In this episode, Michael Cowen, Malorie Peacock, and Blake Brunkenhoefer explore the challenges and strategies involved in a recent $38 million verdict trial concerning a bus crash and trucking negligence. They discuss the complexities of coordinating a multi-lawyer case, managing jury selection in a diverse community, and the importance of live testimony and technology in trial execution. The conversation highlights the significance of ethical practice, effective communication, and understanding community dynamics in achieving successful outcomes. The episode also promotes the Big Rig Bootcamp, offering further learning opportunities for lawyers interested in trucking law. This discussion provides valuable insights and practical advice for navigating complex legal challenges.
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146 – Anthony Vessel on Leadership, Empathy, and Professional Development
Lawyers aren’t necessarily great business people, or even good law office managers for that matter. That’s because running a business requires a different type of skill set than the practice of law. However, if you have a firm that is run well, you will have more time to be a good lawyer.
On this episode of Trial Lawyer Nation, Michael Cowen is joined by Anthony Vessel, a lawyer from Houston, Texas, and a partner at Marc Whitehead & Associates, to talk about how to manage a law firm.
Tune in to hear Michael and Anthony talk about building an empathetic law firm culture, the benefits of an inclusive workforce, the use of behavioral assessments, and book recommendations. You’ll also learn how Anthony went from the nickname “Tony the Hatchet Man,” because he had to fire so many people, to being a respected leader in a firm whose core values are integrity, accountability, compassion, communication, teamwork, customer service, and health and happiness in the workplace.
Don’t miss out! Michael’s book, Big Rig Justice: A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Value in Truck Accident Cases is now available!
Featured Guest
Name: Anthony Vessel
About: Anthony Vessel is a partner at Marc Whitehead & Associates, LLP. He dedicates his practice to plaintiff’s insurance denials and disability law, specializing in long-term disability insurance denials, social security disability, mass torts, and veteran disability. The firm’s central office is headquartered in Houston, Texas, where Anthony manages a national practice and has successfully litigated disability claims in nearly every state, including the Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. Anthony leads the firm’s largest department, the Social Security Disability Department. Anthony’s SSD department advocates for the rights of thousands of clients annually.
You may have seen Anthony’s work as an author of the newsletter, “The Successful Barrister–Marketing, Management & Life Skills that Probably Won’t Get You Disbarred.” He has authored numerous articles and often presents on the topics of law office management, professional development, time management, as well as disability benefit claims, litigation, and negotiation. Anthony also greatly enjoys mentoring young attorneys and peers.
Anthony is an active member, presents CLE presentations, and holds leadership positions in several professional organizations including the American Association for Justice (AAJ), Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA), Houston Trial Lawyer Association (HTLA), Houston Bar Association (HBA), National Organization for Social Security Claims Representatives (NOSSCR), and National Organization for Veteran’s Advocates (NOVA).
Anthony is also a certified mediator and mediates across a wide practice area. Visit his website www.vesselmediation.com to book a mediation.
Connect: LinkedIn
Episode Highlights
[4:04] Firm background and caseload. Brief background on the Social Security Disability Department that Anthony heads up at Marc Whitehead & Associates and the cases he handles.
[8:52] Max fee for Social Security Disability. Congress recently raised the maximum fee for Social Security Disability to $7,200. This fee was previously set at $6,000 about 12 years ago.
[9:47] Organizing your team for efficiency. Anthony’s team is organized into pods, each of which handles different tasks starting from case intake through completion.
[11:04] Choosing the right case management system for your practice. A cloud-based case management system, such as Litify, can help ensure efficiency and timeliness by setting specific tasks. This system is customizable, can be accessed remotely, and is good for a high volume practice.
[12:04] Traction. Making sure that people fit their role helps to ensure success for the individual and the firm. This concept of “right people, right seats,” comes from Gino Wickman’s book, Traction.
[14:37] Empathy over skillset: Hiring candidates who have empathy, rather than a certain niche skill set, has helped improve the firm’s culture.
[17:11] Setting core values. Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team instructs you to set three core values to work towards. However, it’s ultimately up to each law firm to identify however many core values are important to them, even if it’s more than three.
[17:58] Book recommendations. For Michael, different books, such as The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, the Lencioni books, and Traction, have taught him many things about running a business. Anthony also recommends Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek and Never Split the Difference, a book about negotiating by Chris Voss.
[24:35] Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese business philosophy about continuous improvement. This philosophy goes along with the premise in the book, Who Moved My Cheese, which states that things are always going to be changing so it’s important to learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
[26:49] Building and retaining your team. Being intentional about building firm culture and making the workplace the type of place where employees want to be attracts people who bring success to the firm.
[33:00] Workplace assessments. Behavioral assessments such as DISC, which is similar to Myers-Briggs, help identify employees’ strengths, management styles, and where they will best fit into the team.
