Adrian Egolf

Trial Coach

Adrian is a graduate of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Adrian spent the early part of her career in the theatre as an actor, director, and improvisational player. She used her artistic skills to coach and facilitate public speaking and performance for people of all ages. She leveled up her coaching skills by providing empathy training for hundreds of medical providers in one of the country’s largest healthcare systems. Adrian has hundreds of hours of facilitation training, and countless hours mastering the art of performance and storytelling.

Adrian has performed all over the country, from NYC to Jackson Hole, WY. She has appeared in several films, but mainly focused on live stage performance for the majority of her artistic career.

Adrian’s passion is helping GSV clients craft the most powerful and effective story for their case. She believes storytelling is the most powerful tool we can use to get jurors feeling, instead of just thinking. A great story maximizes recovery and, therefore, justice.  There is no limit to what a genuine narrative can do to empower jurors to do the right thing by awarding major verdicts for major suffering.

Adrian lives in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado with her husband and 2 year-old daughter. When not crafting stories and focusing on maximizing client recoveries, Adrian can be found hiking in the woods, taking a trail ride on her family’s ranch in the high country, or perfecting the art of weekend getaways and new adventures.

Stephen Weitz

Trial Coach

Stephen comes to Grand Slam Verdicts after a lengthy career as an artist and entrepreneur.  He co-founded and led a not-for-profit theater company for 17 years, and also has extensive experience in sales, marketing, PR, and operations.  He strives to look at each new case through a variety of lenses in order to help identify and perfect the singular narrative required for you to be the most effective, powerful advocate for your clients.  By simplifying the complex and honing our story, we work together to guide the jury on a journey that results in the best possible outcome for the plaintiff. He believes in building not just better cases, but better lawyers.

Stephen holds degrees from Ithaca College, the University of Alabama, and the University of Colorado.  He's lived in New York City, San Francisco, and many places in between.  Currently, he calls the beautiful foothills of Colorado home, where he lives with his family and a pack of miscreant mutts.

Diana Dresser

Trial Coach

Diana began her career in television production at PBS, where she conducted research and developed scripts for the Emmy Award-winning program NOVA. She spent the next 35 years as a professional actor, director, choreographer, and improvisor at theatres around the country, including major regional companies such as the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. For the past decade, she has translated her acting, directing, and improv background into coaching corporate clients in public speaking and presentation skills. This includes on-camera/media training for political figures, Ted Talk development and rehearsal, and client preparation for seminars, board presentations, keynotes, sales meetings, and pitch meetings.

Diana’s passion at Grand Slam Verdicts is finding and developing each client’s unique voice. From brainstorming/storytelling sessions to public speaking skills to connecting authentically with the jury, she uses her performance training and directorial experience to ensure your message lands in a clear, compelling, captivating way.

A native Kansan, Diana now lives in Denver, Colorado with her partner, their two almost grown boys, and two rescue dogs. She’s an avid hiker, plant-lover, college basketball fan, and design enthusiast. 

Amanda Panagakis

Trial Coach

Amanda is a senior trial consultant with over fourteen years of experience. She assists in jury selection, preparing witnesses, and has facilitated over one hundred focus groups and private jury trials. Amanda is responsible for reports of impressions and findings and case analyses. As a jury consultant she prepares voir dire, as well as direct and cross examinations. She will also conduct research and discuss trial strategies with attorneys.

As a Senior Trial Consultant with Grand Slam Verdicts, Amanda brings a wealth of expertise to your legal team. With a keen understanding of the courtroom dynamics, she specializes in providing tailored support to attorneys and clients. From jury selection strategies to crafting persuasive narratives, Amanda is your dedicated partner in shaping success within the courtroom. Explore how her invaluable insights can make a difference in your case.

Kristi Harrington

Trial Coach

Kristi has been a mediator since 2020. In 2022, she became one of our trial consultants as well, bringing decades of experience in the courtroom as both an attorney and judge. Utilizing her background as the former Director of Advocacy at Charleston School of Law, Kristi has provided research and strategic advice on many cases. Over the years, she taught numerous courses including legal communication, effective persuasion, and trial skills at colleges and conferences across the country. She has trained and consulted in six different countries on American jury trial skills.

Kristi became the youngest Circuit Court judge and one of only six female circuit judges in the state of South Carolina on February 6, 2008, when she was unanimously elected by the state legislature. Kristi tried to verdict over 250 jury trials. Her representative cases include medical malpractice, construction defect, personal injury, and murder. During those trials, Kristi had the opportunity to observe and to interact with thousands of jurors and used that knowledge to give practical advice from a unique perspective.

On June 30, 2018, Kristi retired from the bench after serving two terms. She is a certified South Carolina Supreme Court mediator and arbitrator. She is honored to be on the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) Judicial Panel and a member of Arbitral Women. She is a past-Chair of the Faculty Council of The National Judicial College, where she has taught judges nationally on evidence issues and the transition from private practice to the bench.

John Hutchison

Case Value Consultant

John is an accomplished Claims executive leader with over 35 years of experience directly managing a group of 70 professionals handling primary and excess catastrophic liability claims across many practice areas and industries, including: Construction Site Bodily Injury, Product Liability, Trucking Accidents, Crane Collapses, Oil Field losses, Plant Explosions and Fires, Negligent Security, and Train Derailments.