GERRY SPENCE, Chairman of the Board

J. JUDE BASILE, President
J. Jude Basile, a California lawyer, born and raised in a rural western Pennsylvania coal mining area, grew up actually aware of the struggles of ordinary people. The oldest son of six children he learned the values of hard work from his parents while working in the family's neighborhood bar and grill frequented by the coalminers and steel workers. After being recruited by the University of Notre Dame to play football, he chose to transfer to a small school, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where he is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame. He has obtained 7 and 8 figure verdicts and settlements for individuals and families in cases that were rejected by other lawyers. He credits these results to the method and work he has done through the Trial Lawyers College and the Psychodramatic methods developed at the College. He continues to work in exploring and developing the methods used in this College's unique approach in achieving justice for "regular" people.

An honors graduate from law school in 1982 and former prosecutor, Jude is an accomplished trial lawyer and has represented individuals and families in private practice since 1985. He has been nominated six times as an Outstanding Trial Lawyer by his peers and received this award in 1994 and 1997 and was named the Trial Lawyer of the year in 2004. He is a frequently invited speaker to trial lawyer organizations throughout California and the United States. He attended the inaugural class of the Trial Lawyers College in 1994 and has been on the faculty since 1997. He is the founder of The Basile Law Firm with offices in San Luis Obispo and San Diego California. The practice emphasizes "people" who have suffered serious personal and financial injuries including wrongful death. Some of the areas Jude focuses on include highway and auto safety, product liability, civil rights, and elder and employment law.

MILTON GRIMES, Vice President
Milton Grimes is a nationally recognized trial lawyer from Southern California where he has been practicing law for over twenty-five years. Mr. Grimes is best know for his representation of Rodney King in his civil rights suit against the City of Los Angeles in which he won a verdict of $3.8 million. He also represented two of the jurors from the O.J. Simpson case and has handled numerous high profile and noteworthy cases including the defense of Sheryl Massip in which he presented, for the first time in California history, the much-noted postpartum psychosis defense. In 1994 Mr. Grimes represented the family of Marcelino Corniel, a homeless man killed by Washington, D.C., park police, in their lawsuit against the Federal Government. Mr. Grimes handles both criminal and civil cases including police misconduct cases involving beatings and killings. He has received numerous awards and lectures around the county.

CYNDY SHORT, Secretary
Cyndy Short is a criminal defense lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri.  Cyndy specializes in death penalty trial work and provides trial and mitigation servies for clients & lawyers appointed to represent the poor in capital cases.  Cyndy graduated from law school in 1987 and became a Missouri Public Defender in 1988.  In 1994 Cyndy began her work in the Capital Trial Division of the Missouri Public Defender system and remained in that office until 2003.  Over the years Cyndy's work has been recognized by the Missouri Bar who awarded her the Lon O. Hocker Award and by the MSPD system who named her Defender of Distinction.  The Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty recognized her work in the Clarence Dexter case with the Courageous Litigator of the Year award.  

Today Cyndy practices with her husband Brian McCallister (TLC'95) at the McCallister Law Firm.  Cyndy trains lawyers and mitigation specialists in Kansas City and at the TLC Death Penalty College. 

JIM NUGENT, Treasurer
Jim Nugent practices both civil and criminal law in New Haven, Connecticut. He has tried over 75 cases involving, among other things,  personal injury, wrongful death, defamation, adverse possession, 1983 civil rights, murder, shooting of police officers, burglary, assault and theft of firearms.   

Since his graduation from TLC in 1998, Jim has remained involved in the college as a staff member.  He has implemented the TLC method into all aspects of his practice, including trial preparation.  He invests tremendous time and energy in every one of his cases. Taking the time to get to know each and every one of his clients extremely well allows Jim to tell the jury the powerful truth of each of his clients lives. He fights for the justice his clients deserve.  

Jim is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and has been continuously Board Certified since 1998.  

Jim served in the military for 11 years, obtaining the rank of Sergeant E-5 and is Air Assault qualified. He is currently serving in the Connecticut Governors Horse Guard, a mounted Calvary Unit.  

Jim practices law with his wife, Julie, a 2003 graduate of TLC.

R. REX PARRIS, General Council
R. Rex Parris is a trial attorney in Southern California and has successfully represented people for over 20 years. His first personal injury case, in which he obtained a multi-million dollar verdict, was also one of the first smoke detector cases in the State of California. Rex's efforts brought national attention to the need to require smoke detectors in all inhabited dwellings. He has, through his dedication to helping people and his tireless efforts on their behalf, obtained numerous multi-million dollar awards for his clients.

Rex is very active in his community and devotes a substantial amount of his time and income to improving the lives of young people and towards eradicating child abuse. He was recently honored for these efforts when his community named the new high school "R. Rex Parris High School."

R. Rex Parris represents people with catastrophic and severe personal injuries, in wrongful death, legal malpractice cases and consumer class actions.

JR CLARY
James R. "J.R." Clary, Jr. is a trial lawyer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana who practices with Lexlee Overton, his classmate from the TLC Class of 2002. They formed their firm of Clary & Overton, LLP in 2004 and they focus their efforts in the areas of plaintiff personal injury and wrongful death, criminal defense, commercial litigation on behalf of family-owned companies and representation of other lawyers charged with disciplinary offenses.

