From failed minister to car salesman to Oregon Secretary of State, Shemia Fagan has taken one of the more unconventional roads to plaintiff employment law. Now managing partner of six HKM Employment Attorneys offices and running over 200 active cases as the sole attorney on her team, Shemia joins guest host Stephen King and her partner Matthew Westerbeck to show how she does it: with Claude. Together they walk through a practical framework for trial lawyers — using the acronym TRIAL — covering AI-driven triage, research, intake review, advocacy prep, and continuous learning. Tune in for concrete strategies on email automation, judge simulation, deposition prep, and how AI frees lawyers to focus on the human skills no machine can replace. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Shemia Fagan | LinkedIn☑️ HKM Employment Attorneys LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Matthew Westerbeck | LinkedIn ☑️ Stephen King | LinkedIn☑️ Kings Justice Law☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU Beach 2027☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotShemia dropped out of a bachelor of divinity program at Boston University, sold cars for a couple of years to save for law school, then graduated from law school in Oregon in 2009 — building persuasion skills at every stage.While working at a corporate defense firm, Shemia simultaneously served in the Oregon legislature, passing paid sick leave and wage transparency laws — and quickly realized she would never make partner at a firm whose corporate clients were her political adversaries.Representing her mother in an age discrimination case, produced a settlement that let her mom buy her first home ever; that moment of purpose drew Shemia fully to the plaintiff side.After discovering Claude Cowork, Shemia spent the entire following weekend building email triage and expense-report automation — a "camel's nose under the tent" that transformed how she runs her practice.The episode introduces the TRIAL acronym — Triage, Research, Intake, Advocacy, Learning — as a practical roadmap for how plaintiff lawyers can deploy AI across every phase of their practice without sacrificing professional responsibility.Shemia used Claude to download all prior deposition transcripts of an opposing attorney 30 years her senior, extract their patterns and rule citations, and build a cheat sheet.Stephen King describes sleeping only an hour and a half per night during trial because AI had already anticipated every contingency — letting him stay fully present for the jury instead of managing logistics in his head.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Depression. Insecurity. Seven-figure verdicts that didn't feel like enough. Michael Cowen — national trucking lawyer, trial veteran with 130+ cases, and host of his own podcast — had achieved the kind of success most lawyers dream about, and it still wasn't working for him psychologically. The turning point came when he stopped chasing a specific result and started trusting the process. In this conversation with guest host Przemek Lubecki, recorded live at TLU Huntington Beach 2026, Michael opens up about the mindset overhaul that unlocked eight-figure verdicts, the mantra he still repeats while waiting for a judge to take the bench, and the firm-wide case review system he uses to prevent his lawyers from undersettling cases. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Michael Cowen | LinkedIn☑️ Cowen Law on Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube☑️ Przemek Lubecki | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode Snapshot★ Michael graduated from law school, clerked on the Fifth Circuit, and joined a big law firm in New York City.★ After moving back to Brownsville, Texas for his future wife, Michael joined a plaintiff firm under mentor Ed Stapleton, tried four cases in his first year, and inherited his own law firm just four years out of law school.★ Michael describes a prolonged period of cyclical depression, weight gain, and insecurity — driven by taking too much personal responsibility for case outcomes.★ His mindset transformation came through intensive coaching with Sari De La Motte, daily use of "The Miracle Morning" routine, and a mantra about trusting judges and juries that he still repeats silently in the courtroom.★ Michael explains that truly earning courtroom confidence requires two experiences: winning a case to prove it's possible, and losing a big one to prove you survive it.★ At Michael's firm, no commercial-policy case is allowed to proceed to a demand or mediation until the attorney has first presented it to the full firm at their weekly Tuesday lunch — a structured review designed to prevent undersettling.★ Michael's Big Rig Bootcamp (July 9) will feature live cross-examination demonstrations, medical testimony training, and a deep dive on why facet joint injuries treated with radiofrequency ablation are million-dollar cases.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Some lawyers find the work. Others are found by it. Patrick Kang, founder of Ace Law Group in Las Vegas, watched lawyers in suits change his family's life when he was a child — and never forgot it. When his father, a GM factory worker, had an engine fall on him, the settlement became seed money for a shoe store — and a chance at a better life. Patrick joins guest host Chris Hammons at TLU Beach. After three straight defense verdicts in 2017 nearly broke his confidence, Patrick stopped mimicking the “reptile” script and won by adapting it to his authentic style. Tune in for insights on a $15 million slip-and-fall verdict, a 15-year sexual harassment crusade, and why non-economic damages are where cases are truly won.