Overview
(August 6, 2024) – Steptoe partner and co-chair of the Investigations and White-Collar Defense group, Brian Heberlig appeared on Season 2, Episode 5 of the Athena Rising podcast, hosted by fellow defense attorney Vanessa Singh Johannes. During the episode, Brian shared insight into his recent criminal trial win on behalf of Dr. Mike Lynch and the trial process, in addition to diversity in the legal profession and his prolific career to date.
Brian discussed his secret to federal jury trial victories: "You’ve got to put in the work and be extraordinarily prepared. When I’m in trials it's all consuming, I do nothing else, I don’t have any free time, I work 14-16 hour days, and my trial mantra is you cannot outwork me. The day that I can be outworked I am not fit to be a trial lawyer anymore. That's hugely important—to be prepared and know the case as well as you can possibly know it. A lot of it is judgment, how much to go into certain issues, when to press a witness on their credibility, when to take the good stuff from the witness before challenging their credibility. There's no black and white playbook."
On how the legal profession has changed and gender equity: "Things have changed for the better. It is not perfect still, but there is a lot more flexibility to have alternative work schedules. What is most important to me and to the practice is being able to do good work. In our practice, how you do it, when you do it, if you need to take a break in your career path, that is all acceptable. I think it is a better, more equitable place than when I started."
Brian Heberlig is a first-chair white-collar criminal defense lawyer with more than 25 years of jury trial experience in complex, high-profile criminal cases nationwide. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a three-time winner of The American Lawyer Litigator of the Week. Ranked Band 1 in Chambers USA, Brian has been described as a "revered member of the DC trial bar" who is "extremely detail-oriented, strategic and very skilled" in the courtroom. Brian's success in a trial involving a rare Rule 29 acquittal earned praise from the presiding federal judge, who described his advocacy as "crisp, cogent, thoughtful," and "some of the best trial work we have ever had the privilege to see in this or any courtroom."
Visit the Athena Rising website to listen to the full interview.
