WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.319 Welcome to today's deep dive. We are we're really 00:00:03.319 --> 00:00:04.679 thrilled to have you joining us. Absolutely. 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:06.780 It's great to be here. So I want you to start 00:00:06.780 --> 00:00:10.220 by thinking about the field you work in or maybe 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:12.259 a hobby, you know, something you dedicate just 00:00:12.259 --> 00:00:14.919 countless hours to. Right. What does it take? 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:17.920 To not just participate in that space and to 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:20.339 not just be reasonably successful at it, but 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:23.339 to actually write the book on it. Yeah, literally 00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:25.399 write the book. Exactly. And we aren't talking 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:27.839 about writing just one book. What does it take 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:30.699 to write the book on your field 10 times over 00:00:30.699 --> 00:00:33.659 while you are simultaneously maintaining this 00:00:33.659 --> 00:00:37.020 grueling high stakes career at the very top of 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:40.240 your profession? Well, it's a profound question. 00:00:40.420 --> 00:00:42.420 That is the exact question we are tackling with 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:45.240 you today. Because when we look at standard biographical 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:48.100 summaries or career timelines like the one we're 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:50.740 examining today, they often read as just these 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:54.140 dry chronological lists of accomplishments. Just 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:56.740 bullet points on a resume. Right, exactly. A 00:00:56.740 --> 00:00:58.659 degree here, a partnership there, an award or 00:00:58.659 --> 00:01:01.100 two. But if you take a step back and really read 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:04.060 between the lines with an analytical eye, you 00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:06.760 start to discover these deeply fascinating patterns. 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:09.599 You begin to see the underlying mechanics of 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:12.519 human drive, the architecture of absolute mastery, 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.060 and fundamentally, the true art of influence. 00:01:15.790 --> 00:01:18.109 Today we are looking closely at the career of 00:01:18.109 --> 00:01:21.150 Paul Mark Sandler. He is a formidable American 00:01:21.150 --> 00:01:24.010 trial lawyer based out of Maryland. Very formidable. 00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:26.310 And our mission for this deep dive is to use 00:01:26.310 --> 00:01:29.569 his career as a lens. We want to unpack the anatomy 00:01:29.569 --> 00:01:33.090 of a truly top -tier legal mind, exploring the 00:01:33.090 --> 00:01:36.049 intersection of persuasion, education, and community 00:01:36.049 --> 00:01:38.329 leadership. It's a fascinating intersection to 00:01:38.329 --> 00:01:40.329 explore. It really is. Okay, let's unpack this. 00:01:40.430 --> 00:01:42.790 Yeah. Because the sheer breadth of what this 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:45.310 one individual has accomplished is kind of mind 00:01:45.310 --> 00:01:46.950 -boggling when you look at his daily practice. 00:01:47.030 --> 00:01:49.290 It really is. He is a partner at the law firm 00:01:49.290 --> 00:01:52.290 of Shapiro, Scher, Ganat, and Sandler, PA. Right. 00:01:52.430 --> 00:01:54.430 And we know he handles commercial lawsuits and 00:01:54.430 --> 00:01:57.049 antitrust matters, but he also defends clients 00:01:57.049 --> 00:02:00.260 in... white -collar criminal cases. What's fascinating 00:02:00.260 --> 00:02:03.799 here is that list completely defies the modern 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:06.120 professional playbook. How do you mean? Well, 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.120 we live in an era of intense hyper -specialization. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.180 If you have a highly specific medical issue, 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:14.680 you don't go to a general practitioner. No, you 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:16.560 go to a specialist. Right. You go to someone 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:18.879 who only looks at that one specific system of 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:21.300 the body. Yeah. And the legal field has evolved 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:24.939 in the exact same way. So lawyers are hyper specializing, 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:26.919 too. Exactly. You have lawyers who spend their 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:30.400 entire 40 year careers looking exclusively at 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:33.759 antitrust law, which deals with, you know, complex 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:36.919 corporate monopolies and market economics. Yeah, 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:38.819 massive corporate structures. And then you have 00:02:38.819 --> 00:02:40.939 other lawyers who do absolutely nothing but white 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:43.780 collar criminal defense, which is entirely about 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:46.900 federal statutes, criminal intent and individual 00:02:46.900 --> 00:02:49.860 liberty. Those are completely different languages. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:51.699 Completely different worlds. I mean, I can wrap 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:53.460 my head around antitrust being highly corporate, 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:56.080 but he also handles product liability claims, 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:59.300 securities cases, appeals, and employment disputes. 00:02:59.539 --> 00:03:01.939 Yeah, the variety is staggering. How does jumping 00:03:01.939 --> 00:03:04.659 to a product liability claim or an employment 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:07.599 dispute completely change the game for a lawyer? 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:10.539 Doesn't that require a totally different skill 00:03:10.539 --> 00:03:14.539 set? It requires a massive cognitive shift. Think 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:16.719 about it. Product liability is fundamentally 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.879 about engineering, manufacturing processes, and 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:22.300 consumer safety regulations. Right. You are dealing 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.699 with technical experts and physical evidence. 00:03:25.139 --> 00:03:28.139 A faulty brake line, a dangerous chemical. Stuff 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:30.740 you can touch. Exactly. Employment disputes, 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:32.439 on the other hand, are deeply interpersonal. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:35.280 They are governed by specific workplace laws 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:38.319 and often hinge on human behavior. Like who said 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:42.009 what in an email. Yes. Emails. Shifting narratives 00:03:42.009 --> 00:03:44.729 between colleagues, workplace culture. To jump 00:03:44.729 --> 00:03:46.729 between a product liability case on a Monday 00:03:46.729 --> 00:03:49.210 and an employment dispute on a Tuesday requires 00:03:49.210 --> 00:03:52.509 a cognitive flexibility that is incredibly rare. 00:03:52.710 --> 00:03:54.810 So how does he do it? The reason he can operate 00:03:54.810 --> 00:03:57.210 across all these domains is that his specialty 00:03:57.210 --> 00:03:59.509 isn't the underlying subject matter. Oh, I see. 00:03:59.610 --> 00:04:02.550 The meta skill he has mastered is trial advocacy. 00:04:02.610 --> 00:04:06.069 He is an expert in taking any complex set of 00:04:06.069 --> 00:04:09.129 facts. regardless of the industry, and translating 00:04:09.129 --> 00:04:11.469 them into a compelling narrative for a judge 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:14.409 or a jury. And that is exactly why this matters 00:04:14.409 --> 00:04:18.189 to you, the listener, because at its core, trial 00:04:18.189 --> 00:04:21.829 advocacy is just high -stakes persuasion. Exactly. 00:04:22.069 --> 00:04:25.069 And persuasion is universal. Whether you are 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:27.649 pitching a new project to your boss, trying to 00:04:27.649 --> 00:04:30.910 sell a product to a skeptical client, or, I don't 00:04:30.910 --> 00:04:32.730 know, just trying to convince your family where 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:35.250 to go for dinner. It's all the same underlying 00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:38.000 skill. The mechanics remain exactly the same. 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:40.339 You have to synthesize information, understand 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:42.980 your audience, and present a narrative that compels 00:04:42.980 --> 00:04:45.959 action. That's spot on. I dug up this great quote 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.879 from U .S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbus. Oh, 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:51.439 the Garbus quote, yes. Having watched countless 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:53.620 attorneys argue in his courtroom, Judge Garbus 00:04:53.620 --> 00:04:56.000 stated that Sandler is one of the few lawyers 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:58.100 to have an instinct for the art of persuasion. 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:01.480 That specific word instinct is a heavy one to 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:03.939 unpack. It really is. It brings up the age -old 00:05:03.939 --> 00:05:06.839 debate of nature versus nurture. But isn't calling 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:09.720 it an instinct almost diminishing the hard work? 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:12.839 How so? Well, when I hear instinct, I think of 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:15.319 something innate, like a bird knowing how to 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:18.740 migrate. It didn't learn it. It just does it. 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:22.399 Right. Do you think persuasion is genuinely a 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:25.339 genetic instinct? Or is it a muscle that you 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:27.839 build over decades of arguing commercial lawsuits 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:30.519 and product liability claims? I lean heavily 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:34.000 toward the latter. Yeah. I suspect that what 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.060 Judge Garbus perceives as an instinct is actually 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:39.699 the result of thousands of hours of rigorous, 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:42.779 deliberate practice. So it just looks easy. Exactly. