This lecture covers methods and strategies that can help attorneys hold ride-share companies accountable for the negligence of their driver contractors. The lecture will teach you how to navigate ride-share companies’ frivolous defenses and gather the necessary evidence to overcome a potential motion for summary judgment.

Michael Sanchez

Alex Guerrero

TLU Beach 2025 REPLAY - How To Prevent Uber and Lyft From Taking You For a Ride 

Learn how to Judo any Defense position using the jury instructions, bedrock medical literature, and their own opinions to win your case. We will discuss the setup, and takedown so make sure to bring examples from your cases.

Evan Garcia

Leaning into Defendants’ Defenses

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.

Dan Ambrose

I am a native of Monrovia, Liberia where my Grand Uncle was the president. During his presidency there was a lot of civil unrest which ultimately resulted in a coup d’etat in the early 80’s requiring my family to flee to America. We migrated to Los Angeles, California which has been my home since. I went to UCLA for undergrad where I ran the hurdles, then taught elementary school for a few years prior to attending law school part time. I started my legal career practicing criminal law, then civil rights and now personal injury. I teach at the Gerry Spence Method at Thunderhead Ranch program in Wyoming. I have recently taken up surfing which is even harder than I imagined it would be.

Stephen King

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

In 2016, at the age of 37, Benjamin P. Cloward became the youngest lawyer in the history of the State of Nevada to be awarded the prestigious “Trial Lawyer of the Year” by the Nevada Justice Association. That same year, he became the youngest member of the Nevada, Las Vegas Chapter of ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates), and at the time was also the youngest person in the State of Nevada to be Board Certified as a Personal Injury Specialist. He has received many additional recognitions including being AV-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and receiving a perfect 10.0 by 

. He has been featured in several magazines in Nevada for his accomplishments and hard work.

Just recently, in February of 2020, Ben obtained a 

, which is believed to be the largest ever negligent security for wrongful death in the State of Nevada and was the 2nd largest wrongful death verdict in the entire United States in 2020. Other verdicts Ben has obtained include a 

 in 2016 on behalf of a family whose disabled son Harvey was allowed to choke to death on a paratransit bus. That verdict was upheld in a unanimous decision after four years of contentious appellate litigation with the final judgment ballooning to nearly 

. The defense in that case never formally offered a single penny. After obtaining the verdict, Ben continued working on the safety issue that led to Harvey’s death and with the help of many other people got “Harvey’s Law” passed in Nevada in 2017, which required certain training for all paratransit bus drivers to ensure others were protected. In 2016, Ben also obtained a 

 for a family whose life had been altered by a drunk driver that injured the mother and killed the daughter. He also obtained a 

 for a client who was significantly injured from a fall which resulted in a moderate brain injury. Ben has obtained multiple soft-tissue, low visible property damage jury verdicts including a 

 in 2014 and several 6 figure verdicts where Ben obtained verdicts over 

 greater than the defense offers prior to trial. Other notable results on behalf of his clients include a 

 against Jacuzzi Luxury Bath, dba Jacuzzi, Inc. and First Street for Boomers & Beyond, Inc. Also, he recently obtained an 

 verdict against FedEx Ground Package Inc. In addition to obtaining significant jury verdicts, Ben has also been involved in settling over thirty cases for values ranging from $1 million to $10 million as noted above. He has tried to verdict cases in both State and Federal Court in Utah and Nevada.

Benjamin P. Cloward

, a national law firm dedicated to representing real people against insurance companies, the government and big corporations. He has a history of service as a military medic having served both in the United States Air Force and Army.

Accomplishing a bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology by the age of 19 while on active duty, Nick went on to get a law degree, starting law school at 20. Nick is a proud father of his sons and daughters and the husband of Trial Lawyer and author Courtney Rowley.

Nick Rowley

 of Dordick Law Corporation is a trial attorney specializing in plaintiff jury trials and has over 150 Jury trials in his career. Mr. Dordick went directly from high school to law school, never attending college. He put himself through a four-year night program while working at a law office, where he started as a file room clerk. Immediately after passing the bar, Mr. Dordick opened his own law firm, starting out with no employees. Now, Dordick Law Corporation has three locations, 56 employees, and 18 lawyers, including his three kids, Michelle, Dylan, and Taylor, as associate lawyers. Mr. Dordick is also on the executive board of the ABOTA Los Angeles chapter and will be The ABOTA President in 2025. He is an Emeritus member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) Board of Governors and was just inducted into the Hall of Fame on June 8, 2023. He won CAALA’s Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2001. He has been nominated for CAALA’s Trial Lawyer of the Year an unprecedented eleven times. He is CAOC’s (Consumer Attorneys of California) 2009 Trial Attorney of the Year. He was announced one of the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in California in 2017, 2021, and 2022 as well as one of the Daily Journal’s Top Plaintiff Lawyers in California for 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. 

Gary A. Dordick

Bruce Broillet

I was born in the great city that no one has ever heard of, Lancaster, California. Growing up, I watched my parents work to grow their firm from a single office cubicle to the large firm that it is today and realized that I did not want to work that hard. I went to college thinking that I wanted to own a restaurant one day, only to realize restaurant owners work harder than lawyers, with smaller profit margins. So, I decided to work for my father as his tech guy/unofficial associate. I summarized his depositions, prepped his mind maps, and built his closings. After doing several trials with him, I finally realized that helping people in their darkest times alongside my father wasn’t the hard work that I once envisioned, so I decided to go to law school. Several years later my father asked me to go golfing with a Bruce Schechter, to which I begrudgingly agreed. Three holes and a couple of tequila shots later, we became fast lifelong friends. Ever since, I have been trying cases alongside my dad and Bruce. When I am not working with those two, I am wrestling with my two french bulldogs, Beau and Bleu, or cooking for my lovely wife Bre.

