Gerry Spence Method

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Gerry Spence Method GSM is the life's work of legendary trial attorney, Gerry Spence. linktr.ee/gerryspencemethod

“We are defined by how we use our power.” — Gerry SpencePower can take many forms. The power to speak. To listen. To st...
10/10/2026

“We are defined by how we use our power.”
— Gerry Spence

Power can take many forms. The power to speak. To listen. To stand beside someone who needs an advocate. To tell a story that deserves to be heard.

But as Gerry reminded us, possessing power is not what defines us. What matters is what we choose to do with it.

That idea remains at the heart of the Gerry Spence Method. Becoming a better trial lawyer begins with understanding yourself, recognizing the responsibility that comes with being entrusted with another person's story, and learning how to use your voice in service of others.

In 2027, that journey continues at Thunderhead Ranch.

Three-Week Program
July 11–31, 2027
Apply: https://gerryspencemethod.com/three-weeks-program-registration

Advanced Trial Skills Training
August 13–22, 2027
Apply: https://gerryspencemethod.com/graduate-program-registration

Applications are open. Join us at Thunderhead Ranch and continue the legacy Gerry spent a lifetime building and passing forward.

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

Haytham F***j is coming to Carlsbad.More than 80 jury trials. Courtrooms spanning federal, state, and military jurisdict...
10/08/2026

Haytham F***j is coming to Carlsbad.

More than 80 jury trials. Courtrooms spanning federal, state, and military jurisdictions. Decades of experience handling cases where the stakes could hardly be higher.

And in Carlsbad, Haytham F***j won’t simply be there to tell you about them.

He’ll be there to work with you.

Haytham credits much of his courtroom success to the Gerry Spence Method and the power of psychodrama. His own experience at Thunderhead required him to look beyond technique and confront parts of himself he had long avoided.

“By finding the courage to return to the source of those issues, I and every other person who attended the program unburdened ourselves from those limitations that hinder our abilities to uncover the most credible and persuasive story of our cases.”

That philosophy is part of what Haytham will bring to On the Road – Carlsbad.

You won't spend six days sitting in the back of a seminar room listening to accomplished trial lawyers tell you what they would do. You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside faculty like Haytham, explore your own case, challenge your assumptions, receive feedback, and put what you're learning into practice.

Registration is now in its final days.

If you've been thinking about joining us in Carlsbad, now is the time.

On the Road – Carlsbad
October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

Come prepared to participate. Come prepared to practice. Come prepared to grow.

Register now:
https://gerryspencemethod.com/on-the-road-program-registration

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

The case doesn’t stay on the page.During the 2026 Three-Week Program at Thunderhead Ranch, students brought their cases ...
10/08/2026

The case doesn’t stay on the page.

During the 2026 Three-Week Program at Thunderhead Ranch, students brought their cases into the room and began exploring them with the help of faculty and one another.

They tested ideas. Told stories. Listened. Asked questions. Changed direction. Discovered things they hadn’t seen before.

Faculty including Rob Ammons, Andre Gauthier, Ibiere Seck, David Smith, Tom Feher, Frank Perez, and Roberto Garcia were there throughout the program—not simply to provide answers, but to watch the students work, challenge them, and help them discover their own way forward.

Because the goal isn’t to leave Thunderhead knowing how someone else would try your case.

It’s to better understand how you will.

Applications are now open for our 2027 programs at Thunderhead Ranch.

Three-Week Program
July 11–31, 2027
Apply: https://gerryspencemethod.com/three-weeks-program-registration

Advanced Trial Skills Training
August 13–22, 2027
Apply: https://gerryspencemethod.com/graduate-program-registration

Come to Thunderhead. Bring your case. Discover where the work takes you.

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

Bring your case.And don’t leave it in your hotel room.At On the Road – Carlsbad, your case becomes part of the work. You...
10/07/2026

Bring your case.

And don’t leave it in your hotel room.

At On the Road – Carlsbad, your case becomes part of the work. You’ll have the opportunity to work your voir dire, explore your story, test your approach, receive feedback from experienced GSM faculty, and then get back on your feet and try again.

This isn’t about sitting in the back of a seminar room and taking notes while someone else tells you how they would handle your case.

It requires your participation.

Come with a case. Leave with something you can use.

On the Road – Carlsbad
October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

Come prepared to participate. Come prepared to practice. Come prepared to grow.

Register now:
https://gerryspencemethod.com/on-the-road-program-registration

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

$872,000 awarded.But for Gerry Spence Method alumnus Todd J. Hollis, getting there required confronting something much h...
10/06/2026

$872,000 awarded.

But for Gerry Spence Method alumnus Todd J. Hollis, getting there required confronting something much harder than the facts of the case.

Todd represented a woman who suffered devastating injuries as a passenger in a head-on collision. With limited insurance available and another injured party seeking compensation from the same policy, an arbitration would determine how the remaining funds were divided.

Todd tried the matter alongside attorney Gene Shioda, supported by paralegal Marita Blake.

Rather than simply presenting medical records and damages, the team focused on the human reality of what the collision had taken from their client and her daughter. For Todd, that meant confronting his own grief after losing his mother the previous year.

“Every emotion in my body told me to run, to hide. But it was only until I embraced this fear and heartache that the daughter and I were able to tell Jane’s story and its raw reality.”

During closing, even opposing counsel acknowledged that Jane deserved the “lion’s share” of the available funds.

