{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"S3 Eps 28: Imrana Manzanares from Nurse to PI Attorney","description":"Mediator Peter Taaffe and trial lawyer Kyle Herbert host a \u201cdiet\u201d edition of The Dirty Verdict with a powerhouse guest: Imrana Manzanares, former ICU nurse turned trial lawyer at Abraham Watkins. Imrana walks through her journey from the Texas Medical Center to the courtroom, what it\u2019s really like doing ICU nursing in Houston, how she pivoted into law school, and how her medical background gives her a serious edge in personal injury cases. She also opens up about raising kids while building a career, surviving floods and tornadoes at the firm\u2019s iconic building, and why yoga and fitness are non-negotiables for lawyers\u2019 mental health. Episode Highlights & Timestamps 00:00:40 \u2013 \u201cDiet Dirty Verdict\u201d intro Peter and Kyle kick off a slimmed-down episode, joke about hot yoga, matcha, and introduce guest trial lawyer and former nurse Imrana Manzanares. 01:27 \u2013 From ICU nurse to medicine snob Imrana talks about working as an ICU nurse at St. Luke\u2019s and Methodist in the Texas Medical Center, handling pulmonary and surgical ICU patients, and seeing world-class care up close. 03:07 \u2013 Growing up in Houston & education path She shares about growing up in Alief, moving to Sugar Land, bouncing between Second Baptist and Hastings, then heading to UH, UTB for nursing, a psychology degree, and finally law school at Thurgood Marshall (TSU). 05:04 \u2013 The pivot from nursing to law Imrana explains how she knew bedside ICU nursing wasn\u2019t a lifelong fit, looked at NP and MBA programs, then on a whim took the LSAT, earned a scholarship to TSU, and followed that door when it opened. 07:26 \u2013 Moving to LA, graduating early & joining Abraham Watkins She describes finishing law school in 2.5 years to join her husband in Los Angeles, coming back to Houston during the 2009 recession, and landing at Abraham Watkins after a Christmas party invite\u2014and staying for 16 years. 09:12 \u2013 Building a career while raising young kids Imrana talks about starting at the firm with a toddler, getting pregnant with her son, and how the firm let her work 9\u20133 for years so her career could grow alongside her children. 10:22 \u2013 Teenagers, growth spurts & mom life She shares where her kids are now (15 and 17), the 4.5" summer growth spurt, and a moment when her son officially became taller than her. 11:29 \u2013 Husband the builder: arenas, rails, and high-rises Imrana explains her husband\u2019s career building major projects like the Spurs\u2019 arena, convention centers, the Houston light rail, and a downtown LA high-rise that once housed Soulja Boy. 13:16 \u2013 Leaving the bedside & how hard ICU really is She opens up about why she didn\u2019t want to stay at the bedside forever, how emotionally and physically brutal ICU work can be, and why we should be grateful for doctors and nurses. 15:21 \u2013 Medical background as a superpower in PI Imrana and the hosts dive into how her nursing background helps her read records, understand medical jargon, and go toe-to-toe with medical experts in depositions. 16:35 \u2013 Translating doctor\/nurse shorthand She explains how she can \u201cread between the lines\u201d in nurses\u2019 notes and build a more accurate damages model from medical records. 19:10 \u2013 The brutal reality of med-mal in Texas Imrana breaks down why she mostly moved away from medical malpractice: tort reform, causation fights, non-economic caps that haven\u2019t budged in 20+ years, and why most med-mal cases just don\u2019t make economic sense anymore. 22:03 \u2013 Steering the kids: engineering & debate team She talks about guiding her daughter toward chemical engineering and her son toward law via debate, plus a hilarious \u201cllama haircut vs. Sephora products\u201d argument that shows how sharp he is. 24:26 \u2013 Work\u2013life balance, networking & \u201clady who lunches\u201d Imrana explains learning the importance of networking in law (vs. healthcare), juggling lunches, happy hours, mom life, and why her supportive husband and family make it possible. 27:18 \u2013 Flexible schedules & long-term loyalty She describes how being allowed to work part-time created a win-win: she stayed present for her kids and the firm gained a long-term, loyal trial lawyer. 28:21 \u2013 Post-Covid remote work & opportunity for women lawyers Imrana shares why she thinks Covid changed the game\u2014Zoom, remote work, and how a little flexibility can unlock huge value from talented moms and caregivers. 30:02 \u2013 Floods, tornadoes & the legendary Abraham Watkins building The crew recaps multiple floods at the downtown building, converting the flooded first floor into a parking garage, then getting hit by a tornado, and plans for a new three-story expansion. 32:59 \u2013 Memorable Metro bus case Imrana talks about a tough case against Metro involving a pedestrian client and disputed liability, how many lawyers turned it down, and how she fought through video and liability issues to get a meaningful result. 42:15 \u2013 Premises tragedies: manhole death & gym shooting She walks through two heartbreaking cases: A woman found in an uncovered, brush-covered manhole behind her home A man randomly shot in the back of the head at a gym and how premises liability is often brutally hard when third-party crime is involved. 45:00 \u2013 Dump truck crash & finding extra coverage With only a $500k CSL policy and ten claimants, Imrana dug deeper, discovered the dump truck was overloaded, and brought in another responsible party with more coverage to get a better outcome. 48:08 \u2013 Gas explosion wrongful death case She describes a Dallas-area home gas explosion case where her client was severely burned and later died, litigating against the gas company, and working with experienced explosion lawyers to resolve it. 53:59 \u2013 Growth & diversity at Abraham Watkins Imrana reflects on the firm\u2019s evolution\u2014from an older, mostly male shop to ~30 lawyers, a fully diverse roster, and expansion that just keeps filling up. 55:25 \u2013 Covid productivity, Zoom practice & remote staff The team talks about how much work they got done during Covid, how Zoom changed depositions and hearings, and how remote work lets them keep talented staff who move or need flexibility. 57:32 \u2013 Yoga, Peloton & staying healthy as a lawyer Imrana shares how she transitioned from running to yoga in 2017, why yoga is her \u201cend-of-day massage\u201d for desk-job shoulders, uses Peloton and yoga apps, and the importance of movement as lawyers age. 58:56 \u2013 Yoga culture, crowded studios & Black Swan shout-out They trade stories about sweaty, mat-to-mat classes, shirt-on vs. shirt-off yoga guys, and Imrana shouts out Black Swan Yoga and her favorite studios. 1:07:18 \u2013 Final takeaways: second careers, flexible firms, and move your body Peter recaps the themes: law as a powerful second career, firms embracing flexible schedules, and the importance of exercise. Imrana closes with her \u201cnurse attorney\u201d perspective on why working out, not self-medicating, is critical for lawyers\u2019 mental health. 1:08:52 \u2013 Outro & where to follow The Dirty Verdict team signs off and reminds listeners to follow and subscribe on Instagram, Spotify, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TikTok, Facebook, and more. ","author_name":"The Dirty Verdict","author_url":"https:\/\/www.herberttrial.com\/the-dirty-verdict\/","html":"