Khail Parris

David DeRubertis

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’ve been a trial lawyer for nearly half my life. I started working for personal injury law firms when I was a teenager and did so my entire time until becoming a lawyer. I went to Loyola Law School Los Angeles where I was a member of their elite trial team and competed and won regional and national titles. I graduated Cum Laude and Order of the Coif and was the graduation speaker winning numerous academic awards. I had offers from big law that I turned down to pursue a career as a personal injury trial lawyer. Within 6 months of being in practice I was made a partner by the solo attorney I was working for throughout law school. A year and half later, in 2002, I started my own law firm, Ardalan & Associates. It took me a minute to be recognized as a legitimate trial lawyer. In 2009 I hit several record breaking verdicts and got nominated in 2010 by the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) for Trial Lawyer of the Year. Over the years I committed myself to mastering trial practice, studying different genres and approaches, analyzing other great trial lawyers, attending and graduating from the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming, and synthesizing my knowledge into an effective and masterful way of practice. I’m a CAALA Board Member and an Associate level member of ABOTA about to elevate to an Advocate level member. Over the past 15 years, I’ve achieved over 80 seven and eight figure verdicts and settlements, grown my practice to an elite level, and even began my own Trial College where I do personal trial consulting and coaching of trial lawyers and their cases to achieve stellar results. My philosophy is to teach trial lawyers not just a way of doing things, but understanding of what and why they are doing it, and the specific skills they need to develop to be able to handle any situations they face as they litigate and try their cases. Through my teachings I’ve gained insight into the roadblocks and obstacles lawyers place in their own path of success and this allows me to continue my journey to becoming the best trial lawyer and mentor I can be.

Christopher Ardalan

Dale K. Galipo obtained his J.D.from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1984. Mr. Galipo has since earned a reputation as one of the top civil rights attorneys in the nation. With the formation of The Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo in 1991, Mr. Galipo began specializing in personal injury cases and soon thereafter, he started obtaining multi-million dollar jury verdicts on personal injury cases. During the 1990’s, Mr. Galipo also handled numerous criminal cases and was dubbed “The Strikes Man” by the Daily Journal for multiple jury acquittals in “three strikes” cases. From 1995 thru 1996, Mr. Galipo obtained six consecutive jury acquittals on major felony cases.

In 2002, Dale Galipo started to specialize in civil rights cases involving police misconduct and excessive force and shortly thereafter, Mr. Galipo began obtaining multi-million dollar jury verdicts for victims of police misconduct and police abuse. In 2012, Mr. Galipo was awarded the Defender of the Constitution Award by the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and was more recently the Honoree for the MLK award presented in his name at the UC Davis School of Law. In the last eleven years, he has prevailed in over 50 Jury trials and has obtained over 100 seven-figure verdicts and settlements.

With approximately twenty published opinions in civil rights cases, Dale Galipo has also been selected to the Southern California’s SuperLawyers list every year. Having been awarded the CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year 2020 and also the CAOC 2020 Consumer Attorney of the Year, he is often asked to speak about his civil rights practice, most often on how to successfully try a civil-rights case. As an active member of The Inner Circle of Advocates and as a Fellow of The American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Galipo has gone to trial and won more cases against the police than any other attorney in the country.

Dale Galipo

I grew up in Charleston, SC and went to Tulane University in New Orleans. I double majored in Psychology and Communication even though I started off in Computer Science. While in college, I was a bartender. After graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law, I started practicing law with my father. He taught me to love the challenge of pushing law forward with each case.

I have been an adjunct professor at the Charleston School of Law for over 10 years where I teach civil pre-trial practice. For 30 years, I have annotated the rules of procedure and evidence in South Carolina. I am always trying to improve.

I enjoy learning new skills and ideas related to neuroscience, graphic design and technology. I teach and write about these topics because sharing the knowledge helps all of us become better. I love performing magic and usually have a deck of cards on me. I am married and the proud parent of three children.

Justin Kahn

I started Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers in 2009 with my partners, Steven DeBosier and James Peltier. The firm now has over 50 attorneys and 200 team members, representing thousands of clients each year. Additionally, I am the CEO of cj Advertising, an advertising agency that is a full service agency exclusively for plaintiff firms. Cj Advertising represents over 70 brands across the U.S. I frequently speak across the country on the topics of law firm management, marketing and technology. I am also a management coach to many of the top firms in the country and I have worked with over 200 plaintiff firms in the past 15 years.

Chad Dudley

I was born and raised in New Jersey. I was really into sports growing up, but basketball was my favorite. I was probably slightly above average and, at some point, realized I wasn’t making the NBA. As a kid in the 80s, I was really into GI Joe. I think that must have left an imprint on me because, in high school, I started looking into military academies. Turns out you need to have really good grades (I did ok there), a pretty good SAT score (close, but not close enough), and be either really involved in lots of activities or really good in sports (I’m out). 

So, I did the next most logical thing and enlisted in the Marine Corps. I saw an ad in Sports Illustrated for a Marine Corps keychain, and I sent in the little postcard to get it. To this day, I have not gotten the keychain (it’s been 20+ years, but I’m holding out hope), but I did get a visit from the recruiter, and I was probably the easiest enlistment he ever had. I served four years in the infantry, traveled to far-off lands, and moved to Las Vegas when I got out.