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Patrick Kang | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Ace Law Group | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotPatrick's father, a GM factory worker, suffered a serious on-the-job injury when an engine fell on him; the resulting settlement funded a shoe store in Detroit and a move to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan — a turning point that Patrick now believes drove him toward law.After graduating from John Carroll University and Cooley Law School, Patrick moved to Las Vegas on his father's advice — the city had a fast-growing Korean population and zero Korean attorneys serving it, making him an immediate commodity at his first firm.Patrick founded Ace Law Group in June 2009 — the name chosen to work in both worlds: the Las Vegas playing card and the Korean cultural term for a standout individual.After three consecutive defense verdicts circa 2017 trying to deliver “reptile” scripts verbatim, Patrick decided to adapt the method to his own authentic style and began winning.A $15 million verdict against the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas for a slip-and-fall client who suffered a complete hamstring tear was built on non-economic damages.A 15-year personal crusade against Las Vegas sexual harassment defense culture ended with a $1.49 million jury verdict — won in part by a corroborating witness who spontaneously named the porn sites she caught the defendant doctor watching.Patrick builds client confidence heading into trial by wallpapering his office with 20 giant Post-it notes laying out the full trial plan: order of proof, key evidence etc. — then bringing clients in to see it.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Most lawyers leave legal conferences with a notebook full of ideas and no plan to use them. Mohamad Ahmad left TLU Beach 2026 having already texted his tech team to implement what he heard — and he hadn't even left the session yet. A plaintiff attorney and TLU veteran, Mohamad joins host Dan Ambrose for a candid debrief on what made this year's conference stand apart — starting with the pre-conference bootcamp, where his biggest takeaway was a surprisingly simple one: breath training. When a trial lawyer stops breathing under pressure, the jury feels it. Train the breath, and the performance becomes natural. Mohamad also breaks down the workshop he led on demonstratives and his team's lecture on extracting evidence from government agencies that routinely withhold it.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Kermani LLP | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode Snapshot★ Mohamad Ahmad describes TLU Beach 2026 as "the best 10 days of legal everything,” adding that he was genuinely sad when it ended.★ His biggest takeaway from the TLU Bootcamp: breath training — when you stop thinking and just breathe, the jury senses confidence instead of tension, and your performance becomes natural.★ Trial is like flying a plane with 25 moving parts; the bootcamp breaks each part down one at a time so that, in the courtroom, it all runs like a synchronized orchestra.★ Mohamad led a packed workshop on demonstratives for trial: using metaphors, props, the classroom space itself — and his partner Michael Carter's principle that "you yourself are a demonstrative."★ In a wrongful death case, Michael Carter places a casket in the courtroom "in a somber, credible way" and never violates that space — a powerful example of how physical demonstratives shape jury perception.★ Mohamad and his team gave a lecture on extracting information from public entities — police reports, ambulance and fire records, DA files — because government agencies, by choice or incompetence, routinely withhold evidence at first try.★ Brian Panish, in the middle of a trial that produced a $176 million compensatory verdict, showed up to TLU Beach on Saturday with a boot on his foot — a reminder that the top of the game still shows up every day.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Topgolf was warned in 2012. A risk manager photographed the exact spot, flagged it, recommended safety barriers. Almost a decade later, a nine-year-old boy was struck in that same spot at a Portland birthday party and left with a traumatic brain injury — three metal plates now holding his skull together. Anne Foster, founding member of Smith Foster King in Portland, tells guest host Chris Hammons how she built the case around a decade of ignored warnings, turned Topgolf's own marketing tagline against the blame-the-parents defense using focus groups, and forced Topgolf to pay the full verdict plus an undisclosed amount to avoid punitive damages. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Anne Foster | LinkedIn☑️ Smith Foster King | LinkedIn☑️ Chris Hammons | LinkedIn☑️ Laird Hammons Laird Law | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotAfter 25 years defending at Dunn Carney in Portland, Anne transitioned to plaintiff's work and found it transformed her career: "I found my life's dream. It wasn't just being in the courtroom, but I was actually helping to change people's lives."On Veterans Day 2021, a nine-year-old boy attending a birthday party at Topgolf Portland was struck in the head by a golf club — suffering a fractured frontal lobe requiring three permanent metal plates — when Topgolf's Bay host failed to provide the required safety tour to any of the bays that day. Philadelphia Insurance's risk manager had visited Topgolf locations as early as 2012 and recommended installing physical barriers, even photographing people standing exactly where the boy was later struck; Topgolf was told more than 10 times to put up a railing and never did, even as the chain expanded from a handful of stores to 100 locations nationwide. Anne found Topgolf's own website marketing language for kids' birthday parties — "You invite the kids, we'll take care of the rest" — and tested it in focus groups; skeptical mock jurors who had blamed the parents immediately shifted when confronted with that phrase. West Coast incident data produced in discovery showed hundreds of injuries over five years, the majority involving children, with 90% being strikes to the head and neck. To convey the brain injury's impact to the jury, Anne went beyond medical evidence — using adult family friends who were both teachers to testify about the boy's behavioral changes, and building the examination around stories she could reference visually in closing. Topgolf ultimately paid the full jury verdict plus an additional undisclosed amount rather than proceed to a punitive damages trial; the resolution followed a jury finding that the boy had done nothing wrong. Produced and Powered by LawPods

