Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Lawyers are pretty good at keeping our guards up—especially when it comes to the hard, messy, personal stuff. So, what happens when we let those guards down and share those stories with one another? This week, Stephanie tackles that issue and more with Sarah Soucie Eyberg, co-author of the new book Law Moms: Juggling Motherhood, Ambition and Personal Fulfillment. Links from the episode: Check out Sarah's Book-Law Moms Lawyerist listeners can get special pricing with Pilot! If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An appeal to common sense is denied. ----- You might have thought flying a flag upside after January 6 would be the only "Sam Alito w/10 flag" story of the week, but you'd be wrong. The justice followed it up with another flag tied to the riots and got appropriately roasted over it all by Elena Kagan. Biglaw always paid well, but with partners crossing the $20 million compensation barrier, the structure of Biglaw inevitably shifts to accommodate the new normal. And a law school deals with the most avoidable cheating scandal ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Networking is something that comes naturally to some people. But if the idea of talking to strangers makes you break out into a cold sweat, there’s help and hope, says Deb Feder, author of the book After Hello: How to Build a Book of Business, One Conversation at a Time. “You have picked a profession that is never finished meeting people,” Feder writes of lawyers. A practicing lawyer for many years, Feder now works as a business development coach. In this episode of The Modern Law Library, Feder explains to the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles that her goal is to help attorneys have “curious, confident conversations.” They discuss conversation stoppers v. conversation starters; how not to panic when targeting the “cool client”; and how young attorneys can get past “the kids table.” Lining up a roster of ideal clients doesn’t start at cocktail party mingling, Feder warns. A key to building relationships with the clients you actually want to work with lies in identifying what legal work you’re looking to do, and that requires some inner work. It also involves owning your value, Feder says, and she shares a story about how a partner in her firm impressed that lesson on her when she was a young attorney. In After Hello, she says she meets people who feel too overwhelmed by keeping up with their legal work and personal lives to contemplate business development. “How do you balance the chaos of the day and allow technology to be the support and solution, rather than part of the challenge; how do you let it serve, not destroy you?” Feder asks. She lays out strategies to organize and cope, including how to stop letting your email inbox overwhelm you. Feder and Rawles also discuss After Hello’s “30 Conversations in 30 Days Challenge” and the most common mistakes Feder sees lawyers making on LinkedIn." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you are in trial, your support staff can and should be doing more than just ordering lunch. Hear how the Simon Law Firm staff handles logistics and builds valuable rapport with courtroom staff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guests from a successful St. Louis collaboration discuss Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s (LSEM) Neighborhood Advocacy Program on Talk Justice. There are 24,000 vacancies and abandoned properties in St. Louis. LSEM was inspired by Legal Aid of Western Missouri’s Adopt-a-Neighborhood program in Kansas City to start their own revitalization project. In 2018, they launched the Neighborhood Advocacy Program to start tackling the legal problems that create lingering neighborhood blight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest Charlène Gisèle is a former big-firm litigator turned professional high-performance coach. This show is about you. It’s about you being your best, taking better care of you, and avoiding burnout and other health issues. It’s no secret, the legal profession is a field filled with stress. Deadlines, precision, scheduling, marketing, and running a business. It’s a lot for anyone to handle. Gisèle helps her clients improve their well-being, increase productivity, and maintain a sustainable practice. It’s great to set goals, even ambitious goals, at the start of every new year. But don’t forget to take a moment to make a plan for yourself and how you’ll keep going, day after day, with so much weight on your shoulders. Hear how Gisèle used her own experience and a lot of professional research and training to develop a coaching method that helps stressed professionals enjoy their life and stay healthy. “You can have all the success in the world,” she says, “but if you’re not going to be around to see it, how much success is that truly going to be?” Do you feel stressed? Exhausted? Isolated? Do you know the symptoms of burnout? This is a podcast for you. You are not alone. Mentioned