In Las Vegas, I started working in bars and restaurants and going to school. It wasn’t until around 2008-09 the law school crossed my mind. I was finishing up undergrad and knew I was done working in restaurants. It was the middle of the recession, and I figured lawyers must always have jobs and make lots of money. I had recently purchased a house that was now worth nothing, so I applied to the only law school in Nevada and luckily got accepted.

In my second year of law school, I saw an email on the school listserv about a small PI firm named Claggett & Associates hiring a law clerk. The law clerk had to speak Spanish. I did not. But I knew that’s what I wanted to do, so I applied. I got the job and have been at the firm ever since. I was the third attorney to join the firm and now act as the managing partner running the operations of the firm.

Matt Granda

Michael Alder

The accomplishment that defines who I am in life happened when I was 11 years old - winning a watermelon eating contest for children 13 years and below. The prize was a brand new BMX mountain bike. To understand why, you need to know where I come from. I grew up in a very modest household as one of four children. My parents immigrated from Iran in the 1980s after the Iraq War destroyed the country. My parents made sacrifices so that their children could get an education in the US. In the early 90s, I used to go with my father to work at a clothing factory in Vernon, California. Other days, I went to the hair salon with my mother, who would work for $10 per day. My mother saved that $10 dollar salary every day so that my older brother and I could take SAT prep courses. The greatest gift my parents gave me was the hunger to succeed. Although I always wanted a mountain bike, my parents couldn’t afford those kinds of luxuries. The watermelon eating contest was three rounds and I was the scrawniest contestant. There were kids two years older than me and at least 25 pounds heavier. I was a longshot. My dad told me, “outsmart the other kids, be methodical, don’t just bite.” I woke up early in the morning, jogged two miles to build my appetite and cut water at home for practice to figure out the best way to speed eat. My gameplay was simple, let the other contestants exhaust themselves trying to bite, while I scooped the watermelon with my teeth and ingested with minimal chewing. By the third round, I was sure I would throw up. Fortunately, I held it together and won first place. The same work ethic and determination from 28 years ago has helped me create a multi-jurisdictional personal injury practice today in Georgia and California.

Ray Kermani

Chris Dolan

Jordan Strovosky

Alicia Campbell

I grew up in Milford, Michigan. I started working at my local McDonald’s on the day I turned 14 and by the end of high school, I was promoted to manager. I managed a different McDonald’s throughout college. My first real legal job after law school was as a staff attorney with the Supreme Court of Nevada, where I handled mostly death penalty cases. My partner and I live on a small hobby farm in rural Nevada with chickens, ducks, turkeys, and bees.

Charlie Finlayson

I am blessed to be a partner with Claggett & Sykes Law Firm and oversee the Firm’s pre-litigation department. I have been practicing law for 8 years. Before becoming an attorney, I taught high school government for 12 painstaking years. Prior to that, I served as a Political Analyst for the MGM Mirage corporation. In my spare time, I coach volleyball and have been actively on the sidelines and in gyms for over 24 years.

Christian Augustin

Alexandra Heaton

I grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey, a peninsula just across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan. At Bayonne High School, we had a political science class that organized a mock trial team. We received a packet with a fictional case and had to pick a side to present to a judge and mock jury. I immediately fell in love with the law and aspired to be a trial lawyer. In addition to mock trials, I was a member of the varsity football team where I enjoyed being around teammates and competing together. I was lucky enough to continue playing football at Georgetown University where my teammates voted me team captain senior year. My 8 years as a student athlete taught me valuable lessons about friendship, responsibility, discipline, and how to communicate with and reach different personalities. These experiences, and 13 years of law practice, prepared me to be a trial lawyer at Claggett & Sykes Law Firm. Approaching my fourth year at the law firm , I am grateful for the opportunity to train and learn from the best trial lawyers in the country and prepare for my next jury trial. When I am not practicing law, my real passion is being a husband to my wife, Anna, and a father to my 2 - year old son Hunter. They drive me to be a better man every day, and that makes me a better trial lawyer.

Brian Blankenship

I’m a trial lawyer and partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP where I’ve practiced for 17 years specializing in litigating complex catastrophic personal injury, products liability, wrongful death, and sexual abuse cases. I grew up outside of Seattle, Washington and I’m a third-generation Husky, graduating from the University of Washington. I love Husky football and am a huge Seahawks fan. In third grade, I asked for a Spanish dictionary for Christmas and was a fluent Spanish-speaker by the 11th grade. I’ve always had a drive to help those in need. During my summers of high school and college, I served as a construction foreman and translator in Ciudad Juarez Mexico building homes for the homeless with my church. I’ve lived in Spain and Cuba, and traveled extensively throughout the most remote parts of Mexico. While in law school at Pepperdine, I co-founded the Pepperdine International Human Rights Program which has grown into a fully endowed Global Justice Program fighting human trafficking and other international injustices. I also met and married my college sweetheart, Heather, at 23 and we have a daughter and a son who are both avid surfers and skiers.

Spencer Lucas

David Snyder

Ed Bell

Hello, I'm Olivia Espinosa, Education Director for Haus of Improv, which specializes in helping attorneys take control of their focus, narrative, and witness through improvisation, acting workshops, and private trial consulting.

I'm a true theater enthusiast, wearing multiple hats as an actor, playwright, director, and educator at Haus of Improv. I graduated from SDSU with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, and since then, my theatrical career has been nothing short of an adventure.

One of the highlights was touring with Armed Forces Entertainment across Europe, performing for military families. The energy and connection with the audience were unforgettable. In 2022, I was honored with a nomination for best supporting performer in a play by Broadway World San Diego and I couldn't be more grateful for the recognition.

