Trial Lawyers University

At age 37, Chris Hammons made it all the way to the jury level of the hit reality show “Survivor.” The jury voted him off. But more recently, two juries in a courtroom – not on an island – have voted for him in federal civil rights cases: In this conversation with host Dan Ambrose, Chris breaks down how he secured verdicts of $126 million and $2 million. Tune in as he explains why he takes on Section 1983 cases and why they’re so hard to win. “They aren't car wrecks. There isn't any negligence. You've got to prove this deliberate indifference in all these constitutional violations.” Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Chris Hammons | LinkedIn☑️ Laird Hammons Laird Law | Instagram | 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☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotChris grew up largely on his own after his father — whom he describes as "a mountain man, but … kind of an outlaw" — went to prison when Chris was around 14. As he explains, his dad was guilty – but the system didn’t work for him. That’s why he pursued law.Chris walked on to the University of Oklahoma football program after an OU coach called his grandmother's house. He rose from walk-on to team captain of the 2000 national championship team.After law school, Chris built his personal injury practice by forgiving criminal defense clients' fees in exchange for referrals.Chris was cast on “Survivor” in 2015 at age 37; he survived 50 days on the show, reaching the jury phase. He later competed on “The Amazing Race.”The $126 million verdict involved the death of an 18-year-old girl who was struck by an off-duty police officer speeding to retrieve keys for a department event. Chris reframed what some saw as a simple car wreck into a Section 1983 civil rights case.The $126 million verdict came in on Chris' birthday, April Fools' Day, with the judge reading "18 million, 18 million, 18 million" — each category set at $18 million because Emily was 18 years old when she died.Two weeks after the $126 million verdict, Chris tried a jail death case involving a man who developed a perforated ulcer during nine days in jail. He secured a $2 million verdict.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Vancouver-based trial lawyer Robyn Wishart also studied neurology – a discipline that she leverages in the courtroom to get more from witnesses. “I think neuroscience and being able to control our emotions and our brain can lead us on a way, on a path that can move our clients into forgetting that they're in a courtroom and being able to deliver the story,” she explains to host Dan Ambrose. Tune in to learn why she uses a questioning technique called “clean language” to get at what a witness really means behind what they’re saying. She will teach that technique at TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Robyn Wishart | LinkedIn☑️ Wishart Brain & Spine Law | X | Facebook | Instagram☑️ 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☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotRobyn grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she escaped the cold through volleyball — playing five years at the University of British Columbia before turning pro.Before law school, Robyn spent four years studying neuroscience at the University of Winnipeg and UBC, where she learned how visualization and attention control translate directly to courtroom performance.Robyn is the only Canadian trial lawyer ever to have taught at the American Association for Justice.Robyn was chosen by 250 professional athletes to be their voice in the Canadian Football League's CTE concussion litigation. The first test case centered on former wide receiver Arland Bruce. In arbitration, her team had no discovery and couldn’t do a deposition. “I got on-my-feet admissions I would never have gotten had I not put the work in,” she says.Robyn explains that "clean language" is a questioning technique that removes a lawyer's assumptions and redirects focus entirely to what a witness truly wants to say, using the witness's own metaphors to draw out deeper, more powerful testimony.Robyn argues that if lawyers leave deposition techniques at the door of the courtroom, they are leaving critical information on the table — the very information a jury needs to understand negligence and damages.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Trial consultant Phillip Miller takes a deep dive into the two papers he’s written about depositions: one presents the scientific underpinnings of effective persuasion while the other focuses on experiential learning, which means getting on your feet and “actually doing the thing.” “It's great to take notes and have an idea, ‘Okay, here's the context for the behavior I need to model and adapt.’ But until you actually get up and do it, you're never going to be able to integrate it into your style,” he explains to host Dan Ambrose. Tune in for his insights about depositions and how his research aligns with Dan’s TLU training.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Phillip Miller I LinkedIn☑️ Miller Law OfficesI Facebook☑️ 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☑️ Turning Witness Testimony into an Experience for the Jury, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotPhillip began trial consulting in 1999 and has developed it into his practice, working with top plaintiff attorneys on high-stakes cases.His “Miller Mousetrap” refers to when you learn a technique but don’t execute it confidently because you haven’t practiced it yourself.“Mirroring” is a core deposition skill Phillip teaches: a technique to connect with and control a witness that many lawyers dismiss until they try it.Phillip emphasizes that TLU similarly prioritizes content quality over outside influence, with the only "external control" being Dan's commitment to finding speakers who can deliver and teach what matters.Produced and Powered by LawPods

