In 1984, Eric Oliver was teaching persuasion skills to marketeers in computer firms. When he transitioned to trial consulting that year, he found a new audience. In two years, “lawyers took all my time…because nobody had ever taught persuasion, influence, and communication to attorneys at that time. They still don't.” In this wide-ranging discussion with host Dan Ambrose, Eric reveals how he accidentally discovered his calling. Now, he teaches lawyers how to manage juror perceptions, combat post-truth decision-making, and overcome impaired attention in modern courtrooms. Tune in for his insights about anchoring techniques, mirroring for rapport, and opening statements that can put you far ahead of your opponent.

☑️ Eric Oliver

☑️ MetaSystems Consulting | YouTube | LinkedIn

☑️ Trial Lawyers University

☑️ “Case Story Bootcamp,” Oct. 28 - Nov. 1. In Las Vegas

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

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• Eric entered trial consulting after teaching marketing to computer firms when a lawyer read his Yellow Pages ad for nonverbal communication; the lawyer asked for help facing his most feared opponent and did “remarkably well” after working with Eric.
• Eric discovered that most law school training is counterproductive to effective communication, requiring lawyers to unlearn academic approaches to connect with real people.
• Nearly 50% of jury pools now consist of "post-truth deciders" who assume the game is rigged, prefer deciding against defendants over for plaintiffs, and believe wrongdoing should be knowing rather than mere negligence.
• Modern jurors suffer from impaired attention in three ways: shorter attention spans, weaker concentration abilities, and fragmented focus that creates self-distraction even without phones.
• Eric pioneered a "frame of mind exercise" that uses anchoring techniques to help lawyers connect physical cues to confident mental states.
• Successful case storytelling requires consistency, using the same framing sequences to help

It was a longshot case. After all, the jury knew that John Martin’s client, suing for employment discrimination, already had retirement benefits. But this fight was about whether she was entitled to a different category of benefits. Confident they’d win, the defense rejected an offer to mediate. A jury awarded $1.75 million. “I just got the email this morning that they just mailed the checks,” John tells host Dan Ambrose in this wide-ranging discussion about his career. With 35-40 civil jury trials under his belt since graduating from Suffolk University Law School in 2009, John reflects on his journey from debt collection rookie to winning trial lawyer at Keches Law Group. Tune in for his insights about how modern AI is revolutionizing case preparation, how the settlement trap derails many lawyers' careers, and how personal adversity can forge fearless courtroom warriors.

☑️ John Martin

☑️ Keches Law Group | LinkedIn

☑️ Trial Lawyers University

☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos

☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

• John uses AI tools like GPT Pro to synthesize deposition transcripts, create contradiction tables, and streamline case preparation for his upcoming trial.
• After failing to complete high school initially, John participated in Up With People, a traveling performance organization that taught him service and built performance confidence.
• His path to law school was sparked by his fiancé's mother's misdiagnosis of kidney cancer and the unresponsiveness of top Boston medical malpractice attorneys.
• After graduating from law school during the 2008-09 recession, John’s commitment letters were rescinded, so he turned to a debt collection law firm. His career there lasted through one court appearance, when he told a judge that many debtors were “judgment proof.” “No one's ever judgment proof, so they no longer needed my services.”
• In his first civil jury trial against the Boy Scouts of America, John secured $152,500 in economic damages plus $300,000 in punitive damages.
• John's son Jack was born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome and pulmonary vein stenosis, requiring three years of chemotherapy and...