Beyond the stage, I've found immense joy in education, particularly in group homes and detention facilities. My playwriting workshops aim to make a difference, shedding light on issues within the foster care system. There's nothing more rewarding than witnessing the transformative power of storytelling in these environments.

A pivotal moment in my career came when I was honored with the Phil Killian Directing

Fellowship from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2017. Assisting Bill Rauch on the festival's inaugural production by a Native American playwright was an experience that shaped my perspective and deepened my passion for amplifying underrepresented voices.

I'm proud to be an active member of the Native Voices at the Autry Artist Ensemble in Los Angeles, where I strive to support and uplift Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations playwrights. It's essential to me that we continue to diversify and enrich the narratives on stage.

Now, balancing the act of being a mother to two wonderful kids alongside my theatrical career has its challenges, but it's my greatest achievement. At Haus of Improv, I'm on a mission to empower attorneys by infusing the magic of improv, performance, and storytelling into their professional toolkit.

Olivia Espinosa

Zane Privette

I was born in Poland and lived there until the end of second grade, when my family emigrated to what was then West Germany to escape communism. We lived in West Germany for two years before being granted political asylum in the U.S. – my dad’s ultimate goal – and got on a plane to St. Louis. I went on to college at Tulane University and law school at Loyola Chicago. I then hit the trial lottery and went to work for a Chicago defense firm that each year tried the most cases of any law firm in the state, and had a culture built around trying cases. I tried over 100 civil jury trials to verdict, and in 2006 was recognized by the Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter for having tried the 2nd-most jury trials in the state of Illinois. In 2012, I moved to New Orleans for an opportunity to do plaintiff’s work exclusively. Two years ago, I had my first 8-figure verdict, in no small part thanks to what I learned at TLU and from the great trial lawyers Dan Ambrose put me in touch with.

I fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves boxing tournament in the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions between 2005 and 2011. Since moving to New Orleans, I’ve taken up competitive pistol and rifle shooting and compete regularly across the country in the Elite Men’s division of The Tactical Games and currently hold an A-class ranking from the United States Practical Shooting Association in Carry Optics pistol. I live in New Orleans with my wife and three daughters, ages 8, 6, and 4.

Przemek	Lubecki

I’m a partner at Claggett & Sykes Law Firm, and have the privilege of working with an incredible team of attorneys and non-attorneys. Talk is cheap and results often speak for themselves, and you can see some of our results here 

My role at the firm has changed over time. I began as an associate, doing typical associate work, including research and drafting. I gradually specialized in depositions and case strategy, and now I am currently the Chief Litigation Attorney and one of the many trial attorneys at Claggett & Sykes Law Firm.

I’m originally from southern California, I spent a lot of time on the beach in my early years, and most of the rest of my life I’ve spent in Las Vegas, NV. I’m a proud father of 4 boys and enjoy spending time with my wife and kids.

Will Sykes

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

Dr. Sam Colarusso

Joon is a partner at Claggett & Sykes Trial Lawyers and runs the firm’s New York office. As a member of the Claggett & Sykes team, Joon brings his talents, skills and devotion to service, to help the firm continue to provide the service that our clients all deserve.

Joon Hong is not a typical lawyer with a typical path to trial law. His background is unique. Before entering the legal industry, Joon worked in the theater and music industry. During his time in this field, he developed his presentation and public speaking skills on various stages in New York City, including Lincoln Center. He also honed his creative skills while working with successful recording artists and Grammy Award winning producers. Joon is also a true advocate and warrior for his clients.

Joon is a direct descendant of Grandmaster Hwang Kee, the founder of one of the most important and influential figures in Korean martial arts – Tang Soo Do. Joon not only practiced the physical aspects of martial arts but practiced the mental and spiritual aspects as well. His training helped him develop a true warrior spirit from a very young age. He has applied these skills and principles into his legal practice and in the courtroom and has recovered tens of millions of dollars for his clients. Joon has used his skills to help trial attorneys as well.

Joon also serves as a coach, consultant, and teacher to trial attorneys across the country. In this role, Joon serves plaintiffs’ trial lawyers and criminal defense attorneys by helping them become the best trial lawyers and human beings they can be. He helps them with their trial and presentation skills, but more importantly, he also helps them with their mindset. Joon helps them get out of their own way, so they can better serve their respective clients, and actually learn to enjoy the practice of law.

Joon Hong

Tanya Gomerman

I grew up working in Coachella at my father’s swap meet clothing store, where I learned how to speak Spanish and work my ass off to earn the privilege of playing the Street Fighter Arcade next to my dad's store. I bring a Street Fighter mentality into every trial, unfortunately or fortunately. At my last trial, that mentality helped me earn a $51.3 million verdict while almost landing me in jail during trial! I can stay calm during a firestorm and also create a storm when things are eerily calm.

Mohamad Ahmad

Clancy Boylan

I was born in Easton, Maryland, the middle child of three brothers. Because my father was in the Coast Guard and moved around a lot, I never lived anywhere longer than two years until my senior year of high school. I floundered through dozens of jobs early on until I found two things that held my interest: writing and teaching. I spent about a decade working dead-end jobs and writing nonfiction books about film history. Then I finally went to college to get a degree so I could become a professor. My dual skills in writing and being a professor at University of Tampa ended up working well for my transition into legal marketing, where I started working with a company called Social Firestarter as the Creative Director. I still write books and scripts, and I even had a film made that premiered on the Hallmark Movie Channel called The Redemption of Henry Myers. I've written four nonfiction books, three fiction books, and too many articles and screenplays to count. My two current passions are: helping attorneys with their branding & marketing, and watching scary movies.