Juries tune out — so Aaron Broussard tries his cases at what he calls "TV pace or TikTok pace," sometimes putting on 10 to 15 witnesses in a single day to keep jurors awake and engaged. The Lake Charles, Louisiana trial lawyer spent his first five years as a self-described "settlement lawyer," handling roughly 200 cases his father's firm didn't want. After attending the Trial Lawyers College, he tried 30 jury trials in five years. His biggest result came this past year: a $35 million wrongful death verdict after a cement truck hit a family on their way to daycare, killing an 8 year-old girl. Broussard joins host Dan Ambrose ahead of TLU Beach to discuss the slippery settlement slope and how he redefines "reasonable" for a jury.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Aaron Broussard | LinkedIn☑️ Broussard Knoll Law Firm | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAaron's father, a lawyer and judge, was shot in his dominant left arm at 18 in 1968 and learned to do everything — including shooting shotguns and fishing — with his right hand.Growing up on the family farm, Aaron's father dictated each day's chores onto cassette tapes that Aaron played back on his boombox every morning.Aaron's first jury trial was a forcible rape case he won by acquittal — and his client paid him by painting the foreclosure house Aaron had just bought.After one good injury case earned his firm more money than his previous 90 cases combined, Aaron started shifting toward higher-quality cases.The Trial Lawyers College transformed Aaron's career: he tried 30 jury trials in the five years after, compared with just one before [44:30].To stop jurors from tuning out, Aaron now runs "speed trials" at TV or TikTok pace — sometimes putting on 10 to 15 witnesses in a single day.Aaron built a written "Sprint process" for his firm designed to move cases rapidly from the filed petition straight to the first set of depositions, eliminating the bottlenecks that leave files sitting in early stages.In his record $35 million wrongful death case, Aaron asked the jury for $90 million against only a $1 million insurance policy.The "equal trade value" damages argument never rang true to Aaron — there's no equal trade for the loss of a little girl — so he now confronts the money question head-on.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Most lawyers know how to make money — but not how to keep it. Sterling Louviere, financial strategist and founder of Financial Architects, has spent about 30 years developing and applying advanced, legal tax mitigation strategies used by the “super affluent,” and he now uses these strategies to help high-earning trial lawyers reduce their tax liabilities. Sterling joins host Dan Ambrose to reveal strategies most accountants have never heard of, including why the tax system is largely voluntary, how a lawyer earning $3 million a year can cut their tax bill by at least $750,000, and why the SEP plan your accountant recommended may be the worst tool available. Don’t miss this episode for practical tax-reduction strategies, including entity structuring, family hiring, and tax-deferred investment vehicles designed to compound over time.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Sterling Louviere | LinkedIn☑️ Financial Architects☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotMost trial lawyers are excellent at making money but aren’t always given the tools to keep it. Sterling Louviere has built his business around helping attorneys close that gap through tax mitigation, asset management, and firm growth strategies.Sterling says most taxes are “voluntary” and that the super affluent use proven, legal techniques to mitigate millions in tax liability that remain largely unknown to most accountants and their clients.After earning the equivalent of $300,000 a year at age 24, Sterling ran into his own tax trouble — and that experience became the catalyst for a 30-year career studying every legal tax strategy available to high-income professionals.For lawyers earning between $1-$3 million per year, Sterling says he can reduce their tax liability by at least half — representing potential savings of $750,000 or more annually.The Augusta Rule enables homeowners to rent their personal home to their own business entity for up to 14 days per year — the income is non-taxable to the owner and deductible for the company.How to build a self-perpetuating investment fund that keeps capital working tax-deferred, allowing you to borrow against the pool for cases, real estate, or other investments without paying tax on the original income.Sterling's closing challenge: a CFO's first job is to minimize the company's tax liability — and for trial lawyers who are also business owners, that same obligation applies to their own firms.Produced and Powered by LawPods

