The Dirty Verdict — Halloween Edition 2025 🎃
Costumes, bourbon, and big-law war stories collide. Peter Taaffe, Kyle Herbert, and Bill Ogden welcome fan-favorites Mark Thiessen and Mark Metzger for our annual Halloween bash. It's part comedy hour, part shop talk: mediation mind games, Stowers tactics, billboard math, PI client-poaching, charging trends in Harris & Galveston County, immigration cross-currents, and why this show is—ironically—a very visual medium. Watch for the costumes; stay for the legal gems.
Chapters
00:00 Cold open: "This is a visual medium—watch on YouTube"
00:38 Halloween roll-call + where's Tally?
02:30 Mediation mindset: deadlines, snacks & "sweating out" the other side
03:48 Costumes: Pickle Bill, Michael Myers, Teen Wolf, Bandit, Dorothy
05:39 Road-trip Bandit: Texas to Florida & the Hyundai Tucson saga
06:52 The eternal bunny suit & (soft-core?) Donnie Darko jokes
10:00 Catching up: building a PI practice (marketing, pipeline, burn)
11:45 Client poaching, runners & why criminal court culture is different
13:39 Flat fees vs. hourly; trial dates, Stowers pressure, and the waiting game
15:25 "Letterhead rule," airtight Stowers ideas & certified mail gambits
18:48 Billboard economics (9–15k/mo), reinvesting vs. Lambos
20:16 EOS / Fireproof by Mike Morse; visionary vs. integrator
22:10 Trying cases = better outcomes (criminal & PI parallels)
25:14 Galveston update: new DA appointment + local bar dynamics
28:15 Metzger's bikini-contest emcee gig (marketing that isn't boring)
33:12 Lone Star Rally crossover? Law Tigers chat
37:08 Harris County pulse: charging trends, DV reasonableness, intox manslaughter offers
41:30 Individualizing justice vs. one-size-fits-all sentencing
45:10 Immigration ripples: ICE fears, "witness cards," plea choices
51:20 Lawyers + burnout: immigration bar morale & policy whiplash
54:40 Closing chaos, shout-outs, and where to find the guests
56:48 Follow/Subscribe + platforms
Guests & Links
• Mark Thiessen — TexasTrialAttorney • WeFightGiants.com
• Mark Metzger — IslandAttorney.com • #IslandAttorney
Watch/Listen
YouTube • Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Music (search "The Dirty Verdict")
Follow The Dirty Verdict
IG/TikTok/FB: @thedirtyverdict