Chris Vander Kaay

I was born into a family filled with lawyers and doctors, but I was determined to be neither of the two. I had no interest in blood and gore and zero interest in filing briefs or being an attorney. Despite these “strongly held beliefs,” my father continued to tell me from the age of three that I would be an attorney. Perhaps his badgering unconsciously led me to the legal field, or maybe I won in the end as I do not practice law, but I have found a love of the courtroom and the mental challenge of reshaping cases.

Before discovering my path, I attended Duke Law School where I received my JD and a master’s in psychology. During my first semester of law school, a professor presented one day on jury selection and mentioned David Ball’s name, who conveniently was in Durham. In that moment, I found my passion and career path. I cold-called David as a young, nervous student, introduced myself, told him I wanted to do what he does, and invited him to lunch. For unknown reasons, he agreed, seemed to like me well enough, very likely paid for lunch, and offered to mentor me while I was in school. I will forever be grateful as he set me on my path of a career I love.

I was also fortunate to be taught by Professor Neil Vidmar, who owns half of the recordings of the Arizona Project from 1996 when cameras were allowed into deliberation rooms of real juries. I spent my days in class, and my afternoons at coffee shops sitting side-by-side with David Ball while he taught me the ins and outs of focus group research, case analysis, opening statement, and trial strategy. At night, I would wander onto a dark campus and, entrusted with a key to his office, sit at Neil Vidmar’s desk watching Arizona Project deliberation tapes and taking notes. The rest, they say, is history. I thrive on the challenge of altering case themes and strategy, testing cases with mock trials, and helping attorneys become stronger advocates.

I also have two young kids who love seeing my face on mock trial videos as I analyze results and who challenge me to balance my work with their young, busy, important lives.

Jessica Brylo

Hello, I'm Steve Hohman, Creative Director for Haus of Improv, which specializes in helping attorneys take control of their focus, narrative, and witness through improvisation, acting workshops, and private trial consulting.

I graduated from San Diego State University with Bachelor's degrees in Theatre Arts and Communications (Media Management). These fields might seem like an odd combo, but they've been surprisingly useful in my career.

I've had a colorful career as a teaching artist, working with arts education organizations all over Southern California. From the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County to The Old Globe, Playwrights Project, Junior Theatre in San Diego, and All the Arts for All the Kids in Fullerton, I've taught students of all ages. It's always exciting to see that spark of confidence and expression light up in my students.

For a decade, I was an improv instructor with The National Comedy Theatre in San Diego, where I also created numerous specialized improv programs for senior citizens, children, and professionals. This extensive experience helped me hone my skills and develop unique training approaches.

As a professional improvisation actor, I sharpened my skills with the prestigious Upright Citizens Brigade in LA. I was also a key member of San Diego's longest-running improv show, performing as part of The National Comedy Theatre's MainStage cast for over ten years, where I even served as Managing Director. Thousands of hours on stage have taught me a lot about the art of live performance and crafting meaningful experiences.

In the legal field, I spent seven years as a witness in Roger Dodd's Trial Skills Clinics, creating challenging scenarios to help lawyers improve their cross-examination skills. My partner, Olivia Espinosa, and I now create realistic witness simulations and have been cross-examined over 1,500 times. As trial consultants, we've contributed to over $38.3 million in verdicts and settlements, refining case narratives through training, simulations, and courtroom coaching.

These experiences have given me the expertise to develop improv training that makes cross- examination second nature and helps lawyers craft powerful narratives.

Steve Hohman

Craig Peters

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

Susie Injijian is a trial lawyer based in Berkeley, California. She has tried aviation, medical malpractice, and employment discrimination cases for plaintiffs in state and federal courts since 1987. In 2000 she was named a California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year for achieving the highest ever secondhand smoke award in California following a federal court bench trial. She defended that judgment in the Ninth Circuit and in the United States Supreme Court where the wrongful death award was affirmed in a 2004 decision that expanded the rights of all airline passengers, adding to the numerous high-impact appellate cases in which Susie has been involved. In July 2023 she together with her son, Giorgio Panagos, won a $25.5 million jury verdict in a Zoom trial for an electrician accused of causing the explosion that injured him.

Susie Injijian

Navan Ward

I was born in Munich, Germany. My father was an officer in the U.S. Army stationed in Bavaria (my love of beer started at a young age). My father was an engineer and my mother a graphic designer. Consequently, an unbelievable fusion of logic and creativity permeates my DNA. I grew up in New York City, and then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 19. Six of the nine years I spent in the Air Force were spent overseas—to include 13 months in the first Gulf War. Upon separating from the U.S. Air Force, I began a career in adult education. I spent the next 15 years in the seminar business. I ran businesses that provided pre-licensing and continuing education seminars in real estate, insurance, financial securities, and appraisal. While I was successful in this endeavor, I was unfulfilled. So, at 44 years old I quit my job and went to law school. After graduating the UNLV Boyd School of Law, I began practicing law as a Public Defender in Sin City. I have been with the Claggett & Sykes Law Firm since 2018, and I have never looked back.


Geordan Logan

I was born in Flint, Michigan, and have always been drawn to the fight for justice. I attended Oberlin College before earning my law degree magna cum laude from Case Western Reserve University, where I was published multiple times in national peer-reviewed law journals. From the start of my career, I dedicated myself exclusively to representing victims of severe nursing home neglect and abuse, securing record-breaking verdicts, including the largest recorded verdict against a nursing home in Ohio history—$26 million. My work has led to numerous seven- and eight-figure trial victories, and I’ve set records for the highest verdicts in multiple counties.

