Case had its venue in Supreme Court, Bronx County, in New York City.
The case arose from a trip and fall accident that occurred on March 4, 2017, in the Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y.

Although comparative fault was a big issue in the case and at trial, the jury found 100% fault against Sarah Lawrence College and determined that Ms. Bako did not cause or contribute to the accident.

With respect to negotiation, the College’s insurer refused to make any significant offer before trial. At trial, the Judge attempted to negotiate a settlement and recommended that the carrier offer $1 Million Dollars to resolve the case, but they refused, and the matter proceeded to trial.
In March, 2017, Yolanda Bako was a 71 year-old retired woman who lived alone on a meager fixed income in the Bronx. Although she was retired from various clerical positions, in her earlier years Ms. Bako was very active in the Women’s Rights Movement, participating in various initiatives and protests, particularly in the area of protecting women from domestic violence.

On March 4, 2017, Ms. Bako visited Sarah Lawrence College to attend a Women’s History Conference that the College hosted annually. After a luncheon in the College’s Visual Arts Center, Ms. Bako was walking to an elevator to attend an afternoon session seminar when she tripped on the base of an art installation that was on display. She fell to the floor.
Although she was helped up and briefly attended her seminar, she soon asked for help and EMTs were called to the scene. She was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a minimally displaced right hip fracture that required open reduction internal fixation surgery. After this surgery, she had a poor recovery and developed some complications that added to her damages and resulted in two additional surgeries.

From the initial fracture and ORIF surgery, Ms. Bako developed a significant re-activation and aggravation of a preexisting incontinence problem which made her stays in the hospital and rehab facilities very uncomfortable. Despite treatment, this bladder control condition persisted and was claimed as a complication from the original hip injury.
Because of her age and frail bones, the ORIF surgery failed and she underwent right hip joint replacement surgery approximately three months after the initial trauma.

Approximately two years later, Ms. Bako underwent joint replacement surgery for her other hip, the left side, which was not injured in the accident. Nonetheless, we claimed the left hip replacement, arguing that it was a consequential /secondary injury stemming from the original injury to the other hip. Specifically, we alleged that the original fracture and two surgeries on the right side destabilized her entire pelvis and caused accelerated degeneration /collapse of the left side, necessitating a joint replacement surgery that otherwise would not have been necessary.

As Ms. Bako was retired, no lost earnings claim was alleged. We did have a life care plan that included home care and totaled just over $3.6 Million.
Ms. Bako had an extensive, well-documented prior medical history that included osteoarthritis throughout her body, joint pain, hand and foot pain, pain throughout her body, spine pain, insomnia, incontinence, nocturia, and depression. In the year before the accident, she had applied for disability transportation services, saying that she was too infirm to use public transit.

The defense disputed liability, arguing that the condition was “open and obvious,” violated no safety standards and was easily avoidable. The College alleged that Ms. Bako was not paying attention, walked into the art installation and caused her own accident.

On damages, the defense argued that most/all of her complaints and limitations were related to her age-related preexisting conditions, that the incontinence was preexisting and entirely unrelated to the accident, and that her left hip replacement surgery was from old age and also unrelated to the accident. The College argued that Ms. Bako’s own medical records indicated that before this accident happened she was already suffering with pain, lacking mobility, and in need of medical/home care. On this basis, they alleged that the life care plan was excessive and unrelated to the injuries caused by the accident.

Strategies & Tactics Used at Trial – Discussion Points:

*Winning the Comparative Fault Fight by Acknowledging Plaintiff’s Role in the Accident

*Contrasting Plaintiff’s Acknowledgement against Defendant’s Denial of Fault

*Overcoming your Weaknesses by Admitting Them and Giving Them Proper Context

*Beyond the Admission of Weaknesses – Weaving the Weakness into your Story

*Taking Advantage of How Defendant Blames Your Client on Liability & Damages

*Showing How the Blaming Starting at the Accident and Continued Through Trial

*Elderly, Infirm Clients and the Egg Shell Plaintiff

*Establishing Your Credibility and the Reasonableness of Your Position

*Putting the Defense on Trial – Exposing the Fallacy of Denial and Blame

Embracing the Preexisting Conditions & Increased Susceptibility

Photos Tell the Story and Corroborate the Testimony

PREPARATION OF THE PLAINTIFF TO TESTIFY EFFECTIVELY –

Turning an Unfavorable Accident Report into your Best Friend

Telling Your Story Through the Defense Witness

Showing the Absurdity of the Defense Position

Gain Ammunition for the Argument about Defense Motive

Shifting from Shared Responsibility to the Total Win Based on the Evidence

Calling out the Defense Tactics and Getting the Jury Displeased with the

Steve Williamson

Nathan Werksman

$10,000,000 Trip and Fall Verdict

Throughout his 30-year legal career, Ben Rubinowitz has made his mark as a leading trial lawyer combining hard work and dedication with his remarkable courtroom skills and presence. Mr. Rubinowitz began his career as a prosecutor, where he honed the trial skills that would become his hallmark. From there, he began serving as a trial lawyer representing severely injured plaintiffs in personal injury cases, eventually joining 

 in 1989. For the past 16 years Mr. Rubinowitz was featured in New York Magazines' article on "Best Lawyers in New York". For the past 2 years Ben has been recognized in the New York Times as one of the "Top 10" lawyers in the New York Metro area, as evaluated by New York Super Lawyers. Ben was honored by being elected to be a member of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates. The Inner Circle of Advocates is limited to 100 members considered among the best plaintiffs attorneys in the United States and also to be "lawyers of excellent character and integrity."

