandfather was both a coal miner and a farmer, and my great-grandfather farmed in western Missouri. I come from a big, close-knit family that taught me the value of hard work, grit, and looking out for each other. Even now, our Buchanan family reunion brings nearly a hundred of us back to the farm. That upbringing shapes how I approach my work — I listen closely, work relentlessly, and believe that everyone deserves to be heard.

Early in my legal career, I graduated from a top law school and worked in Big Law, in-house, and on the defense side for excess insurers. But I didn’t feel fulfilled until I found the courage to switch sides and start representing people — real people — who were hurt and needed someone to fight for them. That’s when I found my purpose.

Outside the courtroom, I love skiing (especially soft bumps), photographing the quiet beauty of nature, or just spending time at home with my family and dogs on a snowy day. I believe in big skies, strong coffee, and the power of a well-told story.

Deena Buchanan

Our principal attorney, George Moschopoulos, graduated with distinction from Texas A&M University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. In 1999, Mr. Moschopoulos received a Master of Science Degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Structural Engineering and went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree, 

, from Whittier Law School. While at Whittier Law School, Mr. Moschopoulos earned five academic awards of excellence in subjects such as advanced legal skills, corporations, and white collar crime.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. Moschopoulos was the principal of his own engineering practice which offered engineering services throughout the United States. Mr. Moschopoulos has also served in a management position in the construction industry. This experience provided Mr. Moschopoulos with a practical perspective in approaching legal scenarios.

Mr. Moschopoulos is committed to fighting for clients’ rights and providing the best legal representation.

George Moschopoulos

Tim McKey co-founded Vista Consulting in 2009 with a clear mission: to help plaintiff law firms unlock their full potential. With decades of CPA experience at local, regional, and national levels, Tim brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Yet, it is his passion for consulting that truly sets him apart. Through his prior consultancy practice, he has guided countless business owners toward defining and achieving success professionally and personally

Tim Mckey

Ted Wacker

I was born in Ames, Iowa and immediately relocated to Ventura, CA. My family moved frequently while I was young and eventually settled down in a small town in Kentucky. I was fortunate to get an ROTC scholarship to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. After Xavier, I attended the University of Kentucky for law school where I was on the National Moot Court Team that won the regional competition and placed nationally. After law school, I went on active duty in the U.S. Army serving as judge advocate. I served as prosecutor, defense counsel and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney culminating in handling a federal capital murder trial. Upon leaving the Army, I started handling asbestos cases and have tried mesothelioma cases across the country. In 1999, I attended the Trial Lawyers College and have continued to study trial advocacy. I have three beautiful children who will be fighting for justice when I am long gone.

Scott Frost

As a father, I not only understand the legal aspects of personal injury and criminal defense, but I also know how it affects families. Legal troubles, I strive to find justice for all of my clients in a timely and cost-effective manner. I also try cases. That is important to you because you need a lawyer who will fight for you to get justice. I'm a lifetime Red Sox fan, love to spend time with my Wife Ally and two boys, David, 25, and Thomas, 26, and continue to try a lot of cases each year. I am proud to be a trial lawyer and strive to have each client walk away knowing I fought on their behalf. I have been voted a Top 40 Personal Injury "Super Lawyer" multiple years, and four times I have been voted one of the Top 100 Minnesota "Super Lawyers". I'm active with TLU, CRISP, and Injuryboard.

Michael Bryant

I was born and raised Ocean Springs, Mississippi. I went to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA and earned a degree in Civil Engineering. After working for an engineering firm while in college, I knew I was not meant to be an engineer. I went back to Mississippi for law school. My Dad got me a job back in Ocean Springs with a great trial lawyer after my first year of law school. This is where I knew I would dedicate my life to helping people. While waiting on my bar results, Katrina destroyed the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast. I went to work as a DUI defense lawyer, and having all my court closes lost in the storm, I began trying DUI cases in jeans, a golf shirt, and a borrowed sports coat. After court one day, I stopped by my Dad’s makeshift office – his building was being gutted from the flooding of Katrina. After speaking for a while, my dad suggested I come work with him. So, working with him, I tried every type of case you can imagine, divorces, custody, construction, possession, DUI, domestic violence, and the occasional car wreck. Each day going to a different court room and trying a different case. Trial by fire. Then in 2010, I was appointed to represent a 14-year-old charged with capital murder. In July, my co-counsel and I tried the case for a week and the jury stayed out for 8 hours. Then found the young kid guilty, Almost all the jurors were crying when the verdict was read. The Mississippi Supreme Court reversed. In summer of 2015, we tried it again – this time in Oxford, MS in the courthouse in the middle of the town square – right out of a seen of a John Grisham book. This time with the guidance of David Ball, our now 20-year-old client was set free after spending 6 years in some of the worst prisons in Mississippi as a kid. After that, I was asked to represent a number of people against a corrupt local sheriff and got a verdict against him for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Most importantly, I’m the father of four amazing children and have a wonderful wife. My wife, while being a truly badass trial lawyer, is an amazing mother to our children. We spend most of our time traveling trying to spend time with our children, whether it be at a soccer tournament, cheer competition, football game, or spending the weekend tailgating in Oxford or Starkville with our college age kids.

