Gerry Spence Method, 868 E Fork Road, Dubois, WY (2026)

08/15/2026

Everything is in its place.

The meals are being prepared. The chairs are waiting. The Sharpies are ready. And Thunderhead Ranch is once again prepared to welcome its alumni home.

Today, the 2026 Advanced Trial Skills Training Program begins.

For a few more hours, the Ranch is quiet.

Later today, the work begins.

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

08/14/2026

There’s a stillness at Thunderhead Ranch today.

Tomorrow, a new group arrives for the Advanced Trial Skills Training Program—ready to challenge themselves, confront what is difficult, and discover what can come from pushing beyond what is comfortable.

For now, the Ranch is quiet.

Tomorrow, we begin.

Follow along as we welcome our 2026 Advanced Program class to Thunderhead Ranch.

08/14/2026

From representing victims of police abuse to fighting for survivors of sexual assault and those who have suffered catastrophic injuries, Frank Perez has built his career advocating for people against powerful institutions.

Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Frank immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in South Central Los Angeles and Huntington Park. He eventually attended UCLA School of Law, graduating in 1999 and beginning his career during the LAPD Rampart corruption scandal.

Since opening his own firm in 2003, Frank has handled civil rights, catastrophic injury, sexual assault, construction accident, and police misconduct cases throughout California. His firm also secured an important appellate victory in S.M. v. LAUSD, reversing a trial loss and ultimately achieving a multi-million-dollar settlement for the client.

Frank is a member of ABOTA and the Mexican American Bar Association and has participated in advocacy training both in the United States and Mexico.

Frank first came to the Ranch in 2016. Today, we're proud to have him return as a member of the Gerry Spence Method faculty, sharing his experience with the lawyers who follow.

Could 2027 be your year at Thunderhead Ranch? Applications are now open.

📍Three-Week Program | July 11–31, 2027
Apply for the Three-Week Program: https://gerryspencemethod.com/three-weeks-program-registration?utm_source=chatgpt.com

📍 Advanced Trial Skills Training | August 13–22, 2027
Apply for Advanced Trial Skills Training: https://gerryspencemethod.com/graduate-program-registration?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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

08/13/2026

Adrian Baca leading the work.

A look inside one of our breakout sessions during the Three-Week Program at Thunderhead Ranch—where the work gets smaller, deeper, and more personal.

08/13/2026

One year ago, we lost Gerry Spence.

But we did not lose his voice.

It can still be heard in the barn at Thunderhead Ranch. In a lawyer finding the courage to tell
the truth. In a student learning to truly listen to a client. In faculty returning year after year to
give away what was once given to them.

Gerry spent his life standing beside ordinary people against extraordinary power. But perhaps
one of his greatest gifts was his belief that trial lawyers could become something more—not by
becoming better performers, but by discovering more fully who they already were.
He built a place where lawyers could do exactly that.

A year after his passing, students still come through the gates at Thunderhead. They still stand
up. They still struggle. They still discover. They still leave changed.

And those who have received the gift continue to give it again.

That is how a legacy lives.

Today, we remember Gerry with gratitude—for the lawyer, the teacher, the storyteller, the friend,
and the man who gave us Thunderhead Ranch.

We miss you, Gerry.

And the work continues.

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

08/12/2026

You can study trial advocacy. You can talk about trial advocacy. But eventually, you have to get on your feet and try it.

At the Gerry Spence Method, lawyers work through real cases—discovering the story, developing voir dire, opening, cross-examination and closing, and learning how to uncover the universal human truth at the heart of a case.

As Ryan Pacyga put it after experiencing the Method:

“I had a whole new definition of what ‘ready for a case’ meant. I’ll never do it the same way again.”

This October, you can experience that approach for yourself at Ranch On the Road – Carlsbad, California. This isn't a seminar where you spend six days sitting in a chair. Come prepared to participate.

📍 October 18–23, 2026
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
🔗 Apply for Ranch On the Road – Carlsbad: 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.

08/12/2026

For Jerry Steele, the Gerry Spence Method didn’t simply add another set of tools to his practice. It changed the way he tried cases.

A graduate of the Three-Week Program who went on to complete GSM’s advanced training multiple times, Jerry put that work into action with extraordinary results. In the 14 months following the 2022 advanced program, he tried 21 criminal cases and went 20–1. In 2023, his fellow alumni recognized him as the GSM Alumni Trial Lawyer of the Year.

But Jerry’s path to the courtroom was anything but conventional.

After leaving home at 14, working as a fabricator and welder in the Vancouver dockyards, and having only completed the eighth grade, Jerry returned to school as an adult—eventually earning undergraduate and master’s degrees and a JD from the University of Victoria.

Today, he has tried more than 400 cases and established himself as one of Canada’s leading criminal defense trial attorneys. He has also taught trial practice and courtroom advocacy as an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria and continues to give back to the legal community through his work supporting lawyer wellness, resilience, and recovery.

Jerry’s journey is a powerful example of what can happen when experience, perseverance, storytelling, and a willingness to continue learning come together.

We’re proud to have Jerry Steele as a member of the Gerry Spence Method faculty, passing that experience on to the lawyers who come next.

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

08/11/2026

At Thunderhead Ranch, no one is expected to simply sit back and watch.

During our recently completed 2026 Three-Week Program, faculty members Eric Fong and Alonso Zavalasoto led students through a breakout session where each participant had the opportunity to step forward and work through their own case in real time.

Everyone gets a turn. Everyone brings a case. And our faculty are right there beside them, helping them discover how the Method can apply to the challenges they actually face in the courtroom.

Ready to bring your case to Thunderhead? Registration for our 2027 programs is now open.

Three-Week Program | July 11–31, 2027
https://gerryspencemethod.com/three-weeks-program-registration?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Advanced Trial Skills Training | August 13–22, 2027
https://gerryspencemethod.com/graduate-program-registration?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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

08/11/2026

During our recently completed 2026 Three-Week Program, faculty member Danny Rodriguez led a Civil Closing demonstration at Thunderhead Ranch, sharing his approach to bringing the story, the evidence, and the human experience of a case together when it matters most.

Want to experience the Gerry Spence Method for yourself? Applications are still open for Ranch On the Road – Carlsbad, California.

📍 October 18–23, 2026
🔗 Register today: Ranch On the Road – Carlsbad 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.

08/10/2026

Congratulations to GSM's 2026 Faculty Trial Warrior of the Year, Rob Ammons!

A civil injury attorney in Houston, Texas, Rob is constantly in the court room, putting the Gerry Spence Method into action. In the past year, he completed three hard fought civil jury trials, where he returned a nine-figure verdict, an eight-figure verdict, and a seven-figure verdict for his clients. Rob was also part of a trial team representing a woman facing 99 years in prison on a first-degree murder charge, who received a sentence of just six years.

Rob begins putting GSM into action, as he spends considerable time with each of his clients, learning who they are and their story. This enables him to step into the arena each and every time, to tell that story through every component of trial; ultimately, finding justice for his clients.

For Rob, there is no bridge too far nor mountain too high. He knows no bounds and will go as far, as hard, and as long as it takes in the pursuit of justice, for his clients. He truly cares and it always shows. His work ethic, grit, compassion, drive, and commitment are a benchmark for others to aspire to. We could not be prouder of Rob or more grateful that he is a member of our Faculty!

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

Gerry Spence Method

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