Elawvate: The Trial Lawyer Podcast

Washington, D.C.-based Gupta Wessler holds the highest win rate among the top five most active firms practicing before the 6-3 conservative U.S. Supreme Court firms. And they’re large, corporate firms “representing corporations that have done bad stuff,” says founder Deepak Gupta. “How do we do that? We do it by appealing – sometimes it's methodologically – to conservative commitments.” In this conversation with hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi, Deepak unpacks how his firm wins and how trial lawyers can protect damages that may go on appeal. Tune in for his description of taking on Uber when it wanted to cap contingency fees in Nevada.Learn More and Connect☑️ Deepak Gupta | LinkedIn☑️ Gupta Wessler on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | SpotifyProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

"Bad is stronger than good" is a widely cited principle in social psychology – and one that trial consultant Bo Fraser has built his jury strategy around. “You're not going to win them with, ‘We're the good guy and here's why’ story,” Bo explains to host Ben Gideon. Bo considered a career in marketing before earning a PhD in social psychology and joining his mother at the consultancy firm she founded, Trial Psychology Institute. Tune in as he delves into “bad vs. good” and other psychological themes that plaintiffs’ lawyers can leverage to pick the best jurors. Results speak for themselves: He and Ben recently worked together on a case that won the highest injury verdict in Maine history. “Getting that news about that record-setting verdict, that was a highlight of my 2025 for sure,” Bo says.Learn More and Connect☑️ Bo Fraser | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Psychology Institute☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Live from Portland, Maine, it’s Ben Gideon and Jeff Wright, the team from Gideon Asen taping a special edition of “Elawvate: Build and Grow Your Law Firm.” Ben and Jeff walk through 10 proven strategies for building a financially successful law firm, covering everything from dominating a niche and making data-driven decisions to scaling without losing your culture and building systems designed for the law firm of the future. They also take audience questions. If you’ve had a question about being a law firm entrepreneur, tune in; someone else may have wondered the same thing – and Ben and Jeff may have answered it on the air.Learn More and Connect☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Jeff Wright☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | SpotifyProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

A jury once told Todd Schafer that they had decided the case in his favor before he stood up for opening statement. Why? Todd pulls back the curtain on his success with picking juries in this conversation with hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi. A second-generation trial lawyer and partner at Schafer & Schafer in Indiana, Todd reflects on that case – at the time, he was a young lawyer who “right away recognized voir dire is important.” Since then, he’s developed a systematic approach to talking about money and a strategy for overcoming Indiana’s verdict form that doesn’t allow for damages to be broken down. As for persuading that jury before he stood up? Tune in to learn how it unfolded.Learn More and Connect☑️ Todd Schafer | LinkedIn☑️ Schafer & Schafer on Instagram | Facebook☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | SpotifyProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Shanin Specter’s $25 million verdict against Boeing last November is just one example of his approach to tort: It’s not just about compensation and deterrence. It’s also about sharing important public information. The son of former Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter, Shanin weighs the different avenues for effecting change – whether it’s in public service, like his father, or in the private sector – in this conversation with host Ben Gideon. Tune in for Shanin’s thoughts about the role of lawyers today (find opportunities to litigate against the Trump administration) and his advice to law students (you don’t have to get swallowed up by BigLaw).Learn More and Connect☑️ Shanin Specter | LinkedIn☑️ Kline & Specter on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | SpotifyProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

A former JAG officer and federal prosecutor, Margaret Donovan is now an associate at Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder and proud to promote her firm’s work suing the administration – including in this conversation with hosts Rahul Ravipudi and Taylor Asen. Leaning on her JAG experience, she dismantles the administration’s shaky legal argument for its strikes on alleged drug boats and explains why the administration will have a difficult time defending its attempt to censure Sen. Mark Kelly. Tune in as she breaks down why she believes we’re in a “national emergency” – and what lawyers can do about it. “Anybody who knows how to bring a case needs to be putting those skills to work.”Learn More and Connect☑️ Margaret Donovan☑️ Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder on LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Taylor Asen | LinkedIn☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | SpotifyProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

From running a radio station in undergraduate school to running an “IP litigation ambulance” as a young lawyer to running a platform that fights the Trump administration’s attacks on law firms, Neel Chatterjee has had a remarkable journey. In this wide-ranging conversation with host Rahul Ravipudi, Neel shares insights about developing his nationally recognized IP practice, litigating in Big Law, and leveraging his background in social media to create “Law Firm Partners United” on LinkedIn.Learn More and Connect☑️ Neel Chatterjee | LinkedIn☑️ King & Spalding on LInkedIn | Instagram | X☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | SpotifyProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