Ben's meticulous approach to the preparation and trial of cases has produced 28 verdicts and over 180 settlements in excess of one million dollars in cases arising out of car accidents, premises accidents, 

, medical malpractice, civil rights violations and products liability. Mr. Rubinowitz has a thorough grasp of the nuances of complex issues. This, coupled with his ability to translate complicated information into clear terms for a jury, has left an indelible impression on all those who have witnessed him in action--including even defendants' medical experts that he has cross-examined. In addition to his skills as a trial lawyer, Mr. Rubinowitz has successfully argued appellate cases before the Appellate Division and the highest court in the State of New York, the Court of Appeals.

Ben B. Rubinowitz

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. My father was a lawyer, and my brothers are all lawyers. Growing up, I sold programs at Dodger Stadium, and I had a paper route. I attended St. John Bosco High School and Fresno State University, playing football at both. I returned to Los Angeles following graduation where I taught and coached football at my high school alma mater. Still coaching football my first semester, I began attending Southwestern Law School. During law school, I worked at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and conducted almost 100 preliminary hearings. I tried my first jury trial in my first month as a lawyer when I was an insurance defense lawyer. During that time, I tried many defense cases and gained great experience. I later joined a top plaintiff firm where I rose to the rank of partner and stayed 17 years. In 2005, I formed Panish Shea & Boyle LLP in Los Angeles. The firm has grown to include offices in California and Nevada and is now known as Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP. I am the Immediate Past President of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates and I have been in more than 150 jury trials in my career. I enjoy fishing, working out, and attending sporting events including as many Fresno State football games as possible. In 2022, I passed the bar in Nevada with my youngest daughter.

Brian Panish

I am a partner at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School, and the father of three boys. I am so lucky to be married to Smitha who is an amazing mother and the CEO of USC Care Medical Group, the physician group of Keck Medicine of USC. My wife understands and appreciates my passion for teaching so much so that she was cool when I worked to schedule our Trial College at the time that best worked for everyone – despite it starting the day after my 20-year wedding anniversary! I made the mistake a while back of asking Smitha what my top five qualities were that made her want to marry me. Much to my surprise and disappointment, my sense of humor did not make the list! She is right, I am not funny, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I love the Buffalo Bills, “Dad Jokes”, and taking selfies (especially with my Snapchat filters).


Rahul Ravipudi

I grew up in Birmingham, MI. I am the youngest of eight children and attended an all-boys catholic school my whole life until I went to college at the University of Michigan. I went to night school at Detroit College of Law. My dad, my uncle, two of my brothers, and sister were lawyers. My first job was cutting lawns at age 10. I started working for my brother as a house painter at age 12. When I was 16 I started my own painting business and continued throughout high school, college, and law school, and a few years after until I was 32. I practiced criminal defense for eighteen years in Michigan until ten years ago when my roommate from the Trial Lawyers College, Nick Rowley, encouraged me to move to LA to become a PI lawyer. The California Bar took me four tries. I moved to Las Vegas this past March. I have recently taken up pickle ball, skiing and golf. I also think I'm competitive at connect four, backgammon, chess, and ping pong.

Dan Ambrose

I was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, and moved to Boise, Idaho when I was three years old. I lived in Boise until the end of third grade. I then moved to Las Vegas. I attended 8 different schools from 1st-12th grade. I played junior college baseball in California. I finished my bachelor's degree at UNLV. Just before I graduated, I married my high school sweetheart, Lou, and we have been happily married for 22 years. I attended UNLV Boyd School of Law and graduated in 2003. I started my own law firm, Sean K. Claggett & Associates, on January 1, 2005, with a single employee. My firm has changed names two times, the first was Claggett, Hays & Sykes and the second and final change was to its current name, Claggett & Sykes. Today our firm has over 55 employees which includes 22 lawyers. I love baseball and golf, and as I write this bio I am at St. Andrews enjoying day 1 of the 150th Open.

Sean Claggett

I was born in San Diego, California. I was the 4th of 5 kids and the first son. My Dad was a doctor but as a young man he was part of the fight for the establishment of Israel and it was always his dream to live there. My family emigrated to Israel when I was 5 years old. We lived there through the 1973 war after which we moved back to the United States – first to New York and then to Atlanta. After losing several friends in high school to DUI related crashes, I became a police officer. I investigated many crashes and testified in court a fair amount. I saw first-hand the difference that a good lawyer can make. I attended the University of Georgia School of Law, followed by a federal court clerkship and then entered private practice. I was appointed to serve part-time as a magistrate judge, while working full-time as a trial lawyer.

Unlike lawyers who do lots of things at the same time, I have always specialized. I spent the first few years of my practice handling mostly birth trauma cases. I then happened into a case where a woman burned alive following a survivable rear impact crash. This led to me specializing this unique aspect of automotive product liability for about 10 years. I told Ford that I would stop suing them if the fixed the problem with the Mustang and while it took a while they finally did. After some soul searching, I decided to focus on truck crash cases. At the time, lawyers focusing on truck crash cases was not a thing. I have done my part over the last 18 years to make it a thing. I have spent countless hours developing best practices for handling these cases.

Knowing that I could only handle a small number of cases and wanting to have a big impact on highway safety, I set out to train lawyers all over the country on how to best handle truck crash cases. I have served in leadership of just about every organization in the Country for lawyers who handle truck crash cases. I am Co-founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Lawyers and the National Board of Truck Crash Lawyers (an NBTA sub-board responsible for Truck Crash Law obtaining ABA recognition as a legal specialty). Most recently I authored “A Law Enforcement Guide to Truck Driving Safety Standards” and I have worked hard to be the best human being I can be, the best husband and father I can be, and the best lawyer I can be. It is a work in progress. At this point in my life, I am trying to pay things forward. Closing in on 1000 days without missing on the Peleton!

Joseph Fried

, a national law firm dedicated to representing real people against insurance companies, the government and big corporations. He has a history of service as a military medic having served both in the United States Air Force and Army.

