TRIAL SKILLS LIVE

ABOUT US

Preston J. Clark and Dave Podein stumbled onto the idea to develop videos for Mock Trial students while in law school in Miami, Florida. They knew the frustration of trying to master advocacy techniques through trial and error, and they wanted to develop a more effective way of learning the most important techniques for court room presentation. So emerged Before Class Media, LLC. Enter Akil Kurji, an acclaimed film and music video producer and Mohammed Yousef, an award winning editor out of New York City. Fast forward two years and the diversely talented group of two attorneys and two film makers created the first set of videos, Trial Skills Live. With the help from an up and coming animator out of Texas, Javier Martinez and a young music producer, Lucas Sommer, the group finalized production in October of 2009. 

To help promote an Online Mock Trial Community, the guys from Before Class Media created this weekly blog at www.TrialSkillsLive.com to compliment the videos at BeforeClass.com. 

In addition, BeforeClass.com is hosting the first ever International Online Mock Trial Competition. It's free to enter and easy to participate from anywhere in the world. For more information, questions, comments, anything at all, email us at info@beforeclass.com

David Podein is a co-founder of Before Class Media,LLC and also an attorney practicing in Miami, Florida.  David focuses his law practice on complex commercial litigation, real estate and condominium association law, as well as bankruptcy and creditors' rights issues.  David is a 2005 honors graduate from the University of Michigan and a 2008 cum laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law. 

While at the University of Miami, David was actively involved in Mock Trial and was a Semi-Finalist in the Moot Court Board's Mock Trial Competition in 2007.  David also participated in the University of Miami's Litigation Skills Program and the Advanced Business Litigation Skills Program. His experience in law school encouraged him form Before Class Media, LLC and in order to address the growing need for litigation skills education for the 21st century.  With his business partner, Preston Clark, David developed and produced the Trial Skills Live Video Series for students and new attorneys seeking a superior way to learn litigation skills.

David also is a frequent contributor/author on the Trial Skills Live Blog on topics ranging from Evidence 101 to special Impeachment and Objection Issues.  For more information, David can be reached at david@beforeclass.com

 
Lucas Sommer is a music business entrepreneur. He has started two successful music business companies and is currently working on his third, Audimated.com. As a music producer and entreprenuer Lucas's goal is to combine his love of music and business to change the landscape of the music industry. Lucas has placed songs with The Howard Stern Show, Zumba Fitness on a nationwide DVD campaign, worked with professional athletes, and currently manages, promotes and markets several South Florida musicians. 

Lucas Sommer - Founder, Audimated.com
lucas@audimated.com