Monte Tynes

I have been a resident of Brevard County since 1987. I graduated from Satellite High School in 2000 and received my undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 2004. This course of study trained me to develop the critical thinking and logical analysis that I would later utilize when I began working on my law degree at the University of Florida. After law school, I had the opportunity to continue my education and earn a Masters of Law (LL.M.) at the University of Miami. This rigorous program honed my analytical abilities, gave me an appreciation for the importance of attention to detail, and gave me immense experience in analyzing complex statutes and case law. After completing my masters degree at the University of Miami, I was mentored by a federal prosecutor (Assistant United States Attorney) who invited me to watch one of his federal criminal jury trials. The pressure situation, the high stakes, and the competitive environment in the courtroom reminded me of my experience as a varsity swimmer at the University of Virginia. It was at that moment I realized that I was meant to be a trial attorney.

I began my legal career as a prosecutor at the 18th Circuit State Attorney’s Office in Brevard County. I handled thousands of cases, ranging from simple misdemeanors to serious felonies. During my time as a prosecutor, I developed my love for jury trials. I also cultivated a deep appreciation for advocating on behalf of victims who had been wronged. However, even after a successful jury trial as a prosecutor, there was never any meaningful compensation for crime victims. I knew that when I entered private practice and represented victims in the civil justice system, I would have the opportunity to bring true justice to victims and to obtain compensation for them that would allow them to move on with their lives. The adversaries became big insurance companies and businesses whose purpose it is to protect their bottom lines, rather than assist the injured.

I built my firm in Downtown Melbourne because my heart and soul are in Brevard County. The relationships I have in the community and within the legal profession have helped me to establish roots that will sustain me into the future. My firm has the strong support of very talented and experienced paralegals. We do our best to provide positive outcomes for our clients. We leave no stone unturned while investigating cases and are always ready to bring every case to trial if necessary.

What differentiates Andrew Pickett Law from many law firms that practice in the area of personal injury is that I have significant jury trial experience, and I am equipped to battle insurance companies and large corporations in the courtroom. Over the last 10 years, I have tried to verdict over 50 jury trials.

I am committed to continually honing my trial skills, my presentation abilities, and my public speaking. To that end, I have participated in several intensive trial seminars, including Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College, which I graduated from in 2018. This intensive 3-week program elevated my trial abilities and armed me with the trial skills that allowed me to obtain a verdict in the amount of $2.5 million against State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in May of 2019. I strive for continuous improvement of my trial abilities and dedicate significant time and resources to learn new skills and gain insights into the areas of cognitive science and psychology.

Andrew Pickett

I was born in Twin Falls, Idaho and grew up in Kimberly, Idaho. I attended Kimberly public schools from K-12 with mostly the same 69 people I graduated with. I was involved with everything, but particularly anything athletic or academic. We were a blue-collar family in a rural community. My Dad and my granddad both worked at the local sugar factory until retirement. A friend of my Dad’s from when he was at the local community college was a successful lawyer, so my Dad held him up as an example. Given my personality, being an advocate made sense. After high school, I attended college in Idaho and graduated from the University of Idaho for undergraduate and law school. During college, I worked as a landscaper, concrete installer, and pizza driver. During law school, I met my wife, Ellen who is my law partner. We have been married 24 years and live in Boise, Idaho. We have three kids, one college graduate, one college student, and one middle schooler. We have a German Shepherd and a “Shollie”. I like to run, walk, and learn. I am currently playing a lot of catch with an aspiring high school running back. I would be an amazing golfer if only I could make a damn putt