Accomplishing a bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology by the age of 19 while on active duty, Nick went on to get a law degree, starting law school at 20. Nick is a proud father of his sons and daughters and the husband of Trial Lawyer and author Courtney Rowley.

Nick Rowley

Rex has achieved outstanding results in the courtroom over the span of his career – he obtained the first million-dollar verdict in California’s Kern County as a young lawyer and, years later, obtained an historic, record-breaking defamation jury verdict in Los Angeles for $370,000,000. In between, Rex has obtained dozens of seven-, eight- and nine-figure verdicts and settlements. His success is hardly happenstance – Rex prepares every case, for trial using the latest science in persuasion skills. Everything from metaphoric choices, word selection and visuals are tested and re-tested before each trial. In addition to managing his trial calendar and the Firm’s diversified practice, Rex also manages one of California’s fastest-growing cities. As the mayor of Lancaster since 2008, Rex has gained nationwide media attention for his efforts to improve the wellbeing of the city’s residents. For example, gang violence dropped 82%, the city’s downtown area was completely redeveloped during the worst economic downturn in over 75 years, and all of the city’s municipal buildings were converted to solar power. Rex and his wife, Carrol, founded the Firm in 1985 with the goal of building a truly great law firm. That goal has never changed – they continue to innovate and work tirelessly to improve the service and results they provide daily.

R. Rex Parris

In 2016, at the age of 37, Benjamin P. Cloward became the youngest lawyer in the history of the State of Nevada to be awarded the prestigious “Trial Lawyer of the Year” by the Nevada Justice Association. That same year, he became the youngest member of the Nevada, Las Vegas Chapter of ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates), and at the time was also the youngest person in the State of Nevada to be Board Certified as a Personal Injury Specialist. He has received many additional recognitions including being AV-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and receiving a perfect 10.0 by 

. He has been featured in several magazines in Nevada for his accomplishments and hard work.

Just recently, in February of 2020, Ben obtained a 

, which is believed to be the largest ever negligent security for wrongful death in the State of Nevada and was the 2nd largest wrongful death verdict in the entire United States in 2020. Other verdicts Ben has obtained include a 

 in 2016 on behalf of a family whose disabled son Harvey was allowed to choke to death on a paratransit bus. That verdict was upheld in a unanimous decision after four years of contentious appellate litigation with the final judgment ballooning to nearly 

. The defense in that case never formally offered a single penny. After obtaining the verdict, Ben continued working on the safety issue that led to Harvey’s death and with the help of many other people got “Harvey’s Law” passed in Nevada in 2017, which required certain training for all paratransit bus drivers to ensure others were protected. In 2016, Ben also obtained a 

 for a family whose life had been altered by a drunk driver that injured the mother and killed the daughter. He also obtained a 

 for a client who was significantly injured from a fall which resulted in a moderate brain injury. Ben has obtained multiple soft-tissue, low visible property damage jury verdicts including a 

 in 2014 and several 6 figure verdicts where Ben obtained verdicts over 

 greater than the defense offers prior to trial. Other notable results on behalf of his clients include a 

 against Jacuzzi Luxury Bath, dba Jacuzzi, Inc. and First Street for Boomers & Beyond, Inc. Also, he recently obtained an 

 verdict against FedEx Ground Package Inc. In addition to obtaining significant jury verdicts, Ben has also been involved in settling over thirty cases for values ranging from $1 million to $10 million as noted above. He has tried to verdict cases in both State and Federal Court in Utah and Nevada.

Benjamin P. Cloward

I was born in the great city that no one has ever heard of, Lancaster, California. Growing up, I watched my parents work to grow their firm from a single office cubicle to the large firm that it is today and realized that I did not want to work that hard. I went to college thinking that I wanted to own a restaurant one day, only to realize restaurant owners work harder than lawyers, with smaller profit margins. So, I decided to work for my father as his tech guy/unofficial associate. I summarized his depositions, prepped his mind maps, and built his closings. After doing several trials with him, I finally realized that helping people in their darkest times alongside my father wasn’t the hard work that I once envisioned, so I decided to go to law school. Several years later my father asked me to go golfing with a Bruce Schechter, to which I begrudgingly agreed. Three holes and a couple of tequila shots later, we became fast lifelong friends. Ever since, I have been trying cases alongside my dad and Bruce. When I am not working with those two, I am wrestling with my two french bulldogs, Beau and Bleu, or cooking for my lovely wife Bre.

Khail Parris

David DeRubertis

I was named after Satchel Paige the baseball player. People often ask me why there is not a “t” in my name and the truth is that my parents were afraid I would be called a satchel bag at school. I was raised in the small town of Viola, Arkansas and give the credit of my success to my wonderful parents, Eddy and Jeanie Oliver. I basically drove my mentor, Frank Bailey, nuts until he agreed to hire me. The first three phone calls to Frank’s office resulted in failure because the office manager simply told me, “Mr. Bailey was not hiring.” I brainstormed magic words with my parents and called back a 4th time asking if I could just spend “5 minutes with Mr. Bailey.” Thank goodness Frank agreed. In those 5 minutes, Frank determined I had great potential and hired me to trim the boxwoods and plant begonias in the firm’s garden. I told Frank that I would do whatever he wanted me to do for little or no money under one condition… If Frank went somewhere on a case for any reason, he must take me with him. We have been together ever since. I am married to Codi Oliver who is a pediatric occupational therapist. We have two daughters, Reesa and Reagan. One of our favorite things to do is ride horses together on our ranch in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. I am passionate about my faith and discipling men to be their best.

