Mark W. Bennett (45:24.671)
Sharif. And it's an art form. You know, there lots of rules, rules of separate procedure, rules of evidence, rules of criminal procedure. I get all that. But the bottom line is most part of trial work is the gray area. And so my philosophy always was, as a lawyer was, unless the judge has stopped me, I haven't gone far enough.

Mark W. Bennett (45:51.254)
And if the judge stops me, I have to be very graceful in apologizing and backing off. But you can get away with a lot of stuff before a judge is going to stop you. And you can't be fearful of pushing the boundaries because we don't know where those boundaries end. And they're different for every judge you practice in Brownhoof. The boundaries can be very different. And so...


Mark W. Bennett (01:05:45.772)
You have to have the desire and passion to be the best that you can be. And that takes an incredible amount of hard work. You have to find role models. It's good to read about it, but you have to watch and, and you have to second chair really good trial lawyers. And then you have to be fearless. You have to be fearless. Cause

Mark W. Bennett (01:06:14.7)
Not every trial is going to go like you thought it was going to go. Things are going to go south and you have to pick yourself up and learn from that and not be discouraged by it. The word is gritty. You have to be gritty. I Jerry Spence is a great example. He flunked the Colorado bar. mean, the yeah, the Colorado bar once, I think maybe twice, he lost his first state civil jury trials.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"At the end of the day, what's behind dunking a basketball and what's behind being a badass cha-cha dancer is the same feeling. It's human, it's innate, and it's very real and powerful. And that's where decisions are made, like we talked about earlier. The biggest fallacy in what we do is the idea that people make decisions based on logic. They don't. And even the idea that they do is not true."

Joe Fried joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss his work as a personal injury trial lawyer; the importance of authenticity, vulnerability, and connection with jurors; how framing and storytelling can influence decisions; and the need to understand oneself as a trial lawyer.

It was a privilege having Joe join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"In almost every instance, the police officer doesn't go to work that day saying, I hope I get in a fight or shoot somebody today. I've never had that case. And so the human element is exactly what we're talking about. Who among us has a job when you go to work where you might end up in a fight, getting shot at, or having to shoot someone. These are people who are on the frontline dealing with every time they walk up to a car, something could happen."

David Corrigan joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss his many years as a civil defense trial lawyer, his work defending police officers in civil rights cases, qualified immunity, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of trial lawyers.

It was a privilege having David join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"You are the power in the courtroom. You are the authority, even above the judge. And I know everybody will say, no, the jury will look to the judge. I think there's a space for the trial lawyer to be the authority in the courtroom by everything that you do there. And the cool thing that I want lawyers who are listening to know, especially young lawyers, is that there's a space for you. You have your own unique set of gifts, talents and interests, your own story."

Ben and Brian Glass joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss their work as trial lawyers; building a law practice that they, their team, and their clients thrive at; and their commitment to helping lawyers across the country better their lives.

It was a privilege having Ben and Brian join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"Number one, do justice. Do the right thing. No matter what, at the end of the day, that's what we get to do. We're fortunate to get to do it. You are entrusted by this office to do justice and make sure you hold that close and don't ever deviate from that. Never compromise. Always do the right thing."

Mike Gill joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss his career as a federal prosecutor, some of his more significant cases (e.g., the Michael Vick prosecution), and his commitment to serving his country and community.

It was a privilege having Mike join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"The fun thing about our business is, we get to try cases with good lawyers. Trying cases is fun. Trying juries is fun. Losing juries ain't fun, but trying them is fun."

Jeff Everhart joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss his 42 years as a criminal defense lawyer, some of his more significant cases (e.g., The Southside Strangler and Ricky Gray), and his love for trial work and helping people.

It was a privilege having Jeff join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"I'm able to help people with the most important thing in their life. I'm able to fight for them in court, which is just a blast. On top of that, it's the most intellectually stimulating job I can imagine because I have to learn about science, medicine, products liability, you name it. So I've never been bored and even with all the anxiety and sleepless nights, it's been a fantastic career."

Irv and Joseph Cantor joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss their work as personal injury trial lawyers, their use of focus groups to prepare their cases, and their love for helping the people they represent get justice.

It was a privilege having Irv and Joseph join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers

"One piece of advice I would give people is you really have to be yourself because insincerity is sensed by juries. It's sensed by judges. If you're trying to be something you're not, it's not going to work."

John Rockecharlie and Russ Stone joined us on RVA Trial Lawyers. We discuss their many years working as prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers, the lessons learned from their hundreds of jury trials, and their love for advocating on behalf of good people in courtrooms.

It was a privilege having John and Russ join us.

RVA Trial Lawyers: Virginia's Trial Lawyer Podcast

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, RVA Trial Lawyers exists for Virginia’s trial lawyers. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.

If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.

Also, if you would like to subscribe to the RVA Trial Lawyers Newsletter, you can do so here.

Thank you!

Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
RVA Trial Lawyers