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About Judd

From Law Firm Mascot to Children’s Picture Books

Hey there, I’m Judd Shaw visionary keynote speaker, award-winning author, agent of change, serial entrepreneur, lawyer, and CEO of Judd Shaw Injury Law. I’d like to share a little story about how a simple idea blossomed into the world of Sterling the Knight.

It all started unexpectedly with my law firm’s mascot in the policy handbook. Wanting to make it more engaging—because, let’s face it, who reads those things?—I decided to infuse a bit of magic into it.

Our firm’s mascot, Sterling The Knight, became the star of a short story illustrating our core value: be a knight in shining armor.

With a knight at the ready, we needed an adversary—who better than a dragon? Thanks to one of our creative attorneys, a dragon naming contest at the firm brought us Nugget. The plot thickened as my son, Jack, and I laid down the building blocks of our tale. During these precious moments with Jack, Sterling’s journey was sketched out—a young boy dreaming of knighthood who finds a dragon in distress rather than a foe to defeat.

What began as an engaging addition to our handbook became much more. Someone close to me suggested that Sterling’s story had the makings of a children’s book. I laughed off the idea initially, but they’d planted the seed. During my personal transformation journey—what I like to call going from Judd 1.0 to Judd 2.0—I discovered the healing power of creativity. I decided to turn that short story into a full-fledged children’s book.

That decision led me to Marietta, a wonderfully talented illustrator whose drawings brought the world of Sterling to vibrant life. Today, Sterling The Knight is not just a series of fun books for kindergartners to second grade but a gateway to fostering social and emotional development in children. It’s amazing how a project meant to engage new hires ended up engaging young minds everywhere!

These are the books I wish I had when I was raising young children and struggling to teach them the critical emotional intelligence skills that I knew they needed (and that I am only learning now). Yes, these are fun books for kindergarteners and beyond. More than that, they are an invitation for connection and closeness with your kids—and an opportunity to refine your skills.

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Why I Wrote This
Book Series

Aside from the wild inception of this series, I wrote this book series because it is what I would have loved when my kids were young—when I knew the importance of social-emotional skills but had no clue how to connect to emotions myself, let alone how to teach my kids these skills. I wish all parents the path of authenticity for themselves and their children.

“Feelings help us communicate to ourselves and others what we’re feeling. And your feelings matter.”

—Judd Shaw, Author

I hope these fun books for kindergartners to second grade provide opportunities for teaching empathy, emotional expression, and deep connection.

FOR PARENTS    FOR EDUCATORS

Sterling the Knight & Nugget the Dragon Sterling the Knight and the Slonefall Tournament Sterling the Knight & the Magic Connection

Judd Shaw Injury Law Logo

Sterling the Knight wasn’t always a knight. He was just a boy with a big heart who helped Nugget the dragon when he was injured—then found purpose and joy in weaving understanding and empathy in the world around him. Just like Sterling, Judd Shaw Injury Law helps people who are injured, suffering, and treated unjustly. We bring about fairness and aim for justice for our clients who often experience insurmountable odds against bullies and giants with far more resources. For both Judd and Sterling, it was a dream to grow up to be a knight and help others.

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