J.R. has served on Staff at the Trial Lawyers College since 2005. He has been a representative on the F-Warriors Board (FWB) for Region 5 since 2005 and was chosen to be FWB President in 2009. His 2 year term as President-elect of that Alumni Board ended early following his election to the Trial Lawyers College Board of Directors in November 2009.

After receiving a B.A. degree in Journalism from Louisiana State University in 1980, J.R. thereafter attended and was graduated from the Paul M. Hebert School of Law at LSU in 1983 and has practiced as a trial lawyer ever since. He lives near the old Neville Plantation site at Port Hudson, a civil war battlefield just north of Baton Rouge, where "minie' balls," cannon rounds and other relics from "the late unpleasantness" still pepper the ground. He enjoys the outdoors in Louisiana, The Sportsman's Paradise; and is an avid LSU Tiger and New Orleans Saints sports fan. When not working or following the Tigers' football/baseball/basketball fortunes, J.R. enjoys hunting with his Dad, studying history, travel, writing and participating in TLC events. He is also active as a founding member of The Bengal Group, Inc., a fellowship commenced in 1986 with his high school pals and devoted to providing cash scholarships to LSU students in financial need. Among his life-associations, nothing is more important to him than his affiliation with LSU, Trial Lawyers College and The Bengal Group.

Favorite Quote: "I was once as pure as the driven snow...but...I drifted." --- Mae West

DANA K. COLE
Dana K. Cole is a tenured Associate Professor of Law at the University of Akron School of Law where he teaches Trial Advocacy, Advanced Trial Advocacy, Evidence and Criminal Law. His published works include Psychodrama and the Training of Trial Lawyers: Finding the Story, 21 N. Ill. L. Rev. 1 (2001) - an article describing the training methods used at the Trial Lawyers College. Dana has extensive jury trial experience in civil and criminal cases. He is a frequent faculty member in trial advocacy workshops and seminars throughout the country including Harvard Law School's Winter Trial Advocacy Workshop. Dana was a member of the Trial Lawyers College class of 1995 and has been on the teaching faculty of the Trial Lawyers College since 1996.

Dana is the father of two daughters - Amanda and Megan.

S. RAFE FOREMAN
S. Rafe Foreman is a trial lawyer. He resides in Texas but holds a license to practice law in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Federal Courts of Colorado. He has been accepted to pro hac vice in cases across the country from Washington to Florida. He is a board certified criminal specialist in Texas and handles all types of state and federal criminal matters as well as civil rights, employment discrimination and personal injury cases. Rafe is a 2002 graduate of TLC and since that time has served as a member of the F Warriors Board. He was President of the F Warriors Board and has served as a member of the TLC Board of Directors since 2005. Rafe has served as a member of the staff of TLC since 2003. He is a partner in the law firm of Foreman, Lewis & Hutchison which consists only of attorneys who are TLC graduates and implements daily the teachings of TLC in their everyday practice and lives. Rafe is married to Elaine and has two wonderful daughers, Shady and Alyson.

JOHN D. SLOAN, Jr.
A happily married father of two children, John Sloan was born in Kilgore, Texas, and has lived and worked in East Texas his entire life. John graduated from Baylor University in 1977 and from the Baylor School of Law in 1980. He has been a member of the State Bar of Texas ever since, and currently serves on its governing board. John has tried over 100 jury trials to verdict. He tried his first jury trial solo two weeks after he was sworn in. John has successfully prosecuted cases in Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, West Virginia, California, Missouri, Maryland, Michigan and all over Texas, and has been admitted to practice before all four U.S. District Courts of Texas, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. John's professional affiliations include the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association of Justice. Among his many notable achievements, Texas Monthly Magazine named John a "Texas Super Lawyer" in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He is certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

KENT W. SPENCE
Kent W. Spence is a third generation Wyomingite who was born and raised in Riverton, Wyoming. He received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Montana in 1982 and his Law degree from Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia in 1986. He thereafter worked at the Spence Law Firm. Kent has been a partner in the firm since 1995.

Kent has been admitted as counsel in cases throughout the Rocky Mountains, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana, Utah and Texas. He has practiced in numerous Federal District Courts and has appeared before the Wyoming Supreme Court and the Federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kent twice attended Western Trial Advocacy Institute, founded by Gerry Spence and the late Justices Rose and Cardine. He also attended Gerry Spence’s thirty day long trial lawyers college in 1995 and has been on the faculty from that time to the present. Since 1995 Kent has been active as one of the Board of Directors of LAW (Lawyers and Advocates of Wyoming), a non-profit law firm focused on social cause cases.

Kent is a Past President of Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association (where caps on non-economic damages were defeated during his term as President; (He is a member of American Trial Lawyers Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Bar Association, Wyoming Bar Association and Teton County Bar Association.

Kent specializes in personal injury, wrongful death, civil rights and criminal defense trial law.

Kent and his wife Lisa have two children, Ariella and Dylan.