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.800 When someone masters a complex skill to the point 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:48.579 of unconscious competence, it looks like instinct 00:05:48.579 --> 00:05:50.779 to the rest of us. It looks like magic. Yeah, 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.139 that makes sense. A master pianist doesn't actively 00:05:53.139 --> 00:05:54.680 think about where their fingers are going. They 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.019 just play the music. Right. A master trial lawyer 00:05:57.019 --> 00:05:59.079 doesn't actively think about the mechanical rules 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:01.560 of rhetoric in the heat of a trial. They have 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:04.360 internalized the process so deeply that they 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:07.060 just instinctively know how to read the jury's 00:06:07.060 --> 00:06:09.100 body language. They know how to pace their argument. 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:12.480 Yes. And how to frame the narrative without even 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:15.660 consciously thinking about the steps. Yeah. That 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:19.720 transition from deliberate practice to unconscious 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:22.639 competence is powerful. And here's where it gets 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.860 really interesting. I know where you're going 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:26.740 with this. Because you would think someone with 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:30.139 that kind of formidable internalized power in 00:06:30.139 --> 00:06:33.040 the courtroom would be terrifying to go up against. 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:35.680 Intimidating for sure. I found a cover story 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:39.819 from a January 2011 issue of Maryland Super Lawyers 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:42.300 magazine. And the title of this cover story is 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:44.399 just incredible. It really is. It's titled The 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:47.180 Devil and Paul Mark Sandler. It is a fantastic, 00:06:47.540 --> 00:06:50.060 highly provocative. Oh, it is. It immediately 00:06:50.060 --> 00:06:55.300 evokes this image of a ruthless, cunning, legal 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:58.360 adversary. The kind of litigator who will completely 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.819 dismantle your case and leave you wondering what 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:02.480 just happened. It sounds like a Hollywood movie 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:04.519 about a cutthroat lawyer who takes no prisoners. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:07.060 Right. But here is the massive plot twist when 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:09.680 you look at his wider career. This supposed devil 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.300 of the courtroom, this fierce advocate. Actually 00:07:12.300 --> 00:07:16.259 a dedicated teacher. Yes. He hasn't just mastered 00:07:16.259 --> 00:07:19.560 the art of persuasion for his own clients. He's 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:22.699 the author, co -author, or editor of 10 books 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:26.500 on trial advocacy and appellate law. 10 entire 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:28.800 books. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:32.779 writing even one authoritative book on a subject 00:07:32.779 --> 00:07:35.639 like appellate law requires an immense amount 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:38.139 of meticulous research. It's a huge undertaking. 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:41.100 It requires structural thinking and clarity. 00:07:41.740 --> 00:07:45.160 To author or edit 10 of them, Well, simultaneously 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:47.980 maintaining that diverse, high stakes legal practice 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:50.480 we just talked about indicates a staggering level 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:52.959 of intellectual endurance. Seriously. When does 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:55.300 he sleep? But there is a deeper psychological 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:58.439 layer here. Why write the books? Why take the 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:00.740 time to formalize and give away the secrets to 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.500 that instinct for persuasion? That is the million 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.779 dollar question. Right. And to highlight just 00:08:05.779 --> 00:08:08.540 how much he gives away, there is a quote from 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:11.139 Judge Lynn Abitaglia of the Maryland Court of 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:13.459 Appeals. Yes, I love this quote. She noted that 00:08:13.459 --> 00:08:15.899 he has been immersed in efforts to educate every 00:08:15.899 --> 00:08:18.399 member of the bar and bench. That is a revealing 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:21.360 statement. How so? He is educating the entire 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:24.639 legal ecosystem. The bar, meaning the lawyers 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:27.120 he actually competes against. Wow. And the bench, 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:29.779 meaning the judges who actually rule on his cases. 