RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

"We have the mindset that each case we're going to file suit on, we're intending to take it to trial. Absent a material difference or client ambivalence that arises later, we're taking them all to trial. But sometimes the insurance companies start to be more reasonable at the end when they know something big might hit them."

Beau Correll leads a busy plaintiffs personal injury law firm, anchored in Virginia&...

"Just because the jury can't use words, doesn't mean they can't talk to you, it doesn't mean they can't communicate with you. So really listen and really talk." 

Andrew Caple-Shaw joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast. Andrew is the managing partner at Act of Communication and a professional actor with nearly four decades of experience. He brings the art of performanc...

"All you can do is guide and arm your good jurors to go in there and fight for you."

Michael Cowen is one of the most respected voices in the personal injury practice area. Over nearly 30 years, he has tried more than 100 cases and built a reputation for being both a skilled trial lawyer and a generous teacher.

Michael started his career in corporate law in New York but chose to return home to Texas and fight for ...

"Focus groups give you a lot of time to practice things that you don't get to practice in court. Getting your feet wet where you can do it without spending a bunch of money is really the only way you can do it these days."

Jessica Brylo is a trial consultant specializing in jury selection, case framing, focus groups, and trial strategy. She has more trial experience than most practicing lawyers, so she knows what work...

"It's really important when you meet your client to develop that authentic connection. Because if I have an authentic connection with my client, we always have a better connection than the defense."

Chris Finney joined us for this episode of RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss how he built his law practice, his commitment to doing trial work the right way, and the importance of building genuine relationships both in and out...

"The toughness and resilience of clients of mine, to see those people pick themselves up off the mat and carry on with life as best they can, is inspiring."

Rand Robins joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. Rand initially studied journalism but found the investigative skills lent themselves well to gathering evidence. He steadily compiled a notebook of contacts and networks, through phone calls, lunch meetings and quick chats ov...

"I think it's wonderful work. I'm grateful every day that I get to do, for money, something that I find incredibly interesting. I think personal injury is the best kept secret—the brightest young attorneys should want to do this kind of work."

Maureen Farrell joined us this week on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss her work as a personal injury trial lawyer, her willingness to take on challenging disputed liability c...

"All the best verdicts that I've had, in the opening statement, the jurors' eyes are bugging out and their jaws are hitting the floor. And they tell you afterwards, 'I didn't realize this case was so strong, and I'm sorry that I questioned it in voir dire. But then I heard your case in opening.' So that's where you want them. You don't want to oversell it before you actually panel the ju...

"The magic that happens in a case at trial is a lot of times built on the seemingly mundane efforts to get discovery, to take depositions, to request more discovery based on those depositions, to request more depositions based on that discovery, this kind of osmotic relationship between written discovery and depositions, kind of doing the doing and the more evidence you can develop, the more work you put in, the more magical i...

"It sucks when we lose, but when we win and hopefully you win more than you lose on our side, it's life changing. I can't get that from any other job. And to know 10 years down the line, and now I've been in practice long enough, 15 years down the line, somebody sends me a card out of the blue and they just say, I was thinking about you. Or in a death case, they reach out and say this was the anniversary of his ...

"Find out how this accident affected them. Talk to their spouse, talk to their cousins, their best friends. No matter how big or small, it has affected that person in some way. Maybe they had a good car that was paid for and now they have a car payment. Maybe they had to miss work and can't pay their bills. Maybe they missed their kid's graduation. There's always something about a case that if you delve into it,...

"You have to have the desire and passion to be the best that you can be. And that takes an incredible amount of hard work. You have to find role models. It's good to read about it, but you have to watch and, you have to second chair really good trial lawyers. And then you have to be fearless. Not every trial is going to go like you thought it was going to go. Things are going to go south and you have to pick yourself up a...

"At the end of the day, what's behind dunking a basketball and what's behind being a badass cha-cha dancer is the same feeling. It's human, it's innate, and it's very real and powerful. And that's where decisions are made, like we talked about earlier. The biggest fallacy in what we do is the idea that people make decisions based on logic. They don't. And even the idea that they do is not tru...

"In almost every instance, the police officer doesn't go to work that day saying, I hope I get in a fight or shoot somebody today. I've never had that case. And so the human element is exactly what we're talking about. Who among us has a job when you go to work where you might end up in a fight, getting shot at, or having to shoot someone. These are people who are on the frontline dealing with every time they wa...

"You are the power in the courtroom. You are the authority, even above the judge. And I know everybody will say, no, the jury will look to the judge. I think there's a space for the trial lawyer to be the authority in the courtroom by everything that you do there. And the cool thing that I want lawyers who are listening to know, especially young lawyers, is that there's a space for you. You have your own unique set o...

"Number one, do justice. Do the right thing. No matter what, at the end of the day, that's what we get to do. We're fortunate to get to do it. You are entrusted by this office to do justice and make sure you hold that close and don't ever deviate from that. Never compromise. Always do the right thing."

Mike Gill joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss his career as a federal prosecutor, some of ...

"The fun thing about our business is, we get to try cases with good lawyers. Trying cases is fun. Trying juries is fun. Losing juries ain't fun, but trying them is fun."

Jeff Everhart joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss his 42 years as a criminal defense lawyer, some of his more significant cases (e.g., The Southside Strangler and Ricky Gray), and his love for trial work and helping people. 

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"I'm able to help people with the most important thing in their life. I'm able to fight for them in court, which is just a blast. On top of that, it's the most intellectually stimulating job I can imagine because I have to learn about science, medicine, products liability, you name it. So I've never been bored and even with all the anxiety and sleepless nights, it's been a fantastic career."
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"One piece of advice I would give people is you really have to be yourself because insincerity is sensed by juries. It's sensed by judges. If you're trying to be something you're not, it's not going to work."

John Rockecharlie and Russ Stone joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss their many years working as prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers, the lessons learned from their hundreds o...