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Courtroom Stories & TacticsAuthor: Sharif L. Gray and Nael A. Abouzaki
Trial lawyers do not become great overnight. It takes persistence, a relentless work ethic, a willingness to learn from mistakes, a burning passion for the craft, an authentic self, and the courage and vulnerability to enter the arena time and again. Those who become great trial lawyers also become great people. Through their work, they grapple with the realities of the human condition and in the process cultivate character, principle, integrity, leadership, strength, compassion, and perseverance. Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Courtroom Stories & Tactics by RVA Trial Lawyers exists for lawyers who try cases to juries on behalf of people. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.(804) 915-1611TrialLawyers@RVATrialLawyers.com1210 E Cary St Suite 300-3Richmond, VA 23219 Language: en-us Genres: Education, True Crime Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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How Using Big Data Turned a Potential $350K Settlement Into a $9m Verdict | Andrew Garza (Personal Injury Lawyer)
Episode 71
Monday, 5 October, 2026
What if you were confident that a $350K settlement could become a $9 million verdict, because you could predict that number before the trial?Connecticut trial lawyer Andrew Garza reveals how big data turned a difficult premises liability case into the largest verdict ever seen in that courthouse - and why most plaintiff lawyers are still leaving money on the table.Andrew breaks down what “big data” actually is, how it differs from traditional focus groups, and why it gave his team the confidence to try a contested case that many firms would have hesitated to touch. In his example today, a case that was heading for settlement was a challenge for the plaintiff's side, because the valuation was very difficult to assess.Thanks to the inputs of data, the team gained so much clarity on a figure that what they ended up receiving, $9 million, was just $300k less than what the data predicted they would get.It's a question of trust, commitment, confidence in your case and simplifying trial strategy. Tools like these can make a huge difference in getting you over the finish line, in a massive way." We believed in the case, but we really didn't want to guess on value. We wanted to understand what we should ask for, what the best way to do that was. And so we decided to run our first big data study." - Andrew GarzaIn this episode, we discuss:◼️ How big data studies test both plaintiff and defense narratives across hundreds of participants.◼️ Why the team narrowed a complex case into a short, clean 1.5-day presentation.◼️ What the data revealed about damages, jury selection, and even which juror profiles helped them.◼️ How they used the study to challenge assumptions about geography, politics, and “typical” jurors.◼️ Why asking for too little can be just as dangerous as asking for too much.Chapters00:00 Case Value: A $9 Million Verdict04:58 What Big Data Reveals11:27 The Water Park Injury Case19:53 Building Confidence in the Data23:25 Trying a Shorter, Stronger Case32:04 Keeping Sympathy Out of the Verdict38:01 Do Local Jurors Really Differ?41:34 How to Get Started with Big Data Courtroom Stories & Tactics | RVA Trial Lawyers Available on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and at RVATrialLawyers.com Based out of Richmond, Virginia, Courtroom Stories & Tactics by RVA Trial Lawyers exists for lawyers who try cases to juries on behalf of people. Through our podcast, we hope to learn from them, support them, connect them, inspire them, and preserve their work for future trial lawyers.If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a 5-Star Google Review by clicking here. Your review will help people find us.Thank you!Sharif Gray and Nael Abouzaki