I’ve been recognized as one of the Top 10 Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers and named the Most Dedicated Nursing Home Prosecution Trial Attorney in the Midwest by AI Legal. Beyond the courtroom, I serve as faculty for Trial Lawyers University, lecturing across the country on trial strategy and case framing. I’m also an active member of the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) and the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC)—as far as I know, the only attorney to be accepted into these medical organizations.

When I’m not in trial, I spend much of my time traveling—especially in Central and South America—or restoring classic cars. I live in Peninsula, Ohio, but my work has taken me nationwide, fighting to hold corporations accountable for the vulnerable lives entrusted to their care.

Michael Hill

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

Ted Wacker

Dr. Hector Miranda

It has been said that we are from whence we came. I am the son of Polish immigrants. I didn’t learn to speak English until I was four. Coming from an immigrant family, my cultural life experience was different from the other kids. I didn’t really fit in. At the time I didn’t get it, but in retrospect, I realize that being different liberated me from having to fit a particular mold. My parents taught me that hard work, ingenuity, and perseverance were the keys to survival. Of course, I had no idea what that meant growing up. I just knew that I got my butt kicked more often than I could count, but I kept getting up and trying again. Over time I learned that to

As I embarked on the journey of becoming a trial lawyer, I again experienced getting my butt kicked. It soon became clear that lawyering the way everyone else did often resulted in being outmaneuvered by my adversaries (and by my competitors). I learned that if you always go with the flow, you will often flow down the drain. So, following the teachings of my father, ingenuity was my vehicle to develop better ways to solve the problems that we face as lawyers.

As a trial lawyer I needed evidence to even get to a jury.My adversaries were doing everything they could to prevent me from getting that evidence. So, I had to learn how to get past the bullies. I learned the rules of deposition engagement. Then, I learned that mastering Rule 30(b)(6) depositions enabled me to extract information from recalcitrant corporations and the government. I learned that the Rules of Civil Procedure and Evidence were not hoops to jump through but rather tools to bring structure to the marshalling of the facts.

Most importantly, I learned that by mastering the rules and acting like a professional, I was able to marshal the evidence necessary to win cases while simultaneously bringing the temperature down.It was easier to sleep at night.It was easier to find time to do things to enrich life. In addition to successfully representing my clients I was able to find time to live a life. At 50 I learned how to play the blues harmonica. At 63 I took up salsa dancing in Havana. At 66 I rode a bicycle the length of Puglia, Italy. The adventures keep coming.

My daughter convinced me that I should share what I had learned with other lawyers who face the same challenges that I did by writing practical and accessible books to stop the nonsense.

It is my hope that as my legacy I empower lawyers not to be afraid of goliath, that I empower them to do their jobs, to bring professionalism back to our profession, and finally, to enable them to recapture those hours and days lost to dealing with obstructionists.

Mark Kosieradzki

I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. I came from a blue-collar family and was the first to attend college. I had to work to put myself through college. I somehow fell into getting my insurance license at 18 years old. I worked for a couple of the well-known insurance companies for about 10 years. I had always wanted to be a lawyer. I thought going in house was the logical progression of my career. Then I realized the truth: insurance companies are evil. I was constantly fighting with people within the company to pay UM/UIM claims. I thought it was extremely unfair that people paid for premiums for 30 years and then when they needed their insurance company, the company found every excuse not to pay them. I immediately knew I wanted to switch sides and teach them a lesson. I have worked at Claggett & Sykes for almost 10 years. I enjoy being active: working out, hiking, golfing, muay thai, and yoga are my weekly must do’s. I am also a dedicated dog mom.

Shannon Wise

I am a graduate of the University of Illinois where I studied Art History. I am in my 21st year of practice as an attorney. Until the year 2023 my legal career has been exclusively defense litigation in Nevada. My wife Jessica is an attorney. She is a Public Defender and has recently retired to spend more time with our kids. We met in law school. We have three children, Colin (18), Jenna (14) and Katie (11). Colin is fast approaching the end of High School and will be attending the University of Arizona and entering this Fall. We like to travel. Jessica and I spend a lot of time helping our kids live their best lives and encourage their sports. I have been a skeet shooter since the 1990’s. I am currently the President of the Nevada State Skeet Shooting Association.

Jim Murphy

I was born in Alaska and grew up in Iowa and Utah. Following high school, I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. After finishing college, I went across campus to the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU. During law school, my wife, Penni, and I got married. We now have six beautiful daughters. After law school, we moved to Las Vegas, where her parents live. We have been in Las Vegas since 2003. Over the years, I’ve done about 300 appeals in the Nevada Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit, other federal appellate courts, and some cert work in the United States Supreme Court. I joined Claggett & Sykes in 2020 and continue to do appellate work, as well as pretrial motions, error preservation at trial, and post-trial motions. I am always up to discuss the law, cases nearing trial, and war stories.

Micah Echols

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’m a native of Las Vegas, Nevada where I was raised in a single parent household with no siblings. My mother worked as a blackjack dealer for over thirty years. I have so many memories of my mom struggling to provide for us. As a child, I dreamed that one day, I would show my mother that all her sacrifices had a purpose. I believe this upbringing made me resilient and motivated me to push through my failures and become successful.

I’ve always been fascinated with the medical field and considered applying to medical school. However, there was one minor problem with that plan: I have a VERY weak stomach. I quickly realized that I needed a career that didn’t involve blood, guts, or bodily fluids.

I started working in law firms during high school. I held nearly every position in a law office before I completed college. The more that I learned about the law, the more I wanted to continue learning. I eventually quit working at law firms so that I could pursue my bachelor’s degree full time. By the time I earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with an emphasis in psychology, I had been a victim of two armed robberies. After those experiences, I wanted to become a District Attorney and help prosecute violent offenders. It seemed like a solid plan until I accepted an extern position at the District Attorney’s Violent Crimes Division. My job included reviewing witness statements, photographs of heinous crimes, and seeing firsthand the evil in this world.