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:32.740 But wait, isn't that just bad business? You think 00:08:32.740 --> 00:08:34.980 so. If you have the secret sauce, why share the 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:37.159 recipe? Why would you hand your competitors the 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:39.659 exact playbook you use to beat them? It's risky. 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:43.340 What happens if a lawyer he trained steps into 00:08:43.340 --> 00:08:46.879 court and beats him using his own methods? That 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:48.840 is the ultimate vulnerability, isn't it? Yeah. 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:52.289 It requires a profound level of confidence. By 00:08:52.289 --> 00:08:54.950 educating the bar, he accepts the risk that he 00:08:54.950 --> 00:08:57.350 is actively training his own competition. That 00:08:57.350 --> 00:09:00.230 takes guts. And by educating the bench, he is 00:09:00.230 --> 00:09:03.149 giving the judges the exact rubric to evaluate 00:09:03.149 --> 00:09:05.250 his own arguments. Right, because now the judge 00:09:05.250 --> 00:09:07.690 knows all his tricks. Exactly. It shows that 00:09:07.690 --> 00:09:10.110 he isn't relying on cheap tricks or hidden loopholes. 00:09:10.769 --> 00:09:13.309 If you are willing to teach the judge exactly 00:09:13.309 --> 00:09:16.149 how a persuasive argument is constructed, you've 00:09:16.149 --> 00:09:18.309 got to be absolutely certain that your arguments 00:09:18.309 --> 00:09:21.440 are structurally flawless. Wow. It completely 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:24.220 flips the traditional idea of a competitive advantage 00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:27.360 on its head. It redefines what true mastery looks 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:30.539 like. Often, we assume an expert is someone who 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:33.360 hoards knowledge to maintain their position at 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.039 the top. Protect the secrets at all costs. Right. 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:40.759 But this suggests the exact opposite. True mastery 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:44.220 involves a compulsion to elevate the entire field. 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:47.529 Elevate the field. It is the belief. that a better 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:50.490 educated group of lawyers and a more informed 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:53.450 group of judges ultimately lead to a better, 00:09:53.509 --> 00:09:56.710 more robust justice system for everyone. That's 00:09:56.710 --> 00:09:58.769 a beautiful way to look at it. He reaches the 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:00.769 top of the mountain, and instead of pulling up 00:10:00.769 --> 00:10:02.809 the ladder, he immediately starts building a 00:10:02.809 --> 00:10:05.470 staircase for everyone else to climb. Building 00:10:05.470 --> 00:10:07.879 staircases is a great way to put it. And his 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.860 peers clearly recognize the integrity in that 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:12.759 approach. They absolutely do. Because when you 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:15.059 look at his professional accolades, they're the 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:17.100 kind of honors that you don't just win by having 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:19.320 a high success rate. No, they go much deeper 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:22.100 than that. He is a fellow in the American College 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:25.080 of Trial Lawyers. It's huge. He's listed in Best 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:28.500 Lawyers in America. Right. And the 2014 edition 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:31.700 of Chambers USA, which is a major guide to leading 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:35.769 lawyers, quotes, appear. calling him unequivocally 00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:38.289 one of the finest trial lawyers in Maryland. 00:10:38.830 --> 00:10:41.269 Those specific accolades, particularly being 00:10:41.269 --> 00:10:43.690 a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, 00:10:43.769 --> 00:10:47.549 represent the absolute gold standard of peer 00:10:47.549 --> 00:10:49.990 recognition. Really? It's that prestigious? Oh, 00:10:49.990 --> 00:10:51.669 absolutely. You don't get invited into those 00:10:51.669 --> 00:10:54.289 ranks just by winning cases. You get there by 00:10:54.289 --> 00:10:57.110 demonstrating the highest standards of ethical 00:10:57.110 --> 00:10:59.769 conduct and professionalism over a long period. 00:11:00.029 --> 00:11:01.750 So it's about character, not just a win -loss 00:11:01.750 --> 00:11:03.909 record. It is an acknowledgment of character 00:11:03.909 --> 00:11:06.269 within the profession. It proves that his peers 00:11:06.269 --> 00:11:08.029 respect him just as much as they might fear. 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:11.029 facing him in court. You'd think writing 10 books 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:13.570 and maintaining that level of professional respect 00:11:13.570 --> 00:11:15.629 would be enough giving back for one lifetime. 