Sach Oliver

I am a native of Monrovia, Liberia where my Grand Uncle was the president. During his presidency there was a lot of civil unrest which ultimately resulted in a coup d’etat in the early 80’s requiring my family to flee to America. We migrated to Los Angeles, California which has been my home since. I went to UCLA for undergrad where I ran the hurdles, then taught elementary school for a few years prior to attending law school part time. I started my legal career practicing criminal law, then civil rights and now personal injury. I teach at the Gerry Spence Method at Thunderhead Ranch program in Wyoming. I have recently taken up surfing which is even harder than I imagined it would be.

Stephen King

Dale K. Galipo obtained his J.D.from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1984. Mr. Galipo has since earned a reputation as one of the top civil rights attorneys in the nation. With the formation of The Law Offices of Dale K. Galipo in 1991, Mr. Galipo began specializing in personal injury cases and soon thereafter, he started obtaining multi-million dollar jury verdicts on personal injury cases. During the 1990’s, Mr. Galipo also handled numerous criminal cases and was dubbed “The Strikes Man” by the Daily Journal for multiple jury acquittals in “three strikes” cases. From 1995 thru 1996, Mr. Galipo obtained six consecutive jury acquittals on major felony cases.

In 2002, Dale Galipo started to specialize in civil rights cases involving police misconduct and excessive force and shortly thereafter, Mr. Galipo began obtaining multi-million dollar jury verdicts for victims of police misconduct and police abuse. In 2012, Mr. Galipo was awarded the Defender of the Constitution Award by the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and was more recently the Honoree for the MLK award presented in his name at the UC Davis School of Law. In the last eleven years, he has prevailed in over 50 Jury trials and has obtained over 100 seven-figure verdicts and settlements.

With approximately twenty published opinions in civil rights cases, Dale Galipo has also been selected to the Southern California’s SuperLawyers list every year. Having been awarded the CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year 2020 and also the CAOC 2020 Consumer Attorney of the Year, he is often asked to speak about his civil rights practice, most often on how to successfully try a civil-rights case. As an active member of The Inner Circle of Advocates and as a Fellow of The American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Galipo has gone to trial and won more cases against the police than any other attorney in the country.

Dale Galipo

I grew up in Charleston, SC and went to Tulane University in New Orleans. I double majored in Psychology and Communication even though I started off in Computer Science. While in college, I was a bartender. After graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law, I started practicing law with my father. He taught me to love the challenge of pushing law forward with each case.

I have been an adjunct professor at the Charleston School of Law for over 10 years where I teach civil pre-trial practice. For 30 years, I have annotated the rules of procedure and evidence in South Carolina. I am always trying to improve.

I enjoy learning new skills and ideas related to neuroscience, graphic design and technology. I teach and write about these topics because sharing the knowledge helps all of us become better. I love performing magic and usually have a deck of cards on me. I am married and the proud parent of three children.

Justin Kahn

Chad Dudley

Matt Granda

Michael Alder

The accomplishment that defines who I am in life happened when I was 11 years old - winning a watermelon eating contest for children 13 years and below. The prize was a brand new BMX mountain bike. To understand why, you need to know where I come from. I grew up in a very modest household as one of four children. My parents immigrated from Iran in the 1980s after the Iraq War destroyed the country. My parents made sacrifices so that their children could get an education in the US.

In the early 90s, I used to go with my father to work at clothing a factory in Vernon, California. Other days, I went to the hair salon with my mother, who would work for $10 per day. My mother saved that $10 dollar salary every day so that my older brother and I could take SAT prep courses. The greatest gift my parent gave me was the hunger to succeed. Although I always wanted a mountain bike, my parents couldn’t afford those kinds of luxuries. The watermelon eating contest was three rounds and I was the scrawniest contestant. There were kids two years older than me and at least 25 pounds heavier. I was a longshot. My dad told me, “outsmart the other kids, be methodical, don’t just bite.” I woke up early in the morning, jogged two miles to build my appetite and cut a water at home for practice to figure out the best way to speed eat. My gameplay was simple, let the other contestants exhaust themselves trying to bite, while I scooped the watermelon with my teeth and ingested with minimal chewing. By the third round, I was sure I would throw up. Fortunately, I held it together and won first place.

The same work ethic and determination from 28 years ago has helped me create a multi-jurisdictional personal injury practice today in Georgia and California.

Ray Kermani

Chris Dolan

Alicia Campbell

Charlie Finlayson

Christian Augustin

Alexandra Heaton

Brian Blankenship

David Snyder

Join teachers and co-founders of Haus of Improv, Steve Hohman & Olivia Espinosa, for an exclusive improv workshop created just for lawyers. We're not just any instructors. We’re seasoned actors and directors with a relentless drive to empower legal voices.

Imagine being cross-examined over 1,200 times. That's our reality. We've faced attorneys in 30 states, Canada, and the UK. That's as much, if not more, exposure than any expert witness you're likely to encounter. The difference? Our expertise is dedicated to your success.

Since 2022, we've consulted on cases that have culminated in awards totaling over $32 MILLION. When we say our methods work, we have the numbers to prove it.

"I slaughtered another defense expert this morning. It’s been so much fun to cross-examine in real life, and all the improv games and exercises really help!”

-Susie Injijian, Plaintiff’s Attorney, Berkeley, CA


Olivia Espinosa

Przemek	Lubecki

Will Sykes

Joon Hong

I grew up working in Coachella at my father’s swap meet clothing store, where I learned how to speak Spanish and work my ass off to earn the privilege of playing the Street Fighter Arcade next to my dad's store. I bring a Street Fighter mentality into every trial, unfortunately or fortunately. At my last trial, that mentality helped me earn a $51.3 million verdict while almost landing me in jail during trial! I can stay calm during a firestorm and also create a storm when things are eerily calm.

