By David Hoey; Dean of Keenan Ball College
The REPTILE© was first launched in 2009 after years of research and focus groups. We’ve all read the book, some of us more than once, and realized the book wasn’t enough. When the seminars started, they were always sold out. The REPTILE© concepts, methods and ways took off like a wild fire. Thousands of us attended the seminars, watched the tapes, read the books, joined this blog, attended workshops, participated on the state list-serves— and that still wasn’t enough. Why? Because we were hungry for more. Practicing REPTILE© works! The REPTILE©, always changing and evolving, put fun back into practicing law! Then came the Keenan Ball Trial College. The Keenan Ball Trial College took all the seminars, books, DVD’s, blogs, workshops and translated it into practical application.
Why I’m the Dean
I practice in the state of Massachusetts. Here, we do not have attorney-conducted voir dire, nor do we have audio-video depositions, nor can we give the jury a number during opening or closing. I am a self-taught trial attorney who made many mistakes and often thought about doing something else.
Although, I had a winning trial record, I had nothing that was seven or eight figures. I also had my share of zeros after being taken advantage of by dirty Black Hats and incompetent judges. I got tired of it and decided it had to change. So, I turned to the REPTILE© in February of 2010. Since then I tried my clients’ cases using REPTILE© to a six figure, then seven figure, then eight figure verdicts. I proved that the REPTILE© can work in a state with no voir dire. Since then, my practice and trial work has been 100% REPTILE©.
I was an early adopter of the REPTILE© and Don Keenan and I have been friends ever since. When he asked me if I would be the Dean of the Keenan Ball College, I was honored. It is also an honor to serve all of you, both as the Dean and, from time to time, as an instructor.
When you attend your first course, Course 1, I start with the Dean’s Convocation and Introduction by asking three questions:
1) Who are you?
2) Why are you here?
3) What is the Billboard for your case? In other words tell us about your case in one-two sentences.
I do this to prove three points: first, to show the value of listening to each other; second, to show the value of collaboration; and third, to remind you all that Bubba doesn’t give a shit about you or your client.
I then introduce the three-legged stool theory. Why teach through the method of the stools? A stool has three legs. If one of the legs is missing the stool falls. At the college we use the three (3) legged stool to show how the critical aspects of a case relate to and support each other. It simplifies REPTILE© so you can apply it to your cases from case selection through post judgment.
The college will introduce you to concepts, law, and methods that you will not see, learn or read about any place else but at the College. The courses are taught by certified REPTILE© Instructors. There are text books and materials for each course. The courses are not recorded or taped.
Here is a brief overview of the courses. You can find more information at www.keenanballcollege.com.
- Course 1: You will leave with an individualized set of Rules for your case, a bumper sticker for the case, and part I of an opening statement that is trial-ready.
- Course 2: You will complete your opening statement.
- Course 3: You will learn how to conduct focus groups and how to interpret the focus group feedback. You will also get to present your case to a focus group.
- Course 4: You will cover using REPTILE© concepts in voir dire.
- Course 5: You will cover depositions.
- Course 9: You will cover using REPTILE© during mediation.
- Course 11: You will cover using REPTILE© during trial.
- Course 12: You will cover damages.
- Courses 6, 7, and 8 which will include witness prep, codes, and closing are still under construction.
No matter which course you attend, you will be up on your feet presenting to others, so be prepared to be critiqued, applauded and criticized. Make sure you attend with thick skin and an open mind.
Barry Walker presenting his opening before his fellow students during Course 1 – Rules, in the Keenan Law Firm courtroom.
Instead of the instructors grading the students, the students grade the instructors. Thus far, our instructors have received very high marks, which tells you something about the quality of the instructors and the College.
Here is what some of the students had to say about the Keenan Ball College:
- Thank you for the time you took with me this week to help me better understand the Reptile©
- You were a blessing to me and I am grateful for your generosity!
- David, Thank you for the wonderful learning experience this past week. You are a great teacher!
- David, I want to personally thank you for a great – great – workshop. This Reptile© stuff is fantastic thanks to you, Don and the other guys who work hard to give so much.
- My juices flow each time I come back. I want more and more.
- Thanks so much for all of your hard work at the Atlanta workshop. It was a great experience, and I got a lot out of it.
- It was such a pleasure meeting you this week. It is obvious why you guys have become successful trial lawyers, and your willingness to take time out of your practices and lives to help others understand and implement these methods speaks volumes about the type of people you are.
- It was wonderful meeting everyone – I am envious of your mastery of the Reptile© concepts and your application of them — however it just motivates me to get with it and work on becoming more proficient! Thanks again to my instructors for all of their help as well as the input of the entire group.!
- Thanks for your time and mentoring! You are awesome. I am so lucky to have been grouped with you, my instructor, and all of my fellow group members. Y’all are incredible lawyers and human beings. I hope to see all of you again very soon. Please keep in touch!!!! Your input at the College was priceless!
- It was fantastic. Looking forward to more, and to incorporating all this into our next trial.
