Unscripted Direct

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’...

Introduction (00:00). An email masquerading as "congratulations." The Break (04:03). The winners of the first two NTC regions, results from Chester Bedell, and case balance data from Wooden v. Saban. Interview: David Ball and Artemis Malekpour (10:16). Two of the most famous jury consultants in America talk about Reptile Theory, the classic book David Ball on Damages , and the #1 advice...

We ring in the new semester with: Introduction (00:00). Hiding from relatives, a cross-country roadtrip, and some trials. The Break (11:10). Results from the National Trial League, fantasy football, and the AI Sandbox. The Chapman Challenge (12:40) . John Bishop announces a new competition -- March 29-30 in California -- and invites everyone to apply . NTC Predictions  (17:55). Robert Little v. Ph...

We’re back with the Third Edition of the National Flash Trial Competition and its accompanying episode on the pod.  This year Berkeley Law’s annual tournament expanded to ten teams, meaning we got to introduce two more schools to our tradition of learning through flash trials. Join our erstwhile UC Berkeley undergraduate hosts Lucy Cavalluzzi and Melinda Lu as they embed with teams from Houston an...

In Part Two of our Season Finale: The Champagne Mystery (0:00:00). Who's behind the anonymous alcohol?! The 2025 NTC Case (0:03:02). For the first time in the National Trial Competition's 50-year history, the NTC case was written by law school coaches. A day before the case release, the authors -- Matt Woodham, Nick Cotter, Justin Bernstein -- talk about what's different this year....

Part One of our Season Finale: Introduction (0:00:00). Happy Tofurkey Day. The Break (0:04:45). Results from the Daniel competition, and the most one-sided rivalry in sports. Erwin Chemerinsky (0:05:50). Berkeley Law's Dean talks about the state of US News two years after the big controversy, why many prestigious law schools ignore trial advocacy, and when his CV will include appearances on t...

Introduction (0:00:00). He's just a humble Nebraskan ... who flies to New York for foot massages. The Break  (0:06:43). Results from five events. Advocate of the Week. Puerto Rico giving away "Finalist" trophies like Oprah gives away cars. And puppies!! Remembering Arturo Alvarez (0:12:27). The community lost an outstanding and inspiring advocate, Nova Southeastern's Arturo Alv...

Introduction (0:00:00). Justin has a beauty product problem. The Break (0:04:20). The busiest weekend of the Fall -- results from six competitions! Meet Sam DiGiuseppe (0:08:44) . Drexel's new Assistant Trial Competitions Director talks about her new role, her white and brown noise machines, the shelves she can't reach at 4'11", tap dancing for her team. We also tried to ask he...

Introduction (0:00:00). When Spencer knocks on doors, does anyone recognize him from the podcast? The Break (0:04:11). Results from Quinnipiac, Premiere Austin, and Premiere Fort Lauderdale. Who were the best teams ... and who were the Best Coach-Judges? Adrian Mebane (0:07:00). Loyola Chicago's newly-promoted advocacy director describes her new job duties, her goals, and her unusual gardenin...

Introduction (0:00:00). Sounds like this episode has a lot of hosts... The Break (0:02:33).  Results from Tournament of Champions, Michigan, St. John's, Syracuse, Gold Cup, and Davis MLK. The Moms (0:06:53). Spencer's mom Penny and Justin's mom Anita make their first appearance together. We find out that Penny has now listened to the show ... and Anita asked if one of our guests was...

It's election season! This episode features two trial lawyers -- and mock trial veterans -- who used their courtroom skills to get elected as district attorneys.  TOC Preview (0:00:00). Who are the new teams? What's the new rule? What do we think of this year's case? And what is Spencer's bold prediction? Main Interview: McGeorge's Thien Ho and Jason Schaff (0:12:41). Thie...

Introduction (0:00:00). Justin gets mocked. The Break (0:03:15). Results from Summit, National Pretrial, and Buffalo. Ravioli as Fiction and Truth (0:05:38). Baylor's Jerry Powell talks about his first novel , featuring a murder mystery in 1800s Waco and Catfish Calloway, the aging trial lawyer who represents the accused. He then gets philosophical about the decline of truth in America — and...

Introduction (0:00:00). Spencer has two family members in trial. Did they consult him for advice? The Short List (0:03:25). Stetson's Kate Donoghue talks about Hurricane Helene, shares the good news of her promotion, and evaluates Justin's hypothetical "candidates" to fill her old position. Main Interview: Dave Schott (0:18:52). Denver's director talks about starting his o...

Introduction (0:00:00). Knock-knocks and birthdays. Win, Lose, or Drawl (0:03:23). In a reaction to last week's episode, four Lone Star listeners teach Justin how to talk like a Texan. The Break (0:08:52). Results from Drexel's Battle of the Experts. Spencer administers some truth serum. Vexatious Litigants (0:12:53). South Carolina's Brett Bayne defends the standard "negative...

Introduction (0:00:00). The Break (00:01:41). Results from First Chair New York, First Chair San Diego, and Tex-ABOTA's Voir Dire Competition. Vexatious Litigants (0:03:42). Mercer's Katie Powers argues that teams should not be allowed to protest an invention of fact unless they attempted an impeachment. Drexel's Phil Pasquarello argues they should.  High jinks ensue. Main Interview...

Introduction (0:00:00). One tournament ends, another begins, and a third is resurrected. The Break (0:14:34). Results from Berkeley's FlashTrials. Vexatious Litigants (0:15:46). In the first installment of our new debate series, Fordham's Adam Shlahet and Cumberland's Judge Jim Roberts debate whether competitions should send judges the case beforehand. Main Interview: Bobbi Flowers...

Introduction (0:00:00). Speaking slowly, competing quickly... "...It Happens to All of Us" (0:04:14) Northwestern's Josh Jones and DePaul's Theo Thomas discuss how to more effectively coach Black students and how to build a more inclusive trial program. Where are they now? (0:45:06) 2022 Top Gun champion Haley Kairab talks about what it was like winning Top Gun, how she turned...