The list of wins is long: $363 million on a toxics exposure case; $148 million on a paralysis case, $79 million on a police pursuit case; $75 on a brain injury case. But the philosophy at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard is short: “We want to try good cases and be great team members,” says Managing Partner Pat Salvi II as he visits with hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi. Tune in as Pat reflects on turning down $35 million before achieving a $148 million verdict, making first impressions, and preparing for trials through what some may call a “grueling” process. “There's no silver bullet,” he says. “There's no shortcut.”Learn More and Connect☑️ Pat Salvi II | LinkedIn☑️ Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | TikTok ☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

In med-mal cases, the defense often argues that a defendant couldn’t have anticipated a patient’s unusual problem. When a 15-year-old girl died from complications of undiagnosed lymphoma, the plaintiff’s team turned that argument on its head. “I think people think, ‘Well, if someone comes in with a really unusual set of circumstances, you ought to look into it pretty carefully, especially if it can be concerning or life threatening, right?’ It's not a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card,” says co-host Ben Gideon, who tried the case with trial partner Meryl Poulin. The defense didn’t get out for free in this case. The jury awarded $25 million, Maine’s largest med-mal verdict. Tune in as co-host Rahul Ravipudi moderates this case breakdown.Learn More and Connect☑️ Meryl Poulin | LinkedIn☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Earlier this year, hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi welcomed a “force of nature” to “Elawvate.” She’s also known as Charla Aldous, founder of Aldous Law. The episode remains one of the podcast’s most popular conversations. Tune in as Charla reflects on her legendary career, offers advice to younger lawyers, and revisits the victories that have placed her firmly in the upper echelon of trial lawyers.Learn More and Connect☑️ Charla Aldous | LinkedIn☑️ Aldous Law☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

"Anybody who tells you that leaving a law firm is an easy process is lying to you," says Ben Gideon. To lay out the unvarnished truth, Ben shares his experience leaving a 17-year partnership to launch Gideon Asen. In a conversation guided by Jeff Wright, the firm’s COO, Ben explains why departing from one firm to start your own can feel like a divorce. The duo discusses critical decisions around choosing business partners, financial realities of starting a firm at midlife, and essential first hires needed to maintain operations while building a practice. Tune in for their insights about minimizing friction during the transition, having clear exit agreements, and preserving valuable long-term relationships by taking a little less money upfront. Learn More and Connect☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Jeff Wright☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | X ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by Supio, VisionSpark, and 1% for the Planet.

“We had to say, ‘Hey, we're going to be honest with you here. For a long time, we had this wrong, and our experts had it wrong.’” That’s the theme that Chuck Hehmeyer and Elizabeth Kayatta emphasized in their med-mal case on behalf of a 4-year-old boy who was brain-injured after a routine surgery. As the boy recovered, experts initially diagnosed him with autism. That changed to a diagnosis of cortical visual impairment (C.V.I.), a condition that mimics autism. Hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi explore how the duo turned this potential disaster into a $10.5 million verdict through honesty, demonstrative evidence, and a powerful courtroom moment. Learn More and Connect☑️ Chuck Hehmeyer | LinkedIn☑️ Elizabeth Kayatta | LinkedIn☑️ Berman & Simmons on LinkedIn | Facebook   ☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Jeremy D'Amico describes how his authentic trial voice transformed difficult facts into compelling narratives that yielded major verdicts: $45 million for a speeding Marine who wasn't wearing his motorcycle helmet and $23 million for an autistic boy injured in a school bus accident. In this conversation with hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi, he also reveals how he developed his voice while working alongside his father, firm founder Michael D'Amico. And he reflects on techniques learned at the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer College, explaining that an authentic lawyer adapts his “tools” to match the case.Learn More and Connect☑️ Jeremy D’Amico | LinkedIn☑️ D'Amico Pettinicchi Injury Lawyers on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

“Occasionally, we will introduce our listeners to a new product that's designed to help trial lawyers do a better job for their clients and their practices,” host Ben Gideon explains as he kicks off this episode about Supio, legal AI for personal injury firms. To make the introduction, he and co-host Rahul Ravipudi turn to Ed Kirk, who is Supio’s head of partnerships, and Will Davis, who has been using Supio for about two years at Daniel | Stark. Ed highlights how Supio's document intelligence understands complex medical records with human-level accuracy while maintaining HIPAA compliance. Will describes how his firm uses Supio to identify overlooked injuries, prepare depositions, and streamline case management. With more and more developers entering the legal AI landscape, the guests urge lawyers to be cautious and strategic as they weigh signing on to a platform. “Grill your vendor about their roadmap,” Ed advises, “because we're in a shifting space, and you want to know that the firm that you are attaching your cart to is going to be the right partner for now but also in the future.”Learn More and Connect☑️ Ed Kirk | LinkedIn☑️ Supio on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Will Davis | LinkedIn☑️ Daniel | Stark on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

