Trial School Top Shelf

John Uustal of Trial School
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Trial School’s Top Shelf is a unique book club experience that will make you a better trial lawyer. We take amazing books that are fun to read, and we use them to identify the factors that influence key trial moments. You will see how amazing lawyers (both real and fictional) won cases. And it’s fun!

Episodes

  1. 04/18/2024

    Episode 11: Courtroom Storytelling with Jim Perdue, Sr.

    In this session, John interviews Jim Perdue, Sr. who has, has for the past fifty years, been a trailblazer in bringing new concepts to the art of jury persuasion. Jim speaks to us about his latest book, Courtroom Storytelling. About the Author Jim Perdue, Sr. spent over forty years persuading juries to find justice for his clients. He won record-and precedent-setting verdicts, pioneered techniques that are now standard practice among the plaintiff’s bar, and has mentored hundreds of aspiring trial attorneys. In Courtroom Storytelling, Perdue takes many of the concepts he first introduced in his previous books, such as Winning with Stories, and develops them into a polished series of lessons and exercises that you can begin using to immediately improve your next case. About the Book Many successful trial lawyers will tell you that those who tell the best story win. Stories hold power. They make case facts memorable and drive jurors to fight for your client during deliberations. A good trial lawyer is a master storyteller. In Courtroom Storytelling, Perdue teaches you how to become exactly that. Across twenty-five chapters of practical examples and winning techniques, Perdue guides you through the range of cases he used to develop and prove his strategies for effectively telling a winning story in court. Listen in... Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book and Guest Author: Courtroom Storytelling  by Jim Perdue, Sr. of Perdue & Kidd Guest:  Jim Perdue, Jr. of Perdue & Kidd Guest:  Courtney Winston of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen Guest: Charles Scott of Kelley | Uustal Guest:  Mike Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger Watch the Webinar Video: [Coming soon!] About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    36 min

  2. 02/02/2023

    Episode 10: The Final Case with David Guterson

    In this session, we are joined by award-winning, best-selling author, David Guterson to discuss his book, The Final Case. About the Author Guterson’s writing has been celebrated for its atmospheric intensity, narrative drive, and probing exploration of fundamental human themes--love, death, meaning, and morality among them. His many awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the White Award for Journalism, the Washington State Governor's Writers Award, the Swedish Academy Crime Writers' Award, the American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for Snow Falling on Cedars. About the Book The Final Case is said to be the author’s most compelling and heartfelt novel to date. The case involves the death of a young Ethiopian girl and her adoptive parents are charged with her murder. A criminal attorney in Seattle takes on the case as his law practice nears its final days so he leans on his son as he prepares for the last trial of his career. This is a moving familial story about a father and son, a taut courtroom drama and a bold examination of privilege, power, and how to live a meaningful life. Listen in... Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book and Guest Author: The Final Case  by David Guterson Guest: Mike Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger Guest: Brittany Henderson of Edwards Pottinger Guest: Kristin Bianculli of Derrevere Stevens Black & Cozad Watch the Webinar Video: The Final Case About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2023. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 12m

  3. 10/13/2022

    Episode 9: Exposure with Robert Bilott

    “For Erin Brockovich fans, a David vs. Goliath tale with a twist.” – The New York Times Book Review The story that inspired the major motion picture Dark Waters, starring Mark Ruffalo as Robert Bilott. Robert Bilott is a partner at the law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio where he has practiced environmental law and litigation for more than twenty-eight years. He has been selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America for several years running and has received numerous honors for his work in environmental law and litigation. Rob is a former chair of the Cincinnati Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee and a graduate of New College in Sarasota, Florida (BA) and the Ohio State University College of Law (JD, cum laude). In 2017, Rob received the international Right Livelihood Award, commonly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” for his years of work on PFOA. Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle against DuPont is his first book. In 1998, Rob Bilott began a legal battle against DuPont that would consume the next twenty years of his life, uncovering the worst case of environmental contamination in modern history and a corporate cover-up that put the health of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Representing a single farmer who was convinced the creek on his property had been poisoned by runoff from a nearby DuPont landfill, Rob ultimately discovers the truth about PFAS—unregulated, toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing of Teflon and a host of other household goods. DuPont’s own scientists had issued internal warnings for years about the harmful effects of PFAS on human health, but the company continued to allow these chemicals to leach into public drinking water. Until Rob forced them to face the consequences. Listen in... Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: Exposure  by Robert Bilott Guest Author: Robert Bilott of Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP Guest: Gale Pearson of Fears Nachawati Guest: Lee Javins of Bailey, Javins & Carter, L.C Guest: Courtney Winston of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, PC Watch the Webinar Video: Relentless Pursuit About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HER ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 10m

