Unscripted Direct Spencer Pahlke and Justin Bernstein

The podcast was supposed to be on vacation ... but we interrupt this summer break for an important update! On May 1 (Episode 89), we covered the witness incident at NTC Nationals. On May 15, TYLA circulated a statement about the incident. We had some follow-up questions. So, we interviewed TYLA and ACTL leadership about the incident -- and a broader range of National Trial Competition topics. We also learned about two significant changes to NTC 2025. Intro (0:00:00). Spencer and Ju...

Introduction. We follow up on last week's NTC critiques and unveil some new competitions.Gavel Rankings (0:10:23). Jared announces the top 10 schools from the '23-24 season, highlights the schools who made the biggest leaps, and wonders if the TOC selection criteria should be updated.Tournament of Champions (0:18:56). Last week, Judge Roberts "translated" Jared, so Justin asks him to translate other community members, too. Then we find out which 16 schools are invited to TOC 2024 -- and...

Introduction. Spencer hosts solo! The Break (0:02:07). Results from UCLA's Amicus Cup and GW's Estrella -- as well as Stetson's 2024 EATS awards. Anger Translator (0:03:48). President Obama had an anger translator. Now Hofstra's Jared Rosenblatt has one, too. Jared shares his opinions on NTC Nationals -- from the case issues, to pairings that didn't match the rules, to "enlargements" that were too small to read, to the sexist and offensive TYLA witness. And Cumberland's Judge Jim Robert...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer knocks on doors. Justin holds tryouts. Main Interview: Thomas R. Kline (0:07:37). The Jim Beasley Story. The Pizza Kelly Story. The Third Chair Story. The "Birthday Present to Myself" Story. The Beating-His-Grandson-at-Squash-and-Talking-Smack Story. Then Tom answers some pressing questions: What's the next Thomas R. Kline School of Law? What's on his Instagram? Will he ever retire? How good are his seats at Sixers games? Is he any good at Bubble Pop? And...

Introduction (00:00). Spencer visits New York. Justin revisits a past mistake.The Break (06:23). Results from STAC Nationals, NTC Nationals, and the San Fernando Valley Competition.Recap from Both Nationals (09:36). How balanced were the AAJ and NTC nationals cases? Did the new coaches review committee make a difference? What did we think of NTC's new fourth preliminary round? Did the new "objections" category make a difference? Will AAJ have in-person or Zoom regionals next year?...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer and Justin answer questions from listeners.Nationals Predictions (0:08:14). Brett Bayne and A.J. Bellido de Luna predict the winners at NTC and AAJ Finals . A.J. tries to color code. It doesn't go well. Both guests manage to offend several schools and coaches while making their predictions. Our Predictions (0:32:42). After Spencer survives a field trip, the hosts make some predictions of their own.Main Interview with Illinois-Chicago's Kelly Navarro (0:42...