The TLC 3-Week experience through my eyes

by TLC Graduate, Kiesha Cannon

I applied to the TLC 3-week course while I was co-counsel with Assistant Public Defender MeLisa McNeil, a graduate of the TLC Death Penalty Seminar. I shared with her how nervous I was about my first murder case, which was court-appointed, and she recommended the TLC program.

When I was accepted into TLC, I was in a place in my life when I truly needed it; I needed a life changing experience. I believe God was speaking to me, letting me know that this was that experience.

Before attending the program, I had no idea what I was getting in to. MeLisa did not tell me anything about the program, besides sharing it was in Wyoming. I had no reservations about attending. I was excited about the possibility of the life changing experience I desired.

Being at TLC was one of the happiest times of my life. There is magic there. If you are open to the possibility, the experience will change you. I was made better there. I loved and was loved. I felt safe.

The most important lesson I learned through my time with TLC was the importance of honesty. Being honest with myself is necessary before I can be honest with anyone else. I learned that everybody is going through the same things in life. While I'm far from perfect, I am willing to do the hard work it takes to be a better human. My experience has helped me try to be more compassionate; I double everybody before I rush to anger or judgment.

After TLC, I feel like I'm seeing everything in life through a fresh set of eyes and life is different... It's better. I'm really grateful to God for that.

An Infusion of Courage

After 35 years practicing law, surprises are infrequent.

Pleasant surprises even less frequent.

My recent attendance at the Closing Argument Regional was a pleasant surprise and one worth summarizing.

I came into the Regional beat up, beat down, sick of life as a trial lawyer and generally ready to skip the whole experience. I was probably honestly just counting down the days till I finally died and went home to be with the Lord. I came in feeling I had let down everyone I knew and loved through bad decisions I could not fix.

The first evening was not my cup of tea. Too much interaction and too much emphasis on basic human interaction. I preferred to sit alone and listen, but that was not possible. The next day, the sessions in the morning, afternoon and evening were still grating on me and making me very uncomfortable. I was not interested in talking about "feelings" I just wanted some stuff to use in my closing arguments and the sessions were just pushing on me emotionally to get myself into the shoes of other people and experience what they were experiencing. It really pissed me off. I had enough trouble with my own problems and was certainly not wanting to share the problems of these strangers I had never met before.

Saturday the sessions began to move me. I found myself in the hall talking to people and was actually beginning to look forward to the next session starting. Suddenly and with no reason, I began to "get it". I began to understand that the heart and the things that matter in life require us to take risks, to be willing to feel pain and sadness, to emote with our entire being not just with our brains. It was like a moment of clarity and awareness. I realized that everyone in my small groups in the Regional was struggling with life just like me. It made me see these strangers as real people with the courage to face their situations and overcome their own obstacles to be better lawyers and to help their clients in ways the brain alone simply cannot help.

What happened for me was a sudden infusion of courage. The courage to try and fail. The courage to allow others to see me try and fail. The courage to get my ass up off the ground where I had been engaged in a self-loathing pity party and to try again, and again, and again without allowing my fears to get in my way. It was empowering and it also gave me a moment to reflect on all the things that I could change in my own attitude and perception of life. It not only gave me courage but it gave me hope. I realized and began to "understand" in some degree of complex awareness that the past is the past, it cannot be changed but by God the future is still unwritten and there are ways to change myself and my attitude that will provide me with a fuller and much more satisfying life.

I left the Regional thinking and contemplating ways to be a better human being, not just a better trail lawyer.

Thanks,

A. Daniel Woska

Wyoming PBS Feature - Gerry Spence

The founder of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College, Gerry continues to be a source of inspiration and motivation to lawyers across the country. In this two-part Wyoming PBS feature, Gerry shares stories, thoughts, motivations and much more.

The story of the lawyer who could not lose. In part one of our interview with Gerry Spence, host Richard Ager speaks with Spence about his life and famous cases and with 50 attorneys from around the country who are enrolled in Spence's Trial Lawyer's College located outside Dubois, Wyoming. Be prepared to be surprised by some of the teaching methods at the college.

Introducing TLC TX/OK Regional Seminar Faculty Member, Kurt Kerns

Kurt Kerns first became involved with TLC in 1999 after reading Gerry Spence's first book, "Gunning For Justice."

Kurt shared, “It was clear to me that Gerry felt growing one’s talents and consciousness as a human being was interconnected to growing as a lawyer. TLC became the quest to uncover and unlock the areas within my soul that kept me from real, heartfelt communication.”

Kurt returned to TLC in 2002 as a staff member for a few years before a war-crime case and a divorce took him out of the TLC loop. He reconnected with TLC last year after the genocide case he defended for years was finally dismissed and will now join us in Texas as one of our distinguished faculty members.

Named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The American Trial Lawyers Association, Kurt has tried to verdict over sixty jury trials and received seven outright acquittals in ten murder trials, with two hung juries. Among his other accolades, he is listed in Best Lawyers in America, has been named the Kansas/Missouri “Superlawyer” from 2007 to today, has the highest legal ability rating by Martindale-Hubbell (A.V.) for over ten years and is the recipient of the 2010 Kansas Bar Association’s “Courageous Attorney Award.”