Bill Smith

The oldest of three boys born to a trial lawyer father and a Ph.D/lawyer mother, my early summer days were spent swimming at Lake Michigan and climbing the Grand Tetons Mountains. If we weren’t doing something physical, we were engaging in what our folks had instilled in us to love: Reading. I graduated from University of Missouri- Columbia ready, willing and able to sponge off of my dad’s largess to continue to go to school (i.e., law school at Mizzou). My mother frankly didn’t make a lot of money because she was always in school, climbing mountains, playing tennis and just basically being the greatest mother of all time. As an example, she actually interviewed for her dissertation Supreme Court Justices who wrote the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Weeks before I was to start law school, my dad was electrocuted due to a poorly designed hand drill. Note that the Missouri wrongful death cap at the time was a TOTAL of $25,000 (combination economic and/or non-economic). That injustice so infuriated me that it spurred me into what I still do today as a plaintiff’s attorney. From there I was shot out of a rocket launched into my career as the beneficiary of great trial lawyer mentors. Head and shoulders above all of the legal accolades I have been fortunate enough to receive, my whole world changed with the birth of my son (Bart) and daughter (Brooke) who now live in Los Angeles. I carry on the wanderlust inspired to me by my folks getting out to LA as often as I humanly can still in the water and on the mountains with my two kids. One of the guiding principles of my life was told to me by my mother who said that the secret to a fulfilling and happy life came in two words: “Remain curious!”. I hope I have lived up to the ideals of my mother and father.

Dirk Vandever

I grew up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I have one sibling and attended Catholic school until I went to college at Penn State. During high school, I witnessed a fatal car crash and that’s where my participation in the legal field began. While a junior at Penn State, I had to come back to my hometown to testify in the case. I arrived at the Plaintiff attorneys’ office and sat in a conference room for hours, reading my deposition transcript over and over again, before finding out the case settled. My trial testimony was not needed, but my account of the events that transpired helped the family recover a settlement from the insurance company.

A year later I decided I wanted to go to law school and attended Syracuse University. After a brief stint in Charlotte, North Carolina, I came back home and got in touch with the lawyer who represented the family in that car crash. His firm gave me an opportunity to clerk while studying for the bar. Once admitted, that firm hired me the same day. That firm is Fellerman & Ciarimboli and the Plaintiff’s attorney was Ed Ciarimboli. Seven years later I still work for Ed and Greg in our Radnor/Philadelphia office representing plaintiffs and helping them recover just compensation. I now live in King of Prussia, PA with my wife, who is also a lawyer, and our two dogs. I met my wife arguing against her in court. Ed’s partner and my boss, Greg Fellerman, put in a good word for me with her after the case settled and now, we are married. I golf every chance I get, I’m a fanatic Penn State fan, a pizza connoisseur, and love a glass of red wine or a bourbon with a cigar.

Corey Suda

Drew is a trial attorney who loves helping clients through difficult times. His client philosophy is simple: treat every client like a family member.
After graduating from Emory University School of Law (where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Honor Scholarship), Drew started his legal career as a felony prosecutor for the State of Florida, and tried more than 50 jury trials during his tenure. Drew and his wife then moved back to Georgia where he represented Fortune 500 companies in personal injury lawsuits.

After seven years of learning the ins and outs of how the defense industry protects itself against personal injury lawsuits, Drew decided to use his skills to represent people who have been injured by another’s negligence. Since he became a personal injury lawyer, Drew has worked for the largest personal injury firm in the country as well as a boutique litigation firm.
Drew has lectured on trial strategies and is frequently asked to co-counsel on cases with other attorneys. He has recovered millions of dollars for his clients since he became a personal injury attorney.

Drew Gilliland

Kelsey K. Ciarimboli was born and raised in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, just outside the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ms. Ciarimboli then attended and graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR).

After college, Ms. Ciarimboli attended Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she graduated cum laude in 2014. While attending Tulane University Law School, Ms. Ciarimboli held an externship position in New Orleans, Louisiana with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which confirmed her interest in the field of employment law.

Ms. Ciarimboli’s accolades at Tulane University Law School included managing editor of the Tulane Sport’s Law Journal and graduating Tulane University Law School in 2014 “with Honors”.

During law school, Ms. Ciarimboli worked as a Law Clerk for Attorney J. Patrick Connick, a New Orleans attorney and distinguished member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Connick’s firm specializes in personal injury law, and Ciarimboli concentrated her work efforts on cases related to the well-known BP Oil Spill class action.

Kelsey Ciarimboli

 dedicated to helping regular people fight insurance company greed, and he specializes in insurance bad faith, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death. If asked to describe what he does, Tim often explains: “I sue insurance companies when they act like jerks. They keep me very busy.”

Throughout his career, Tim has helped his clients recover millions of dollars in wrongly withheld insurance benefits, and Tim credits his success to his unique approach of treating clients like family to learn their human story. This approach allows Tim to tell his client’s story—to insurance companies, to mediators, or to juries—with empathy and compassion.

He currently serves as a Board Member of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, where he works with fellow attorneys to promote justice and protect the rights of injured individuals throughout Colorado.