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© 2026 Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers
Description
Trial lawyers do not become great overnight. It takes persistence, a relentless work ethic, a willingness to learn from mistakes, a burning passion for the craft, an authentic self, and the courage and vulnerability to enter the arena time and again.
Those who become great trial lawyers also become great people. Through their work, they grapple with the realities of the human condition and in the process cultivate character, principle, integrity, leadership, strength, compassion, and perseverance.
Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Courtroom Stories & Tactics by RVA Trial Lawyers exists for lawyers who try cases to juries on behalf of people. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.
(804) 915-1611
TrialLawyers@RVATrialLawyers.com
1210 E Cary St Suite 300-3
Richmond, VA 23219
50 Episodes
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Losing a trial case can feel like a crushing gut punch, an emotional hit, burdened with the weight of disappointing your client. It stings, and it's hard to shake off. You can't control the outcome, but you can control your reaction to it. Matt Nakajima is an accomplished trial lawyer who has secured more than forty verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more. Since 2025 alone, he has recovered over $100 million for his clients. Several of these cases have resulted in nationwide safety cha...
How would the FBI approach jury selection? Imagine applying these same tools and trainings to your own jury selection and investigations, and having the ability to uncover evidence that changes the outcome of cases. Jim Melia is a retired FBI special agent turned professional investigator, here in Richmond, VA. Today he shares his insight into the skills required for effective interviewing, how to build rapport with someone, and why anything from empathy to confession comes from building a hu...
Civil Defense Lawyer Jason Boone shares his personal experience of making sure he maintains the right work/life balance for him and his family. In a conversation of frankness and authenticity, Jason talks about how lawyers of all stripes can, and should, find a balance that works for them. There are the years when you need to put in the time to learn the profession, and get the reps. But then there's knowing when and how to scale that back, to ensure you have more balance to your time, and be...
Virginia's appellate landscape changed a lot in 2022, to where, similar to many other states, virtually everyone has an automatic right to go to the Court of Appeals. Yes, it can feel complicated and overwhelming. But the appellate process is a vital part of the legal system that deserves attention from trial lawyers. If you have a client who desperately wants to appeal, or the other side is not happy and wants to appeal, you need to be prepared for this process. Today's conversation guides y...
When is being "reasonable," patient and compromising in fact just a strategy of the other side to delay, frustrate and ultimately to avoid trial? We should be respectful. We should be professional. But at no point should we ever compromise the duty to our client for the sake of getting along. Samantha Cohn talks about the moral and ethical motivations behind her career shift to becoming a personal injury lawyer, her techniques for being assertive in the court room, and not rolling over to som...
Dog bite cases are rarely about just one victim—they’re about public safety, accountability, and preventing the next attack. "You have to show that this could happen to pretty much anyone. This could happen anytime, anywhere. You have to get the jury's mind ticking, and get them to see that it's not just that person who got bit on the face, it's anybody." Ashley Strandjord describes her approach to prosecuting dog attacks, and other personal injury cases, demonstrating their impact on i...
You've completed law school, taken the bar exam, have built a network of contacts and are ready to start practicing. And then, your entire law school's results are thrown out. You're faced with the choice: walk away completely for a new career, or go back to law school and do it all over again. "I graduated the first time, took the bar, and I had to ask myself then before I was even a licensed lawyer, will I do it all again?" Rodd Santomauro joins us to share his compelling story ...
If you want more high-value cases without giving more money to Google, this episode is for you. "Understanding referral generation is crucial for business growth, and a law practice must be a business first. " Today we look at the importance of referrals in law firms, focusing on who is responsible for generating these referrals and how to effectively manage this process. In keeping with this theme, please share this episode with your colleagues and network, to make sure that they can b...
If you want to learn how to live a full, sustainable life as a lawyer, this episode is for you. Matt Long breaks down how to build a healthy firm culture, communicate effectively, and avoid burnout as a lawyer. Please consider sharing this episode with someone who could benefit from it. Matt is the President of Bowen Ten Long & Bal in Richmond, Virginia. Over his 17+ year career, he has led with a simple philosophy: protect your people, communicate openly, and never let the profession c...
