Lawyers are sharing their takes and reacting live to Gwyneth Paltrow's ski trial, drawing in thousands of viewers on YouTube and TikTok

• Legal experts are watching Gwenyth Paltrow's ski accident trial and sharing their takes online.
• Videos where they analyze statements by the actor and her legal team are thriving on social media.
• Viewers tune in for explainer videos on the trial as well as special insights they may have missed.

Legal experts are sharing their hot takes and professional insights on Gwyneth Paltrow's ski trial, posting their thoughts to fans on social media, where hoards of viewers tuning in.

Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old military veteran and retired optometrist, is suing the actor and Goop CEO, seeking $3 million in damages in relation to a crash that occurred in 2016 on a beginner ski slope at Deer Valley Resort in Utah. He alleges Paltrow crashed into him causing him to sustain four broken ribs and a traumatic brain injury. Paltrow has countersued for $1, alleging it was Sanderson who caused the crash.

As clips of the ongoing trial go viral on social media, multiple lawyers have capitalized on the courtroom drama by providing explainer videos of the unfolding events, breakdowns of the potential costs involved, and reactions to the testimonies.

Lawyers with a social media presence are capitalizing on the interest in the high-profile trial

Social media accounts belonging to attorneys who share their legal expertise with followers have become increasingly common in recent years.

While many have loyal followings, celebrity trials offer a unique opportunity for growth. During the Depp v Heard trial in 2022, a number of lawyers who streamed their live commentary of the case saw a surge in subscribers and income. Many of these creators, such as former prosecutor Emily D. Baker and practicing attorney Alina Mazeika (known as LegalBytes on YouTube) are adopting a similar strategy with the Paltrow trial, reacting in real-time as the case unfolds, drawing in tens of thousands of viewers by opining on legal strategy and analyzing testimony.

Florida-based personal injury attorney Peter Tragos, who goes by LawyerYouKnow on YouTube where he has over 214,000 subscribers, has also been reacting to the trial. In a particularly meta video posted on March 29, he reacted to an interview with Camille Vasquez — who represented Johnny Depp in his civil trial against Amber Heard — in which Vasquez was in turn reacting to Paltrow's trial. 

The video received over 50,000 views and hundreds of comments from viewers many of whom said they were watching along via YouTube lawyers' livestreams.

And it's not just YouTubers who are commentating on the trial. On TikTok, the hashtag #GwynethPaltrowTrial currently has over 76.6 million views, and many videos showing trial clips posted by creators with no apparent legal background are gaining millions of views. Now, lawyers are weighing in too.

Utah-based personal injury lawyer Jill Coil was featured in a video posted to her law firm's TikTok account, Moxie Law, just before the trial started, explaining the background to the suit. It received over 370,000 views, making it the account's most popular video to date by far. In the 10 days following, Coil filmed seven more videos about the case received over 50,000 views combined, including her thoughts on how well Paltrow's testimony went and predictions for the verdict.

Social media has been captivated by various clips from the trial, particularly of Paltrow herself

When Paltrow took the stand, many more TikTok lawyers began to react to the clips, including Florida-based attorney Sara Singer, who goes by @FloridaDivorceLawyer on TikTok, former lawyer turned makeup artist Brandis Bradley, and Minnesota criminal defense attorney Bruce Rivers.

Her testimony has become a huge point of interest for viewers, partly for the absurdity of certain moments, which have circulated on social media.

Instead of drinking tap water from a paper cup as Bradley advised on TikTok, Paltrow drank what appeared to be $40 sparkling water from a glass bottle and showed up to court with a $250 notebook. 

Viewers across TikTok dually mocked or applauded Paltrow for "out of touch" comments.

In one infamous clip, attorney Kristin VanOrma, who's representing Sanderson, asked Paltrow about how the accident had prevented her from enjoying a very expensive vacation. "Well, I lost half a day of skiing," Paltrow responded.

While some find such clips and Paltrow's $9,000 ski lessons irritating, others have applauded Paltrow's apparent disinterest in trying to play the relatable every-man.

The trial began on March 21, and was scheduled to last eight days. Lawyers began delivering closing arguments on March 30.

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