Mohamad Ahmad

Bruce Broillet

Chris Vander Kaay

I was born into a family filled with lawyers and doctors, but I was determined to be neither of the two. I had no interest in blood and gore and zero interest in filing briefs or being an attorney. Despite these “strongly held beliefs,” my father continued to tell me from the age of three that I would be an attorney. Perhaps his badgering unconsciously led me to the legal field, or maybe I won in the end as I do not practice law, but I have found a love of the courtroom and the mental challenge of reshaping cases.

Before discovering my path, I attended Duke Law School where I received my JD and a master’s in psychology. During my first semester of law school, a professor presented one day on jury selection and mentioned David Ball’s name, who conveniently was in Durham. In that moment, I found my passion and career path. I cold-called David as a young, nervous student, introduced myself, told him I wanted to do what he does, and invited him to lunch. For unknown reasons, he agreed, seemed to like me well enough, very likely paid for lunch, and offered to mentor me while I was in school. I will forever be grateful as he set me on my path of a career I love.

I was also fortunate to be taught by Professor Neil Vidmar, who owns half of the recordings of the Arizona Project from 1996 when cameras were allowed into deliberation rooms of real juries. I spent my days in class, and my afternoons at coffee shops sitting side-by-side with David Ball while he taught me the ins and outs of focus group research, case analysis, opening statement, and trial strategy. At night, I would wander onto a dark campus and, entrusted with a key to his office, sit at Neil Vidmar’s desk watching Arizona Project deliberation tapes and taking notes. The rest, they say, is history. I thrive on the challenge of altering case themes and strategy, testing cases with mock trials, and helping attorneys become stronger advocates.

I also have two young kids who love seeing my face on mock trial videos as I analyze results and who challenge me to balance my work with their young, busy, important lives.

Jessica Brylo

Steve Hohman

Craig Peters

Randall Sorrels

Navan Ward

Geordan Logan

Michael Hill

Dr. Hector Miranda

Mark Kosieradzki

Shannon Wise

Jim Murphy

Micah Echols

Jennifer Morales

Jakob Norman

Dirk Vandever

Brian Beecher

Molly McKibben

Nick Wooldridge

Mauro Fiore

Rob Levine

Kimball Jones

Dorothy Clay Sims

Steve Vartazarian

When I was fifteen, I met the love of my life. As most high school romances go, we dated, broke up, dated again, broke up again etc. Then at 20 the love of life moved to Florida. I thought we were just on a break. She didn’t. She got married and had three kids. I was very single. We didn’t see or talk for twelve years. She got divorced. I had never dated anyone with children. And then she googled me and we started talking. She came back home for a family wedding, and we decided to meet for coffee. That was seventeen years ago. I was lucky to get a do over with the one true love of my life and I was going to make damn sure that I didn’t lose her again. With the addition of our daughter, we now have four beautiful children that are as close as close can be, a grandson who lights up all of our lives, two dogs, two cats and some wild animals on our farm in Northeast Pennsylvania. 

Our big Italian family loves, laughs, yells, cries, eats and drinks with more passion than words can describe. They are the people that allow me to live this crazy and amazing life of being a trial lawyer and I am forever grateful. So how did I become a trial lawyer? That story is almost as good as my marriage.

I went to college to play basketball, at 5’10” I was obviously a point guard and become an engineer. I got hurt, stopped playing basketball and started bartending where I would meet my law partner. It was the early 90’s and Cocktail was all the rage and yes, we could do all the bar tricks that Tom Cruise made famous. Being a bartender without a doubt was one of the best and wildest times in my life. To this day we still have people that remember us from Market Street Station Square. As for being an engineer, I did an internship at an engineering firm and decided that I could never be an engineer. Around this time, I met a Judge through a local charity organization that I was involved in and worked at the local courthouse for the summer. I saw two trials, one criminal and one civil and I was hooked. I loved every minute of being in trial and decided that I would go to law school. For the next two years I went to school around the clock and graduated with a degree in Engineering and Political Science and a minor in Physics. I went to law school thinking I would go into intellectual property law. Boy was I wrong. 

By year two of law school I realized that I hated intellectual property law. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing trial advocacy teacher and competed in moot court which was the moment that I knew I wanted to be trial lawyer. After three years with a local personal injury firm my partner and I decided to open our practice. Talk about humble beginnings, we had a part time assistant who called off more than she worked and a bookkeeper that enjoyed two martini lunches and would shove our bills in a draw, one of which I just found the other day. Somehow we managed to grow our firm into four offices, Philadelphia, Scranton, Kingston and Honesdale and we get to work with fourteen other talented lawyers that are like family to us. I am board certified in Tractor Trailer Accidents, am passionate about teaching and travel all over the country teaching lawyers deposition and trial skills and for some reason have a lot of zero offer cases which I am sure no one else can relate to. I love a good cigar and great bourbon. I make some pretty good wine with a great group of guys and every now and then enjoy an all night poker game. For me the law has allowed a dirt poor kid from a coal mining town in Northeast Pennsylvania to not only travel the world but to represent some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. 

Edward Ciarimboli

I was born and raised in Seattle, WA and my Pacific Northwest roots run deep. Growing up, I loved everything about Seattle except the rain. I spent my short but sunny summers jumping rope (Double Dutch) with my cousins in the driveway, lip-synching in the bathroom mirror and winning dance battles on my front porch. When not bossing my six brothers around, I read books (mostly literature). My favorite place to sit is in the sun. I prefer sitting on the grass than on chairs. I love blackberries and will eat them, unwashed, right off the vine without any shame. For years, my favorite musical group was Boyz II Men and I still get chills when I hear Whitney Houston’s voice. When not trying cases, I enjoy spending time with family, trying new foods, exploring Spotify, texting my tribe and reading.

