Latest Episode 
Build Your Own Trial Toolkit, with Sharif Gray
Every trial training promises the answer. Sharif Gray spent four years attending them all — and discovered the real lesson is that there is no one answer, only the toolkit you build for yourself. A Virginia Military Institute valedictorian and UVA Law graduate, Sharif joined forces with partner Gray Broughton to build a seven-lawyer firm — five former JAG officers, six former prosecutors. He shares how he won a $20 million verdict on a case with no catastrophic physical injury, battled a host…
Recent Episodes
10
June 22, 2026
Build Your Own Trial Toolkit, with Sharif Gray
Every trial training promises the answer. Sharif Gray spent four years attending them all — and discovered the real lesson is that there is no one answer, only the toolkit you build for yourself. A Virginia Military Institute valedictorian and UVA Law graduate, Sharif joined forces with partner Gray Broughton to build a seven-lawyer firm — five former JAG officers, six former prosecutors. He shares how he won a $20 million verdict on a case with no catastrophic physical injury, battled a hostile
9
June 1, 2026
What a Trial Consultant Knows that You Don't, with Jessica Brylo
Trial strategist and consultant Jessica Brylo built her career by shadowing jury selection pioneer David Ball throughout law school and watching videos of a rare 1996 study in which cameras were placed inside actual jury deliberation rooms. “Give us all the advice and philosophy that you can,” co-host Rahul Ravipudi asks to launch the episode alongside co-host Ben Gideon. “That's a big open question,” she says – but she’s up to the task. Tune in as she shares insights about prehabbing jurors aga
8
May 18, 2026
The Case We Had to Take: A $6.5M Med Mal Win, with Meryl Poulin and Ben Gideon
Host Ben Gideon invites co-counsel Meryl Poulin to break down their $6.5 million med-mal verdict on behalf of a client who was paralyzed after a 20-hour delay in surgical care for cauda equina syndrome. With host Rahul Ravipudi moderating the conversation, Ben and Meryl explain why cauda equina syndrome cases are notoriously difficult to win and why they put their client, who has developmental disabilities, on the stand despite these challenges. They wanted the jury to fall in love with him. The
7
April 6, 2026
Win Big on Appeal: The Plaintiff's Appellate Playbook, with Deepak Gupta
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
6
March 23, 2026
You Need to Know This Principle to Pick a Jury, with Bo Fraser
"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 th
5
March 11, 2026
Special Preview: The Entrepreneur’s Top 10, with Ben Gideon and Jeff Wright
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
4
March 9, 2026
Win Your Case at Voir Dire, with Todd Schafer
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
3
Feb. 22, 2026
Trial Excellence and Effecting Change, with Shanin Specter
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 lawyer
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About the Hosts
Benjamin R. Gideon
Partner, Gideon Asen LLC
Rahul Ravipudi
Partner, Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP
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