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Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Sharif L. Gray and Nael A. Abouzaki

39 episodes

2 days ago

AI is not perfect yet, you still have to babysit it, but it's scary. Because two years ago I used AI and thought, "Well that was kind of like using a high school senior." Now when I'm using AI, it's like, "I'm using a second year associate." Penn Crawford joined us for a wide-ranging discussion. We talked about the realities of running a small, boutique law firm and what makes firms of this size effective for the people they represent. We also discussed the growing role of AI in legal practic...

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All content for Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers is the property of Sharif L. Gray and Nael A. Abouzaki and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

AI is not perfect yet, you still have to babysit it, but it's scary. Because two years ago I used AI and thought, "Well that was kind of like using a high school senior." Now when I'm using AI, it's like, "I'm using a second year associate." Penn Crawford joined us for a wide-ranging discussion. We talked about the realities of running a small, boutique law firm and what makes firms of this size effective for the people they represent. We also discussed the growing role of AI in legal practic...

Show more...

Episodes (20/39)

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

How Boutique Law Firms Stand Out | Penn Crawford (Personal Injury Lawyer)

AI is not perfect yet, you still have to babysit it, but it's scary. Because two years ago I used AI and thought, "Well that was kind of like using a high school senior." Now when I'm using AI, it's like, "I'm using a second year associate." Penn Crawford joined us for a wide-ranging discussion. We talked about the realities of running a small, boutique law firm and what makes firms of this size effective for the people they represent. We also discussed the growing role of AI in legal practic...

5 days ago

47 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Have the Confidence to Be Yourself in the Courtroom | Courtney Winston (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"My thought when I go into a courtroom, and I feel this way throughout the trial, is I just am welcoming people into my house. I go in, I talk to my jury, I make eye contact with them, and I try to talk to them the way that I would talk to anybody: a clerk at the grocery store or you guys - us sitting in this room doing this podcast. " The way we interact with a jury, particularly in voir dire, sets the tone for the trial and can make or break the case. Courtney Winston is an expert at ...

2 weeks ago

1 hour 9 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

The "Unite the Right" Aftermath and the Balance of Public Prosecution | Joe Platania (Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney)

"The community at the time was just furious with me for charging any of the counter-protestors with anything. And I was very sympathetic to the ideology of the counter-protestors, and was mortified by some of the viewpoints of the alt-right individuals. But I said, 'I have to prosecute conduct, not content,' and if you start picking sides, that's a scary thing." Joe Platania, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Charlottesville, joined us for a candid conversation about what it truly means to serv...

3 weeks ago

44 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

The Power of Cooperation Amongst Trial Lawyers | Tarun Rana (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"The number one takeaway is trust yourself. Because we know our stuff. We are better than them. They are inundated with so much work, and they're doing the same old stuff. We're going to conferences and learning cutting edge technology. So believe in yourself." Tarun Rana of Rana Law Group in St. Louis, MO joined us for a conversation about learning, improving, and working alongside other trial lawyers. Tarun shared his approach to trial preparation, his insight on building a successful pract...

1 month ago

54 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Justice Beyond Borders - Druze Voice for Change in Suwayda, Syria | Firas Alchoufi (International Arbitrator and Humanitarian)

"So in listening to this, whomever wants Syria to be unified, maybe the solution is to listen to this petition, to consider it, and to work really, genuinely, on reaching a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis." - Firas Alchoufi In this special episode, international lawyer, arbitrator and humanitarian Firas Alchoufi joins us to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis that is impacting his home province of Suwayda, in the southern part of Syria. The recent regime change in that countr...

1 month ago

1 hour 9 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

What Are We Asking of the Justice System? | Dr. Brad Lehmann (Criminal Justice Professor)

"This concept called the ethic of care: we've all heard this term 'care' before. And most of us who have had any type of training, a lot of times we are taught ethics from a formal or practical standpoint. But it doesn't always uplift the care side of things. So how do you do that? How do you adhere to the rules, the order, the law, and also balance that with the needs of all the people that we are talking about here?" Dr. Brad Lehman from Virginia Commonwealth University joins us for a fasci...

1 month ago

51 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Maximize Your Clients' Settlements | Jenny Sciadini (Settlement Consultant)

"Whether it's a $50,000 case or a $50 million case, it's ultimately helping people preserve their settlement funds, make sure that they are being smart financially, and protecting the financial security of their settlement." Jenny Sciadini is a Settlement Consultant who partners with attorneys and their clients to maximize the value of settlements while safeguarding government benefits and long-term financial stability. Driven by a passion for helping people, she ensures clients not only prot...

1 month ago

39 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

A Progressive Approach to Criminal Justice | Ramin Fatehi (Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney)

"I tell my prosecutors that being a public defender was one of the most important things for my career as a prosecutor, even though I only did it briefly. And it's a reason why I have a strong preference for hiring former public defenders and defense lawyers in my office." We sat down with Ramin Fatehi, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Norfolk, Virginia. From growing up in Iran to serving as a public defender in Richmond, Ramin now leads one of Virginia’s largest prosecutor’s offices. In our...

2 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

From Military Justice to Trial Law | Broughton Injury Law (Personal Injury Law Firm)

"You often think, if someone's going through a hard time, what is the way that you can help them? And here was something I had to offer. I felt like this is something I can do. This is something I can give to them." - Gray Broughton In this special episode, Nael interviews the team at Broughton Injury Law Firm, including founder Gray Broughton, attorney Zac Grubaugh, and our own Sharif Gray. We explore their career paths, the firm's origin and mission, and the importance of stepping out...

