SAN DIEGO (Jan 8, 2024) – Aiming to end the surge of skyrocketing jury verdicts across the country, nationwide civil litigation and insurance defense firm Tyson & Mendes LLP announced its third annual Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute will take place July 18-21, 2024, at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

The Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute is an immersive, four-day trial academy uniquely developed to teach defense attorneys innovative methods for stopping Nuclear Verdicts® – large, unsubstantiated jury awards that typically exceed $10 million. Novel in its intent and approach, Tyson & Mendes was shortlisted for the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award in the “Reinventing Legal Practice” category for creating the program. Through a psychology workshop, expert panel discussions, small group activities and demonstrations, defense attorneys will practice and learn advanced trial skills for defusing juror anger and stopping Nuclear Verdicts®. At its conclusion, each attendee receives accreditation as a Nuclear Verdicts Defender, certified in the methods for defending against runaway jury verdicts.

“Nuclear Verdicts® are proliferating because the defense industry has been slow to change,” said Tyson & Mendes Strategic Managing Partner Robert Tyson, the driving force behind the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute. “There is a pattern to cases that result in Nuclear Verdicts®, and we want to break that pattern by teaching the defense bar the proven methods we developed that have saved the insurance industry nearly $3 billion over just the past four years. Applying the anti-Nuclear Verdicts® defense methods in every case is the way to stop Nuclear Verdicts® and deliver ‘Justice for All.’”

Tyson & Mendes is the only defense firm in America that trains other defense lawyers. Based on the strategies first set forth in Tyson’s #1 best-selling book, “Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All,” the Institute seeks to change the way the defense industry tries cases.

“The plaintiff’s bar has collaborated for decades, holding educational retreats, studying juror psychology, and continuously morphing trial tactics to secure astronomical civil jury verdicts, while the defense bar has remained stagnant,” said Tyson. “The Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute is one way our firm is working to increase collaboration and communication across the defense industry by equipping attorneys – from competing firms – with strategies to go head-to-head with evolving plaintiff’s bar tactics.”

“It was the most significant program of any type that I’ve attended. I’ve taken away actual techniques that I will use in trial. Encountering something that was new, creative, and immediately useful in my practice was a game changer,” said Michael Kelly, who participated in the 2023 Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute and left a certified Nuclear Verdicts Defender.

This year’s Institute is led by an esteemed faculty of legal defense experts, such as top trial attorneys and a specialist in the psychology of anger. Keynote speakers include:

Robert Tyson, a noted trial attorney and author of “Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All,” which presents a set of unique defense methods designed to drive down damage awards. With a goal of minimizing astronomical jury verdicts, Tyson is keenly focused on sharing his successful trial methods with the insurance and defense industries. His second book on defending against Nuclear Verdicts® comes out in 2024. He is especially known for his groundbreaking work on Howell v. Hamilton Meats, a reverberating decision that set the stage to save insurers and corporate defendants over $10 billion each year – reshaping personal injury litigation across California.

Jennifer Staples, Ph.D., a Clinical Psychologist and Adjunct Professor with a clinical expertise grounded in promoting preventative mental health. Staples is an expert in psychology, particularly in understanding tactics that both incite and defuse anger. Her expertise helps attendees understand how to apply these strategies in a trial setting to combat plaintiffs’ attorneys’ efforts to drive up damage awards through juror anger – which is proven to be the number one emotional motivator of a nuclear verdict.

The faculty also includes Tyson & Mendes’ Administrate Partner Cayce Lynch and other esteemed Tyson & Mendes trial partners.

Attendees must apply and be accepted to the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute. For more information or to access the online application, visit nuclearverdictsdefense.com.

About the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute

Based on the principles in the best-selling book, Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All, the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute is the only trial academy developed to teach defense attorneys how to stop Nuclear Verdicts® – large, unsubstantiated jury awards that typically exceed $10 million. Through a psychology workshop, expert panel discussions, small group activities and demonstrations, attendees practice and learn advanced trial skills for defusing juror anger and defending against astronomical jury verdicts. At its conclusion, each attendee receives certification as a Nuclear Verdicts Defender, an accreditation endorsed by University of San Diego School of Law’s Office of Graduate Programs. The Institute is hosted by nationwide civil litigation and insurance defense law firm Tyson & Mendes LLP. For more information, visit nuclearverdictsdefense.com.

Media Contact

Molly Pincherli / Jean Walcher, J. Walcher Communications
molly@jwalcher.com / jean@jwalcher.com, 619-295-7140

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