in This Episode: Charlène Gisèle's Podcast E-book, “Breathwork For Cognitive Performance,” by Charlène Gisèle “Burn-Out An ‘Occupational Phenomenon:’ International Classification Of Diseases,” World Health Organization Join The Un-Billable Hour Community Table Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Under the 14th Amendment, "No state shall...deprive any person of...property, without due process of law." This principle was at the heart of the matter of the 2023 Supreme Court case of Culley v. Marshall, in which two women had respectively loaned their cars to others only to have the cars seized under an Alabama civil forfeiture law following each lendee's arrest for drug offenses. The petitioners claimed that, absent a preliminary hearing, their 14th Amendment rights had been violated. Justice Kavanagh wrote for the majority stating that “In civil forfeiture cases, the Due Process Clause requires a timely forfeiture hearing, but does not require a separate preliminary hearing.” In this episode, Craig is joined by Attorney Kirby Thomas West from the Institute for Justice to discuss the recent SCOTUS decision in Culley v. Marshall. Craig & Kirby spotlight civil forfeiture and the potential impact of this ruling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, author and speaker Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., discusses how to handle stress and break the burnout cycle in your personal and professional life. Links from the episode: Check out Rocket Matter: modern legal software for busy lawyers Burnout by Emily Nagoski If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a new lawyer, have you ever considered a career in government oversight? It’s a broad, important field that ensures a wide range of agencies work as designed while protecting public funds and interests. Guest Lucy Lang is a former prosecutor now serving as the New York Inspector General. She is charged with overseeing investigations into corruption, fraud, and abuse in the New York State government (more than 100 agencies) and has been a steady advocate of criminal justice reform. Lang shares her path and passion in this inspiring episode of Young Lawyer Rising. The complex nature of Lang’s work depends heavily on her ability to lead, a skill she had to learn on her own and is now pressing the legal education field to include in law school curriculum. Seeking out mentors, learning on the job, and taking on new challenges were all part of her career growth. “If not you, then who,” she asks. “Be brave; take the bull by the horns.” Get an inside look at the workings of government oversight, the value of public service, untangling difficult ethical decisions, and making a positive difference through leadership. It could be just what you need to help you take your next, bold step. Resources: New York Offices of the Inspector General New York State Offices of the Inspector General, Job Postings Lucy Lang, Wikipedia “Lucy Lang ’06: An Advocate for Criminal Justice Reform and Government Integrity,” Columbia University News Lucy Lang, Selected Publications “New York State Inspector General Report Finds Persistent Racial Disparities in Discipline Within New York State Prisons” “NYS Parks Employee Pleads Guilty to Official Misconduct” New York State government oversight hotline: 1-800-DO RIGHT New York Offices of the Inspector General on Twitter/X ABA Section of State and Local Government Law American Bar Association American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When forensic evidence gets it wrong, how do we free the innocent? ----- In our history of criminal prosecutions, some types of evidence ended up being unreliable. Forensic sciences like bite-mark identification, arson investigations, and shaken baby syndrome sent many innocent people to prison. So where does that leave us? How do we make it right? Lindsay Herf, executive director for the Arizona Justice Project joins host Michael Semanchik to discuss junk science and ways to protect innocent people. Special thanks to our sponsor Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jared kicks it off by exploring the biggest players in productivity software you should be using, well, be more productive. But no productivity suite is perfect. So, get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each so you can make the right choice for you. Then, back in the day, lawyers often got their IT services from some independent techie who took care of stuff on an as-needed basis, but that sort of break/fix model is problematic if your tech strategy is only reactive instead of proactive. Jared talks with Michael Doherty about what it looks like for lawyers to engage IT services through a managed service provider (MSP). Michael walks attorneys through modern realities and ethics for technology use in their law firms and the potential for better outcomes when working with an MSP. Later on—the Rump Roast, of course! The guys play “Hard Choices”, where Jared poses difficult Boston-themed scenarios and Michael must educate the masses on what a true Bostonian would do. ----- Let's keep this Boston train going. Next stop: some of Boston's greatest musical hits. