By: MICHAEL PETERSON, KEENAN LAW FIRM
ATTENTION: The Keenan Law Firms fellowship program will soon go into month 4. Our first fellow has already been in two trials. She has another 8 months to go. We are now ready to accept our second fellow. We have adjusted the fellowship to provide the fellow with two weeks a month to return to their practice rather than a solid year. If you have applied before we invite you to reapply. For an application or questions contact Wentrekin@keenanlawfirm.com.
Tara Milliff is a recent addition to Brian Crockett’s successful plaintiff practice in Houston, Texas. Tara became a member of the Texas Bar in 2010 and joined Brian’s firm in late 2014. Furthermore, she is recent addition to the Reptile© community, as she has only been a part of the Reptile© family for a little over a year; however, in that time she has been one of the most avid and tenacious students at the Keenan Ball College (KBC). Tara will be graduating from the KBC in October, and today we share with you her Reptile© journey.
Tara will tell you that she knew nothing of the Reptile© prior to graduating from law school. After joining Brian’s firm, she quickly found out he was a “Reptile© guy,” who wanted to start a “Reptile©-only firm.” He began with three associates, and sent them all to the “Welcome to the Revolution” seminars, and as many classes as they could attend.
“As an associate, you will never have someone invest in you like that,” Tara said.
The KBC stuns Tara every time she attends; she is amazed by the fact that she gets to be surrounded by lawyers with so much experience, who just so happen to be as green as she is when it comes to the Reptile©. She describes the Reptile© as “deceptively simple.”
“When you listen to Don speak, it sounds like common sense,” she said. “Sometimes it can be hard to shed the mindset of a lawyer and make things simple.”
However, what she likes most are the results she is seeing within her practice. To be more specific, the result of a slip and fall case this past year, where she and Brian received a verdict of $140,000 on a defense offer of $15,000. Tara is quick to tell you the Reptile© is not “voodoo” for a bad case; rather, it takes a case with the proper case selection and transforms it into a goldmine.
Within the last year, Tara has noticed the shift of the Reptile© trainings (from hosting seminars to hosting more KBC courses): “The seminars are the cliff notes version, or broad overview of the topic, from a Reptile© perspective straight from the mouth of Don Keenan himself. The Colleges, on the other hand, are more technical. The KBC is a place where a handful of experienced and successful attorneys gather on the college campus to receive invaluable feedback on real cases. It is truly an interactive and emotional experience.”
Tara has attended courses including Rules and Case Selection, Openings and Order of Proof, Jury Selection, Focus Group, Damages, Mediation and Witness Prep. Tara has chosen the KBC Trial Course as the last course she will take before graduating from the KBC. Tara recommends that Reptile© members attend all of the KBC Courses.
“For those who cannot afford to attend all of them or have a busy schedule, then I encourage you to take the Rules and Case Selection, Focus Group, and Voir Dire College,” she suggested. “These are the courses where you learn to sink or swim.”
The safety rules and case selection are critical to every case; without them, you will find it hard to focus your jury on the theme of your case. The Focus Group and Voir Dire courses are not just informative, but interactive; students present their case as they would at trial, in front of a live focus group. According to Tara, “These are people coming off the street who have no incentive to be kind to you. In that environment, you gain a personal understanding about yourself, your client, and your case.”
During this article interview with Tara, she could not think of one class that was not worth attending. “If the remaining courses I have to take are as good the ones I have completed, then they are worth attending,” she said. “You get out what you put in. I know it is time away from your practice and it can get overwhelming, but I think it is worth it. Everyone should try to graduate.”
Despite the camaraderie (not to mention the good food), Tara wanted her peers to know that you cannot arrive at the KBC cold turkey.
“You must take the reading assignments and prerequisites seriously,” she explained. “It is a lot of information. If you attend, and put in the effort, then the knowledge you gain will surely add value to your law practice and client.”
During the interview, Tara discussed how she had never done an opening before she attended the KBC Opening Course. In preparation for the course, she decided to watch David Ball’s Opening video, and began a rough draft of her opening before arriving at the college. When the date for the course came, she had a draft of her opening prepared and was ready for her peers’ to critique.