In addition to receiving numerous awards, Kurt has been involved in many high-profile cases, spoken at many different speaking engagements and has been published in several publications.

When he isn’t working or teaching, Kurt is an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoys traveling with his 21-year-old daughter to explore other countries.

Sign up for the TX/OK Regional Seminar here.

Introducing TLC TX/OK Regional Seminar Faculty Member, Colby Vokey

Colby Vokey is a July 2010 graduate of the Trial Lawyers College. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Marine Corps, having served over 20 years on active duty, to include a combat tour as an artillery officer during Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf War. During his time in service, Colby was also selected to play for the All Marine Rugby Team.

Colby’s practice is primarily criminal law, with a focus on military law cases; however, he has also jumped into the civil law arena and has handled personal injury, contract disputes and other torts. Colby has worked on many of the most high profile military cases this century. He has defended numerous service members charged with war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, to include the squad leader from the so-called Haditha massacre. Last year, he obtained an acquittal for a Marine lieutenant charged with multiple murders for shootings during combat actions in Helmund Province, Afghanistan. Additionally, Colby was the lead counsel defending a Canadian teenager being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba who was facing the military commissions on charges of murder, terrorism and spying. He currently practices in Dallas, Texas with Fitzpatrick Hagood Smith & Uhl LLP.

Colby first became involved with Trial Lawyers College in 2005, while serving as a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel in charge of all the Marine (and some Navy) defense counsel in the West half of the US and in Iraq. His friend, Joey Low, previously helped him with teaching military defense counsel, convinced Colby that he needed something more (for himself and his defense attorneys) and suggested attending a TLC seminar. Without knowing anything about TLC or Gerry Spence, Colby attended a regional seminar at Estes Park, Colorado as the first active duty military lawyer to attend a TLC event. A fire was lit. Colby then attended more seminars, arranged to have many of his junior attorneys attend TLC events, and even sponsored and organized a special TLC event for military defense attorneys at Camp Pendleton, California.  

After retiring from the Marine Corps at the end of 2008, Colby continued to stay active in TLC, attending seminars and working with other TLC attorneys in groups. In July 2010, Colby went to the Thunderhead Ranch in Wyoming to attend the three-week College. Since that time, Colby has fully embraced what he learned at Trial Lawyers College, traveled to more seminars, attended the Graduate Course, and has actively participated in several local TLC groups. In 2012, Colby was invited to join the staff at Trial Lawyers College as an instructor. Besides finding his best friends at TLC, Colby uses his TLC skills every day, both in and out of the courtroom.

Colby has been married to the same wonderful woman, Cindy, for 25 years. He has 3 children, Christina (24), Connor (19) and Camden (13). 

Sign up for the TX/OK Regional Seminar here.

Introducing TLC TX/OK Regional Seminar Faculty Member, Greg Westfall

A TLC Faculty Member since 2005, Greg Westfall will join us in May at the TX/OK Regional Seminar, sharing his insightful teachings with seminar attendees. 

After working 100% criminal defense since 1994, Greg joined a medium-sized civil firm in 2010 to start doing both criminal and civil work. From 1995 through 2012, he did death penalty work, trying his first death penalty case to verdict in 1999. Today, Greg focuses on about 50/50 criminal and civil work.

His experience with TLC began as a member of the inaugural class of the Death Penalty Seminar in 2001. In 2002, he returned for the full college and started on staff in 2005.

"What I like most about TLC are the people and the honesty. The method is both very hard and very simple.  The hardest part is taking a risk. The simplicity lies at the heart of what we do – we teach lawyers to just be honest with their juries. Trust that the jurors are real people who down deep generally want to do the right thing for the right reasons," Greg shared.

"When I came to TLC (and for some time thereafter) I always looked at juries with suspicion. They were the ones who did bad things to my clients. I could not empathize with them. I have learned to do that. Still working on it, but I am much farther down the road," he continued. "I spend the time because it makes me a better person and lawyer and some of my best friends are in the organization."

In addition to an active practice, Greg has been an invited speaker at numerous events, has been a Course Moderator/Director several times, taught at many schools and institutions, provided legal commentary on television shows such as CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and has published many legal articles. Greg has also been recognized with many awards, including being AV Rated in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review, "Super Lawyer" from 2003-2013 in Tarrant County by Texas Monthly / Law & Politics, Business Journal "Attorney of Excellence" from 2003-2005 and "Top Attorney" from 2001-2012 by Fort Worth Magazine.

Greg is married to a district judge and has two children, ages 12 and 9. In addition to his many legal accomplishments, he has served as a Sergeant in the United States Army, is a published songwriter and photographer.

Sign up for the TX/OK Regional Seminar here.

Update: Delaware Death Penalty Repeal

Yesterday, the Delaware state Senate approved the bill to repeal their state's death penalty. The approval came only after they removed the provision that the sentences of the 17 inmates currently on death row would change from a death penalty sentence, sparing their lives.

From here, the bill heads to the Delaware state House for their consideration.

For more information, read the Associated Press article here.

Maryland state Senate and House have also recently passed a bill to abolish the death penalty in their state. When signed by Governor Martin O'Malley, Maryland will become the sixth state to do so in recent years. Other states include New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Illinois and Connecticut.