Law school teaches you case analysis. Becoming a great trial lawyer comes from working hard cases with real stakes and learning on your feet.

In this episode, host Aaron Nelson sits down with Vadim Glozman, a federal defense attorney based in Chicago, who came up under the mentorship of legendary Chicago attorney Ed Genson — a man whose office saw everyone from politicians and alleged mobsters to your everyday neighbor. It's where Vadim learned that behind every case file is a human being, meaning every human has a new lesson to teach you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

1. Why the trial lawyer "playbook" doesn't exist — and why the best attorneys are the ones who learn how to figure it out when they don’t know something.
2. How to try strategies that nobody else will — because sometimes the best moves are the ones nobody thinks will work.
3. Why hiring an expensive lawyer can be the smartest move you make — and why we should all value it more.

Whether you're a young lawyer trying to find your footing or a law student wondering what actually separates good attorneys from great ones, this episode is packed with hard-earned insight you won't find in a casebook.

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What happens when one attorney realizes helping veterans one case at a time isn't enough?

Brock Hunter is a criminal defense attorney, U.S. veteran, founder of the Veterans Defense Project, and author of The Attorney's Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court. He has spent his career reshaping how the legal system treats those who've served. In 2008, he helped pass a veterans sentencing statute in Minnesota: legislation that caught the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court and sparked nationwide state legislation.

But this episode starts somewhere more fundamental, with an honest look at how military service and exposure to violence actually affects people, and how those changes ripple into families, communities, and courtrooms. When we better understand how veterans find their way into the system, we better understand why compassion and accountability help bring them back to our communities.

Brock's book, The Attorney's Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court puts that philosophy into practice. It covers combat PTSD, the attorney-client relationship, and legal strategies for every stage of a case. It even helped divert two of Aaron’s own clients from prison to mental health treatment.

If you work in law, mental health, veterans services, or simply care about how society treats the people it sends to war, this one's for you.

Buy Brock’s book here

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This week, host Aaron Nelson is joined again by fellow criminal defense attorney Keith Belzer for a new kind of Sanctuary analysis. In this bonus episode, we’re stepping back from serious interviews for a full breakdown of My Cousin Vinny, the 1992 courtroom comedy that somehow became required law school homework.

What seems like a fun, Friday night watch becomes a surprisingly sharp masterclass on trial skills. From Joe Pesci's relentless cross-examinations to the art of impeaching a witness, there's real courtroom strategy hiding beneath the laughs. Aaron and Keith separate the kernels of truth from the Hollywood of it all, hopefully just in time for your next hearing.

Thinking on your feet, cutting to the real questions, and mastering courtroom charm: it's all in there, wrapped in a New York accent and an ill-fitting suit. Grab some popcorn and get your law nerd on, you might just learn something new.

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This week, we step back from interviewing defense attorneys to hear from a different kind of decision-maker. The one who sets the tone of the courtroom, Judge Mario White. Judge White joins us to talk about what it actually takes to make a courtroom feel less like an institution and more like a place where justice is possible. We get into why diversity on the bench goes far beyond filling seats, how plain language can change the experience of someone in crisis, and what it means to truly listen to everyone involved.

For most people, a courtroom is foreign—a place newcomers are suddenly expected to navigate during the hardest moments of their lives. And yet, our legal system only functions if the public trusts it. Trust requires understanding, and understanding requires someone willing to listen and explain.

Judge Mario White has spent his career being that someone.

Before he took the bench in Madison, Wisconsin, he stood beside defendants as a public defender, and before that, he taught math to high schoolers. Each role, it turns out, was training for the same thing: learning how to meet people where they are, and bring them somewhere clearer.

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Craig Mastantuono didn't leave public defense just to be his own boss. He left because he had a vision for what a great law firm could actually look like.

Today, his firm is less a practice and more a culture. It’s built around a philosophy that truly defending someone is setting them up for success both in the courtroom and out. Craig walks us through how his team uses the ACE questionnaire to uncover clients’ stories, why holistic client services are a necessary backbone to defense, and how he helps his clients flourish beyond the requirements of the court.

Whether you're thinking about starting your own firm, have your own already, or want to learn how to improve client services in any practice, this episode is for you.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
01:15 Welcome & Guest Background
29:05 Why start your own firm?
39:35 Why are client services so important?
48:19 What is the ACE Questionnaire?
1:07:03 Motivations & Why Defense

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So you've learned how to be comfortable in cross examination. Now what?

Jim McComas has spent decades redefining what's possible in the courtroom. Between leading the trial division at the Washington D.C. Public Defender Service to becoming a legendary homicide defense lawyer in Alaska, Jim didn't just master cross-examination. He reimagined it.

Building on the fundamentals explored in our previous episode with Matt Dodd, Jim introduces his next steps: dynamic cross-examination. Forget rigid scripts and predictable patterns. Jim argues that the lawyers who win hard cases are the ones willing to take calculated risks — turning witnesses into active participants in cross.

Drawing from his book Dynamic Cross Examination, Jim reveals how to gather your own facts, pull them out with precision, and stay fluid when the unexpected happens. If you've ever wondered what separates a good cross from a great one, this episode is your answer.

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Joining us this week is an expert in cross examination, Attorney Matt Dodd. In this episode, he lays the groundwork for telling a story through facts, breaking down the how-tos and whys behind the art of asking questions. It’s a great listen for lawyers and non-lawyers alike looking to improve their communication and persuasion skills.

While cross examination, or questioning adverse witnesses, is often thought of as a time for poking holes in the government’s theory, Matt tell us we should see cross as another chance to illustrate your theory and speak on your client’s behalf. It’s a chance to paint your client’s story by establishing facts and empowering the jury to agree with your conclusions. If you’re interested in diving deeper into these techniques, be sure to check out Matt’s book Cross Examination for Depositions.

Whether it's using constructive cross methods or showing appreciation to court staff, Matt reminds us we should always lead with decency and kindness. We hope you enjoy.

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Despite knowing she wanted to be a public defender from the age of ten, Colette shares that even when you know where you want to go, finding who you are on the way there is the most rewarding part.

Colette’s career has taken her through public and private defense work in DC, Massachusetts, Seattle, Denver, and more. Along with practicing, she has also served as Director of Public Defense Training and Reform at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). Through all of these experiences, Colette not only continues to discover her own voice but has helped create spaces for other defense attorneys to find their own.

At its core, criminal defense work is about belonging: helping our clients feel seen and heard starts with an attorney who can stand confidently in who they are. This is a conversation about growth, identity, and the lifelong process of becoming the advocate your clients need.

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