Trial Lawyers University

They offered $100,000. She demanded $450,000. They wouldn't budge — so she went to trial. The jury came back with $10 million. To this day, it remains the highest pain-and-suffering verdict in Luzerne County history. Meet Melissa Scartelli, the author of that verdict and many others. A 35-year trial veteran and founder of Scartelli Olszewski, Melissa has built her practice around medical malpractice, earning rare punitive damage verdicts against physicians and going to verdict in cases where she could not name a specific dollar amount to the jury. Host Dan Ambrose draws out stories behind Melissa's wins, including the way she anchors damages and the time she flipped a retrial in her favor by calling a defendant doctor first. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Melissa Scartelli | LinkedIn☑️ Scartelli Olszewski | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | TikTok☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury in Direct (Dan Ambrose), March 6-7, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotMelissa grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in a middle-class family; her father nearly died of a heart attack when she was a freshman in high school, and her mother was later diagnosed with kidney disease — experiences that made her empathetic to people’s suffering. Melissa attended Dickinson College and Dickinson Law School, became captain of the trial advocacy team, and won the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award in Advocacy at graduation.After clerking for a civil trial judge to study the best trial lawyers in the courtroom, Melissa joined Hourigan, Kluger and Quinn, becoming the first woman partner and trying cases nobody else wanted. Twelve years into her career, Melissa left the firm with no book of business, no clients, and no family connections in law to start Scartelli Olszewski. She was joined by her husband — a former judge — and her daughter Rachel. Melissa's first major med-mal win came in a misdiagnosis case involving a 16-year-old with a pilonidal abscess treated incorrectly with Preparation H for eight months; she obtained a $10 million verdict despite her client facing no wage loss and having no specifiable damages.In a second malpractice case, a doctor removed a patient's finger for cancer that didn't exist — then “just kind of blew him off” after the misdiagnosis was revealed. After a mistrial, Melissa retried the case to a $1.5 million verdict. At TLU Beach, Melissa will teach practical “do’s and don’ts” for med-mal trials.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Przemek Lubecki embodies the American dream. He and his family emigrated from Poland, living in Germany before gaining asylum in the United States in 1989 and settling in St. Louis. After trying over 100 cases during seven and a half years at a Chicago defense firm, Przemek transitioned to the plaintiffs’ side. TLU 2021 proved transformational, exposing him to plaintiff lawyers operating at the highest level. The following year, with help from the TLU network, Przemek secured his first eight-figure verdict of $12.5 million. Przemek discusses trial preparation, skill development, and mentorship with host Dan Ambrose.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Przemek Lubecki | winforyou.com | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-16, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Training Witnesses to Transport Themselves and the Jury in Direct (Dan Ambrose), March 6-7, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotEmigrating from Poland as a political refugee, Przemek and his family settled in St. Louis. He attended Tulane for undergraduate school and then relocated to Chicago for law school.He tried over 100 cases during seven and a half years at a Chicago defense firm before switching sides to represent plaintiffs.TLU 2021 was transformational because it exposed Przemek to plaintiff lawyers operating at the highest level.Lawyers should resist the temptation to compare developing their skills to Michael Jordan, Przemek suggests. The basketball star wasn’t just “born that way.” Like exceptional lawyers, he put in the work.His focus on witness preparation is storytelling rather than simply regurgitating facts.Przemek emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor with the skillset you want to acquire, prioritizing experience over salary.At TLU Beach in June, Przemek will teach on two cases that are expected to go to trial in Louisiana.Produced and Powered by LawPods

A former prosecutor who now runs his own firm, Andrew Pickett visits host Dan Ambrose to reveal his strategies for success in the courtroom and in business. From his origin story as a college swimmer to his 42 jury trials as a prosecutor to his recent $9 million wrongful death verdict, Andrew shares lessons learned. Tune in for his insights about how hiring a psychodramatist transformed his witness preparation and why being an entrepreneur mirrors personal development. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Andrew Pickett | LinkedIn☑️ Andrew Pickett Law, PLLC | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-15, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Witness Prep and Examination (Dan Ambrose), March 6-7, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Warcraft (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), May 27-June 2, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotAndrew graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was a four-year varsity swimmer. It taught him discipline, time management, and grit to command his body to do things his mind doesn't want to do.After law school at University of Florida and an LL.M. from University of Miami, Andrew worked as a prosecutor at the State Attorney's Office in Brevard County's 18th Circuit, trying over 40 jury trials in four years.Andrew started his own firm eight years ago and has grown it to 16 employees, including four attorneys.In January 2024, Andrew secured a $6.7 million verdict against State Farm in an uninsured motorist case where the policy limits were only $100,000.A “watershed moment” of the trial occurred during Andrew’s cross-examination of a defense doctor, when he got the doctor to admit that he’d written a draft report concluding that his client wasn’t injured – before he even examined his client.In November, Andrew secured $9 million in a wrongful death case involving a man who was killed by a drunk driver, where the insurance company took almost three months to pay a $100,000 policy limit while another insurer paid within 12 days.Andrew credits his presentation skills with practicing in activities like teaching basic criminal law to police academy recruits and taking improv classes.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Jeremy Babener helps plaintiffs and trial lawyers keep more of their settlements and verdicts through tax-saving agreements. In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Jeremy reflects on how he landed in this specialized field during law school – his evidence course was canceled, so he switched to a tax policy class. Before graduating from law school, he was already advising on $20-30 million settlements. He earned his tax LL.M. at NYU, served in the US Treasury's Office of Tax Policy, started his own law firm, and eventually founded Structured Legal, which helps lawyers and plaintiffs make the most of their recovery. In June, he will provide a high-level look at settlement agreements during TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Jeremy Babener | LinkedIn☑️ Structured Legal☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Bad Faith Cases (Dan Ambrose and Kimball Jones), March 3-7, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Performance Skills, March 14-21, Winter Park, CO☑️ Case Story Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and Eric Oliver), May 19-23, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), May 27-June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotJeremy earned his tax LL.M. at NYU Law and spent a summer clerking in the Department of Justice’s torts group.During his clerkship, Jeremy observed that lawyers with large settlements would typically push structured settlements. When he asked them about the tax benefit, their answers revealed that plaintiffs could gain far more by their advisors better understanding the available tax subsidy.Back at law school, he interviewed lawyers for a law journal paper on tax issues related to litigation. “I started getting calls, even while I was in law school, asking if I could provide tax advice on a number of settlements.” His career spiraled from there.Before graduating from law school, Jeremy worked with a firm where he advised on how plaintiffs could keep more of $20-$30 million settlements.Jeremy serves on the legal committees of three national settlement planning associations and trains financial advisors to help them issue-spot for tax opportunities.Jeremy helped create plaintifffund.org, where personal injury plaintiffs can learn how to raise money without losing and jeopardizing their government benefits.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Broadcasting from Cabo San Lucas, host Dan Ambrose gathers five participants in the recent TLU bootcamp to reflect on their experience and role-play techniques. The guests include Johnnie Bond from D.C., Matt Nakajima from Cincinnati, Mohamad Ahmad from Los Angeles, Alejandro Gonzalez from Miami, and Jared Smith from Kentucky. Tune in for their insights about discipline, self-coaching techniques, and the benefits of TLU bootcamps.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Matt Nakajima | LinkedIn☑️ Mohamad Ahmad | LinkedIn☑️ Johnnie Bond | LinkedIn☑️ Jared Smith | LinkedIn☑️ Alejandro Gonzalez | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube2026 Programming☑️ Performance Skills & Ski (Dan Ambrose and Giorgio Panagos), Feb. 9-16, Lake Tahoe, CA☑️ Bad Faith Cases (Dan Ambrose and Kimball Jones), March 3-7, Las Vegas, NV☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Craft Bootcamp (Dan Ambrose and David Clark), Huntington BeachEpisode SnapshotDan selected these guests for the episode because they were in the same advanced coaching group.Johnnie joined the Cabo program after attending his first bootcamp in Las Vegas. “When you really understand what you're learning, and what you're delivering to a jury and why, you'll see that you want to attend as many bootcamps as possible,” he says.Matt Nakajima observes how he has unconsciously absorbed bootcamp training lessons, such as moving his hands and making eye contact.Alejandro Gonzalez lauds the bootcamp environment as a place to “get into the nitty-gritty of why you’re doing certain things.”“I think the point of the bootcamps is you struggle now so that your jury doesn't struggle to understand what the hell's going on in your story,” says Mohamad Ahmad, who recently achieved a $51 million verdict after working with Dan.Jared Smith recalls how he didn’t know what to expect in his first bootcamp. Coming to his second, in Cabo, was “eye opening. You could be the best presenter in the world, but when you're presenting to a jury, you've got to make whatever story you're trying to tell come to life.”Dan leads the guests through cross-examination exercises that emphasize tone and pace.Produced and Powered by LawPods