Education
As the principal of CDS Strategy Consulting, Inc., Rodney’s mission is to make a difference in the results trial lawyers achieve for their clients. He does this through both his weekly litigation strategy work sessions and his exclusive plaintiff-only education programs held in Napa, California. Rodney believes in the principle summed up by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: “Don’t be a know-it-all; be a learn-it-all.” In all of his education programs, Rodney presents alongside hand-selected elite faculty who are very experienced in his methodology.
Held at least once a year, Rodney’s Master Classes are designed to evolve the critical thinking skills of experienced trial lawyers.
Master Classes give a 3-day exposure to Rodney’s structured approach to critical thinking: to distill your case to its essence and only focus on what’s most important. You’ll receive specific guidance on how to apply these principles to your cases.
Beyond being intellectually stimulating, Rodney’s Master Classes are full of real-world strategies and revolutionary perspectives that can be put to use immediately.
The next Master Class will be held February 11 – 13, 2020. For consideration to participate in the Master Class, please contact .
Rodney’s biennial Refocus seminars are the flagship of his educational programs.
An intense and content-rich 3-day CLE seminar, Refocus provides comprehensive training to equip trial lawyers with powerful new tools they can put to use in all of their cases.
Refocus2020 will be held in 2020 and dates have not yet been announced.
Attendance at Refocus2020 is offered by invitation only and Rodney limits the total number of participants.
For consideration to participate in Refocus2020, please submit your request to .
What others say
“Rodney changed the way I practice law. What Rodney offers is radically different. It’s fresh, it’s very thought provoking, and it offers a new way to think about your cases. If you would like to focus on the things that really matter and not be distracted by the things that don’t hurt your case, you should go to one of Rodney’s seminars.”
“The bottom line is at Rodney’s seminar you get an overview of his system and the way you can apply it differently in different cases. You get the use of his ideas in a real format that you can take and adopt to yourself and your jurisdiction. You can really use what he presents and make it effective in your own way. Rodney’s seminar is unique in that way. The experience is very valuable.”
“I’m a very experienced lawyer. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve been to over 100 seminars over the years. Rodney’s seminars are the best I’ve ever been to. I’m not easily persuaded, I’m not easily excited about learning and applying new things. But, at this point in my career, it’s been very helpful to renew my view of how I practice law and how I can be a better lawyer for my clients.”
“I came back to reinforce some of the concepts we learned last year and to improve my critical thinking skills. Reinforcement is extremely important. It’s one of the reasons I’m back. The concepts I’m learning from Rodney are important enough for me to really want to listen. He teaches me to work harder to simplify complex case issues. There are great rewards for simplifying complex ideas. And that’s what the value of this seminar is. It’s a great and worthwhile program.”