Unscripted Direct

Introduction (0:00:00). Halloween costumes, community service, and the return of the Online National Championship ( click here to apply ). National Criminal Trial Competition (0:12:15). John Bishop talks about the tournament they're building at Chapman. Tournament Spotlight: The Premiere (0:24:08). UT's Mike Golden and Nova's Joe Lester join us in their Halloween costumes! They disc...

Introduction (0:00:00). Invincibility. The Break (0:03:49). Results from TOC, Davis MLK, and Buffalo-Niagara -- and special congrats to TSU's Tim Adams. Report from Tournament of Champions (0:07:20). Our correspondent (okay, it's just Justin) talks about the best things he saw, the worst things, the food, and the end of UCLA's streak. Most importantly, did Judge Roberts win the case...

Introduction   (0:00:00). Spencer teaches with his siblings, and Justin brags about his sibling . The Break (0:05:40). Results from Gold Cup, Syracuse, and St. John's. Tournament Spotlight: Tournament of Champions  (0:07:28). Board member Judge Roberts and this year's host Robert Little talk about this year's TOC. Robert laughs at Judge talking about "paramours" and "...

We also considered an another episode title: "That's a lot of licking." Introduction (0:00:00). Justin shares a possible life change.  The Break (0:08:05). Winners from All Star Weekend Two -- the nationals field is set! NALAE Debate (0:09:00). After the NALAE Zoom call, we invited some community leaders -- Adam Shlahet, Katie Powers, Judge Jim Roberts, Robert Little, and Jared  Ros...

Introduction (0:00:00). A murder trial without due process. The Break (0:04:46). Results from All Star Weekend One and Stetson's National Pretrial.  Suggested Plagiarism with Sean Claggett (0:09:18). Nevada's Trial Lawyer of the Year gives an unusual -- and powerful -- reason to ask an open-ended question on cross. Main Interview: Rene Shekmer (0:43:20). Campbell's advocacy director...

Introduction (0:00:00). Jeff Brooks joins us to discuss the year's least controversial controversy. The Break (0:10:06). Results from Denver's Summit Cup. Interview: Kansas's Adam Sokoloff (0:11:45). Before he coached the mock trial team and oversaw the school's Innocence Project, Adam managed bands, went back to school for a philosophy degree, ran marijuana dispensaries, made...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer keeps his job. Justin extols a new approach to scrimmaging. The Break (0:08:33). Results from four competitions -- and a wagering correction. America's Next Top Trial Lawyer (0:15:39). Sacramento County DA Thien Ho announces a new competition, with cash prizes. Main Interview: Emily Stover (0:29:48). The longtime coach -- and national champion alum -- from UC L...

Introduction (0:00:00). With Spencer abandoning his co-host, Justin interviews potential replacements. Suggested Plagiarism with Brett Schreiber (0:32:48). The lawyer who won a $243,000,000 verdict against Tesla reveals some secrets, including his approach to cases with third party liability issues. Tournament Spotlight: Battle of the Experts (1:08:57). Drexel's Phil Pasquarello talks about f...

Introduction (0:00:00). Where is Spencer taking Justin for their 10th anniversary season? The Break (0:02:33). Results from the National Flash Trial Competition. Main Interview: Stephanie Sullivan (0:07:27). South Texas's director of trial advocacy talks about her famous father, her published poetry, and her addiction to replying-all. She also opens up about the role faith has played in her l...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer prepares for his ten-year anniversary. Justin gets publicly insulted. The Break (0:07:45). Your first competition results from the new season. Main Interview: John Henry (0:08:57). Loyola's new trial advocacy director talks about his favorite war stories from 80 jury trials, how trial competitions have changed in the last 25 years, whether he was Mirandized by...

Catching Up (0:00:00) . Travel, verdicts, paying off wagers, two words that unreasonably bother Spencer, alumni events, Spanish accents, and one host trying to cause an IP lawsuit for the other. Summer Recap (0:15:13). What were the five funniest moments in our community this summer? Top Gun: Chatting with the Champions (0:22:23) .  Ohio State's Sarah Paul joins with her second chair Clay Owe...

Introduction. ( 0:00:00). We're back (for a bit!) to interrupt your summer  Mailbag. (0:1:21:21). Thanks to Robert L., other personally identifying information unavailable, for the excellent "question." Applying the Rules. (0:02:31). In our first episode recorded in a real, live, professional studio, Gabe Rivin is back to apply what he taught us in the last episode. To make sure we&...