  4. 06/13/2022

    Episode 8: Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein with Bradley Edwards and Brittany Henderson

    In this session, John Uustal discusses relevant book relevant to current events: Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein, by Bradley Edwards and Brittany Henderson. “This is the definitive story of the case against Jeffrey Epstein and the corrupt system that supported him and Ghislaine Maxwell, told in thrilling detail by the lawyer who has represented Epstein’s victims for more than a decade.” – Simon & Schuster Listen in... Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein  by Bradley Edwards and Brittany Henderson Guest: Bradley Edwards of Edwards Pottinger Law Firm  Guest: Brittany Henderson of Edwards Pottinger Law Firm Guest: Stan Pottinger of Edwards Pottinger Law Firm Guest: Rich Newsome of Newsome Melton Law Firm Guest: Peter Spillis of Kelley | Uustal Trial Attorneys Watch the Webinar Video: Relentless Pursuit About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 16m

  5. 06/06/2022

    Episode 7: Devil in the Grove with Gilbert King

    In this session, John Uustal interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King on his book, Devil in the Grove. Arguably the most important American lawyer of the twentieth century, Thurgood Marshall was on the verge of bringing the landmark suit Brown v. Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court when he became embroiled in a case that threatened to change the course of the civil rights movement and cost him his life. “Superb. A powerful and well-told drama of Southern injustice.” (The Chicago Tribune) “A taut, intensely readable narrative.” (Boston Globe) “A thoroughgoing study of one of the most important civil-rights cases argued by Thurgood Marshall in dismantling Jim Crow strictures…” (Kirkus Reviews) Listen in... Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King Guest: Gilbert King, Author Guest: Paul Perkins Jr. of Paul & Perkins P.A. Guest: Harold Pryor, Broward State Attorney Guest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADER Watch the Webinar Video: Devil in the Grove About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 15m

  6. 05/03/2022

    Episode 6: The Fall of the House of Zeus with Curtis Wilkie

    The Fall of the House of Zeus tells the story of Dickie Scruggs, arguably the most successful plaintiff’s lawyer in America. A brother-in-law of Trent Lott, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Scruggs made a fortune taking on mass tort lawsuits against “Big Tobacco” and the asbestos industries. He was hailed by Newsweek as a latter-day Robin Hood, and portrayed in the movie, The Insider, as a dapper aviator-lawyer. Scruggs’ legal triumphs rewarded him lavishly, and his success emboldened both his career maneuvering and his influence in Southern politics–but at a terrible cost, culminating in his spectacular fall, when he was convicted for conspiring to bribe a Mississippi state judge. Listen in...! Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: The Fall of the House of Zeus by Curtis Wilkie Guest: Curtis Wilkie, Author Guest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADER Guest: John Gomez of Gomez Trial Attorneys Guest: Chris Tisi from Levin Papantonio Guest: Cale Conley of CONLEY GRIGGS PARTIN Guest: Julie Kane of COLSON HICKS EIDSON Guest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | Melton Guest: Harold Pryor, Broward State Attorney Guest: Mel Orchard of The Spence Law Firm  Watch the Webinar Video: The Fall of the House of Zeus About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 17m

  7. 04/18/2022

    Episode 5: A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr

    A true story of an epic courtroom showdown, where two of the nation’s largest corporations were accused of causing the deaths of children from water contamination. Described as “a page-turner filled with greed, duplicity, heartache, and bare-knuckle legal brinksmanship” by The New York Times, A Civil Action is the searing, compelling tale of a legal system gone awry—one in which greed and power fight an unending struggle against justice. Listen in...! Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: A Civil Action by Johnathan Harr Guest: Ellen Relkin of Weitz & Luxenberg Guest: Scott Hendler from Hendler | Flores Guest: Donald E. Haviland, Jr. of Haviland Hughes Guest: Michael A. Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger Guest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | Melton Guest: Carl J. Domino of Domino Family Law Guest: Erin R. Christison of Paynes Grey Guest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADER Guest: Madelyn Chaber of the Chaber Law Office Watch the Webinar Video: A Civil Action About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    54 min

