TRIAL GUIDES™
Trial Guides is a Portland, Oregon-based legal publishing company founded in 2004 that produces books, CLE programs, audio/video products, and a medical graphics library for civil plaintiff trial lawyers, distributed via a Shopify-based self-serve e-commerce platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TRIAL GUIDES™ does
Trial Guides™ is a privately held legal publishing company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon that produces continuing education content for civil plaintiff trial lawyers and commercial litigators. The company operates a Shopify-based e-commerce platform offering a catalog of 529+ products spanning print books, ebooks, audiobooks, video lectures, on-demand and live CLE programs, and a downloadable High Impact Graphics medical illustration library. Its content is authored by leading plaintiff trial lawyers including David Ball, Rick Friedman, Nicholas Rowley, Keith Mitnik, and founder Aaron DeShaw, with 400+ contributing authors and 219 presenters powering the library.
The company generates revenue through one-time unit-priced purchases across its product lines: books priced $24.95–$575, on-demand CLE programs priced $65–$125, live webinars at $80–$100, audiobooks and DVDs in the $50–$195 range, and a four-day in-person Personal Injury Masterclass CLE event held in Portland. It bundles the publishing business with a separate digital marketing services arm at marketing.trialguides.com offering SEO, PPC, and web design for law firms. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via self-serve e-commerce, with state-accredited CLE delivery across multiple U.S. states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, and others) and an annual-tier free shipping program on orders above $200.
Despite operating with a 1–10 person team, Trial Guides maintains an extensive content footprint—nearly 100 books on trial skills and 500+ webinars—which it leverages to drive traffic and repeat purchases from civil plaintiff attorneys, paralegals, and personal injury law firms. The company is founder-controlled (Aaron DeShaw), has never raised outside funding, and operates as a profitable, high-margin niche content publisher monetized through a diversified mix of physical and digital educational products, CLE accreditation revenue, event ticket sales, and ancillary marketing services.
TRIAL GUIDES™ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TRIAL GUIDES™
- Legal name
- Trial Guides, LLC
- Website
- https://trialguides.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Trial Guides is a Portland, Oregon-based legal publishing company founded in 2004 that produces books, CLE programs, audio/video products, and a medical graphics library for civil plaintiff trial lawyers, distributed via a Shopify-based self-serve e-commerce platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TRIAL GUIDES™ industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Continuing Legal Education
- NAICS
- Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Legal Reference (Statutes, Case Law, Practice Guides) (EDAGAGAB), Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)
Keywords
Where TRIAL GUIDES™ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
TRIAL GUIDES™ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Trial Guides publishes and sells print books, ebooks, and audiobooks on trial advocacy, litigation skills, and legal practice management. Products range from $24.95 to $575 for comprehensive sets like Anatomy of a Personal Injury Lawsuit.
- Continuing Legal Education (CLE): Live webinars and on-demand CLE programs provide mandatory continuing legal education credits for lawyers. Programs are accredited across multiple states and include ethics, substantive law, and practice skills courses.
- Video and Audio Products: Sale of video CLEs, DVDs, and audiobooks covering trial preparation, trucking law, and litigation topics. Products are professionally produced with high-quality viewing experiences.
- In-Person CLE Events: Four-day in-person seminars like the Personal Injury Masterclass hosted in Portland, OR, providing intensive hands-on training.
- Graphics Library Subscription: Downloadable medical illustrations available for immediate use in legal materials, settlement packages, and trial exhibits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Books and Physical Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | On-Demand CLE Programs |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Live Webinars |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Products Under $100 |
| Subscription | Annual | Free Shipping Tier |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | New Lawyer/Paralegal Discount |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
TRIAL GUIDES™ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trial Guides is a legal publishing and education company that develops, publishes, and sells print books, ebooks, audiobooks, video products, live webinars, on-demand programs, and in-person CLE seminars for civil plaintiff trial lawyers. The company curates content authored primarily by leading plaintiff trial lawyers and delivers continuing legal education (CLE) credit-eligible content accredited across multiple U.S. states. It also offers a downloadable graphics library of medical illustrations for use in demand letters, settlement packages, and trial exhibits.
Product overview
Trial Guides is a legal publishing platform offering print, digital, audio, and video educational resources for civil plaintiff lawyers. The portfolio consists of books (including bestsellers like Rules of the Road, David Ball on Damages, and Polarizing the Case), Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs (live webinars and on-demand), audiobooks, video products, and a High Impact Graphics collection of medical illustrations. The company serves lawyers through multiple product lines that address trial skills, discovery, depositions, damages, jury selection, and law firm management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Books for Lawyers A collection of printed and digital books covering litigation skills for civil plaintiff lawyers, including trial advocacy, depositions, discovery, damages, jury selection, opening statements, closing arguments, cross-examination, and law firm practice management. Titles authored by leading plaintiff trial lawyers such as David Ball, Rick Friedman, Nicholas Rowley, Keith Mitnik, and others.
- Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Programs Live webinar and on-demand CLE programs covering ethics, trial tactics, case selection, deposition techniques, damages, and practice areas. Programs are state-accredited across multiple U.S. jurisdictions (e.g., Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California) to satisfy mandatory continuing legal education requirements for practicing attorneys.
- Audio Products for Lawyers Audiobook and audio recording products including titles such as Damages Evolving, Witness Preparation, and David Ball on Damages, enabling lawyers to consume legal education content on the go.
- Video Products for Lawyers High-quality video lectures, video CLE programs, and on-demand videos produced for trial practice education, covering topics from trial preparation to trucking law.
- Live Webinars Scheduled live webinar programs that allow real-time interaction with faculty members from home or office, providing interactive CLE-accredited training.
