{"id":32862,"date":"2026-02-26T00:27:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herberttrial.com\/s4-eps-5-cordt-akers-interview\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T00:27:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:27:00","slug":"s4-eps-5-cordt-akers-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.herberttrial.com\/es\/s4-eps-5-cordt-akers-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"S4 Eps 5: Cordt Akers Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/peZPGVvWQF4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Hosts Peter Taaffe, Kyle Herbert, and Bill Ogden sit down with Houston trial lawyer Cordt Akers, who lives at the intersection of criminal defense, white collar, and a bit of PI\u2014all while carrying one of the more unusual origin stories you\u2019ll hear on the show.<\/p>\n<p>Cordt walks through growing up in Houston, heading to Tulane (where Hurricane Katrina hit on his first day), and spending his early years as a working musician\u2014until a brutal moment of \u201cnatural talent vs. hard work\u201d forced a career pivot. That pivot led to South Texas College of Law, mock trial, and a fast, intense run through the Harris County DA\u2019s Office, where a terrifying in-flight emergency and an unexpected moment of humanity reshaped how he viewed prosecution\u2014and ultimately why he left.<\/p>\n<p>From there, Cordt breaks down his path into the Dan Cogdell orbit, building a reputation in federal white collar, and what it\u2019s like to carry the emotional weight of trial work\u2014especially when the outcome is literally life-changing. He also shares two major acquittals from the year, including a high-emotion murder trial in San Jacinto County and a public corruption case that went sideways for the prosecution in the best way possible.<\/p>\n<p>Funny, serious, and very \u201cDirty Verdict\u201d\u2014this one moves from My Little Pony headgear to murder trials to the reality of justice, ego, and what makes a great trial lawyer.<\/p>\n<p>Episode Highlights (with timestamps)<\/p>\n<p>00:00:41 \u2013 00:01:36 \u2014 Christmas edition energy, jokes flying, and Bill\u2019s back in the studio<\/p>\n<p>00:01:36 \u2013 00:03:14 \u2014 Meet Cordt Akers: criminal defense + some PI, and the \u201cmultiple practice areas\u201d intro<\/p>\n<p>00:03:14 \u2013 00:06:16 \u2014 The legend of Brock Akers (Cordt\u2019s dad): verdict history, reputation, and the TLA membership banter<\/p>\n<p>00:06:16 \u2013 00:11:08 \u2014 Houston \u2192 Saint Michael\u2019s\/Jesuit \u2192 Tulane\u2026 and the jazz musician era (plus Katrina on day one)<\/p>\n<p>00:11:08 \u2013 00:12:46 \u2014 South Texas Law: dreams of entertainment law die in Contracts I<\/p>\n<p>00:12:46 \u2013 00:15:29 \u2014 Mock trial war stories: Golden Gate tandem bike terror + \u201cthey changed the rules after us\u201d<\/p>\n<p>00:15:29 \u2013 00:18:02 \u2014 The mock trial culture: training under pressure (and sometimes with a hangover)<\/p>\n<p>00:18:02 \u2013 00:20:06 \u2014 DA\u2019s Office stint (about 20 months) + the brutal elevator moment with Rusty Hardin<\/p>\n<p>00:20:06 \u2013 00:22:23 \u2014 Working for Dan Cogdell: mentorship, white collar exposure, and leveling up fast<\/p>\n<p>00:22:23 \u2013 00:27:14 \u2014 The turning point: in-flight engine fire, a stranger\u2019s prayer, and Cordt\u2019s realization about prosecutorial impact<\/p>\n<p>00:27:14 \u2013 00:29:22 \u2014 \u201cHow do you teach young prosecutors emotional intelligence?\u201d + the ego vs. justice conflict<\/p>\n<p>00:29:22 \u2013 00:33:51 \u2014 Leaving Dan\u2019s shop: taking the \u201ctake over the muffler repair center\u201d option and building his own lane<\/p>\n<p>00:36:01 \u2013 00:37:08 \u2014 Two major acquittals this year: murder case + public corruption case<\/p>\n<p>00:37:08 \u2013 00:41:53 \u2014 San Jacinto County murder trial breakdown: alleged facts, accident defense, and the emotional verdict moment<\/p>\n<p>00:42:10 \u2013 00:44:12 \u2014 The \u201cweird\u201d public corruption case: daring the State to call the defendant first\u2026 and it backfiring on them<\/p>\n<p>00:44:12 \u2013 00:45:24 \u2014 Why he usually doesn\u2019t talk to juries afterward (and a wild \u201cwe thought you were fake\u201d jury comment)<\/p>\n<p>00:47:44 \u2013 00:50:34 \u2014 Where the DA\u2019s office and federal prosecution are headed + why white collar cases feel like they\u2019re dwindling<\/p>\n<p>00:52:16 \u2013 00:55:30 \u2014 Wrap-up: possible Father\u2019s Day episode with Brock, where to find Cordt (acresfirm.com), and final laughs<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hosts Peter Taaffe, Kyle Herbert, and Bill Ogden sit down with Houston trial lawyer Cordt Akers, who lives at the intersection of criminal defense, white collar, and a bit of PI\u2014all while carrying one of the more unusual origin stories you\u2019ll hear on the show.