The Pre-Suit Playbook: How PIs Change Cases, with Mike Thompson

The Pre-Suit Playbook: How PIs Change Cases, with Mike Thompson

Private investigation isn't just for criminal law — it's how plaintiff attorneys win before they ever file. Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/] hosts Mike Thompson [https://www.getidealintel.com/about], founder of Ideal Intel, a Texas-based investigation firm. A former Liverpool police officer turned surveillance specialist, Mike now works exclusively with plaintiff law firms on personal injury and wrongful death cases. The conversation covers evidence preservation windows — video footage disappears after 30 days — and Mike's "discovery before discovery" approach. A background check on a truck driver in a death case exposed incomplete employment records and a dishonorable discharge the company didn't know about. Mike identifies where lawyers most commonly fall short: reactive fact-finding and failing to vet witnesses and experts. LEARN MORE AND CONNECT ☑️ Mike Thompson [https://www.getidealintel.com/about] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-thompson-tbci-6739204a/] ☑️ Ideal Intel [https://www.getidealintel.com/] | Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/idealintel] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ideal-intel-llc] ☑️ Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/], Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/], Eleanor Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/eleanor-aldous/] ☑️ Aldous Law [http://www.aldouslaw.com] ☑️ Connect: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aldous-law-llp/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-likely-than-not] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4wkqw3bexvjpdIr87RgU16] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzduK1cVw6SdaULs_41Uqcg] Produced and Powered by LawPods [https://lawpods.com/]

The Scarcity Principle: Dirk Vandever's Framework for Wrongful Death Verdicts

The key to winning a big verdict in a wrongful death case often lies in showing jurors the opposite of big money: scarcity. What is it that the decedent didn’t have? It could have been the last lick of ice cream. Or getting their affairs in order. Whether they were 20 or 80, they lost valuable parts of life. Dirk Vandever [https://www.pophamlaw.com/attorneys/wm-dirk-vandever] suggests that the job of the plaintiff’s lawyer is to put a value on that scarcity. In this conversation with host Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/], he explains how he’s done it in his successful wrongful death practice over the past 50 years. Tune in as he unpacks his "two oaths" approach to unlocking honest panel responses and his two-word advice for young lawyers. LEARN MORE AND CONNECT ☑️ https://www.pophamlaw.com/attorneys/wm-dirk-vandeverDirk Vandever [https://www.pophamlaw.com/attorneys/wm-dirk-vandever] | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-vandever-86326012/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2FLinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-vandever-86326012/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F] ☑️ https://www.pophamlaw.com/Popham Law Firm [https://www.pophamlaw.com/] | https://x.com/pophamlawX [https://x.com/pophamlaw] | https://www.facebook.com/pophamlawFacebook [https://www.facebook.com/pophamlaw] | https://www.linkedin.com/company/popham-law-firm/LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/popham-law-firm/] ☑️ Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/], Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/], Eleanor Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/eleanor-aldous/] ☑️ Aldous Law [http://www.aldouslaw.com] ☑️ Connect: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aldous-law-llp/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-likely-than-not] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4wkqw3bexvjpdIr87RgU16] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzduK1cVw6SdaULs_41Uqcg] Produced and Powered by LawPods [https://lawpods.com/]

Win the PI Game Without the Office, with Jarrett Stone

Here’s the scenario: Jarrett Stone [https://jarrettstone.com/] and counsel for a major insurance company are emailing each other. One of them is sitting in a massive high-rise. The other is in his sweats in a converted attic office space. If you guessed that Jarrett is the second one, you’d be right. “It’s kind of trippy…” he says in this conversation with hosts Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/] and Eleanor Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/eleanor-aldous/]. The founder of Law Venture [https://lawventure.com/] and author of Win the PI Game [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNGFBJFW?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GOUDAEimxziq6Vi8HrJcPZ6EwM-GvTIcQga8Fp-NRxCgdAuwLfcj8qr1jHQok-NW.UE-Z5D6AIrFmVjtvxEfdGZbUz6ENCEakRQeYcnTz168&qid=1755908592&sr=1-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=lawventure19-20&linkId=f579747bd8cb0a642b99315ee07eaa42&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl], Jarrett pulls back the curtain on how he built a thriving solo firm on word-of-mouth referrals, zero advertising, and disciplined case selection. He challenges the myth that you need hundreds of thousands saved before going solo or that more cases means more success. And if you’re starting out, tune in for Jarrett’s list of tools that you need. The internet ranks high. LEARN MORE AND CONNECT ☑️ Jarrett Stone [https://jarrettstone.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrettstone] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jarrettstonelaw/] | X [https://x.com/JarrettStoneLaw%C2%A0] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JarrettStoneLaw/] | Book: Win the PI Game [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNGFBJFW?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GOUDAEimxziq6Vi8HrJcPZ6EwM-GvTIcQga8Fp-NRxCgdAuwLfcj8qr1jHQok-NW.UE-Z5D6AIrFmVjtvxEfdGZbUz6ENCEakRQeYcnTz168&qid=1755908592&sr=1-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=lawventure19-20&linkId=f579747bd8cb0a642b99315ee07eaa42&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl] ☑️ Law Venture [https://lawventure.com/] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@LawVenture] ☑️ Stone Firm, PLLC [https://stonefirm.law/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/stone-law-firm-pllc] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/getstonelaw/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/StoneFirmLaw/] ☑️ Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/], Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/], Eleanor Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/eleanor-aldous/] ☑️ Aldous Law [http://www.aldouslaw.com] ☑️ Connect: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aldous-law-llp/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-likely-than-not] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4wkqw3bexvjpdIr87RgU16] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzduK1cVw6SdaULs_41Uqcg] Produced and Powered by LawPods [https://lawpods.com/]

