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.
Witness Prep & Direct Examination, Transport Your Jury
mar 6 - 7, 2026 / 8:00A - 6:30P
mar 6 - 7, 2026
8:00A - 6:30P
About the bootcamp
Witness preparation is not a box to check. It is the foundation of your entire case.
When done correctly, witness preparation allows you to truly know your client’s story, conduct stronger depositions, build a confident client who can tell that story clearly, and create the conditions for real settlement leverage when the defense actually believes your client. It is also what makes trial testimony persuasive, resilient on cross, and unforgettable on direct. Witness Prep & Direct Examination: Transport Your Jury is a two-day, hands-on TLU bootcamp focused on teaching you how to prepare clients and witnesses so they don’t just tell their story — they re-experience it. When that happens, the audience experiences it too. Held March 6–7 in Hermosa Beach, California, this bootcamp teaches you how to prepare witnesses for both deposition and trial, and how to conduct direct examinations that move beyond facts and into lived experience. You’ll learn how to help injured clients access what they’ve been trying not to feel, without retraumatizing them or sacrificing credibility, so jurors can finally understand the depth of pain, loss, and change your client has endured. This is where belief is built — and belief is what wins cases.
testimonials
Susie Injijian
"Plaintiffs need help telling their story. Dan’s coaching gave our clients the mindset they needed to deliver a direct examination that was clear, compelling and emotionally resonant. Dan’s witness prep resulted in 100% jury engagement with our story of the case, opening the door to the 8-figure verdict our clients deserved."
Mohamed Ahmad
"Literally your entire verdict can come down to a single moment in the testimony of a witness. TLU's witness prep leaves no stone unturned and delivers on the most important part of your trial presentation."
What You'll Learn:
Core witness preparation and direct examination skills that drive belief, credibility, and juror connection:
Witness Preparation as Case Strategy
Learn how proper witness preparation strengthens every phase of your case — from deposition performance to settlement leverage to trial testimony.
Accessing the Real Story
Learn how to help clients and witnesses move past rehearsed facts and into genuine memory and experience so their testimony feels real, grounded, and human.
Preparing Witnesses for Deposition and Trial
Train witnesses to testify confidently, clearly, and consistently without scripting or over-coaching — even under pressure.
Re-Experiencing vs. Recounting
Understand why great witnesses don’t simply describe events, and how to prepare them to relive moments in a way jurors can feel without appearing dramatic or rehearsed.
Direct Examination That Transports Jurors
Learn how to conduct direct examinations that take jurors inside the story instead of leaving them outside listening to answers.
Before-and-After Witness Structure
Master direct examination of “before” and “after” witnesses so jurors can fully grasp what was taken from your client’s life.
Trauma, Repression, and Damages
Learn why injured clients often minimize pain and loss, how that hurts damages, and how to safely help them access truth jurors can understand.
Language and Question Design
Use wording, sequencing, and pacing that allow witnesses to testify naturally while keeping testimony focused and compelling.
Impenetrable on Cross
Prepare witnesses so their testimony holds under cross-examination because it’s grounded in lived experience, not memorized answers.
Building Belief with Jurors, Adjusters, and Judges
Learn how authentic, well-prepared testimony changes how decision-makers view your case — and your client.
How You'll Train
This is not a lecture. It’s a working lab where you will see, feel, and practice what effective witness preparation and direct examination actually look like.
You’ll watch live demonstrations and then immediately apply the techniques yourself. You’ll see how witnesses change when they move from recounting facts to re-experiencing moments, and how that shift transforms direct examination.
Step 1 – Witness Preparation Demonstration
You’ll observe and break down live witness preparation, learning how to guide clients into authentic testimony without scripting or emotional overload.
Step 2 – Direct Examination Performance Drills
You’ll practice conducting direct examinations that transport witnesses — and jurors — into the story, with coaching on pacing, language, and emotional alignment.
Step 3 – Apply It to Your Own Case
You’ll take what you’ve learned and apply it directly to your own client or witness. You’ll refine preparation strategy and direct examination structure so your testimony lands powerfully and holds on cross.
By the end of this bootcamp, you’ll walk away with a repeatable approach to witness preparation and direct examination that builds belief, strengthens damages, and allows jurors to truly experience your client’s story.
Bootcamp Preparation
Students must bring a case to work on, complete prep assignments, and attend weekly Zoom meetings. You will record and review your presentations multiple times. This preparation ensures that you arrive ready to make the most of the bootcamp.
Your Instructors