- Everyone, last week I attended Course 2 of the Reptile© College, Openings and Order of Proof. It was extremely valuable to sit around a conference table, read your opening, section by section, and get critiqued by someone chosen by Don Keenan to run the workshop. Beyond that, the other participants got to make suggestions. It resulted in changes to our Openings from adding a clause here and there to word choice to changing the whole thrust and theory of the presentation. We were lucky in our timing also, because Don visited with us on both days and told us about some minor changes to the Opening template that he will be teaching going forward. He explained their genesis and how they are designed to spread the tentacles more uniformly throughout the Opening. He’s also suggested using “lighthouses phrases” in certain spots to get the jurors’ attention and help them remember the case bumper sticker. These phrases have been tested and have been proven to work. Finally, Don invited those of us who could attend to come back the day after the workshop ended to watch him and other lawyers at his firm conduct focus groups on different cases for four hours. I got to watch several techniques for different types of focus groups, e..g, word association, watching a medical animation, case intake/rejection, juror attitudes regarding gross negligence, etc. It was enlightening and everyone at the firm made the spectators feel welcome.
Graduating Class of 2015
More than 7,000+ trial lawyers from all 50 states have attended the Intro to REPTILE© Welcome to the Revolution seminar. Those trial lawyers have accumulated more than $6.5 billion dollars in verdicts and settlements.
The college is designed to take the REPTILE© techniques to the next level. Back in April-October of 2013, the idea of a National Trial School came about in Keenan’s head. He called it the “evolution of the revolution.” The REPTILE© in application through collaboration. So we invited 63 trial lawyers that have gone to more than one REPTILE© seminar to Atlanta in November, 2013, along with ten instructors/faculty to test out Keenan’s idea of a national trial school. It was an instant hit. His and my emails were flooded with comments: When’s the next college? How do I get involved? This is great! Is it safe to use at trial? Rave reviews. They wanted more.
Don knew he had something new, different, unique; something unlike any other trial college, or training of trial lawyers out there in the country. And in all probability, there won’t be anything like this again. We are in the beginning stages of the Keenan Ball College. It will only grow bigger, better, stronger and evolve and change as the climate and case law evolves and changes.
So it became official, as of March, 2014, the Keenan Ball College was launched. We now have 12 courses, maybe more in the future, 30 certified, trained, supervised instructors. We have course advisers for each course. We have the guidance and oversight of the founders, David Ball and Don Keenan. We have a logo that resembles a courthouse structure that cannot be knocked down. We have a purpose. We have a goal. And we have our motto: “Amat Victoria Curam,” which means “Victory favors those who take pains.” In other words, victory takes preparation.
In 1 ½ years, the Keenan Ball College has seen over 400 students go through the courses. By December, 2015, we will honor 7 more graduates, for a total of 14 graduates in 1 ½ years’ time.
It is no easy task. It is serious work. Your cases deserve it and you deserve it. The College has already created life-long friendships and a family.
On May 30, 2015, at the REPTILE© Masters in Atlanta, the Keenan Ball College graduated seven. These seven are the first to graduate.
Don Keenan, Toby Cole (TX), Brian Crockett (TX), Adam Dougherty (FL), Jack Shrader (OK), David Bernstein (OK), Rick Plezia (GA), David Square (TX), David Hoey
To graduate from the Keenan Ball College requires completing 7 out of the 12 primary courses. That represents 140 to 240 hours of study, collaboration, and practice.
The Keenan Ball College offers advanced towards a Masters and PhD as well. Masters required nine course completed and a PhD required all of the course to be completed.
Bottom Line: The Keenan Ball College is a necessity for any REPTILE© trial lawyer
The Simple Truth is: Without the Keenan Ball College you will not evolve or advance as a trial attorney as the REPTILE© is constantly evolving and changing
If You Remember One Thing: The value of attending the Keenan Ball College is priceless!
NOTE FROM DEAN OF STUDENTS– DAVID HOEY: Since I initially wrote the blog post, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently, January 2015, passed legislation that now allows attorney – conducted voir dire and we can now give a number to the jury. I have to give praise to the Keenan Ball college instructors who came to Massachusetts to teach the members of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys attorney conducted voir dire: Laurie Koeller – Oklahoma, Len Gabbay – Texas, and Ryan Skiver – Arizona. All enjoyed a Red Sox game and lobster dinner.
Their teaching and dedication was some of the best I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how to thank them enough. Here is what some of the Massachusetts’s attorneys had to say:
- With only the intro barely under my belt, the first day was daunting at best. Laurie took special efforts to explain, show by example, show by student example and then critique in a manner that got the 11 points of voire dire across with great foundation and clarity in purpose, not only to voire dire, but as it relates to the trial of the case. Laurie was challenged by our wariness in stepping out of the box on the newly enacted attorney conducted voire dire. I had a great time and learned a lot. Always good to spend time with other trial attorneys. Lenny was great!
- Huge thanks to David Hoey for moderating, Paul Dullea for pulling everything together, Laurie Koller and Len Gabbay for traveling here from Oklahoma and Texas to serve as instructors over the last two days and all of you who participated. It was an exhausting couple of days but well worth every minute!
- First, I like the use of stool and itemized lists. I did enjoy and understand the theoretical lecture from Keenan in February, but I was unable to marshal that knowledge into a systematic procedure. Second, I liked the format of the training. After a very brief lecture on each topic we watched an attorney practice then revise their approach after getting feedback from Laurie. No amount of lecture or hand-outs could have created a more visceral and memorable “DO/ DON’T DO” learning experience.
- Len was great, informative, receptive and effective in approach. Learned quite a bit concerning concise approaches and case law support. Excited to return on day 2.