Susie Injijian was running out of resources and out of time. She had put a few hundred thousand dollars into the premises liability case, got some litigation funding, and invested most of her retirement savings to bring it to trial. Tune in as she and host Dan Ambrose break down the complex case that dragged on from 2018, with two trials, until July 3, 2023, when it all paid off with a jury verdict of $25.5 million. “It was career-changing for me. I mean, my dreams came true because of it, and that's no exaggeration,” she says.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Susie Injijian | LinkedIn☑️ Injijian Law Office☑️ 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☑️ Turning Witness Testimony into an Experience for the Jury, May 8 - 9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3-6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode SnapshotSusie is the mother of TLU coach Georgio Injijian, whom she brought on to co-try the case after her original co-counsel abandoned ship in early 2022 with trial set for October.Susie's client, an electrician, suffered severe burn injuries on his right arm when a fuse he was changing at an industrial property exploded in his hand.Susie took the case right before the statute of limitations, filed a cross complaint against the property owner and tenant, and financed it herself.The first trial in October 2022 ended in a mistrial after a defense lawyer claimed a family emergency mid-jury selection. The defense offered $600,000 to settle. Susie rejected it.After the mistrial, Susie attended TLU Live in Las Vegas, connected with a jury consultant, and went to trial in April 2023.During trial, the defense was caught running an unauthorized shadow jury — a demographically matched group secretly watching the Zoom feed. The judge offered a mistrial, but Susie declined because the case was going well.Susie waived $450,000 in specials (medical bills subject to an ERISA lien and lost wages) to avoid anchoring the jury low and instead builtan entirely non-economic damages case.On July 3, 2023, the jury delivered a $25.5 million verdict after a day and a half of deliberations.Post-verdict, the defense brought a motion for a new trial. At that point, she had the total judgment at over $33 million. The defense asked to go to mediation; Susie said “no.”Produced and Powered by LawPods

“From day one, I was taught the right way — because there's a right way and a wrong way." That conviction has defined Brandon Yosha's six-year career, which began with a $20.3 million verdict in his very first trial. Brandon joins host Dan Ambrose in West Hollywood to share the Nick Rowley mentorship that shaped his trial philosophy, the legacy of his father — Indiana trial legend Buddy Yosha — and the opening statement framework he'll be teaching at TLU Beach.Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Brandon Yosha | LinkedIn☑️ Yosha Law☑️ 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☑️ Witness Preparation & Direct Examination, May 8–9, Hermosa Beach, CA☑️ Dark Arts Trial Warcraft Bootcamp, May 27–June 2, Huntington Beach, CA☑️ TLU Beach, June 3–6, Huntington Beach, CAEpisode Snapshot★ In high school, Brandon was at one point ranked the seventh-best running back in the country, but he suffered an ACL tear his sophomore year and another his junior year before rebounding for a strong senior season.★ Brandon lettered as a true freshman at the University of Miami, where his freshman-year roster included 40 players who would go on to play in the NFL.★ Five weeks from his first trial, Brandon cold-emailed Nick Rowley — and within one hour, Nick responded; the next day, Nick sent members of his team to Indianapolis to help Brandon prepare for trial.★ Brandon's first trial involved an electric shock injury. The jury awarded $20.3 million.★ Brandon's father, Buddy Yosha, has practiced law since 1963 and tried over a hundred personal injury jury trials in Indiana — more than any lawyer in the state's history — losing just six, four of which were his first four, before going on a 70-case win streak.★ In his second trial, Brandon tried a case alongside Buddy; when opposing counsel objected during Buddy's rebuttal, the judge said "Sit down, counselor" before she could state her reason. The jury awarded $2.3 million.★ Inspired by his first verdict, Brandon wrote From Running Back to Giving Back: A Lineage of Civil Advocacy, which became an Amazon bestseller in trial advocacy, reaching the top 20.★ Brandon and Nick Rowley are co-counsel on a case against Amazon — which Brandon expects to go to trial next May.★ Brandon is teaching an opening statement workshop at TLU Beach; he is asking workshop participants to send their draft opening statements before arriving in Huntington Beach.Produced and Powered by LawPods