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Take a Ride With Me by The Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now, this is a story all about how Sam Alito's wife got flipped-turned upside down. ----- Sam Alito flew his flag upside down in the aftermath of the insurrection. He doesn't deny that, but he blames his wife for it. Dames, amirite? Aside from the obvious ethical issues implicated by having a Supreme Court justice visibly light in the "defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic" department, why is Alito so objectively bad at responding to his scandals? Next thing you know, he'll be blaming her for the Dobbs leak too. Meanwhile the California bar exam is running into bankruptcy and rather than address the problem, the State Bar is just gonna kick the can further down the road. And Elon Musk's lawyers again earn their reputation as the gang that can't shoot straight, managing to Streisand Effect a dispute with a Delaware law expert by threatening to fire a Biglaw firm if the professor filed his brief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you hear all this talk about how lawyers can use an assistant but worry it will never work for you? In this episode, Stephanie talks with law firm owner Robyn Christo, law firm owner, and Raquel Gomes, Stafi founder. Hear about Robyn’s experience hiring her first virtual assistant from Stafi and finally delegating her inbox to someone else! It can be done! Links from the episode: Visit Stafi and get $500 off with code Lawyerist! If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems like every time that there’s a major disruption or event that threatens to upend the legal industry, it spells doom for the billable hour. But that could be more out of hope than anything else. The billable hour survived the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, despite many people thinking—or maybe wishing—that it wouldn’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You want to help that friend of a friend with their minor auto accident settlement, but taking the case is not a good business decision. However, there are things you can do to extend goodwill and validate the referral…tune in for our tips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you have a DIY approach to your law firm marketing or an in-house team at your beck and call, you really should be using the top tools of the trade, and Gyi and Conrad share just what you need! But first—many, many SEOs preach that you should keep ALL your old content… but we’re pretty sure you really need to toss the majority of that bulk overboard. Is your website riding a bit low in the water? We keep hearing marketers say that your old content is some sort of treasure trove, but, more likely, it’s just outdated junk that needs to be jettisoned—quickly. Clearing things out can make more valuable content perform better, and Gyi and Conrad lay out how to decide what should stay and what should go. Next, the list you’ve always needed to fill up your marketing toolbox! Depending on your approach and resources, the guys outline three different lists of essential tools to help you hone your marketing tactics. Total Beginner - The DIY Lawyer’s Marketing Tools Google Searches Meta’s Ad Library Google Maps CallRail Camera Microphone - SM58, MV7, or similar. Intermediate Tools - For the Those With Growing Expertise Local SEO Tools: Local Falcon, BrightLocal, Whitespark, or Places Scout. Intake Management Software: Clio Grow, Lawmatics, Litify, Lead Docket, etc. A Link Index Tool: Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz Advanced Tools - for the Seasoned Pro, Marketing Directors, SEO Leads, and the Like! Screaming Frog The News: Google I/O 2024 (their developer conference) just wrapped up, so what’s gonna be happening with the latest in the search realm? Google is adding more AI to its search results | TechCrunch and Generative AI in Search: Let Google do the searching for you. ChapGPT 4.0 (Omni) is now available, and we’re all just still hoping AI isn’t going to eventually kill us all: Hello GPT-4o | OpenAI LSA now means Let’s Screw Attorneys — So, should you play the game or just quit now? Thanks? We got a blog award: The 16 Best Legal Marketing Podcasts Of 2024 Gyi and Conrad will both be participating in the Law Firm Growth Summit from May 21-23. And, LocalU Detroit is coming up on June 24th! Mentioned in this Episode: The Bite - Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Newsletter! Leave Us an Apple Review Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on YouTube Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being a lawyer involves constant pressure and stress. It’s a profession filled with challenges—everything from demanding partners and tight deadlines to adverse rulings and deadbeat clients. It’s enough to wear down anyone. Guest Erin Clifford is a partner and director of marketing and business development at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago. And she’s also a trained and nationally certified counselor and wellness coach, helping professionals create and maintain healthy lifestyles. As a lawyer, she knows all about stress. As a counselor, she knows the importance of mental and physical well-being. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed can lead to health problems and even substance abuse. It’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole at the cost of simply living a happy, healthy life. Hear Clifford’s tips for improving your outlook, enjoying happy moments, and creating time for yourself and the things that make you happy. Though we sometimes lose sight of it, we are all much more than our law practice. Do you know the signs of chronic stress and stress-related illnesses? Learn how to build resilience, set aside stress, and live a healthier life. Be kind to yourself. Resources: “Setting Boundaries Can Lead to a Happier, Healthier, and Wealthier Life,” by Erin Clifford, American Bar Association American Bar Association American Bar Association Litigation Section Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Madiba K. Dennie is an attorney, columnist, author, and professor whose work focuses on fostering an equitable multiracial democracy. Dennie is the author of The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back. She currently serves as Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes. As counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, she addressed democracy issues involving the census, the courts, and attempts to disempower communities of color. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Alex Sanfilippo, founder of Podmatch.com, joins me to discuss strategies for leveraging podcasts effectively, especially for law firms seeking to become authoritative resources in their niche. He talks about the significance of podcasting in marketing strategies, emphasizing consistency, niche targeting, and value addition over pursuing ad revenue or broad listener demographics. Alex also highlights the importance of simple, actionable calls to action and engaging content that establishes a firm's authority. The episode includes insights on monitoring success metrics beyond traditional analytics, making it a must-listen for law firms aiming to optimize their podcasting efforts. Alex gives listeners actionable tips on: 01:19 Exploring the Potential of Law Firm Podcasts 02:11 The Evolution of Podcasting Post-Pandemic 03:04 Understanding Podcast Statistics and Trends 04:56 The Importance of Staying Active and Niche in Podcasting 06:11 Measuring Success in Podcasting Beyond Ad Revenue 10:41 Maximizing Podcast Impact with Authenticity and Simplicity 16:27 Effective Calls to Action in Podcasting 19:26 Unlocking Podcast Potential: Free Resources and Quick Wins 19:55 Creative Lead Magnets: Beyond the Call to Action 20:58 Innovative Engagement: The Power of Quizzes in Marketing 25:20 Establishing Authority and Consistency in Marketing 26:04 The Key to Success: Consistency in Podcasting 26:50 Navigating the Marketing Landscape: Avoiding the Viral Trap 29:54 Continuous Improvement: The Secret Sauce of Successful Marketing 31:58 Book Recommendation 36:42 Tips for getting those impactful interviews 39:00 One thing that works Resources mentioned in this episode: The Practice by Seth Godin Connect with Alex here: https://www.facebook.com/PodMatchOfficial/ https://www.instagram.com/podmatch_com/ https://twitter.com/PodMatch_com https://www.linkedin.com/company/podmatch/ https://www.youtube.com/@PodMatch_com https://www.pinterest.ca/podmatch/ https://www.tiktok.com/@podmatch_com https://podmatch.com/ Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For tech trends from an in-house perspective, Dennis and Tom welcome Dennis Garcia of Microsoft to their Fresh Voices series. In-house teams are riding the new wave of AI technologies along with the rest of us, but there are unique aspects to their roles in the legal world. Dennis Garcia discusses his team’s approach to AI and other emerging tools, ethical responsibilities for tech competence, collaboration in legal tech, and much more. As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions. Links Mentioned: Microsoft Teams Microsoft SharePoint LinkedIn Microsoft Copilot Show Notes - Kennedy-Mighell Report #365 A Segment: Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Dennis Garcia https://www.linkedin.com/in/denniscgarcia/ B Segment: Continued conversation with Dennis Garcia Parting Shots: Anker 555 USB-C Hub https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087QZVQJX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 Gaiatop USB Desk Fan https://www.amazon.com/Gaiatop-Portable-Airflow-Personal-Cooling/dp/B0BWDHVW9X/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest Shelly A. Walker has enjoyed a career spanning nearly three decades of perpetual growth and advancement. Hear how she learned to