The judge ultimately awarded Jane $872,000—90% of the remaining policy. Todd credits the Gerry Spence Method with helping him find and tell the human truth at the center of the case.

Congratulations to Todd, Gene, Marita, and the entire team.

Want to experience the Gerry Spence Method firsthand?

On the Road – Carlsbad
October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

Come prepared to participate. Come prepared to practice. Come prepared to grow.

Reserve Your Seat Now: https://gerryspencemethod.com/on-the-road-program-registration

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

Alonso Zavala is coming to Carlsbad.This October in Carlsbad, California, you won’t simply hear Alonso talk about those ...
10/03/2026

Alonso Zavala is coming to Carlsbad.

This October in Carlsbad, California, you won’t simply hear Alonso talk about those ideas from a stage.

You’ll have the opportunity to put them into practice alongside him.

Alonso has tried more than 50 jury trials, served as a felony attorney with the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender, and now applies the Gerry Spence Method in his work representing people in personal injury and traumatic brain injury cases.

But at On the Road, those credentials aren’t the point.

The point is access.

Our faculty are there to work with you. To watch. To listen. To challenge you. To offer feedback as you get on your feet, work your case, take risks, make mistakes, adjust, and try again.

As Alonso puts it:

“Real growth begins when we step outside our comfort zone and are willing to take risks, to embrace our journey—darkness, light, and every part of it. Our story is what makes us a real human being capable of forming a real connection with twelve strangers…”

On the Road is not designed for you to sit in the back of a seminar room and take notes.

This requires your participation.

Come prepared to participate. Come prepared to practice. Come prepared to grow.

On the Road – Carlsbad
October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

Register now:
https://gerryspencemethod.com/on-the-road-program-registration

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

10/02/2026

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…”
— Theodore Roosevelt

On the final night of the 2026 Advanced Trial Skills Training, our alumni traveled into Dubois for the Friday Night Rodeo. For most, it was a chance to spend one more evening together outside the Ranch. For Phil Peche, Eric Brown, and Doug Wacker, it became an opportunity to step into the arena themselves.

The three entered the Ribbon Race, surrounded by classmates who spent the evening laughing with them, encouraging them, and eventually cheering from the stands as they successfully caught the calf, tied it, untied it, and raced back across the arena.

It was a fitting moment to end a week at Thunderhead.

Theodore Roosevelt's “Man in the Arena” reminds us that the credit belongs not to the person watching safely from the sidelines, but to the one willing to step forward, risk failure, and attempt something difficult.
That idea feels at home here.

At the Gerry Spence Method, we ask trial lawyers to get on their feet, venture into uncomfortable places, take risks, make mistakes, and discover what they are capable of. We also believe deeply in the people standing beside them when they do.

For a few minutes on a Friday night in Dubois, that lesson moved from Thunderhead Ranch into the rodeo arena.

And the entire class was there cheering them on.

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

09/30/2026

Fear is a part of trial.

Especially when it comes to jury selection.

But fear doesn’t have to be the decision maker.

At the Gerry Spence Method, we don’t teach trial lawyers to hide their fear. We teach them to recognize it, face it, and get on their feet and practice.

Because you don’t walk into a courtroom and suddenly know how to connect with a jury.

You train for it.

You learn to be vulnerable. You learn to listen. You learn to recognize what you’re feeling—and become more aware of what the jurors in front of you may be feeling.

This October, Joseph H. Low IV, Johnny Zelbst, and an experienced faculty of trial lawyers are bringing that training to Carlsbad, California.

On the Road – Carlsbad
October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

Come prepared to participate. Come prepared to practice. Come prepared to grow.

Reserve your spot today:
https://gerryspencemethod.com/on-the-road-program-registration

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

09/29/2026

A quiet moment at Thunderhead Ranch.

Two young moose calves stop for a drink from one of the streams that winds through the Ranch.

Sometimes, Wyoming speaks for itself.

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

Clay Zelbst is coming to Carlsbad.Empathy isn’t just something Clay Zelbst believes in. It’s something he brings into hi...
09/26/2026

Clay Zelbst is coming to Carlsbad.

Empathy isn’t just something Clay Zelbst believes in. It’s something he brings into his work with clients—and something he’ll bring with him to Carlsbad this October.

“Empathy is what we try to do and teach — finding that connection, the piece of a story, that resonates within.”

Clay’s own experiences with loss and injury helped shape the way he approaches his clients and their stories. Today, he has tried both criminal and civil cases in state and federal court, secured million-dollar-plus civil settlements, and remains committed to serving people who might otherwise struggle to find representation.

And this October, you won’t simply hear Clay speak about those experiences from a stage.

You’ll work with him.

At On the Road, our faculty are there to watch, listen, challenge, give feedback, and help you put the Gerry Spence Method into action. You’ll get on your feet and work alongside trial lawyers like Clay as you develop the skills and human connection you can carry back into the courtroom.

On the Road – Carlsbad
October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, California

Don’t just learn from them. Work alongside them.

Come prepared to participate. Come prepared to practice. Come prepared to grow.

Reserve Your Seat for Carlsbad Here:
https://gerryspencemethod.com/on-the-road-program-registration

There is only one program for trial attorneys looking to better themselves within every facet of their life. There is only one Thunderhead Ranch.

Address

868 E Fork Road
Dubois, WY
82513

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