Trial Strategy for Small Communities and Tough Cases with Meg Simonian

"The best advice for a trial lawyer is: this is not about you," says Meg Simonian [https://www.dillonfindley.com/attorney/simonian-margaret-r/], a medical malpractice trial lawyer practicing in Alaska who has navigated some of the most challenging trial conditions in the country. Meg joins host Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/] to discuss building a career in a state with restrictive caps on non-economic damages — and how she pushes past those limits. She shares her hard-won strategies for trying cases in remote Alaska communities — including how to understand the "personality" of the community you're in. She also opens up about balancing a career with raising five children and the lessons she’d pass on to younger lawyers. Tune in for Meg's insights on exhibit organization, deposition strategy, and why getting out of your own way is the most important skill a trial lawyer can develop. LEARN MORE AND CONNECT ☑️ Meg Simonian [https://www.dillonfindley.com/attorney/simonian-margaret-r/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-simonian-400160219] ☑️ Dillon Findley & Simonian, P.C. [https://www.dillonfindley.com/] on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/dillon-findley] | X [https://twitter.com/dillon_findley] ☑️ Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/], Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/], Eleanor Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/eleanor-aldous/] ☑️ Aldous Law [http://www.aldouslaw.com] ☑️ Connect: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aldous-law-llp/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-likely-than-not] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4wkqw3bexvjpdIr87RgU16] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzduK1cVw6SdaULs_41Uqcg] Produced and Powered by LawPods [https://lawpods.com/]

Reflections of a Med-Mal Leader: Pages from Ben Gideon’s Playbook

“He has threatened to commit a mass shooting.” An Army reservist texted those chilling words to the commanding officer about Robert Card, a fellow reservist. Tragically, Card followed through on his threat at a Maine bowling alley. Today, Ben Gideon [https://www.gideonasen.com/our-team/benjamin-gideon/] is leading claims against the U.S. Army and Army Reserve for failing to take steps to stop the risk that Card presented. “Part of our thinking in this case and our presentation is: If we can't stop this, we're hopeless,” he explains to host Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/]. Tune in to hear Ben reveal how he’s approaching this high-profile case and how he’s approached others – including one where he secured the largest med-mal and PI verdict in Maine – to confirm his reputation among the nation’s elite med-mal lawyers. LEARN MORE AND CONNECT ☑️ https://www.gideonasen.com/our-team/benjamin-gideon/Ben Gideon [https://www.gideonasen.com/our-team/benjamin-gideon/] | https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingideonLinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingideon] | https://www.facebook.com/brgideon/Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/brgideon/] | https://www.instagram.com/brgideon/Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/brgideon/] ☑️ Gideon Asen [https://www.gideonasen.com/] on https://www.linkedin.com/company/gideonasen/LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/gideonasen/] | https://www.facebook.com/gideonasenllc/Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/gideonasenllc/] | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCehQwho-60hVTvO7NGKDj5wYouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCehQwho-60hVTvO7NGKDj5w] | https://www.instagram.com/gideonasen/Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gideonasen/] ☑️ Charla Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/charla-aldous/], Caleb Miller [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/caleb-miller/], Eleanor Aldous [https://www.aldouslaw.com/meet-our-team/eleanor-aldous/] ☑️ Aldous Law [http://www.aldouslaw.com] [https://www.aldouslaw.com] ☑️ Connect: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/aldous-law-llp/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aldouslawtriallawyers/] ☑️ Subscribe: Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-likely-than-not] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4wkqw3bexvjpdIr87RgU16] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzduK1cVw6SdaULs_41Uqcg] Produced and Powered by LawPods [https://lawpods.com/]