By Don Keenan We can all give thanks to Rick Friedman and Pat Malone, fellow Inner Circle members and the Bubbas who are responsible for giving us the gift of the “rules.” At this point in the evolution process, no one can doubt that the Reptile© has taken the rules to new heights, helping us […]
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THE EVOLUTION OF RULES; THE NEXT LEVEL
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MEDICAL SAFETY
By Michael Peterson, Keenan Law Firm Medical safety is one of the most prevalent issues in our society today. Bubba is well aware of the dangers that are lurking in his local hospital. The codes stand as a clear description of Bubba’s feelings about the state of the medical profession in his community. Take for […]
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THE ART OF CROSS EXAM: DEVELOPING THE CROSS TEMPLATE
By Don Keenan Here’s the good news: virtually all cross exams have the same general template: First, identify the key defense strength and swift boat that issue. Second, use the cross-exam to echo all the key points of your case. The case below involves an international Fortune 500 company and the driver of the truck. […]
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ANATOMY OF A FELLOWSHIP
By Elizabeth Larrick Note from Papa Don: When we commenced the Keenan Law Firm fellowship program, we had no idea how it was going to transpire. Our initial shock was the 350+ applications we got, and the length of time it would take to vet and interview all of them. We knew we had to […]
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THE RULE OF THE HOLE – STOP DIGGING
By Don Keenan Wish I could give credit to the Irishman (I am sure he was Irish) who gave us this simple Major Truth of life: The rule of the hole; stop digging. It’s brilliantly simple but so easy to disregard. Fellow Bubba, Neil Anthony (who I have had the pleasure of concluding one case […]
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REPTILE© AUTOPSY: REPTILE© SUPERSTAR Ken Blan
By Michael Peterson, Keenan Law Firm This month’s Reptile© Superstar is Ken Blan. Ken is an attorney at Blan Law Offices, P.C., where he focuses primarily on medical malpractice cases. Outside of the law, Ken is a long-time member of the Board of Managers of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and is an elected Governor […]
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PERMISSION QUESTIONS; THE KEY TO OPENING CANDOR
By Don Keenan As kids, we learn the great lesson of permission by going first. Perhaps crass (but true), I remember as a little boy the game of “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” As a child, the most effective way to get a little girl’s panties down was to pull off my […]
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NEW FRONTIER UPDATE – SPRING 2017
By Mindy Bish, Gregg Luther, Will Sykes Note from Papa Don: Here’s a quarterly update with a progress report on the major Reptile projects that have been ongoing. Below, you’ll find updates from Mindy Bish on the Reptile in Practice, Gregg Luther on the New Frontier book, and Will Sykes on published articles REPTILE […]
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AT THE TIME
By Don Keenan Standing alone, the phrase “at the time” doesn’t really exude a whole lot of importance or power; however, when embedded into your case it can draw such an important line that you can win the case just with that phrase alone. Let me explain. USE WITH CLIENT You first saw it on […]
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REPTILE© AUTOPSY: REPTILE© SUPERSTAR BILL DOWD
By Michael Peterson, Keenan Law Firm This month’s Reptile© Superstar is Bill Dowd. Bill Dowd’s father started his plaintiff’s practice, Dowd & Dowd, in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1957. The firm’s practice areas include civil litigation, personal injury, wrongful death and excessive force cases. FACTS OF THE CASE Officer Kaminski received a call that a […]
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GRIEF COUNSELING; BEWARE
By Don Keenan Some have said that grief is worse than death. There are many who believe a person can become overcome with grief, actually leading to their own death. Thus there is a huge need to first understand the evolution of grief, and second to understand some of the ways to treat it for […]
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FOCUS GROUP LESSONS
By Elizabeth Larrick It was May 5, 2016, when I officially started my fellowship with the Keenan Law Firm. Coincidentally, it just so happened to be the day the KLF was hosting a focus group. Based off this one focus group, I have summarized the following six major points that I learned. ASKING “WHY” Many […]
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WE LIVE IN TOXIC TIMES – BUT IT’S BEEN WORSE
By Don Keenan Anytime there have been dark clouds looming, there has always been a contingent of “Chicken Little” trial lawyers. The Chicken Littles will run around proclaiming the world is over and it’s unfair, and they give up. One of my favorite articles is the one I wrote, “Cheese, the Reptile, and You” (find […]
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REPTILE AUTOPSY: REPTILE SUPERSTARS CHARLES ARMBRUSTER AND MIKE BLOTEVOGEL
By Michael Peterson, Keenan Law Firm This month’s Reptile© Superstars are Charles Armbruster and Michael Blotevogel. Chuck and Michael proudly practice personal injury law at Armbruster, Dripps, Winterscheidt & Blotevogel, LLC, along with their partner, Roy Dripps, who prepared and assisted with the trial. FACTS OF THE CASE Casey’s General Store is a typical convenience […]
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WITNESS PREPARATION FOR A YOUNG ADULT OR TEENAGER
By Don Keenan Frequently I’m asked if the Keenan Method of Witness Preparation is the same for young adults/teens. The first part of this answer is easy: Age doesn’t alter the seven-part template for witness prep. Concerns and fears Guilt Major Truth formation Gut-check Depo drill (hard) Depo drill (soft) The Promise The second part […]
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SYSTEMS FAILURES IN MEDICATION ERRORS
By Mindy Cohen Note from Papa Don: Mindy Cohen is a friend and does great work as a forensic nurse, MSN RN LNCC and a legal nurse consultant for 23 years. She is a Reptile Sponsor and principal of www.onpointLNC.com. I asked her to write this article to show how experts can help us make […]
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TRY THE LIE; REVISITED
By Don Keenan Over the course of this blog, one of my most popular articles thus far was “Try the Lie” (see The Keenan Edge, Chapter 2). The premise of the original post was that if you had a lie in your case, you should not dilute it, or throw it in with a lot […]
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REPTILE AUTOPSY: REPTILE SUPERSTAR DEREK INGLE
By Michael Peterson, Keenan Law Firm Note from Papa Don: Attention! The Keenan Law Firm is now accepting applications for our 4th legal fellow. Trip Thompson from St. Louis will complete his year in August and Doug Dykes from Panama City, Florida will be at his halfway mark. We’d like to have two staggered fellows […]
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THE EARLY BEGINNING OF MY REPTILE JOURNEY
By Don Keenan Note from Papa Don: Attention! The Keenan Law Firm is now accepting applications for our 4th legal fellow. Trip Thompson from St. Louis will complete his year in August and Doug Dykes from Panama City, Florida will be at his halfway mark. We’d like to have two staggered fellows in house at […]
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SPREADING THE TENTACLES: An example with the investigating police officer & 911 traffic call
By Mark Blane Mark Blane grew up Louisiana, born to a German mother and an American father (also spending a few years as a young boy living in Germany). Today, he makes his home in sunny San Diego, Cali. He graduated from Louisiana State University and, later, Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Mark’s primary practice areas […]
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