[37:46] Employee risk factors and coaching. The Jay Henderson workforce analysis identifies potential employee risk factors as well as provides good fodder for interview questions. A company called Atticus provides individual attorney coaching, guidance, and training so that attorneys can be better leaders.
[40:22] Building a presence in legal organizations. The firm is active in legal organizations at the city, state, and national levels, including HTLA, TTLA, AAJ, and American Association for Justice. All of the firm’s attorneys have gone through the TTLA lead group, applications for which open up in January.
[42:52] The Flywheel Effect. The concept in The Flywheel Effect was first popularized by Jim Collins, author of the book, Good to Great. The premise is that momentum is built through a series of small but continuous actions.
[43:55] Continuous improvement. One of the biggest themes in the book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, is continuing to improve as well as correcting bad habits.
[44:40] Stoic philosophy. Ryan Holiday’s books on Stoicism contain a lot of useful information about working on yourself and building a place you want to be in.
[45:20] Instruction manual for leaders. The 4 Disciplines of Execution instructs teams and organizations on how to achieve their goals and priorities.
Connect with Trial Lawyer Nation
☑️ Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn.
☑️ Subscribe to Trial Lawyer Nation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and YouTube.
In this popular and award-winning podcast for trial lawyers, noteworthy author, sought-after speaker, and renowned trial lawyer, Michael Cowen explores critical topics distinctive to the legal profession with some of the biggest names in the industry – specifically focused on developing extremely efficient law practices, securing a competitive edge in the industry, and wildly excelling in the courtroom.
Produced and Sponsored by LawPods.
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205 – Trial Series | Damages, Jury Selection, and Trial Confidence
In this Ask Michael & Malorie Anything episode, Michael Cowen and Malorie Peacock answer listener questions and share practical insights on some of the most important challenges trial lawyers face in the courtroom. From deciding when to discuss damages with a jury to recognizing and addressing classism during jury selection, they offer strategies designed to help lawyers connect more effectively with jurors and present stronger cases.
Michael and Malorie also explore the power of storytelling in damages cases, emphasizing the importance of helping jurors understand the human impact behind an injury. They discuss how trust, preparation, and authenticity can influence trial outcomes, while sharing their perspectives on retrials, legal narratives, and the role of belief in advocating for clients.
The episode concludes with a candid conversation about overcoming stage fright and building confidence in the courtroom. Whether you’re a seasoned trial lawyer or just starting your career, this episode is packed with actionable trial tips, courtroom strategies, and lessons on becoming a more effective advocate.
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164 – Abbey Vela – Strategies for Building and Maintaining an Attorney Referral-Based Practice
Host Michael Cowen invites Business Development Manager Abbey Vela to discuss how Cowen Rodriguez Peacock attracts and then keeps referral partners over the long haul. Abbey’s role at the firm is to connect and communicate with referrals; as she explains, it’s a position that “a lot of law firms tend to lack.” Michael observes that any firm interested in building a referral-based practice must be prepared to offer value. “It can’t just be, ‘Come listen to how, what a badass I am and why you should give me your cases.’ No one wants to hear that.”
Finally, Michael and Abbey encourage listeners to attend the firm’s Big Rig Masterclass in Las Vegas on October 16, part of TLU Vegas. Those interested in enrolling can visit Cowen’s Big Rig Masterclass and use the promo code COWEN400 to save $400 off the price of registration.
Featured Guest
Name: Abbey Vela
About: Abbey is the business development manager at Cowen Rodriguez Peacock, where she liaises between the firm’s lawyers and referral partners. She has more than eight years of experience in building and growing businesses.
Company: Cowen Rodriguez Peacock
Connect: LinkedIn
Episode Highlights
[02:51] The Conduit: As a non-lawyer, Abbey learned the “language” of lawyers to support the firm’s big picture: building and maintaining relationships with referral partners.
[06:16] Communication Styles: From emails to texts to phone calls to in-person meetings, Abbey adapts to referral partners’ preferred communication styles.
[16:12] Building Relationships: The work of generating referrals starts with building relationships. Abbey offers her strategies.
[19:02] In It for the Long Haul: The goal with a referral-based practice is to have a long-term relationship that matures. Michael shares insight about partnering with a firm that, today, co-counsels with his firm on high seven-figure or low eight-figure trucking cases.
[21:28] Celebration Surveys: Abbey conducts “celebration surveys” – asking questions like “What sports do you like?” and “What are your hobbies?” – to connect with referral partners.
[23:17] Sharing Information The key to getting referrals from other lawyers is providing value, such as sharing actionable information that someone can use in practice.
Connect with Trial Lawyer Nation
☑️ Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn.
☑️ Subscribe to Trial Lawyer Nation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
In this popular and award-winning podcast for trial lawyers, noteworthy author, sought-after speaker, and renowned trial lawyer, Michael Cowen explores critical topics distinctive to the legal profession with some of the biggest names in the industry – specifically focused on developing extremely efficient law practices, securing a competitive edge in the industry, and wildly excelling in the courtroom.
Produced and Sponsored by LawPods.
