SAN DIEGO (July 28, 2021) – Leading civil litigation and insurance defense firm Tyson & Mendes announced today the graduation of 48 attorneys from an inaugural training program designed to deepen trial skills well beyond anything offered by other law firms. Known as the “Tyson & Mendes Trial Academy,” or “TM Trial Academy” for short, the robust and rigorous program will serve as an integral tool for training the firm’s up-and-coming attorneys each year moving forward.
From March to May 2021, attorneys from across Tyson & Mendes’ 14 nationwide offices learned, practiced, and honed specific trial skills through a combination of in-depth lectures, active demonstrations, and engaging working groups, with the program culminating in an all-day, nearly 150-person virtual mock trial in early June.
“The TM Trial Academy supports our continuous efforts to be the best law firm to work for, great for attorney professional development and for turning out the best trial lawyers in the country,” said Tyson & Mendes Managing Partner Robert Tyson. “As far as we know, we are the only firm putting more than 20% of our attorneys through such intensive, comprehensive training each year, which is a testament to our investment in our attorneys and our commitment to excellence both in and out of the courtroom.”
The three-month program was developed and implemented by Professor Linda Lane from The University of San Diego School of Law, who drew upon her background as an AmLaw trial attorney and her academic experience to lead this exclusive course for Tyson & Mendes’ attorneys. Several of the firm’s most experienced trial partners co-led each training session with Professor Lane.
The in-depth academy sessions were designed to prime attorneys for all phases of a jury trial –including pre-trial motions, voir dire, opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments – while teaching students the advanced methods the firm has perfected for avoiding Nuclear Verdicts™ and keeping down noneconomic damages. While the TM Trial Academy is a critical part of the firm’s work to educate the defense industry as a whole, it is groundbreaking for a civil defense firm to provide this kind of program for its own people.
During the final mock trial, academy students went head-to-head as either plaintiff or defense counsel to try a mock catastrophic injury case with firm lawyers, law clerks, and staff playing the roles of judge, jury, witnesses, plaintiff, defendant, and bailiffs. Students were able to successfully demonstrate skills learned through the TM Trial Academy, creatively present evidence, and implement arguments consistent with the firm’s unique defense methods.
The academy sessions aligned with the teachings in Tyson’s best-selling book, Nuclear VerdictsTM: Defending Justice for All. Tyson & Mendes aims to revolutionize the defense industry with the tools to combat the plaintiffs’ bar’s evolving tactics through communication, education, and compensation. The TM Trial Academy serves as an extension of Tyson & Mendes’ commitment to ongoing education for its attorneys and is offered in conjunction with Tyson & Mendes University, a mandatory training program to teach all firm attorneys case handling, trial strategy, and client service according to the firm’s unique methodology.
With 14 nationwide offices serving 17 states, Tyson & Mendes is one of the country’s fastest growing civil defense firms. For more information and to view career opportunities, visit www.tysonmendes.com.
About Tyson & Mendes LLP
Tyson & Mendes LLP is a nationwide, AV-rated litigation firm specializing in insurance defense. Founded in 2002, firm principals trial attorneys Robert Tyson and Patrick Mendes have grown the firm to 200 attorneys defending corporations, insurance companies and their clients in civil litigation matters throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. The firm is most widely recognized for winning the landmark Howell v. Hamilton Meats California Supreme Court case, which forever changed the state’s litigation landscape by significantly impacting the damages a plaintiff may recover. Robert Tyson is also the author of the Amazon Bestseller Nuclear Verdicts™: Defending Justice for All, the first playbook for the defense on how to avoid runaway jury verdicts. For more information, visit www.tysonmendes.com.
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