I quickly rerouted my path and accepted a position at one of the largest civil defense firms in town. It was at this firm that my interest in medicine merged with my fascination with the law. I was placed in a group at the firm that primarily defended medical malpractice and nursing home cases. I also defended slip and falls, car wrecks, product defects, and trucking accidents. However, more than half of my practice was defending medical providers.

Overall, I liked civil practice, but I wanted to help those who had been injured. I never liked being on the defense; most of the time it was a thankless job. With a few exceptions, I never felt like I was on the right side. I recall leaving depositions of family members of people who had been catastrophically injured and feeling horrible that I was defending someone who I knew was liable. Yet, it never seemed like the right time to jump to the other side. However, after a few personal experiences of watching my own family suffer at the hands of medical providers, I knew that I needed to use my knowledge to start helping people who have been injured. It was time to take the risk (as the financial provider of my family) and make the jump.

In 2014, I started working with Claggett & Sykes law firm. I quickly realized that this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. For the first time in my career, I was no longer searching for what I should do next. I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I can remain solely focused on getting better at my practice and defending victims. My only regret is not jumping to the Plaintiff’s side sooner. However, we all realize in this journey of life that sometimes we need to understand “why.” My experience has allowed me to thoroughly understand why I love what I do.

In my spare time, you will find me spending time with my husband and four children. Specifically, we love traveling, boating, playing golf, snorkeling, taking part in martial arts, and making every holiday extra special. I also enjoy spending time with my friends whom I consider an extended family. Many of my friends are my partners and employees at Claggett & Sykes. To say that I’m living beyond my wildest dreams is an understatement.

Jennifer Morales

Jakob Norman

Lance Behringer

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

Molly McKibben

Nick Wooldridge

Rob Levine

Andrew Ryan

Dorothy Clay Sims

Born in Detroit, raised, educated and practiced all in Michigan. My father was keen on not “giving me a fish but teaching me how to fish.” Married with two kids for 17 years and divorced. Remarried and have traveled the world since. In the last 6 years, we’ve been to England, France, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Thailand, Singapore, Iceland, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Jamaica, Vatican, Brazil, Peru, Czech Republic, Holland, Austria, Mexico, and Canada. Developed the brand: TheMotorcycleLawyer.com Pam’s husband and Audrey’s (age 24) and Jack’s (age 21) dad. I co-own a Mixed Martial Arts gym and have just earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after 15 years of nonstop training. So proud to report I used many TLU lessons to achieve a record, all non-economic jury verdict of $27,500,000 for a motorcyclist injured by a distracted driver.

Jason Waechter

Steve Vartazarian

When I was fifteen, I met the love of my life. As most high school romances go, we dated, broke up, dated again, broke up again etc. Then at 20 the love of life moved to Florida. I thought we were just on a break. She didn’t. She got married and had three kids. I was very single. We didn’t see or talk for twelve years. She got divorced. I had never dated anyone with children. And then she googled me and we started talking. She came back home for a family wedding, and we decided to meet for coffee. That was seventeen years ago. I was lucky to get a do over with the one true love of my life and I was going to make damn sure that I didn’t lose her again. With the addition of our daughter, we now have four beautiful children that are as close as close can be, a grandson who lights up all of our lives, two dogs, two cats and some wild animals on our farm in Northeast Pennsylvania. 

Our big Italian family loves, laughs, yells, cries, eats and drinks with more passion than words can describe. They are the people that allow me to live this crazy and amazing life of being a trial lawyer and I am forever grateful. So how did I become a trial lawyer? That story is almost as good as my marriage.

I went to college to play basketball, at 5’10” I was obviously a point guard and become an engineer. I got hurt, stopped playing basketball and started bartending where I would meet my law partner. It was the early 90’s and Cocktail was all the rage and yes, we could do all the bar tricks that Tom Cruise made famous. Being a bartender without a doubt was one of the best and wildest times in my life. To this day we still have people that remember us from Market Street Station Square. As for being an engineer, I did an internship at an engineering firm and decided that I could never be an engineer. Around this time, I met a Judge through a local charity organization that I was involved in and worked at the local courthouse for the summer. I saw two trials, one criminal and one civil and I was hooked. I loved every minute of being in trial and decided that I would go to law school. For the next two years I went to school around the clock and graduated with a degree in Engineering and Political Science and a minor in Physics. I went to law school thinking I would go into intellectual property law. Boy was I wrong. 

By year two of law school I realized that I hated intellectual property law. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing trial advocacy teacher and competed in moot court which was the moment that I knew I wanted to be trial lawyer. After three years with a local personal injury firm my partner and I decided to open our practice. Talk about humble beginnings, we had a part time assistant who called off more than she worked and a bookkeeper that enjoyed two martini lunches and would shove our bills in a draw, one of which I just found the other day. Somehow we managed to grow our firm into four offices, Philadelphia, Scranton, Kingston and Honesdale and we get to work with fourteen other talented lawyers that are like family to us. I am board certified in Tractor Trailer Accidents, am passionate about teaching and travel all over the country teaching lawyers deposition and trial skills and for some reason have a lot of zero offer cases which I am sure no one else can relate to. I love a good cigar and great bourbon. I make some pretty good wine with a great group of guys and every now and then enjoy an all night poker game. For me the law has allowed a dirt poor kid from a coal mining town in Northeast Pennsylvania to not only travel the world but to represent some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. 