move forward with every step, up to her current position as regional office administrator and paralegal manager for a large law firm. Successful careers in the paralegal profession don’t just happen. It takes work, ambition, and drive. Preparation creates opportunity. Walker took advantage of every chance to learn and advance. The paralegal profession never stands still, and Walker explains how seizing opportunities to build skills advanced her career. One example is how she recognized the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and helped her firm create a DEI committee, which she went on to lead. She encourages today’s up and coming paralegals to understand their worth and show initiative. Speak up with confidence at your organization and demonstrate your value with everything you do. If you’re looking for advice on advancing your career, this episode offers valuable tips. Step up, stand out, and succeed. If you have insights you’d like to share or a topic you’d like us to take on, please send us a note at [email protected] and [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zack talks with Lab Coach Chad Fox about how developing law firm processes can build value for a practice. They specifically discuss how his experience in franchises showed him that the difference between success and failure can often be as simple as creating and abiding by standard operating procedures. Links from the episode: Check out and register for LabCon 2024! CosmoLex: Complete Legal Practice Management for Modern Law Firms If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From COVID-19 response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the results of 50 states having individual approaches to public health, medical outcomes and healthcare access raise troubling questions. A husband-and-wife team of University of Utah professors dig into the ethics of the American healthcare system in States of Health: The Ethics and Consequences of Policy Variation in a Federal System. Leslie P. Francis is a professor of law and philosophy with a background in bioethics, and John G. Francis is a professor of political science with a focus on European comparative politics, federalism and comparative regulatory policy. The spouses had partnered on three previous books together. When looking for their next project, they decided to examine the consequences of states opting out of Medicaid expansion and what power federalism could have in protecting American citizens’ health. But soon more news events and landmark cases expanded their focus. The result is States of Health. The book examines the tensions between state and federal powers in a number of areas, including reproductive rights; gender-affirming care; medical marijuana; public health and pandemics; right-to-try laws; patient confidentiality; and care quality and life expectancies. In this episode of The Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles speaks with the Francises about their collaborative writing process, and what conclusions they have drawn about the benefits of federalism and states’ rights. The Francises argue that since it is the federal government that determines citizenship and census decisions, state differences go too far when they make “basic decisions about who counts at all, and what it means to count.” They add, “Movement is a critical aspect of who counts: the ability to come and go, or to leave one state more permanently for another.” The Francises argue that freedom of movement for the purpose of medical treatment is crucial for patients, but also point out when states control licensure for medical providers, that too can restrict freedom of movement. The value of 50 individual laboratories of democracy can be appealing to a scientific mind. But at what point can it be argued in the healthcare space that a federal government needs to step in, if the outcomes in some of those laboratories are decreased lifespans and higher mortality? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump's attorneys seems as asleep at the switch as their client. ----- Having called Stormy Daniels a liar repeatedly in its opening, the Trump defense team was then shocked and appalled that the prosecution elicited testimony to rehabilitate her credibility. The hits didn't stop there as they attempted to get out of the mess they'd landed in by sex shaming someone whose sexuality is their whole business. Trump lawyers do a lot better when the judge is running their defense. Meanwhile, an organization moved to preemptively pare down Trump's SCOTUS shortlist to the least qualified, worst behaved candidates and its been a very Ponzi-rific week for one Biglaw firm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does your support staff see the big picture or are they trapped in old ruts? The Simon Law Firm support team discusses the importance of empowerment, autonomy and trust when organizing details and logistics for trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table: Who should a solo attorney hire