What really happens in the hot seat when everything goes wrong? In this episode, Ann sits down with Anthony “Tony” Castro, owner of Lit Trial Paralegal Services and one of South Florida’s go-to trial tech specialists, to swap real trial stories and uncover the five tips every litigation paralegal needs in their back pocket.
Tony’s path into the legal industry is anything but traditional. He started behind the counter at Starbucks, took a chance on a law firm runner position at 18, and worked his way up through paralegal assistant, paralegal, and litigation support specialist roles before launching his own business two years ago. Now he provides white-glove trial support to solo attorneys and small firms across Florida.
In this conversation, Ann and Tony share the kinds of stories you only hear from people who have actually been there.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear:
- How Tony went from cleaning the Starbucks condiment bar to running his own trial support business
- Why a paralegal background makes for a better trial technician
- Ann’s “first-trial lesson” about tracking exhibits, and the checklist she built afterward
- The hotel war room emergency that taught Ann to ask one specific question before booking
- The 45-minute stretch of cross-examination that happened without a court reporter (and how Tony solved it on the fly)
- How Tony became “Tony the Trial Tiger”
- Tony’s 5 tips for thriving in the hot seat
- The favorite and least favorite parts of trial life for both Ann and Tony
About the Guest
Anthony “Tony” Castro
Anthony is an experienced litigation paralegal and trial support consultant with a strong focus on pre-trial preparation, trial attendance, and hot-seat technician services. He supports legal teams through all phases of litigation, helping attorneys and lead paralegals remain focused on strategy while ensuring cases are organized, trial-ready, and executed in the courtroom.Free Paralegal Survival Toolkit
Our Paralegal Survival Toolkit is your 40-page guide packed with practical systems, confidence-boosting strategies, and real-world tools every new (or overwhelmed) paralegal and legal assistant needs.
You’ll walk away with:
- A plan to get out of overwhelm
- Scripts for tough conversations with colleagues
- Tools to build confidence and credibility
- A roadmap to becoming the rockstar paralegal
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