  8. 04/04/2022

    Episode 4: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury by Michael S Lief, H. Mitchell Caldwell and Ben Bycel

    Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury is a collection of closing arguments from ten noteworthy cases. In this session of Top Shelf, the discussion focused on: Chapter 2: Clarence Darrow’s own bribery trials of 1912-1913Chapter 4: Gerry Spence’s Silkwood trial of 1979Each closing argument is put into context by the authors, who provide historical background, a brief biography of each attorney, and commentary, pointing out the trial tactics used to great effect by the lawyers. Listen in...! Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury by Benjamin Bycel, Harry M. Caldwell, and Michael S Lief Guest: Mel Orchard of The Spence Law Firm Guest: Eric Rosen from the Rosen Injury Law Guest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADER Guest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | Melton Guest: Erin R. Christison of Paynes Grey Guest: Julie Braman Kane of Colson Hicks Eidson Guest: Courtney L. Winston of Allen & Allen Guest: Joseph A. Blaszkow of Blaszkow Legal, PLLC Guest: The Honorable Linda A. Alley of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida Watch the Webinar Video: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 5m

  9. 03/14/2022

    Episode 3: Presumed Innocent with Scott Turow

    “Presumed Innocent” by Scott Turow brings to life our worst nightmare: that of an ordinary citizen facing conviction for the most terrible of all crimes. It’s the stunning portrayal of one man’s all-too-human and all-consuming fatal attraction for a passionate woman who is not his wife, and the story of how his obsession puts everything he loves and values on trial–including his own life. It’s a book that lays bare a shocking world of betrayal and murder, as well as the hidden depths of the human heart. And it will hold you and haunt you…long after you have reached its shattering conclusion. So, what can YOU hope to learn from "Presumed Innocent" that can make YOU a better trial lawyer? John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal is joined today by Gary Cohen, Rich Newsome, Gary Cohen , Alan Bernsten, and Scott Hendler to discuss. Listen in...! Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow Guest: Gary Cohen of Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen Guest: Herb Cohen from the Law Office of Herb Cohen Guest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | Melton Guest: Alan Bernsten of Alan Bernsten P.A. Guest: Scott Hendler of Hendler | Flores Watch the Webinar Video: Presumed Innocent About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 19m

  10. 03/07/2022

    Episode 2: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

    In this session, we discuss "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson. It is a powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time. Just Mercy is a #1 New York Times Bestseller, as well as a major motion picture. Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Guest: Mel Orchard of The Spence Law Firm Guest: Harold Pryor of the Broward County State Attorney Office Guest: Madelyn Chaber of the Chaber Law Office Guest: Herb Cohen from the Law Office of Herb Cohen Watch the Webinar Video: Just Mercy About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    59 min

  11. 02/25/2022

    Episode 1: The Last Trial with Scott Turow

    During this Top Shelf session, John Uustal interviewed author Scott Turow, a #1 New York Times best-selling author. Turow’s books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies, and have also inspired several films. Host: John Uustal of Kelley | Uustal | Email John (jju@kulaw.com) | Follow John on Facebook (@JohnUustalTrialLawyer) | Follow John on Twitter (@JohnUustal) Visit the Top Shelf Trial School Book Club Website: Trial School Top Shelf Follow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School) Book: The Last Trial by Scott Torow Guest: Scott Turow Guest: Peter Spillis of Kelley | Uustal Guest: Jim Bartimus of Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Rader Guest: Jim Perdue of Perdue & Kidd Guest: Alan Bernstein of The Law Office of Alan S. Bernstein, P.A. Guest: Todd Falzone of Kelley | Uustal Watch the Webinar Video: The Last Trial About Trial School: Trial School is a private, confidential, and invitation-only organization that provides education and training for lawyers who represent people. Trial School is different from all other trial advocacy programs in that it features a unique Mixed Method Advocacy or “MMA” approach. To apply click HERE. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2022. ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Trial School 2024.

    1h 22m
  • 11 Episodes

About

Trial School’s Top Shelf is a unique book club experience that will make you a better trial lawyer. We take amazing books that are fun to read, and we use them to identify the factors that influence key trial moments. You will see how amazing lawyers (both real and fictional) won cases. And it’s fun!

Information

  • Creator
    John Uustal of Trial School
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Copyright of Trial School 2022.
  • Show Website
    Trial School Top Shelf