Before Pete Fowler was one of the country's leading construction defect experts, he was digging ditches to fund a rock and roll career. These days, he trades the stage for the witness stand, but the performance instincts are the same: stay composed, know your material, and never let a smart opponent rattle you.

In this episode, Ashton sits down with Pete Fowler, founder of Pete Fowler Construction Consultants, a national firm with expertise spanning construction defects, fire investigation, slip-and-fall, and everything in between. Pete brings decades of forensic consulting experience and a refreshingly no-nonsense take on what it actually takes to move a construction defect case from a pile of documents to a recoverable claim.

They cover:

• The "minimum viable product" approach to expert engagement and why it saves time and money
• What lawyers and adjusters are doing wrong when they hand files to experts
• The post-COVID construction defect surge and the specific claim types you should be watching

Plus, Pete shares why organized files are worth more than you think and what a cabinet falling on someone's foot has to do with the state of American construction.

Most work comp carriers are sitting on billions in unclaimed recoveries, and they don't even know it. In this episode, host Ashton Kirsch sits down with Bradley Drew, Senior Managing Director of PACE Claims, to explore one of the most overlooked opportunities in subrogation: toxic tort claims, and specifically asbestos.

Brad brings over 30 years of experience managing asbestos and bodily injury litigation, having helped process more than a million claims and $40 billion in settlements through PACE's centralized facility. He breaks down the current state of asbestos litigation, including how claims have shifted from heavy industrial workers to take-home exposures and home remodelers, and introduces emerging toxic torts like talc, benzene, and PFAS that are reshaping the landscape.

The big takeaway? An estimated $2–4 billion in respiratory-related comp claims are paid out each year, with no effort made to seek recovery from asbestos trusts or the tort system.

Join host Ashton Kirsch for a preview of his upcoming CLM Conference presentation on negotiation strategies, featuring claims experts Amber Guenther from Alliant Insurance Services and Cortney Helfrich from Wilbur Group. This episode tackles why negotiation is the most undervalued skill in claims, applicable to everything from subrogation recoveries to defense settlements. The panel discusses practical strategies, including the 70/30 rule (listen more than you speak), how to keep emotions out of high-stakes conversations, and why building relationships beats transactional approaches every time.

The conversation covers critical industry challenges like nuclear verdict fears driving poor settlement decisions, the importance of first impressions in negotiations, and how to train adjusters to handle difficult adversaries without getting rattled. Learn why every claim deserves individual attention, how to de-escalate heated negotiations, and why practicing negotiation daily (even when buying jeans) makes you better at closing deals.