Ibiere Seck

My parents and I immigrated to Southern California from India when I was about three years old. After finishing high school in Orange County, I graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in political science. I was a member of the American Youth Symphony throughout my undergraduate studies. I also worked as an SAT tutor, a music instructor, and an active freelance classical violist. After graduating from UCLA, I taught myself No-Limit Hold‘em and spent several years playing professionally. I continued to support myself by playing poker while I attended Rutgers Law School. After graduation, I worked for about two years in Florida at a human rights based non-profit before moving back to Orange County and founding The Guha Law Firm. My solo practice focuses on plaintiff’s employment litigation. I rarely get to play poker any more but every day I apply the same skills in my contingency litigation practice that made me a successful poker player. I am a huge Laker fan and love to play basketball, lift weights, and go on hikes with my dog Kobe.

Ranojoy Guha 

I was born and raised in Fresno, California. I come from a family of farmers, except for my father, who opted to become an attorney. Because of him, and my love for the tv series, Matlock, I played attorney in the front yard as a kid. Eventually, I moved to Irvine for my bachelor's degree at UC Irvine where I majored in criminology. I went to Pepperdine for law school, where I met my husband, Andy. Although I dreamed of working as a prosecutor, my aunt Kris introduced me to a friend of hers, who happened to be a prominent civil Plaintiff attorney. I clerked for him in law school and learned that I enjoyed the civil side. I live in Coto de Caza with my husband Andy and seven pets. My practice focuses on dangerous condition, product liability, and workplace accident/crossover cases. In 2022 I was awarded OCTLA’s Young Gun trial lawyer of the year. I’ve been fortunate to achieve settlements and verdicts on behalf of many deserving clients including obtaining a $30 million settlement for a woman who was catastrophically injured as a result of a trucking company’s failure to properly maintain its fleet of vehicles and a $16.5 million settlement against the City of Pasadena on a dangerous road design case involving insufficient corner sight distance that led to a devastating T-bone collision.

Clare Lucich

I was born and raised in Pasadena, California. I graduated from USC business school in 1992 and from Whittier Law School, summa cum laude, in 1995. I joined a mid-size business litigation firm headquartered in Orange County in 1995 and became a partner in 2001. When I joined the firm, I started developing a practice area in the automotive space. I had grown up around cars and recognized that the automotive space was underserved by professionals who understood the industry. In 2006, as an adjunct to the law practice, I opened a high-end collector car dealership in Orange County. For the first 20 years, most of my legal focus was representing car dealers against automotive manufacturers in large franchise disputes. However, in the mid-2010s, I narrowed my focus to representing consumers who had suffered catastrophic injuries from an automotive defect. I have now litigated cases against nearly every major automotive manufacturer in the world, including GM, Audi, Maserati, Mitsubishi, FCA, Kia, Nissan, Honda, AM General, Isuzu, Toyota, Hyundai, Harley-Davidson, Ford, Acura, Tesla, Volvo, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mercedes, and Porsche.

Jonathan Michaels

From humble beginnings to Noble Crusader… I grew in the biggest little city in the world, Reno, Nevada. My father was a carpenter, and my mother worked various job, including a tour guide and telephone operator. We had a large family of 8 children, who were in and out of a house that was just a little over 1,400 square feet. My parents loved each-other, and most importantly loved their children. I am second to the youngest. I am the first to graduate college in my entire family, and the first and only lawyer. I was an athlete in school, and most concerned with popularity as this was of the utmost importance to me growing up as it ensured lots of friends and girlfriends. I prayed near nightly to be the most popular, the toughest and the best looking from middle school through high school.

When I finished high school, I knew nothing. I barely received a good enough score on the SAT to attend the local university. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, because cops couldn’t mess with me, and I believed they made a lot money. The university was difficult, in the beginning, because my academic skills were very lackluster. I remember when a professor gave the class a five-page paper assignment to be turned in. It took days to get it done, I was so far behind. Notwithstanding, I put my nose the grindstone, dedicated myself to school, and excelled. I put partying on the back burner, and school first.

After undergrad, I had a high stakes experience with the Justice system. Out one night after the final semester of undergrad, my friend and I met two dancers at a local watering hole. We had a great time. We decided we would meet up the following night at the Dancers’ place of work, “Wild Orchid Gentleman’s Club”. We showed up with some other friends to take the Dancers out of the club. One of the bouncers had a crush on the Dancers. He was not happy we were leaving with the dancers. Needless to say a fight ensued, and one of the bouncers suffered an orbital lobe fracture to his eye---that ultimately required surgery. I did not do it! Nevertheless, I was one of the only names the police had, and I was ultimately prosecuted. It was a tough time, and extremely stressful. 

At the time, I needed to apply for law school. While applying I had to be very careful when answering the questions asked on the law school application concerning criminal history. Fortunately, UNLV’s law school did not have a question about pending criminal matters, and only asked about prior convictions. I was able to truthfully answer the application and was ultimately accepted into UNLV’s Law School. After my first semester I had to return to Reno to sit as a defendant in a criminal felony jury trial. I was acquitted—NOT GUILTY! Thank God! The justice system worked and works.

After law school, I decided that I wanted to be a movie star. I moved to New York City, to study acting, but quickly found out I did not want to be a struggling actor. I still studied acting at the Lee Strausberg Institute, Stella Adler School of Acting, and HB Studios for years. I found a lawyer job on Craigslist, and I worked for the same firm for the next 10 years. Handling all different types of criminal matters in the Russian enclave of Brooklyn, known as Brighton Beach. While in New York, I fell in love with Yoga and spirituality, which at the time was where I put all my energy and focus. My guru initiated me as “Yogi Ram”. Back then, I considered being a lawyer, just a job. When my daughter’s mother became pregnant in 2013, I knew I needed to head home and devote myself to being a lawyer. 