Edward Ciarimboli

I was born and raised in Seattle, WA and my Pacific Northwest roots run deep. Growing up, I loved everything about Seattle except the rain. I spent my short but sunny summers jumping rope (Double Dutch) with my cousins in the driveway, lip-synching in the bathroom mirror and winning dance battles on my front porch. When not bossing my six brothers around, I read books (mostly literature). My favorite place to sit is in the sun. I prefer sitting on the grass than on chairs. I love blackberries and will eat them, unwashed, right off the vine without any shame. For years, my favorite musical group was Boyz II Men and I still get chills when I hear Whitney Houston’s voice. When not trying cases, I enjoy spending time with family, trying new foods, exploring Spotify, texting my tribe and reading.

Ibiere Seck

My parents and I immigrated to Southern California from India when I was about three years old. After finishing high school in Orange County, I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in political science. I was a member of the American Youth Symphony throughout my undergraduate studies. I also worked as an SAT tutor, a music instructor, and an active freelance classical violist. After graduating from UCLA, I taught myself No-Limit Hold‘em and spent several years playing professionally. I continued to support myself by playing poker while I attended Rutgers Law School. After graduation, I worked for about two years in Florida at a human rights based non-profit before moving back to Orange County and founding The Guha Law Firm. My solo practice focuses on plaintiff’s employment litigation. I rarely get to play poker any more but every day I apply the same skills in my contingency litigation practice that made me a successful poker player. I am a huge Laker fan and love to play basketball, lift weights, and go on hikes with my dog Kobe.

Ranojoy Guha 

I was born and raised in Pasadena, California. I graduated from USC business school in 1992 and from Whittier Law School, summa cum laude, in 1995. I joined a mid-size business litigation firm headquartered in Orange County in 1995 and became a partner in 2001. When I joined the firm, I started developing a practice area in the automotive space. I had grown up around cars and recognized that the automotive space was underserved by professionals who understood the industry. In 2006, as an adjunct to the law practice, I opened a high-end collector car dealership in Orange County. For the first 20 years, most of my legal focus was representing car dealers against automotive manufacturers in large franchise disputes. However, in the mid-2010s, I narrowed my focus to representing consumers who had suffered catastrophic injuries from an automotive defect. I have now litigated cases against nearly every major automotive manufacturer in the world, including GM, Audi, Maserati, Mitsubishi, FCA, Kia, Nissan, Honda, AM General, Isuzu, Toyota, Hyundai, Harley-Davidson, Ford, Acura, Tesla, Volvo, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mercedes, and Porsche.

Jonathan Michaels

From humble beginnings to Noble Crusader… I grew up in the biggest little city in the world, Reno, Nevada. My father was a carpenter, and my mother worked various jobs, including as a tour guide and telephone operator. We had a large family of 8 children, who were in and out of a house that was just a little over 1,400 square feet. My parents loved each other, and most importantly loved their children. I am second to the youngest. I am the first to graduate college in my entire family, and the first and only lawyer. I was an athlete in school, and most concerned with popularity as this was of the utmost importance to me growing up as it ensured lots of friends and girlfriends. I prayed near nightly to be the most popular, the toughest and the best looking from middle school through high school. When I finished high school, I knew nothing. I barely received a good enough score on the SAT to attend the local university. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, because cops couldn’t mess with me, and I believed they made a lot of money. The university was difficult, in the beginning, because my academic skills were very lackluster. I remember when a professor gave the class a five-page paper assignment to be turned in. It took days to get it done, I was so far behind. Notwithstanding, I put my nose to the grindstone, dedicated myself to school, and excelled. I put partying on the back burner, and school first.

After undergrad, I had a high stakes experience with the Justice system. Out one night after the final semester of undergrad, my friend and I met two dancers at a local watering hole. We had a great time. We decided we would meet up the following night at the Dancers’ place of work, “Wild Orchid Gentleman’s Club”. We showed up with some other friends to take the Dancers out of the club. One of the bouncers had a crush on the Dancers. He was not happy we were leaving with the dancers. Needless to say a fight ensued, and one of the bouncers suffered an orbital lobe fracture to his eye---that ultimately required surgery. I did not do it! Nevertheless, I was one of the only names the police had, and I was ultimately prosecuted. It was a tough time, and extremely stressful. At the time, I needed to apply for law school. While applying I had to be very careful when answering the questions asked on the law school application concerning criminal history. Fortunately, UNLV’s law school did not have a question about pending criminal matters, and only asked about prior convictions. I was able to truthfully answer the application and was ultimately accepted into UNLV’s Law School. After my first semester I had to return to Reno to sit as a defendant in a criminal felony jury trial. I was acquitted—NOT GUILTY! Thank God! The justice system worked and works.

After law school, I decided that I wanted to be a movie star. I moved to New York City, to study acting, but quickly found out I did not want to be a struggling actor. I still studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute, Stella Adler School of Acting, and HB Studios for years. I found a lawyer job on Craigslist, and I worked for the same firm for the next 10 years. Handling all different types of criminal matters in the Russian enclave of Brooklyn, known as Brighton Beach. While in New York, I fell in love with Yoga and spirituality, which at the time was where I put all my energy and focus. My guru initiated me as “Yogi Ram”.

Back then, I considered being a lawyer, just a job. When my daughter’s mother became pregnant in 2013, I knew I needed to head home and devote myself to being a lawyer. After 10 years in New York City, in 2014, I moved to Las Vegas to dedicate myself to this wonderful profession and opened my own practice. I love being a lawyer! I love studying trial skills, and I love to improve. Thank you, Dan Ambrose, for making me the best lawyer I can be.