Tara’s efforts were on display when her instructor, Glenn McGovern, requested she deliver her opening in front of her peers. Prior to this, she had never delivered an opening, and she was incredibly nervous. Tara was disappointed after she delivered the opening – she did not believe she did a good job – but to her surprise, her instructor said he was expecting his students to give a strong effort, but he was not expecting them to be great; she exceeded his expectations! Furthermore, Glenn provided constructive criticism and reasons why he believed she did so well.
It was a validating experience for Tara, one that provided her with the ability to properly analyze an opening in her law practice. Tara has used her newfound skills to provide insight at her firm, which is just one example of how the KBC provides immediate, real-world implementation.
The comradery also does not stop with the KBC; Tara said it is important for students to find others in their geographic region who are Reptile© attorneys that don’t mind serving as a sounding board. This helps to retain and refine the information learned at the KBC.
According to Tara, “I bother KBC Instructor Toby Cole all the time. He helps me analyze my work and create a vision for my case.” Another strong tool is reaching out to the state Reptile© Listserv, as the members can be a great source for answers and ideas. In addition, practice makes perfect; like Michael Jordan, “Do not be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try.”
The Reptile© is transformative. Tara has seen first-hand how the Reptile© has transformed her firm’s policies. Her firm went from about 60-plus cases in litigation to around 15 cases, with case selection criteria guided by the KBC, giving them a new outlook on the cases they select. Each new case is determined from the lens of whether it is a Reptile© case, which Tara said “is a night and day difference.”
These differences have also trickled over to her firm’s method of conducting witness prep. Tara recently attended the Witness Prep College course (prior to, she and the firm watched Don Keenan’s Witness Prep DVD; then spent 2-3 days the last week on Don Keenan’s method of witness prep). The deposition resulting therefrom was the most amazing deposition on liability that she has ever witnessed.
“The client was so empowered. It was an amazing thing to watch,” she said. “I was concerned the client would not be assertive – it had the potential to be a weak deposition. However, it was a success, not because we did anything great, but because she chose to be her own biggest advocate. I called the client again to tell her how amazing her deposition was. I tend to get protective over clients because they are broken in situations that could happen to anyone. My heart goes out to them. It so gratifying when there is a good outcome. I find that when you implement Don Keenan’s Method of Witness Prep, those good outcomes tend to come about more often.”
Tara participated in her first trial this spring, a non-subscriber slip and fall case. The defense denied that the fall ever happened. Brian and Tara decided to try the lie. Brian called the defendant to testify first and, instead of being aggressive, they trusted the jury. The defendant agreed with all of their safety rules; however, he refused to admit to the fall. Too bad their Reptile© was not harmonizing – each of the defendant’s former co-workers testified to the fall! The jury could not believe the defendant would lie to their faces. The defense failed to make an offer prior to trial and the jury chose to punish the liar by providing the plaintiff with a $140,000 verdict (Tara and Brian’s special damages were $10,000).
The KBC is transforming lawyers and law firms with every course. The instructors are hands-on and accessible, and the students are open minded and eager to learn. As Tara expressed, the KBC is certainly challenging; however, its ability to transform witnesses, cases, lawyers, and law firms is undeniable. If you have not yet attended you are missing a gem. For those that have attended, we miss you and look forward to having you back. Learn more or register here: http://keenanballcollege.com/applications/, and remember that sharing and collaboration is the key to advancing the Reptile©.
Bottom Line: Don Keenan shares so much information that it inspires the KBC faculty to want to do the same; they not only give of their time to teach the courses, but they give examples from their own practices to make sure that the concepts are understood. It is incredibly telling that faculty keeps attending courses as students, and updating and honing their craft as well.
Please find a list of instructors that have Tara’s experience both educational and entertaining thus far:
- Rules and Case Selection – Ken Altman
- Focus Groups – Steve Ballin
- Voir Dire (Jury selection) – Toby Cole
- Openings & Order of Proof – Glenn McGovern
- Damages – Andrew Finkelstein
- Mediation – Steve Ballin
- Witness Prep – Joe Lopez