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 (bot
In this session, we are joined by award-winning, best-selling author, David Guterson to discuss his book, The Final Case.About the AuthorGuterson'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 BookThe 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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book and Guest Author: The Final Case by David GutersonGuest: Mike Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & SchoenbergerGuest: Brittany Henderson of Edwards PottingerGuest: Kristin Bianculli of Derrevere Stevens Black & CozadWatch the Webinar Video: The Final CaseAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2023.
“For Erin Brockovich fans, a David vs. Goliath tale with a twist.”– The New York Times Book ReviewThe 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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book: Exposure by Robert BilottGuest Author: Robert Bilott of Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLPGuest: Gale Pearson of Fears NachawatiGuest: Lee Javins of Bailey, Javins & Carter, L.CGuest: Courtney Winston of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, PCWatch the Webinar Video: Relentless PursuitAbout 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
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 & SchusterListen 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 ShelfFollow 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 HendersonGuest: Bradley Edwards of Edwards Pottinger Law Firm Guest: Brittany Henderson of Edwards Pottinger Law FirmGuest: Stan Pottinger of Edwards Pottinger Law FirmGuest: Rich Newsome of Newsome Melton Law FirmGuest: Peter Spillis of Kelley | Uustal Trial AttorneysWatch the Webinar Video: Relentless PursuitAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
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 ShelfFollow 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 KingGuest: Gilbert King, AuthorGuest: Paul Perkins Jr. of Paul & Perkins P.A.Guest: Harold Pryor, Broward State AttorneyGuest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADERWatch the Webinar Video: Devil in the GroveAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book: The Fall of the House of Zeus by Curtis WilkieGuest: Curtis Wilkie, AuthorGuest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADERGuest: John Gomez of Gomez Trial AttorneysGuest: Chris Tisi from Levin PapantonioGuest: Cale Conley of CONLEY GRIGGS PARTINGuest: Julie Kane of COLSON HICKS EIDSONGuest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | MeltonGuest: Harold Pryor, Broward State AttorneyGuest: Mel Orchard of The Spence Law Firm Watch the Webinar Video: The Fall of the House of ZeusAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book: A Civil Action by Johnathan HarrGuest: Ellen Relkin of Weitz & LuxenbergGuest: Scott Hendler from Hendler | FloresGuest: Donald E. Haviland, Jr. of Haviland HughesGuest: Michael A. Kelly of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & SchoenbergerGuest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | MeltonGuest: Carl J. Domino of Domino Family LawGuest: Erin R. Christison of Paynes GreyGuest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADERGuest: Madelyn Chaber of the Chaber Law OfficeWatch the Webinar Video: A Civil ActionAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
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 ShelfFollow 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 LiefGuest: Mel Orchard of The Spence Law FirmGuest: Eric Rosen from the Rosen Injury LawGuest: Jim Bartimus of BARTIMUS FRICKLETON ROBERTSON RADERGuest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | MeltonGuest: Erin R. Christison of Paynes GreyGuest: Julie Braman Kane of Colson Hicks EidsonGuest: Courtney L. Winston of Allen & AllenGuest: Joseph A. Blaszkow of Blaszkow Legal, PLLCGuest: The Honorable Linda A. Alley of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of FloridaWatch the Webinar Video: Ladies and Gentlemen of the JuryAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
“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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book: Presumed Innocent by Scott TurowGuest: Gary Cohen of Grossman Roth Yaffa CohenGuest: Herb Cohen from the Law Office of Herb CohenGuest: Rich Newsome of Newsome | MeltonGuest: Alan Bernsten of Alan Bernsten P.A.Guest: Scott Hendler of Hendler | FloresWatch the Webinar Video: Presumed InnocentAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book: Just Mercy by Bryan StevensonGuest: Mel Orchard of The Spence Law FirmGuest: Harold Pryor of the Broward County State Attorney OfficeGuest: Madelyn Chaber of the Chaber Law OfficeGuest: Herb Cohen from the Law Office of Herb CohenWatch the Webinar Video: Just MercyAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.
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 ShelfFollow Trial School on Social Media: Facebook (@TrialSchool) | Twitter (@Trial_School) | Instagram (@Trial_School)Book: The Last Trial by Scott TorowGuest: Scott TurowGuest: Peter Spillis of Kelley | UustalGuest: Jim Bartimus of Bartimus Frickleton Robertson RaderGuest: Jim Perdue of Perdue & KiddGuest: Alan Bernstein of The Law Office of Alan S. Bernstein, P.A.Guest: Todd Falzone of Kelley | UustalWatch the Webinar Video: The Last TrialAbout 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 MediaCopyright of Trial School 2022.