Introduction (0:00:00). Where are we? What are we doing here? We answer existential questions, and podcast. Story Fundamentals. (0:05:28). We're joined by Gabe Rivin, former showrunner for the Wondery's American Scandal and writer for publications including The Atlantic and The Paris Review . Spencer talks with Gabe about the raw materials that make a good story, they offend basically ev...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer cuts down a tree, and Justin gets sentimental (for three reasons). The Break (0:11:38). The EATS awards! And one errata. All Star is Back! (0:12:44). St. Mary's A.J. Bellido de Luna is back and briefer than ever. He announces the return of the All Star Bracket Challenge, reveals his poker secrets, and explains how his face ended up on t-shirts. Top Gun Preview...

Introduction (00:00). Apply for competitions and vote in the Scripties ! The Break (06:11). Serious results from Amicus, ridiculous results from Amicus, and a new podcast achievement. Gavel Rankings (12:40). With the semester coming to a close, Gavel founder and head mathematician Jared Rosenblatt shares his calculations and major storylines from the 2024-25 season. He also lodges allegations of s...

Introduction (00:00). Spencer and Justin are recovering. "Ask Your Law Mom" (02:30). Buffalo Law's Jen Scharf and Lisa Bauer have their own podcast! They do serious work -- offering advice about legal careers -- but we do our best to make this discussion entirely unserious: yoga, Wordle, student slang, headphone squabbles, and an "Ask Your Law Mom" trivia game that Spencer...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer goes to Disney World ... and he tries to change the world. US News Rankings -- for real this time! (0:09:48). What schools made a big jump?  The Break (0:13:28). Results from both Big National Competitions, case balance numbers, and Students of the Week. Predictions Recap (0:18:07). Who's paying for Waffle House? Can judges fit in suitcases? And who's the...

Introduction (0:00:00). Discussion of the embargoed 2025-26 US News Rankings. The Break (0:02:34). Results from Ethics, South Texas, Chapman, and two military competitions. Nationals Predictions Contest (0:03:57). South Carolina's Brett Bayne and Cumberland's Judge Roberts -- and an unexpected guest -- predict results from AAJ Nationals and TYLA Nationals. You'll hear about mascots,...

Introduction (0:00:00). Justin apologizes, and atones, for a Cardinal sin. The Break (0:02:15). Results from Queens DA and Cap City. Plus, a new job opening! Vexatious Litigants (0:03:35). Colleague fight! Stetson's Liz Boals and Kate Donoghue debate if competitions are better with "live witnesses" or "team witnesses." Kate insults her boss. Liz threatens her job. Suggeste...

Introduction (0:00:00). Justin gets practical: when do you start planning for next year? Spencer gets philosophical: how do you find the right balance between teaching and other professional obligations?  The Break (0:10:41). Results from Trials and Tribulations, and BLSA Nationals! Vexatious Litigants (0:11:26 ). In between vicious insults, Fordham's Adam Shlahet and Hofstra's Jared Ros...

Introduction (0:00:00). Who's at fault for Microphone-Gate? " How I Teach" (0:04:07). Justin is organizing a new EATS presentation -- and he wants your advice. Who would you like to see teach ? And on what topics? ( Click here to nominate people. ) The Break (0:08:16). Which 20 teams are headed to AAJ Nationals?  AAJ Report Card (0:10:08). Was the judge shortage solved? What was the...

Introduction (0:00:00). What do we expect for the first in-person STAC regionals  this decade? The Break (0:07:02). Results from BLSA regionals. Winners of the Online National Championship. An insult from Jared Rosenblatt. Exciting news from the Pahlke Family. And a mea culpa from Justin. NTC Witness Program (0:11:34). Texas Southern's Tim Adams and Brandon Draper bring back one of the most g...

Introduction (00:00). What makes this episode different from all other episodes? An evening recording, some adult beverages, and a plea to judge AAJ . The Break (06:18). Results from Shark Beach. Winners of the last 5 NTC Regions. And the final case data for Wooden v. Saban.  NTC Predictions Results (14:32). We check in with Jess -- and Marlon Brando -- before crowning a winner. Will Robert be buy...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer skis. The Break (03:14). This week's winner: aesthetic improvements. Suggested Plagiarism: Joel Souza (05:59). The director and screenwriter shares his approaches to storytelling, pacing, character development, and more. Predictions Contest (25:12). After we decided to leave in an outtake, Robert and Phil offer bold sports takes, excellent insults, and a few mo...

Introduction (0:00:00). Justin's mom gets yelled at by another team's coach during a Zoom trial, and Justin doesn't appreciate it. The Break (0:05:55). Results from 8 NTC regions, and updated case balance data from Wooden v. Saban -- including detailed data about which parts of trial are won by each party. Suggested Plagiarism: Patricia Glaser (0:17:01). She has represented Conan O’...