Sam Franklin is a partner of Lightfoot Franklin & White, the Birmingham, Alabama litigation boutique he co-founded in 1990. Franklin has devoted himself to trying cases since the earliest days in the practice, cutting his teeth on small local cases and working his way to the level of the bet-the-company cases he is best known for and still tries today. A dyed-in-the-wool all-purpose generalist, over the course of his 40+ year career Franklin has triumphed in groundbreaking cases (in...

Episode 9 of Behind the Trial features an interview with Beth Wilkinson, one of the most accomplished trial lawyers in the country. Beth began her legal career in the United States Army's Judge Advocate General Corps and continued her pubic service in the US Department of Justice. First as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, she eventually became principal deputy of the Department's Terrorism and Violent Crime Section where she successfully prosecuted the Oklahoma...

In episode 8 of Behind the Trial, we speak to giant of the trial bar, Gary Naftalis. Gary heads the litigation department and serves as firm co chair at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in New York. Known for his defense work on high stakes civil, criminal and regulatory matters, Gary went Behind the Trial to share the secrets of his success in the courtroom. Recognized by countless publications for his skills as a trial lawyer Gary received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Benchmark...

Episode 07 of Behind the Trial, co-presented by the trial firm of McKool Smith and Benchmark Litigation, features an interview with Diane Sullivan of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Diane is considered one of the most prominent trial lawyers, having secured high stake defense verdicts for Johnson & Johnson, ESPN, GE, Merck, and Philip Morris, among others. Diane went Behind the Trial to share her unique experience arguing cases on behalf of pharmaceutical companies in product liability and...

Episode 06 of Behind the Trial features an interview with United States District Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California. Nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1999, Judge Alsup has presided over newsworthy cases such as Oracle v Google and Waymo v Uber. He has ruled in high profile matters challenging the federal government’s authority, including a due process judgement in Ibrahim vs. Department of Homeland Security et al and one that halted the Trump...

Episode 05 of Behind the Trial features part two of our interview with iconic trial lawyer David Boies, Chairman of Boies Schiller Flexner. David goes Behind the Trial with McKool Smith Principal Courtland Reichman to discuss how to deal with morality plays, preloaded conceptions of the jury, the use of jury consultants, and other best practices in the courtroom.     Behind the Trial. Listen and learn from the trial masters.

Episode 04 of Behind the Trial features iconic trial lawyer David Boies, Chairman of Boies Schiller Flexner. David has handled some of the nation’s biggest cases and trials, including representing Vice President Al Gore in Bush v. Gore, and the plaintiffs in a case that led to California’s ban on same-sex marriage being overturned. He has also been named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine. David went Behind the Trial with host Courtland Reichman to discuss...

Episode 03 of Behind the Trial features Elkan Abramowitz of Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC, one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers and a giant in the white collar defense bar.  As a prosecutor, criminal defense lawyer, and civil trial lawyer, Elkan has seen it all. Elkan went Behind the Trial with host Courtland Reichman to discuss best practices in the courtroom, pitfalls to avoid, and his high-profile representation of Steven Davis, former Chairman of Dewey &...

Our second episode features part 2 of our conversation with Evan R. Chesler, Chairman of Cravath and one of the nation’s most accomplished trial lawyers. Evan went Behind the Trial with host Courtland Reichman to discuss the significance of the jury trial to American democracy, the limits and pitfalls of using humor in the courtroom, the importance of maintaining your credibility with a jury, and how to explain it all to a room full of 6th graders! Evan’s clients include a who’s who of the...

Episode 01 features Evan R. Chesler, Chairman of Cravath and one of the nation’s most accomplished trial lawyers. Evan went Behind the Trial with host Courtland Reichman to discuss the keys of persuasion, common traits of an effective trial lawyer, the significance of the “people factor,” and how versatility is critical in the courtroom (and he was just getting started). Evan’s clients include a who’s who of the Fortune 500 from IBM, Time Warner, and Novartis to Alcoa, Xerox, and American...

Welcome to Episode 00 of "Behind the Trial" as host and trial lawyer Courtland Reichman introduces and explains the importance of this special podcast series. Episode 00 also takes us to Times Square as our man on the street interviews people to learn more about some of the common perceptions of trial lawyers, juries, and trial practice as a whole. Then, hear clips from our interviews with some of the trial masters, including David Boies (Boies Schiller), Evan Chesler (Cravath), Elkan...