2 months ago

50 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Turn Your Bad Facts Into Arrows | Dillon Hobbs (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"I just owned the bad facts. I talked about them, I mentioned them to the jury. I'm making eye contact with the jury, they're making eye contact with me. And I just had this feeling like, 'I think we've got a good shot here.' It was like this osmosis going on." Personal Injury Lawyer Dillon Hobbs of Birmingham, Alabama joined us to discuss his trial experience, the nuances of truly understanding and communicating with clients, and how putting yourself in their shoes is in fact a skill to be d...

2 months ago

47 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Practice vs. Performance: Understanding the Difference as Trial Lawyers | Dan Ambrose (Trial Conference Host)

"Practice means you're doing intentional movements. Practicing typically indicates you have a coach giving you feedback, or somebody's giving you feedback. If you haven't been trained, how do you know what's appropriate?" Dan Ambrose, founder of Trial Lawyers University (TLU), joins us to share the story behind one of the most influential training series for trial lawyers in the country. In just five years, TLU has become a must-attend training for trial lawyers serious about improving in and...

3 months ago

36 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Mastering Witness Preparation Method and Focus Groups | Elizabeth Larrick (Trial Consultant)

"Having done so many focus groups, you get a good, fine-tuned ear for what is clear testimony and what is not. The goal of this method is for people to be as comfortable as they can, but then have confident, clear testimony that is very credible." Trial Consultant Elizabeth Larrick joins us today to discuss the importance and methodology of both witness preparation and focus groups. Elizabeth shares her journey from being a plaintiff's trial lawyer to running her own consulting firm. We...

3 months ago

50 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Behind the Curtain with Two Former Defense Lawyers | John Merrick and Les Brock (Personal Injury Lawyers)

"The middle of a trial is the only place I've ever been where the thought came over me, 'This is where you belong. Right here. In this chaos.' Having some control over a situation that most people feel is totally out of control. You're in the eye of the storm, and it's calm there." -John Merrick Personal Injury Lawyers John Merrick and Les Brock spent a combined 25 years defending insurance companies and other large corporations, before moving to defend individuals and their families in...

4 months ago

1 hour 8 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Fighting for Survivors. Holding Predators Accountable | Guy D'Andrea (Sexual Abuse Lawyer)

"What is going to drive damages has little to do with what the client is going to say about their therapy records, and instead is going to have everything to do about the conduct of an organization and/or perpetrator. That's what drives the value." Guy D'Andrea is a passionate defender of victims of abuse, and has pursued justice against many notable religious institutions, boarding schools, massage therapists, healthcare providers and more. Today he shares what brought him to this work, how ...

4 months ago

46 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

The Business Side of a Personal Injury Law Firm | Beau Correll (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"We have the mindset that each case we're going to file suit on, we're intending to take it to trial. Absent a material difference or client ambivalence that arises later, we're taking them all to trial. But sometimes the insurance companies start to be more reasonable at the end when they know something big might hit them." Beau Correll leads a busy plaintiffs personal injury law firm, anchored in Virginia's Northern Shenandoah Valley, and today we talk about how he and his team balance a st...

4 months ago

54 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

"Vulnerability is Strength" | Andrew Caple-Shaw (Trial Consultant)

"Just because the jury can't use words, doesn't mean they can't talk to you, it doesn't mean they can't communicate with you. So really listen and really talk." Andrew Caple-Shaw joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast. Andrew is the managing partner at Act of Communication and a professional actor with nearly four decades of experience. He brings the art of performance and a deep understanding of human behavior to the courtroom and to witness preparation—trainin...

5 months ago

1 hour 14 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

The Power of a Healthy Mindset | Michael Cowen (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"All you can do is guide and arm your good jurors to go in there and fight for you." Michael Cowen is one of the most respected voices in the personal injury practice area. Over nearly 30 years, he has tried more than 100 cases and built a reputation for being both a skilled trial lawyer and a generous teacher. Michael started his career in corporate law in New York but chose to return home to Texas and fight for injured people—and he’s never looked back. His work gives him purpose, and he’s...

5 months ago

45 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Conduct Your Focus Groups Correctly | Jessica Brylo (Trial Consultant)

"Focus groups give you a lot of time to practice things that you don't get to practice in court. Getting your feet wet where you can do it without spending a bunch of money is really the only way you can do it these days." Jessica Brylo is a trial consultant specializing in jury selection, case framing, focus groups, and trial strategy. She has more trial experience than most practicing lawyers, so she knows what works and what doesn't. Jessica joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers and helped us bet...

6 months ago

48 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

Trying Cases the Right Way | Chris Finney (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"It's really important when you meet your client to develop that authentic connection. Because if I have an authentic connection with my client, we always have a better connection than the defense." Chris Finney joined us for this episode of RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss how he built his law practice, his commitment to doing trial work the right way, and the importance of building genuine relationships both in and out of the courtroom. Chris is the founder of Finney Injury Law in St. Louis, M...

6 months ago

53 minutes

Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers

"Your Client is Exhibit A, and There is No Exhibit B" | Rand Robins (Personal Injury Lawyer)

"The toughness and resilience of clients of mine, to see those people pick themselves up off the mat and carry on with life as best they can, is inspiring." Rand Robins joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. Rand initially studied journalism but found the investigative skills lent themselves well to gathering evidence. He steadily compiled a notebook of contacts and networks, through phone calls, lunch meetings and quick chats over coffee, that led him to the medical malpractice field, where he has ...

6 months ago

1 hour