- High Impact Graphics Collection A stock medical illustrations library with over 100 top-quality downloadable images covering common traumatic injuries for immediate use in legal demand letters, settlement packages, and trial exhibits.
- Personal Injury Masterclass (In-Person CLE Event) A four-day, in-person CLE seminar held in Portland, OR featuring founder and trial lawyer Aaron DeShaw, delivering intensive hands-on personal injury litigation training to attending attorneys.
- Brain Injuries: A Multidisciplinary, Illustrated Guide A two-volume illustrated set by board-certified neurologist Dr. Galina Nikolskaya and trial lawyer Nicholas Rowley covering brain anatomy, traumatic brain injury mechanisms, neurological examinations, neuroimaging, and rehabilitation, designed for attorneys handling TBI cases.
- Discovery Tactics: Lean and Effective Litigation Strategies A book by accomplished trial lawyers including Greg Cusimano, David Wenner, Zoe Littlepage, and Michael Leizerman offering strategies for document review, interrogatories, and discovery abuse in civil litigation.
- 30(b)(6): Deposing Corporations, Organizations & the Government, Third Edition A definitive guide for lawyers on FRCP 30(b)(6) depositions, helping practitioners write notices and pursue document discovery for depositions of corporate, organizational, or governmental entities.
Quantifiable outcome
- $32M wrongful death verdict using Trial Guides techniques
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use TRIAL GUIDES™
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
TRIAL GUIDES™ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
TRIAL GUIDES™ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators12 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
TRIAL GUIDES™ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA): NITA is one of the most established providers of trial advocacy training and CLE for lawyers in the U.S. It competes head-to-head with Trial Guides for the same plaintiff and defense trial lawyer audience via live programs, publications, and on-demand CLE.
- Practising Law Institute (PLI): PLI is a major CLE and legal publishing provider serving practicing attorneys across litigation, corporate, and transactional topics. It directly overlaps with Trial Guides' live webinar, on-demand CLE, and treatises offering for the same lawyer buyer.
- Lawline: Lawline is an online CLE platform offering on-demand and live webinar programs for attorneys across many practice areas. It targets the same self-serve, content-purchasing lawyer buyer as Trial Guides, with overlap in trial skills and litigation CLE.
Broad incumbents
- American Bar Association (ABA) CLE: The ABA offers a broad catalog of CLE publications, webinars, and in-person programming across virtually all practice areas. It is a broader incumbent in legal education that competes with Trial Guides for the same mandatory-CLE wallet of practicing lawyers.
- Thomson Reuters (West Legal Publishing): Thomson Reuters' West division publishes treatises, practice guides, and CLE content used by plaintiff and defense litigators. It is a broad incumbent in legal publishing with deep distribution that overlaps with Trial Guides' books and reference content.
- LexisNexis: LexisNexis combines legal research, treatises, and practice-focused CLE content for litigators. It overlaps with Trial Guides as a broad legal publisher and CLE provider targeting practicing attorneys.
- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory: Wolters Kluwer publishes legal treatises, practice guides, and compliance content used by litigators and in-house counsel. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same legal-publishing wallet as Trial Guides.
- Bloomberg Law: Bloomberg Law combines legal research, news, and practice tools for practicing attorneys. It is a broad incumbent in legal content with trial-prep and CLE-adjacent resources that compete for the same lawyer subscriber.
Emerging players
- Imprimus Publishing: Imprimus is a litigation-focused publishing and brief-writing service that produces sample briefs and trial documents for plaintiff and defense lawyers. It overlaps with Trial Guides in providing litigation skill content to practicing attorneys.
- ForensisGroup: ForensisGroup is an expert witness and litigation support firm serving plaintiff and defense lawyers. It overlaps thematically with Trial Guides' litigation-support content, including the High Impact Graphics Collection of medical illustrations used in trial exhibits.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TRIAL GUIDES™ social profiles
Digital presenceTRIAL GUIDES™ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TRIAL GUIDES™ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
TRIAL GUIDES™ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TRIAL GUIDES™ M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TRIAL GUIDES™
What does TRIAL GUIDES™ do?
Trial Guides is a legal publishing and education company that develops, publishes, and sells print books, ebooks, audiobooks, video products, live webinars, on-demand programs, and in-person CLE seminars for civil plaintiff trial lawyers. The company curates content authored primarily by leading plaintiff trial lawyers and delivers continuing legal education (CLE) credit-eligible content accredited across multiple U.S. states. It also offers a downloadable graphics library of medical illustrations for use in demand letters, settlement packages, and trial exhibits.
Is TRIAL GUIDES™ a public or private company?
TRIAL GUIDES™ is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TRIAL GUIDES™ founded?
TRIAL GUIDES™ was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is TRIAL GUIDES™ based?
TRIAL GUIDES™ is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does TRIAL GUIDES™ make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are continuing Legal Education (CLE), video and Audio Products, in-Person CLE Events and graphics Library Subscription.
Who are TRIAL GUIDES™'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Practising Law Institute (PLI) and Lawline. Broad incumbents are American Bar Association (ABA) CLE, Thomson Reuters (West Legal Publishing), LexisNexis, Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory and Bloomberg Law. Emerging players are Imprimus Publishing and ForensisGroup.
Does TRIAL GUIDES™ have an API?
No public API is recorded for TRIAL GUIDES™.
What industry is TRIAL GUIDES™ in?
TRIAL GUIDES™'s product category is Continuing Legal Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAIAH, Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs, with a secondary code of EDAGAGAB, Legal Reference (Statutes, Case Law, Practice Guides). Its NAICS code is 611691 and its SIC code is 2731.