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.
How You'll Train
This is a hands-on performance lab where you’ll be on your feet, working, adjusting, and refining in real time.
We begin with an exemplar case to establish a shared foundation. By working from the same material, you’ll be able to clearly see how different performance choices impact the jury’s perception and understand how these skills translate across any criminal case.
Step 1 — Cross-Examination Practice
Train how to control witnesses with structure, pacing, and presence. You’ll learn how to challenge testimony without losing credibility with the jury.
Step 2 — Opening Statement Performance
Deliver an opening and receive direct coaching on clarity, connection, and how to present your client’s story in a way that invites belief.
Step 3 — Voir Dire Practice
Develop the ability to have real conversations with jurors. You’ll practice addressing bias, uncovering perspectives, and building trust from the first interaction.
Step 4 — Direct Examination & Witness Preparation
Learn how to prepare your client and witnesses to communicate clearly and authentically. You’ll guide testimony that feels natural while reinforcing your theory of the case.
Step 5 — Apply It to Your Own Case
Bring your own case into the room. You’ll perform your opening, cross, voir dire, and direct while integrating the techniques you’ve trained—refining them until they feel natural, controlled, and repeatable.
By the end of the five days, you won’t just understand how to present reasonable doubt—you’ll know how to deliver it in a way that a jury can see, feel, and believe.
What You'll Learn
This training focuses on the performance skills that determine whether your message is believed, felt, and remembered.
Eye Contact & Micro-Connecting
Build trust one juror at a time. Learn how to engage individuals within the panel, especially when discussing presumption of innocence, burden of proof, and difficult facts.
Voice Control & Cadence
Use pacing, pauses, and tone to control the rhythm of your presentation. Slow down at critical moments—where doubt lives—and allow the jury time to process what matters.
Facial Expression & Emotional Congruence
Align your expressions with the weight of the case. Whether addressing accusations, investigations, or the stakes facing your client, your presence communicates sincerity without overplaying emotion.
Hand Gesticulation & Movement
Use deliberate movement to clarify timelines, interactions, and competing narratives. Your physical presence helps jurors organize events and track inconsistencies.
Glance Control
Direct attention with precision. Learn how to use your gaze to signal importance, bring focus to key testimony, and draw jurors into critical moments.
Creating Space
Use the courtroom space to map out events, relationships, and sequences. Positioning becomes a tool to help jurors follow the story and remember what matters.
Word Selection
Speak in clear, human terms. Use “we,” “us,” and “our” to create shared perspective, simplify complex ideas, and use imagery so the jury can feel the implications of the case—not just hear them.
Economy of Words
Keep your language tight and intentional. Short, controlled phrasing strengthens your points and limits opportunities for confusion or misinterpretation.
Listening
Make listening visible. Show the jury you are present, grounded, and in control—especially during unpredictable or high-stakes testimony.
Your Instructors
Dan Ambrose
Trial Lawyers University
Giorgio Panagos
Ulysses LawI was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area to an Armenian mother and Greek father. I attended Berkeley High School, University of California, Riverside and Golden Gate University, School of Law. While in law school, I worked at my father’s chocolate shop in Palo Alto giving tasting tours and teaching customers about the history and production of the world’s finest cacao. After passing the CA bar in 2019, I moved to Los Angeles to practice personal injury law. Shortly after founding my own firm in 2021, I cofounded Lawzilla.co, a case referral marketplace where attorneys can find cases to grow their practices and refer cases they would otherwise drop. In addition to running my startup, I work closely with Trial Lawyers University, coaching attorneys on trial presentation skills. I speak fluent Greek and enjoy traveling, reading, spending time with family and playing piano.
