Verdict Academy Podcast

Host Kevin Morrison once tried a case against Jerry Popovich. “I can tell you he is top-notch, among the best I’ve ever gone against,” Kevin says. But don’t take it only from Kevin. Jerry is also a member of three invitation-only trial lawyer organizations with more than 80 jury trials under his belt. Speaking with […]

Karen Burgess once sang to a jury in closing argument. And she’s not even an accomplished singer. But it reflects her strategy for closing argument, and she reveals why to host Kevin Morrison. A member of the “big four” invitation-only organizations – the American Board of Trial Advocates, International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American College […]

“There’s no single solution or single approach for every case,” says Walter “Wally” Yoka, who should know – after a remarkable career spanning 40 years. A nationally recognized defense attorney and member of invitation-only organizations such as the American Board of Trial Advocates, Wally has tried cases involving products liability, commercial disputes, class actions, and […]

In four decades of med-mal practice, Jim Bostwick knows that he can’t fix clients who have been failed by the medical system. “But you can really make a difference in their lives.” In this conversation with host Kevin Morrison, Jim explains how he does just that. The difference, says the founder of Bostwick & Associates […]

Today, Gene Brown Jr. is a member of the “Big Four” invitation-only organizations of elite trial lawyers: the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers, American Board of Trial Advocates, and International Society of Barristers. But his first trial? “I was so nervous that I sat for my opening. I examined witnesses […]

“Being a defendant,” says leading defense lawyer Chris Beeman, “one of the benefits of getting to trial is that the plaintiffs do go first, so it gives the defense time to continue getting organized.” And being organized is critical, Chris says as he reflects on lessons learned from his 65 jury trials. In this conversation […]

Fifty years: same firm, same building, same parking space. “There is something about stability in my background,” Dan Kelly says as he reflects on his legendary career. There is also wisdom to be shared, which Dan does with host Kevin Morrison in the inaugural episode of “Verdict Academy.” A retired partner from Walkup, Melodia, Kelly […]

What separates trial lawyers who consistently win from those who do not? The answer is not in casebooks—it is in the conversations that happen spontaneously in the office, in quiet moments after a tough trial, and in the mentorship that used to define our profession. Verdict Academy captures these disappearing moments. Host Kevin Morrison, a […]