Public Interest Work & Finding the Right Expert Witness

Technology Litigation & The Importance of Expert Witnesses

In this episode... 

Our guest today on Engaging Experts is Teena Sankoorikal, whose work in technology related litigation has kept her consistently fascinated and inspired throughout her career.  

Whether it be her early work on copyright related MP3 music software cases, or newsworthy trade secret and anti-trust cases, our conversation with Teena explores some of the cases that propelled Teena into a successful career in law. 

On this episode, David Seeley interviews Teena, who is a Partner at Covington & Burlington. David and Teena explore early career opportunities, technology litigation, the perfect expert witnesses, and empowering Asian American leaders through the Don H. Liu Scholars Program.  

Teena Sankoorikal Bio... 

Teena Sankoorikal is a commercial litigator who has handled numerous high-profile, complex civil litigation, and intellectual property disputes. Teena is a member of Covington & Burlington’s Evaluation Committee, and she serves as the Ombudsman for the New York Office. Teena has advised multinational companies on a variety of matters relating to trade secrets, business torts, breach of contract, trademark infringement, and more.  

Technology Litigation & The Importance of Expert Witnesses

In this episode... 

Our guest today on Engaging Experts is Teena Sankoorikal, whose work in technology related litigation has kept her consistently fascinated and inspired throughout her career.  

Whether it be her early work on copyright related MP3 music software cases, or newsworthy trade secret and anti-trust cases, our conversation with Teena explores some of the cases that propelled Teena into a successful career in law. 

On this episode, David Seeley interviews Teena, who is a Partner at Covington & Burlington. David and Teena explore early career opportunities, technology litigation, the perfect expert witnesses, and empowering Asian American leaders through the Don H. Liu Scholars Program.  

Teena Sankoorikal Bio... 

Teena Sankoorikal is a commercial litigator who has handled numerous high-profile, complex civil litigation, and intellectual property disputes. Teena is a member of Covington & Burlington’s Evaluation Committee, and she serves as the Ombudsman for the New York Office. Teena has advised multinational companies on a variety of matters relating to trade secrets, business torts, breach of contract, trademark infringement, and more.  

Public Interest Work & Finding the Right Expert Witness

In this episode... 

Our guest Steve Chappelear was inspired by literature to start a career in law at a young age. From King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table to To Kill a Mockingbird, Steve found a unique correlation between what excited him in these books and what excited him about the potential of working in law. 

During this episode, Steve details how his love of reading naturally evolved into a love for writing, which has become a defining attribute of his nearly forty-four year career. He also explores the importance of public interest work and how providing legal services to the indigent can be elevated through Bar Foundations and grant programs. Finally, Steve discusses how the process of finding the right expert has changed throughout his career. 

Steve Chappelear, Of Counsel at Eastman & Smith LTD., is interviewed by Dan Rubin on this episode of Engaging Experts.

Steve Chappelear Bio... 

With more than 40 years of experience handling complex litigation, Stephen E. Chappelear, of counsel, knows the value of presenting evidence and arguments in a manner that is understandable and compelling, whether that is to a jury, judge or arbitrator.  He has represented clients in many industries, such as financial, real estate, energy, manufacturing, education and government, on a range of legal issues.

Public Interest Work & Finding the Right Expert Witness

In this episode... 

Our guest Steve Chappelear was inspired by literature to start a career in law at a young age. From King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table to To Kill a Mockingbird, Steve found a unique correlation between what excited him in these books and what excited him about the potential of working in law. 

During this episode, Steve details how his love of reading naturally evolved into a love for writing, which has become a defining attribute of his nearly forty-four year career. He also explores the importance of public interest work and how providing legal services to the indigent can be elevated through Bar Foundations and grant programs. Finally, Steve discusses how the process of finding the right expert has changed throughout his career. 

Steve Chappelear, Of Counsel at Eastman & Smith LTD., is interviewed by Dan Rubin on this episode of Engaging Experts.

Steve Chappelear Bio... 

With more than 40 years of experience handling complex litigation, Stephen E. Chappelear, of counsel, knows the value of presenting evidence and arguments in a manner that is understandable and compelling, whether that is to a jury, judge or arbitrator.  He has represented clients in many industries, such as financial, real estate, energy, manufacturing, education and government, on a range of legal issues.

Taking a Look at Trial Penalty, Expert Persuasiveness & Credibility

In this episode... 

Matt Morr and Mudaser “Mo” Khan, commercial litigators at Ballard Spahr, reflect on expert persuasiveness (both reports and on the stand) and credibility (from body language to ensuring story consistency). They note that their favorite experts shine in two areas: first, they continually work on their writing and speaking skills, keeping at the forefront in the art of persuasion; and secondly, they work closely with the attorney team to ensure consistent themes in the stories they are telling at trial.

Mo and Matt also discuss Ballard Spahr’s commitment to pro bono work and their own interest in prisoners’ rights. This intensity has been transformative for clients like Robert Francis, whose life sentence was overturned thanks to the firm’s dedication to his case. They discuss whether trial penalty is common, and what is at the root of this controversial concept. They also go into detail on the power of organizations like the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and Ballard Spahr’s commitment to this organization, sharing advice for those moved by the work being done in this area and who want to get involved with commutation or prisoner’s rights work.

Matthew Morr

Matt Morr is a trial attorney at Ballard Spahr, representing a wide range of companies in their most important litigation matters, from prominent public organizations to start-ups in emerging industries. Matt has litigated and tried cases in front of judges and juries in federal and state court, and before arbitration panels.

Mudaser Kahn

Mudasar "Mo" Khan is a member of Ballard Spahr's Litigation Department. His practice focuses on complex corporate and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts. Mo's experience includes managing electronic discovery, drafting discovery requests and responses, arguing at hearings to resolve discovery disputes, taking depositions, preparing fact and expert witnesses to give testimony, negotiating settlements, and briefing dispositive motions.