A peaceful protester was left to bleed out in Seattle after paramedics fled the scene. Evan Oshan asked for $100 million and won $30.5 million against the city — without ever identifying the shooter. In this episode, Evan joins guest co-host Mohamad Ahmad at the TLU Beach House to break down the Antonio Mays Jr. case, including roughly $24 million in non-economic damages. He also shares how he got expelled from Hastings Law School, had the governor intervene to reinstate him, and built the solo practice that took on Seattle. Listen in to hear what it takes to defeat governmental immunity and the thing that actually drives him — it's not the money.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Evan Oshan | LinkedIn☑️ Oshan and Associates☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Kermani LLP | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotEvan discovered he had severe dyslexia late in his college career and spent years learning through tape recordings and one-on-one conversations with professors, rather than reading.After a ruptured appendix knocked out most of his first year at Hastings, Evan returned at his father's urging, failed civil procedure, and was told "No, you're done" — until his father took the dean's letter to the governor, who got him reinstated the following yearEvan struggled with the bar exam at first but eventually passed in Washington state on his first attempt there — a jurisdiction he'd chosen in part because it didn't use multiple choice, a format he found challenging.When Antonio Mays Jr., a Southern California man shot while peacefully protesting in Seattle's CHOP Zone, needed representation, nearly every other attorney had turned the case down; Evan took it anyway, despite threats made against himself and his family.A pivotal win in the case was getting past governmental immunity by establishing that city paramedics delayed the treatment of Mays Jr., which led to his death.Of the $30.5 million verdict, approximately $24 million was in non-economic damages — with no medical bills to anchor the number, only the truth of what Evan's client suffered.Evan is a sole practitioner with an upcoming case against the New York City Housing Authority involving a 2017 Harlem fire that killed six people.Produced and Powered by LawPods

“Walking into Ozaukee County and telling the jury that it was worth $40 million was completely unheard of. I mean, people thought I was crazy.” In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Al Foeckler sets the stage for his wrongful death case on behalf of the family of a woman who was buried alive when a retaining wall collapsed on her. In addition to the conservative nature of the jurisdiction, Al also faced Wisconsin’s rules on damages in wrongful death cases: They are capped at $350,000 for adults and $500,000 for children, so value comes through showing pain and suffering. The case turned on a counterintuitive pre-trial decision: dropping the adult children's wrongful death claims after Big Data studies predicted doing so would nearly double the pain and suffering damages. Tune in to hear how Al won $15 million.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Al Foeckler | LinkedIn☑️ Cannon & Dunphy S.C | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | X☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotIn Wisconsin, wrongful death damages for adults are capped at $350,000 and for children at $500,000, so case value is built on establishing non-economic pain and suffering damages.Al’s wrongful death case centered on a woman who died from injuries sustained after a retaining wall at the senior community where she lived collapsed on her.Six weeks before trial, the defense offered $176,000 each to the decedent’s two adult children — just over the $350,000 wrongful death cap. But if accepted, the children couldn’t testify about their loss. Rejecting it meant risking paying the defense's costs if the jury didn't beat the offer.A Big Data study showed that dropping the children's wrongful death claims would nearly double the predicted pain and suffering verdict, so Al restructured the case.When the judge barred Al's large-scale recreation of the retaining wall as a demonstrative exhibit, he relied on building the scene spatially in the courtroom instead.Al is launching lawyersinthearena.com, a plaintiffs-only newsletter featuring trial skills and war stories, and will present three workshops at TLU Beach – including a deep dive into this wall collapse case.Produced and Powered by LawPods

"Insurance bad faith cases provide an opportunity for those attorneys to get seven- or potentially eight- or even nine-figure results on cases that would otherwise be perceived as low-limit cases," says George Sidiropolis, a West Virginia trial lawyer who focuses his practice on these unique cases. In this episode recorded from TLU's recent bootcamp in Hermosa Beach, George joins host Dan Ambrose to share insights about how he holds insurance companies accountable. A must-listen episode for anyone interested in unlocking the potential of these cases.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ George Sidiropolis | LinkedIn☑️ The Injury Right Law Firm | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAs a newly minted law school graduate, George discovered that the go-to expert witness in a major bad faith case was being prosecuted for child molestation — forcing him, with no expert-finding experience, to cold-call Gary Fye, the "godfather of unfair claims settlement practices."George ultimately earned an in-person meeting with Fye that "changed my life" and opened up the inner workings of major insurance companies.George unpacks his motorcycle double-amputation case where his client was accused of driving drunk without a helmet and crossing a center line.His trial team prevailed on a motion to exclude “11th-hour” testimony from a state police officer who said that he had watched a pole cam video showing the client driving erratically; the team reframed the officer as a hero who identified the mark in the road that the crash reconstructionalist had ignored – and that would have proven that George’s client was in his lane.The jury returned an $82 million verdict, driven in part by the "sheer horrificness" of a double amputation plus TBI.George warns of a trend in which insurance companies are using AI — including photo claim assessment software and generative AI to set reserve amounts — to adjust claims, "sometimes without an adjuster." “It’s really unhinged,” he says.Produced and Powered by LawPods