Litigation Mastery recently held its inaugural event, the Essentials Course One, a foundational program for plaintiff trial attorneys, especially those in the first half of their careers. Held in April, the event (sponsored by three separate plaintiff firms whose logos are below) welcomed fifteen participants committed to elevating their litigation practices through systematic, cohesive pretrial management strategies. The attendees were selectively recruited by personal invitation and asked to treat the event as a beta test for the training program. The program generated extensive feedback.
The programming opened with the message from Anthony Bruster that trial skills are vitally important, but alone they’re not enough. The most successful plaintiff lawyers implement excellent case systems, lead fulfilling lives, and share innovative knowledge that strengthens the broader plaintiff bar.
The discussion titled “This Isn’t Granddaddy’s Trial Practice” immediately followed, moderated by Kyle Dreyer and featuring Joshua Weaver. This session addressed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation in modern litigation, exploring the potential impacts that are rapidly developing and how Litigation Mastery integrates these technologies into its educational framework.
A significant portion of Day 1 featured practical strategies for systemizing early case assessment, litigation risk assessment, and strategic discovery planning, mixed with a discussion of why and how the highest ethics win. Laura Brown, Louie Cook, Jim Wren, Liz Fraley, Brantley White, Kyle Dreyer and Anthony Bruster led various aspects of the discussions – exploring how to customize these systems for a firm’s specific case docket – with significant audience input.
Day 2, led by Matt Morrison, Laura Brown, and Jim Wren, turned to the methods and tools available for converting case facts and arguments into a truly coherent and persuasive case story. Participants repeatedly broke into small groups to customize the guidance to their own cases. Joshua Weaver illustrated how AI tools can aid in the process.
Leah Teague led two nights of dinner discussions about integrating core values into life and practice. Day 3 brought Mark Mann, Mike Erskine, and other leading plaintiff counsel into discussions of plaintiff case budgeting and financing, building high-performing teams, and designing the plaintiff practice for a fulfilling life.
Recognizing the importance of carefully testing and refining this kind of course offering, each of the participants agreed to provide full post-event feedback. Two key takeaways emerged: (1) the interactive format works, and participants want even more; (2) AI tools are game-changing—and there’s demand for deeper integration of AI-enabled tools into the systems at the heart of the program.
Litigation Mastery is incorporating the participant feedback for the continued development and beta testing of the course. The next Essentials Course One will be held from June 26-28, 2025. Enrollment is currently open.
Plaintiff firm sponsors of the first event:
The next Essentials Course One will be held from June 26-28, 2025. Enrollment is currently open.