After 10 years in New York City, in 2014, I moved to Las Vegas to dedicate myself to this wonderful profession and opened my own practice. I love being a lawyer! I love studying trial skills, and I love to improve. Thank you, Dan Ambrose, for making me the best lawyer I can be. Being a trial lawyer is the type of work where you can continuously get better, as well as change and save people’s lives. It is not a static profession. I love going to trial, I love winning, and I love to beat the government and any other entity that has more resources and power than my client. I still love my spiritual practice and yoga. Stretching and hand balancing, is what I do for exercise—it feels amazing and gets me high. Notwithstanding, the majority of my focus is now my work, my kids and of course- my wife. I have an amazing family consisting of my daughter Isabella, my son Tiger and my beautiful partner in life and wife, Anne Wooldridge. I also enjoy smoking pot when the work is done. ;-)


Learn more about Nicholas Wooldridge by visiting 

Nicholas Wooldridge

Alex joined the Parris Law Firm two years out of law school in 2007 and he was made partner at the firm in 2012. Alex has a diverse practice, including Personal Injury and Wrongful Death, Insurance Bad Faith, and Class Action litigation. Alex has been a Southern California Super Lawyer since 2019 and was a “Rising Star” from 2012 to 2018. Alex has achieved seven- and eight-figure jury trial verdicts. Courts all over the country have appointed Alex as Lead Class Counsel in class action cases. All told, Alex has obtained over $500 million in verdicts and settlements for PARRIS clients. Alex speaks frequently to large groups of lawyers at Continuing Legal Education seminars throughout the country. He speaks on taking effective and trial-focused depositions, all aspects of trial practice and – using and applying what he has learned from firm founder R. Rex Parris – applying cognitive science to the creative practice of law. Alex is on the Board of Advisors at Pepperdine University School of Law and was a faculty member at the Law School, where he taught “Advanced Trial Practice.”

Alex Wheeler

I was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. My family immigrated to Los Angeles (the San Fernando Valley) when I was 10 years old. I lived in Phoenix while getting my undergrad degree at Arizona State University (go Devils), and returned to Los Angeles to attend Law School at Loyola. After law school I was hired by a Los Angeles firm that primarily represented insurers in insurance coverage/bad faith matters. I was introduced to the Parris Law Firm at a mediation, and after 17 years of practice for the defense decided to make the move to representing plaintiffs. I have been at the Parris Law Firm ever since. I am married and have 3 kids (18, 15, 12). When I’m not working or driving my kids around, I enjoy travelling with the family, going to rock concerts with friends and riding rollercoasters with my son. At last count, I’ve seen over 100 concerts and ridden over 50 different rollercoasters all over the United States.

Dan Eli

Evan Garcia is a Litigation Manager and Trial Attorney at the Simon Law Group, and hails from the Great state of Texas, where he is also admitted to practice. Evan’s practice focuses on all types of catastrophic injury cases and he is heavily involved in the firm’s day to day operations including working with the Firm’s referral partners to ensure a seamless transition to SLG’s litigation and trial teams.
Prior to joining The Simon Law Group, Evan worked at a boutique law firm and consultancy agency specializing in complex tax planning, controversy, and litigation. Evan was the youngest member of the firm, and was the youngest to manage a team of professionals in their Tax Controversy group. Evan is also SLG’s liaison to Justice HQ, a member-only plaintiff’s organization of high caliber attorneys. As a plaintiff’s attorney, Evan has been instrumental in recovering over $30 million in a verdicts and settlements, including two recent awards for $6M and $5.5M respectively.
Evan has a Finance and Real Estate degree from the University of Pacific and played Division I water polo for the Tigers. He then went on to earn his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, along with several other of our Attorneys. During law school he was an active member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution team and an Executive Board member of the Moot Court team. Evan competed in the distinguished Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition twice, and was an American College of Bankruptcy Distinguished Law Student 9th circuit nominee. He also clerked for the Honorable Chief Judge Marvin Isgur of the Southern District of Texas and the Ft. Bend County District Attorney’s office..
In his free time, Evan interests range from sports to wood working. He particularly likes marrying the two. Be sure to ask him (preferably on the Golf Course). But above all, he enjoys spending time with his Wife, Rhianna, and young sons Noah and Benson.

Evan Garcia

Robert T. Simon is a co-founder of the Simon Law Group — aka Justice Team — and acts as the primary trial attorney. Since launching the firm with his twin brother/wombmate/best friend, 

, in late 2009, it has grown from a boutique office with just a few people into an 9-figure annual practice recognized by its peers throughout the Country, with offices in California, Arizona, and Texas. He has also been admitted by courts in Massachusetts, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and New York to handle large death cases caused by commercial carriers, an area of focus and national notoriety.

He grew up in Pittsburgh as the oldest of 5 (tied!), and the son of a loving UPS 

. It has always been his dream to work with his brothers — 

. Is is growing up in the trucking world that Robert knows so much, and is passionate about, trucking & bus crashes.

When he was a kid, his uncle was suddenly struck by a drunk driver and lost the use of his legs. This accident forever shifted Robert’s career trajectory. He made it his mission to fight for the injured and the less fortunate. He is known for getting massive verdicts on spine injury cases.

He has won Trial Lawyer of the Year several times, as voted on by his peers, in many geographic areas. He speaks on a monthly basis educating other lawyers on best practices and how to achieve the best results for their clients.

Robert T. Simon

At the age of 28, Mr. Shaked was one of the youngest lawyers in the United States to achieve a multi-million dollar verdict for a single personal injury lawsuit.

Sagi Shaked has been practicing law since 2000 and went on to found the successful Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers in 2007, where he became one of the 

Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the United States

This highly coveted honor was bestowed upon Mr. Shaked for his exemplary legal expertise, compassion for his clients, and consistently recovering multi-millions of dollars in damages for those he represents. At only 28, Mr. Shaked was one of the youngest lawyers in the United States to achieve a multi-million dollar verdict for a single Personal Injury lawsuit.