WILLIAM A. TRINE
Bill Trine is a noted trial lawyer, author and teacher. He is listed in all editions of The Best Lawyers in America, is co-author of the best-selling book, How to Win Medical Negligence Cases, and is on the faculty of the Trial Lawyers College. He is a Past-President and Founder of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, a public interest law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., and a Past-President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association which honored him with the coveted Norm Kripke Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and International Society of Barristers. His office is located in Boulder, Colorado.

ANNE M. VALENTINE
Anne has been a practicing law for 28 years. She currently owns and runs a litigation practicing in Columbus, OH, handling mostly medical malpractice cases, some pharmaceutical litigation and a smattering of other personal injury and product liability cases.

Anne is a graduate of the 1998 Trial lawyers College. She has served on the staff for the summer TLC program since 1999. She has also staffed various regional seminars over the years and has attended virtually every staff training since 2000.

In her own words, this is how TLC has improved her practice: "It has helped me become a better listener. It has given me the confidence to be myself in the courtroom which translates into a much more effective voir dire and communication with the jurors. It has allowed me to more effectively tell my client's story which has increased my courtroom success tremendously and allowed justice for many deserving folks. It has helped me see the world through other perspectives and exposed me to concepts and ideas I would have never known. It has spurred my curiosity and interest in how to better serve my clients and continue to improve my skills."

"I am in the courtroom with some regularity on complex, and not so complex, cases. I am continuing to explore and understand how the TLC process that we work on at the ranch and at seminars translates into the courtroom and the day to day practice of law. I am fortunate to have had success for my clients as a result of all of my TLC training. Success that would not have been possible without all the tools I have been given. I utilize on almost a daily basis some aspect of TLC concepts whether it be in depositions, mediations, interviewing clients, trial, dealing with staff, working out issues with my partner, preparing witnesses……and the list goes on."

JOHN P. ZELBST
John Zelbst is a practicing trial lawyer, with a national practice out of his home office in Lawton, Oklahoma. In his 24 years of practice, John has represented clients from all walks of life and has tried to verdict almost every type of case there is, from misdemeanors to capital murder cases, from small claims to products liability. John currently holds many state and regional verdict records, including the largest personal injury jury verdict in Oklahoma in the amount of 24 million dollars. In addition, he also holds the record for the largest personal injury verdict against the United States of America (Judge trial only) in Federal court for all the Districts in Oklahoma in the amount of 7 million dollars.
John lives on a cattle ranch in Meers, Oklahoma, approximately 25 miles northwest of Lawton with his wife Cindy and son Clay. When not on the road, in the air or in trial, John takes an active role in his ranches.

BETSY GREENE, Liason F Warriors Board
Born 1957; admitted to the bar, 1982, Indiana; also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit and 6th Circuit, U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana. Preparatory education: Indiana University (B.A., 1979); legal education: Indiana University (J.D., 1982). Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Morgan County, Indiana, 1983 and Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney 1985 to 1988.

Ms. Greene joined Nunn & Kelley Law Office in 1988 and was a partner from 1990 until leaving to start her own firm in February, 2005. Since June 1, 2005, Ms. Greene has been a partner in the law firm of Greene & Schultz Trial Lawyers, representing those injured or killed by negligence. Ms. Greene has personally tried over ninety jury trials in her career.

Ms. Greene has been a member of the Indiana Trial Lawyers since 1989 and a director since 1992. She is a past president of ITLA (2006-2007) and a past member of the ITLA Executive Committee (1994-2008). Ms. Greene has written for and spoken at a number of Indiana Trial Lawyers Association seminars and Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum seminars. Ms. Greene is also past president of the Indiana American Board of Trial Advocates, Indiana Chapter (2005), and past president of the Monroe County Bar Association (2005). Ms. Greene has been inducted into the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association’s College of Fellows and is an Emeritus Director of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Board of Directors.

Ms. Greene received her first certificate in Civil Trial Advocacy from the National Board of Trial Advocacy on November 21, 1995. Ms. Greene was certified again on November 22, 2000 and certified again on November 21, 2005 and is currently one of forty certified trial lawyers in the State of Indiana. Ms. Greene has earned Advocate status in the American Association for Justice’s National College of Advocacy. In addition to the board certification, Ms. Greene achieved the highest rating, AV, from Martindale-Hubble, the national lawyer rating service.

In August, 2005, Ms. Greene graduated from Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College. The Trial Lawyers College is an intensive three week course in trial advocacy conducted at Thunderhead Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. She is President of the Trial Lawyers College Alumni Board. Ms. Greene was appointed an adjunct professor at the Indiana University School of Law for the spring, 2008 semester. She taught Trial Advocacy. In 2009, Ms. Greene joined the faculty of the Trial Lawyers College and is a member of the Board of Directors.

Ms. Greene was selected as an Indiana "Super Lawyer" by Law and Politics Magazine (selected as among the top 5% of practicing Indiana attorneys in a peer review and evaluation process) for the first time in 2004, the first year the survey was done in Indiana. She has been named to that same list every year since. In 2007 and 2008, she was chosen as a Top 50 attorney in the state of Indiana by the same magazine.

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