"It gives me so much purpose and meaning: we are helping educate people in a place where they don't know anything. And they need the help." Michele Lewane is runs the Injured Workers Law Firm in Richmond, VA, which since 2006 has been advocating to get the benefits injured workers deserve for their worker's compensation claims. Worker's compensation is a complex and bureaucratic field that requires tremendous expertise and preparation to navigate. Michele guides us through the intricate detai...
"What helps motivate us in part is institutional or organizational betrayal: where the bond between the institution and the person is strong, but there's a big power differential due to the size and strength of the institution." - Peter Everett Peter Everett and Barkley Horn from Blankenship & Keith joined us to talk about their firm's approach to personal injury law. They focus on catastrophic injury cases with a particular focus on representing survivors of violent crimes. Their cases c...
AI is not perfect yet, you still have to babysit it, but it's scary. Because two years ago I used AI and thought, "Well that was kind of like using a high school senior." Now when I'm using AI, it's like, "I'm using a second year associate." Penn Crawford joined us for a wide-ranging discussion. We talked about the realities of running a small, boutique law firm and what makes firms of this size effective for the people they represent. We also discussed the growing role of AI in legal practic...
"My thought when I go into a courtroom, and I feel this way throughout the trial, is I just am welcoming people into my house. I go in, I talk to my jury, I make eye contact with them, and I try to talk to them the way that I would talk to anybody: a clerk at the grocery store or you guys - us sitting in this room doing this podcast. " The way we interact with a jury, particularly in voir dire, sets the tone for the trial and can make or break the case. Courtney Winston is an expert at ...
"The community at the time was just furious with me for charging any of the counter-protestors with anything. And I was very sympathetic to the ideology of the counter-protestors, and was mortified by some of the viewpoints of the alt-right individuals. But I said, 'I have to prosecute conduct, not content,' and if you start picking sides, that's a scary thing." Joe Platania, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Charlottesville, joined us for a candid conversation about what it truly means to serv...
"The number one takeaway is trust yourself. Because we know our stuff. We are better than them. They are inundated with so much work, and they're doing the same old stuff. We're going to conferences and learning cutting edge technology. So believe in yourself." Tarun Rana of Rana Law Group in St. Louis, MO joined us for a conversation about learning, improving, and working alongside other trial lawyers. Tarun shared his approach to trial preparation, his insight on building a successful pract...
"So in listening to this, whomever wants Syria to be unified, maybe the solution is to listen to this petition, to consider it, and to work really, genuinely, on reaching a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis." - Firas Alchoufi In this special episode, international lawyer, arbitrator and humanitarian Firas Alchoufi joins us to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis that is impacting his home province of Suwayda, in the southern part of Syria. The recent regime change in that countr...
"This concept called the ethic of care: we've all heard this term 'care' before. And most of us who have had any type of training, a lot of times we are taught ethics from a formal or practical standpoint. But it doesn't always uplift the care side of things. So how do you do that? How do you adhere to the rules, the order, the law, and also balance that with the needs of all the people that we are talking about here?" Dr. Brad Lehman from Virginia Commonwealth University joins us for a fasci...
"Whether it's a $50,000 case or a $50 million case, it's ultimately helping people preserve their settlement funds, make sure that they are being smart financially, and protecting the financial security of their settlement." Jenny Sciadini is a Settlement Consultant who partners with attorneys and their clients to maximize the value of settlements while safeguarding government benefits and long-term financial stability. Driven by a passion for helping people, she ensures clients not only prot...
"I tell my prosecutors that being a public defender was one of the most important things for my career as a prosecutor, even though I only did it briefly. And it's a reason why I have a strong preference for hiring former public defenders and defense lawyers in my office." We sat down with Ramin Fatehi, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Norfolk, Virginia. From growing up in Iran to serving as a public defender in Richmond, Ramin now leads one of Virginia’s largest prosecutor’s offices. In our...
"You often think, if someone's going through a hard time, what is the way that you can help them? And here was something I had to offer. I felt like this is something I can do. This is something I can give to them." - Gray Broughton In this special episode, Nael interviews the team at Broughton Injury Law Firm, including founder Gray Broughton, attorney Zac Grubaugh, and our own Sharif Gray. We explore their career paths, the firm's origin and mission, and the importance of stepping out...
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