Sagi Shaked

Stephen Burg is a trial attorney at the law firm Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh Jardine, P.C. Mr. Burg’s practice is focused on representing victims of auto crashes, personal injury, trucking accidents, motorcycle collisions, product liability injuries, gas explosions, wrongful death, and harmful drug products.

Mr. Burg has been recognized for his legal excellence both nationally and locally. He was named as a “Recommended Attorney” by the U.S. 

. and has also been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America and a Colorado Super Lawyer. He is also named a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” by the National Trial Lawyers, and Denver’s 

 Magazine selected Mr. Burg as a “Top Lawyer” and the Face of Personal Injury Law Litigation since 2020. Mr. Burg has been admitted as a member of the “Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum” and was named 

Mr. Burg donates a substantial amount of his free time to supporting nonprofit organizations in Colorado and nationally. Mr. Burg is on the Board of Directors for the Anti-Defamation League, the Colorado Judicial Institute (CJI) and ARC Thrift. Mr. Burg helps to support the Denver Health Foundation’s Newborns in Need program, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, among others. Mr. Burg is an Associate Attorney for the ZRBG Pension Project – this project is designed to ascertain pension benefits for Holocaust survivors.

Stephen Burg earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Wyoming and his Law Degree from the University of Denver. Mr. Burg is currently admitted to practice in Colorado and in Arizona. He lives in Colorado with his wife Amy, and their two children.

Stephen J. Burg

Baton Rouge native Steven DeBosier joined the litigation team at Dudley DeBosier in March 2000. He is a 1985 graduate of Catholic High School, and he obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from Louisiana State University. Steven spent the first few years of his legal career representing insurance companies, where he learned firsthand how they operate.

At Dudley DeBosier, Steven prosecutes plaintiffs’ personal injury claims against those same insurance companies in courts all across Louisiana, including state and federal courts. He focuses on personal injury claims and helping get his clients the money they deserve.

Steven DeBosier

I grew up in upstate New York after immigrating from Montreal at the age of five. My father was a cancer research chemist, leading teams at Bristol-Myers Squibb that developed some of the world’s most effective cancer drug therapies. My mother grew up in Galway, Ireland-and I spent most summers as a child either visiting relatives in Ireland or Canada.

I was born missing my right femur but was also blessed with athletic talent and very supportive parents. I started alpine ski racing on one leg at a young age-and that has continued to be one of my passions to this day.

I attended college and law school in Florida-and practiced at one of Florida’s oldest and largest civil defense firms for six years before moving to California in 2003 and starting my own plaintiff’s firm shortly thereafter. I have always thought it important to be a well rounded, versatile lawyer and have thus handled a wide breadth of matters in various jurisdictions across the country.

I’ve tried cases to jury verdict in both state and federal courts in California and Florida and have also argued appeals in the United States Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal. My practice today focuses on serious injury and insurance bad faith cases-with an emphasis on the amputee and spinal cord community.

After twenty-five years of practice, my philosophy remains the same: serve the best interests of my clients-even at the expense of my own.

Conal Doyle

At a young age, Thomas Metier wanted to help the “little” guy. Whether he realized his calling as a child when he saw bullies picking on the weaker kids or as a young college student, helpless and alone while recuperating from a motorcycle accident, Tom knew his calling in life was to protect working people and their families who have lost their strength due to the wrongful, negligent acts of others. Tom wanted to create a firm devoted 100 percent to litigation and sought to surround himself with injury lawyers with the same grit and determination to fight for the rights of people who suffered a catastrophic injury.

Tom is the senior managing member of Metier Law Firm, LLC. A native of Iowa, Tom graduated cum laude from Coe College and received his doctor of jurisprudence from the University of Iowa. Licensed to practice in Colorado, Wyoming, the U.S. District Court–District of Colorado, the U.S. District Court–District of Wyoming, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, his national practice consists of a diverse range of practice areas including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, trucking accidents and motor vehicle accidents.

Tom Thomas Metier

As a graduate of Texas A&M University in 1991, he is a proud Aggie. After obtaining his degree, Michael attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law where he graduated in 1995 with high honors and earned the top score on the Texas Bar Exam. To this day, Michael is still asked about this achievement so early in his career. After graduating, Michael clerked for Judge Reynaldo G. Garza on the Fifth Circuit.

In 1996 Michael moved to New York, where he joined Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, the oldest law firm in the nation. It was his legal experience in New York representing a number of corporations, which led him to his passion to help people when they have been injured and are in need of help the most.

After returning to Texas, Michael spent his legal career handling a wide variety of injury cases. His experience gathering and interpreting evidence has helped him continue to be the most prepared attorney in the courtroom. As a Board Certified attorney in personal injury trial law, 

Michael has spoken at numerous CLE courses on a range of topics, which include 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle cases involving death and catastrophic injury, pre-trial motions, and the preservation of evidence.

One of Michael’s notable accomplishments involves his work in a product liability case. Seven months after he requested a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into defective Chinese-made tires distributed by the Hercules Tire & Rubber Company, the tire importer announced it would recall seven sizes of certain All Trac A/T SUV tires. This recall was the result of hard work and dedication to not only the client’s Michael Cowen represents, but also the public who deserve to be safe on our roads.

In 2016, Michael celebrated 20 years of practicing law and is devoted to passing on his years of experience and lessons learned along the way, to his peers in the legal community. As a seasoned trial lawyer Michael has experience handling over 100 trials. Whether it is a CLE course hosted by TTLA, AAJ, AIEG, or a CLE event hosted by Cowen Rodriguez Peacock, Michael takes pride in continuing to give his time to not only his clients, but his colleagues as well. 

He also welcomes the opportunity to work on cases with fellow attorneys, especially in 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle cases involving death and catastrophic injury.