Tim Garvey

As plaintiffs’ lawyers, we go first—every time. It’s a powerful advantage we must embrace.

Studies show that most jurors form their conclusions by the end of the opening statement. As the trial unfolds, they look for evidence that confirms what they already believe. Social scientists call this confirmation bias.

The question is: whose version of the story are they confirming?

In this session, trial lawyer Tim Garvey—whose verdicts include the largest verdict in a jail suicide case in Colorado history and the largest verdict under the Premises Liability Act’s licensee standard in Colorado history—teaches a repeatable framework for identifying the defense’s favorite facts in advance and owning them before the defense ever gets the chance to speak.

Drawing on the concept of DARVO—a manipulation used by abusers to avoid accountability—this program teaches you how to anticipate defense themes, present them first on your terms, and give jurors a simple lens to evaluate everything that follows to confirm your version of the story.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify the defense’s key arguments before trial begins
• Introduce and neutralize those arguments in voir dire and opening
• Reframe “bad facts” into proof of the defense’s strategy
• Maintain control of the narrative through the entire trial
• Equip jurors with a framework that exposes the defense’s gaslighting

If you don’t define the defense, they will define your case. This program shows you how to make sure that never happens.