Understanding the Person Behind the Case: Our Connection to Trial Lawyers College
Every lawyer at MPTL is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College. That shared training helps shape how we practice, from our first conversation with a client to the way we tell their story to a jury.
Inside Trial Lawyers College
Since 1994, the Trial Lawyers College (TLC) has been training lawyers who represent people, not governments, corporations, or big business. Its mission is to help lawyers obtain justice for “the poor, the injured, the forgotten, the voiceless, the defenseless and the damned.”
The training goes beyond lectures. It’s hands on, personal, and often challenging. Much of its teaching is built on psychodrama, a method that turns stories into action. Lawyers step into the shoes of their clients, witnesses, and even jurors to better understand what happened and how it felt. It’s not always easy, but it helps uncover the human truth at the center of every case.
Ashley and Kim: From Students to Teachers
Ashley Parris and Kim Savo first met as students at the Trial Lawyers College in 2008 and have been close friends and colleagues ever since. Today, both serve on TLC’s senior staff, teaching at the annual Three Week College and at regional programs throughout the year, often side by side.
This October, Kim was selected to teach the first week of the Three Week College in Kingwood, West Virginia, and Ashley was selected to lead the second week. Kim has been on the TLC faculty since 2010 and counts teaching among her great joys. Ashley has also led TLC’s course on one of the hardest parts of any trial: asking a jury for money in an honest and grounded way.
Why It Matters to Our Clients
All of this comes back to you. Before we can tell your story, we have to understand it, and that starts with understanding you. That means listening, getting to know you and your family, and preparing every case as if it’s headed to a jury.
That’s what our approach looks like in action: putting people first.