“It is not easy to get substantial damage awards from Montana jurors,” says John Heenan of Billings-based Heenan & Cook. Yet conservative Montana jurors awarded $27.7 million in his negligence case against a private prison company. As he tells host Ben Gideon: “I love being in front of Montana juries, but I have developed a way…” Tune in for John’s “magic formula” that turns good verdicts into great ones. In this case, he had every ingredient, including a client who presented well and a mean-spirited defense whose bullying didn’t sit well with jurors. Learn More and Connect☑️ John Heenan | LinkedIn☑️ Heenan & Cook on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Medical records meticulously documented the routine endoscopy that went wrong, ending tragically in the patient’s death. But when Chris Nace and Samantha Peters took the case to trial, they were confronted with the defense’s slick, well-produced timeline of events – vastly different from what the record showed. With hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi, the team from Nace Law Group unpacks what happened at trial, including their cross-examination of the defendant and their message to the jury: medical records mean something. Tune in to hear how they secured an $8 million verdict. Outside the courtroom, Chris also co-hosts SMQB (The Sunday Morning Quarterback Podcast), a sports podcast where a group of trial lawyers break down the week in sports with humor, insight, and a bit of legal flavor. You can check it out at www.smqbs.net.Learn More and Connect☑️ Chris Nace | LinkedIn☑️ Samantha Peters | LinkedIn☑️ Nace Law Group on LinkedIn | Instagram |  Facebook | X | YouTube☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

The jiu-jitsu club had a $1 million insurance policy, but when an instructor accidentally rendered a new student an incomplete quadriplegic, the carrier put its interest above their own insured’s – and paid the price. Rahul Ravipudi, who represented the victim, updates co-host Ben Gideon on the groundbreaking case. After the defendants refused to pay the policy limit, the case went to trial, and a jury awarded Rahul’s client $46 million. The defendants appealed, the judgment was affirmed, and most recently, the California Supreme Court denied the defendant’s request to review the verdict – which has increased to $56 million with interest. Rahul imagines the defense counsel and insurance adjusters discussing how many times they’ve had to actually pay the policy limit on such a case: “So, look like the hero, and save your insurance company $250,500,000. It’s that ‘penny-wise/pound foolish.’”Learn More and Connect☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Elawvate’s “Build & Grow Your Law Firm” podcast devotes its third episode to EOS, or “entrepreneurial operating system.” Your guide is Megan Piper, a certified EOS implementer who coaches clients along their journey from “chaos to cohesion.” In this conversation with hosts Ben Gideon and Jeff Wright, she describes how law firms can leverage EOS to clarify their vision, drive accountability, and scale effectively.Subscribe to Elawvate: Build & Grow Your Law Firm now!Learn More and Connect☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Jeff Wright | LinkedIn ☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeProduced and Powered by LawPods

Ken Suggs recalls the time when he “chickened out” rather than go ahead with his experiment that involved dropping a box of typewriting paper on a steel box to show the crash worthiness of a car. He lost that case. “I've got a phrase that I like to repeat to myself when I'm trying to make one of those decisions,” he says, “which is, ‘Drop the box. Go ahead and do it.’” Ken and trial partner Tara Eberly at Janet, Janet & Suggs share how risk-taking has helped build the firm’s successful personal injury practice. Hosts Ben Gideon and Rahul Ravipudi explore the team’s insights about neuroscience applications in jury persuasion, cutting-edge technology, and innovative AI tools.Learn More and Connect☑️ Tara Eberly | LinkedIn☑️ Ken Suggs | LinkedIn☑️ Janet, Janet & Suggs | LinkedIn☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Rahul Ravipudi | LinkedIn | Instagram☑️ Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Produced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by SmartAdvocate, Hype Legal, Expert Institute, Filevine, and Steno.

Building a law firm and building a law firm designed for growth: Often mistaken. Very different. Tune in to the second episode of Elawvate’s “Build & Grow Your Law Firm” podcast to understand the difference. Your guides are Ben Gideon, founder of Gideon Asen, and the firm’s COO, Jeff Wright. They share their insights about leveraging existing problem-solving skills, understanding established business models, and defining the kind of firm you want to build.Subscribe to Elawvate: Build & Grow Your Law Firm now!Learn More and Connect☑️ Ben Gideon | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram☑️ Jeff Wright | LinkedIn ☑️ Gideon Asen on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeProduced and Powered by LawPods