00:11:15.889 --> 00:11:18.049 You really would. But his name keeps popping 00:11:18.049 --> 00:11:20.490 up entirely outside of the courtroom in the law 00:11:20.490 --> 00:11:22.970 library. Let's look at his leadership roles. 00:11:23.190 --> 00:11:25.929 Let's do it. Within his own profession, he was 00:11:25.929 --> 00:11:28.190 the founder and first chair of the Maryland State 00:11:28.190 --> 00:11:31.440 Bar Association Litigation Section. And a former 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:34.259 secretary of the American Bar Association's litigation 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:36.799 section. Which is a massive national organization. 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.759 That alone is a lot of extra hours. But then 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:41.759 you look at his community board memberships and 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:45.620 it is a literal marathon of civic duty. The list 00:11:45.620 --> 00:11:48.559 is incredible. He serves or has served on the 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.159 board for Stevenson University as well as the 00:11:51.159 --> 00:11:53.679 St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation. So we are 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:56.299 immediately spanning higher education and public 00:11:56.299 --> 00:11:58.559 health. Yeah. Those are two completely different 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:01.440 sectors of community infrastructure, each requiring 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:05.039 an understanding of massive, complex bureaucratic 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:07.480 systems and funding challenges. And it doesn't 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.909 stop there. Of course not. He is also involved 00:12:09.909 --> 00:12:12.429 with the Cal Ripken -Cernier Foundation, which 00:12:12.429 --> 00:12:15.370 focuses on youth development. Right. And the 00:12:15.370 --> 00:12:17.710 Maryland Charter of the National Kidney Foundation. 00:12:17.830 --> 00:12:20.570 More public health. Plus, from 2001 to 2004, 00:12:20.710 --> 00:12:22.590 he was the past president of the Maryland Public 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:24.950 Television Foundation Board. Public media as 00:12:24.950 --> 00:12:27.269 well. That requires navigating the intersection 00:12:27.269 --> 00:12:30.490 of public funding, educational programming, and 00:12:30.490 --> 00:12:33.659 community outreach. And finally, rounding it 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:36.820 all out with direct access to justice, he served 00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:39.399 on the board of Maryland's Legal Aid Bureau from 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:42.600 2000 to 2012. Just a staggering amount of service. 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:45.779 My immediate reaction to hearing the sheer volume 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:49.500 of commitments is a very practical one. How does 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:53.700 one human being have the hours in the day? It's 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:55.970 the ultimate time management question. We are 00:12:55.970 --> 00:12:58.789 talking about top tier litigation, authoring 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:01.649 10 textbooks and holding leadership roles across 00:13:01.649 --> 00:13:04.889 education, health care, youth development, public 00:13:04.889 --> 00:13:08.490 television and legal aid. When does he sleep? 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:10.980 It is an astonishing display of time management, 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:13.080 certainly. Yeah. But this raises an important 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:15.500 question for you listening right now. What is 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:18.159 the true measure of a successful career? Oh, 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:20.500 I like that. Is it merely the professional victories, 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.620 the cases won, and the income generated? Or is 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:25.500 it how you leverage the weight of that success 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:27.860 for the broader community? That's a great perspective. 00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:30.080 When you look closely at that expansive list 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:33.580 of boards, a profound pattern emerges. It isn't 00:13:33.580 --> 00:13:35.559 just a random assortment of charitable interests. 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:38.940 How so? Because on the surface, public television 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:41.379 and the Kidney Foundation seem pretty disconnected. 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:44.220 If you connect the dots, there is a singular 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:47.220 mission operating across his entire life applied 00:13:47.220 --> 00:13:49.700 in three distinct ways. Okay, lay it out for 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:52.259 me. His legal work in the courtroom is about 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:55.779 relentless advocacy for his specific clients. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:58.919 Right. His ten books are about advocating for 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:01.559 the integrity and skill of the legal profession 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:04.539 itself. Makes sense. And his board work... It's 00:14:04.539 --> 00:14:07.059 about advocating for the fundamental pillars 00:14:07.059 --> 00:14:10.159 of a healthy society. Think about the sectors 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:14.019 you just named. Education. health, youth development, 00:14:14.259 --> 00:14:17.240 public media, and equal access to justice. Oh, 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:19.879 I see now. The common denominator across all 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.779 of these is advocacy. It's all persuasion. Exactly. 00:14:23.059 --> 00:14:25.860 He is taking that exact same instinct for persuasion 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:28.580 that wins complex antitrust cases and deploying 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:31.120 it to raise critical funds for a medical center. 00:14:31.259 --> 00:14:33.860 Or to ensure that low -income citizens have proper 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:36.019 legal representation through the Legal Aid Bureau. 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:39.539 Exactly. It is one core skill set maximized for 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:42.580 community impact. So? What does this all mean? 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:45.559 When we step back and look at this man's entire 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:49.220 career, the chameleon -like ability to handle 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:52.840 any type of case, the 10 textbooks, the staggering 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:56.779 list of board memberships, what is the core takeaway 00:14:56.779 --> 00:15:00.139 for you? It's powerful. First, it tells us that 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:02.519 true mastery of a core skill, like the art of 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:05.059 persuasion, allows you to adapt to absolutely 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:08.419 any situation. The rules of influence don't change 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:10.559 whether you are debating the technicalities of 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.860 product liability or raising money for a university. 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:15.679 Mechanics are the same. Second, it proves that 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:17.799 the ultimate experts are the ones who teach others. 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:19.960 They don't hide their knowledge out of fear. 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:22.659 They actively elevate their peers. They build 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:25.120 those staircases. And finally, it shows that 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:28.059 a truly successful life balances fierce professional 00:15:28.059 --> 00:15:31.750 ambition with a deep relentless civic duty. I 00:15:31.750 --> 00:15:33.850 think that is a perfect synthesis of his career. 00:15:33.970 --> 00:15:36.230 And I want to remind you, the listener, that 00:15:36.230 --> 00:15:38.049 you don't have to be a high -powered Maryland 00:15:38.049 --> 00:15:40.490 trial lawyer to apply these lessons to your own 00:15:40.490 --> 00:15:42.769 life. Not at all. Whether you are leading a difficult 00:15:42.769 --> 00:15:45.450 meeting in a corporate boardroom, trying to inspire 00:15:45.450 --> 00:15:48.210 students in a classroom, or just trying to persuade 00:15:48.210 --> 00:15:50.549 a friend to see a different perspective on a 00:15:50.549 --> 00:15:54.590 tough issue, advocacy is a universal tool. It 00:15:54.590 --> 00:15:56.929 really is. You can hone your own instinct for 00:15:56.929 --> 00:16:00.529 persuasion through deliberate practice. More 00:16:00.529 --> 00:16:03.250 importantly, you can choose to use that influence 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:05.889 not just for personal gain, but to build your 00:16:05.889 --> 00:16:08.110 own staircases for the people coming up behind 00:16:08.110 --> 00:16:11.470 you. That makes me really rethink how I'm spending 00:16:11.470 --> 00:16:13.950 my own time and utilizing the skills I've built. 00:16:14.090 --> 00:16:16.870 It forces you to ask if you are just hoarding 00:16:16.870 --> 00:16:18.870 your expertise or actually putting it to work 00:16:18.870 --> 00:16:21.289 for your community. It certainly does. And it 00:16:21.289 --> 00:16:23.330 leaves us with one final thought to mull over. 00:16:23.529 --> 00:16:26.029 What's that? Paul Mark Sandler spent a lifetime 00:16:26.029 --> 00:16:28.909 honing the art of persuasion to influence juries 00:16:28.909 --> 00:16:32.070 and judges. But looking at his 10 books and decades 00:16:32.070 --> 00:16:34.590 of community service, it makes you wonder, is 00:16:34.590 --> 00:16:36.690 the ultimate act of persuasion simply convincing 00:16:36.690 --> 00:16:38.649 the next generation to care as much as you do? 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:42.370 Wow. That is a brilliant thought to end on. Thank 00:16:42.370 --> 00:16:44.409 you so much for joining us on this deep dive. 00:16:44.549 --> 00:16:46.809 We hope you walk away feeling inspired to hone 00:16:46.809 --> 00:16:49.049 your own skills, question how you use your expertise, 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:51.250 and share your knowledge with those around you. 00:16:51.429 --> 00:16:53.909 Until next time, keep learning, keep advocating, 00:16:54.129 --> 00:16:56.009 and we'll catch you on the next deep dive.