<\/p>\n<p>Cordt walks through growing up in Houston, heading to Tulane (where Hurricane Katrina hit on his first day), and spending his early years as a working musician\u2014until a brutal moment of \u201cnatural talent vs. hard work\u201d forced a career pivot. That pivot led to South Texas College of Law, mock trial, and a fast, intense run through the Harris County DA\u2019s Office, where a terrifying in-flight emergency and an unexpected moment of humanity reshaped how he viewed prosecution\u2014and ultimately why he left.<\/p>\n<p>From there, Cordt breaks down his path into the Dan Cogdell orbit, building a reputation in federal white collar, and what it\u2019s like to carry the emotional weight of trial work\u2014especially when the outcome is literally life-changing. He also shares two major acquittals from the year, including a high-emotion murder trial in San Jacinto County and a public corruption case that went sideways for the prosecution in the best way possible.<\/p>\n<p>Funny, serious, and very \u201cDirty Verdict\u201d\u2014this one moves from My Little Pony headgear to murder trials to the reality of justice, ego, and what makes a great trial lawyer.<\/p>\n<p>Episode Highlights (with timestamps)<\/p>\n<p>00:00:41 \u2013 00:01:36 \u2014 Christmas edition energy, jokes flying, and Bill\u2019s back in the studio<\/p>\n<p>00:01:36 \u2013 00:03:14 \u2014 Meet Cordt Akers: criminal defense + some PI, and the \u201cmultiple practice areas\u201d intro<\/p>\n<p>00:03:14 \u2013 00:06:16 \u2014 The legend of Brock Akers (Cordt\u2019s dad): verdict history, reputation, and the TLA membership banter<\/p>\n<p>00:06:16 \u2013 00:11:08 \u2014 Houston \u2192 Saint Michael\u2019s\/Jesuit \u2192 Tulane\u2026 and the jazz musician era (plus Katrina on day one)<\/p>\n<p>00:11:08 \u2013 00:12:46 \u2014 South Texas Law: dreams of entertainment law die in Contracts I<\/p>\n<p>00:12:46 \u2013 00:15:29 \u2014 Mock trial war stories: Golden Gate tandem bike terror + \u201cthey changed the rules after us\u201d<\/p>\n<p>00:15:29 \u2013 00:18:02 \u2014 The mock trial culture: training under pressure (and sometimes with a hangover)<\/p>\n<p>00:18:02 \u2013 00:20:06 \u2014 DA\u2019s Office stint (about 20 months) + the brutal elevator moment with Rusty Hardin<\/p>\n<p>00:20:06 \u2013 00:22:23 \u2014 Working for Dan Cogdell: mentorship, white collar exposure, and leveling up fast<\/p>\n<p>00:22:23 \u2013 00:27:14 \u2014 The turning point: in-flight engine fire, a stranger\u2019s prayer, and Cordt\u2019s realization about prosecutorial impact<\/p>\n<p>00:27:14 \u2013 00:29:22 \u2014 \u201cHow do you teach young prosecutors emotional intelligence?\u201d + the ego vs. justice conflict<\/p>\n<p>00:29:22 \u2013 00:33:51 \u2014 Leaving Dan\u2019s shop: taking the \u201ctake over the muffler repair center\u201d option and building his own lane<\/p>\n<p>00:36:01 \u2013 00:37:08 \u2014 Two major acquittals this year: murder case + public corruption case<\/p>\n<p>00:37:08 \u2013 00:41:53 \u2014 San Jacinto County murder trial breakdown: alleged facts, accident defense, and the emotional verdict moment<\/p>\n<p>00:42:10 \u2013 00:44:12 \u2014 The \u201cweird\u201d public corruption case: daring the State to call the defendant first\u2026 and it backfiring on them<\/p>\n<p>00:44:12 \u2013 00:45:24 \u2014 Why he usually doesn\u2019t talk to juries afterward (and a wild \u201cwe thought you were fake\u201d jury comment)<\/p>\n<p>00:47:44 \u2013 00:50:34 \u2014 Where the DA\u2019s office and federal prosecution are headed + why white collar cases feel like they\u2019re dwindling<\/p>\n<p>00:52:16 \u2013 00:55:30 \u2014 Wrap-up: possible Father\u2019s Day episode with Brock, where to find Cordt (acresfirm.com), and final laughs<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-dirty-verdict","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.7.1 (Yoast SEO v28.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>S4 Eps 5: Cordt Akers Interview | Herbert Trial Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.herberttrial.com\/es\/s4-eps-5-cordt-akers-interview\/\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"S4 Eps 5: Cordt Akers Interview | Herbert Trial 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