first? You’re building your firm. Who’s the next person you add to add (and you want avoid the wrong hire)? For starters, what do you need? Where are you wasting time? From there, “hiring is marketing,” it’s crucial you attract the largest pool of great candidates. How do you prepare a job candidate for your hiring process? Start by being transparent. It’s that easy. “Hey, here’s our process, it may be different from what you’ve done before.” The important thing is to find what’s not only right for you, but what’s right for the new hire. And if they start by questioning your process, move on. How do you introduce your “second in command” to your team? Maybe that’s the wrong question. “Second” in command suggests you still want people to report to you. You don’t. The whole idea is to offload daily decisions so you can focus on strategy and bigger things. There’s no “second in command,” there’s the “here’s the new person in charge for all of you.” Your language can sabotage your intentions. Mentioned in This Episode: “Who: The A Method for Hiring,” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street “Hamlet Was Wrong,” a transcript, from Malcolm Gladwell discusses “hiring nihilism” Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal tech experts discuss their research and experiments with generative artificial intelligence (AI) for legal services on Talk Justice. Executive Director of the Legal Design Lab Margaret Hagan talks about her research into whether AI is worth the hype for access to justice. Lawyer and NYU professor Sateesh Nori shares his experience with utilizing AI for housing legal services. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal practice can be stressful, and it is all too common to go through difficult seasons which, in turn, lead to negative impacts on our overall wellbeing. But, there are ways to equip lawyers with the skills to mindfully combat this tendency. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Laura Kelly about strategies for managing your mindset and finding joy and balance in your life. Laura shares stories from her own life and her experiences as a coach to help attorneys implement healthy practices that promote wellbeing both at work and at home. Laura F. Kelley is the founder of LFK Immigration PA, a comprehensive immigration firm based in Doral, FL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April of 2024, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency recently announced that they are proceeding with reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group which includes heroin, LSD, quaaludes and ecstasy to “Schedule III” which includes ketamine and some anabolic steroids. In this episode, Craig is joined by professor Robert Mikos from Vanderbilt University Law School to discuss the proposed reclassification of marijuana. Craig & Rob take a look at the history of the war on drugs, cannabis law, and what constitutional right an individual has when it comes to drug use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI’s prime directive is to give you answers, buuuut… it might just be telling you what it thinks you want to hear—with no concern over providing actual verifiable facts. This issue (and oodles of others) have initiated a trickle of case law/guidance/opinions/etc. in the legal AI scene, and you, dear lawyer, want to be on the right side of legal ethics on this one. Jared breaks down the latest developments on this topic to give you a better understanding of where things are headed. Next, some of us are, admittedly, BS-ing our way through all this AI stuff, but Josh Noffke really and truly uses AI as much as he possibly can in his law firm. Since the rest of us are still muddling through, Jared welcomes Josh to give attorneys tool recommendations and pointers on use-cases for AI in their law firms. Later, it turns out that Josh played as a walk-on for the University of Michigan’s football team, so the Rump Roast is dedicated to team trivia! The guys play “Michigan Man” to test both Josh’s knowledge and reputation as a former Wolverine. Serious stuff. ----- Ah, Michigan. The the mitten shaped state that gave us Motown. ------ Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Renegade by The Revolution. Mentioned in This Episode: Notion Scribe Loom Videos Rocket Typist TextExpander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chicago Bar Association is celebrating 150 years of championing justice, building connections and making an impact in Chicago and beyond. In this episode, Trisha Rich talks with CBA's current President Ray Koenig III about the state of the organized bar today, the benefits of bar association involvement, and the CBA's 150th anniversary celebration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zack talks with lawyer and digital marketing guru, Seth Price, about the struggles of scaling a small law firm. They discuss how to think about hiring, growing, and investing in your own firm. Seth shares his own growing pains and discusses how he and his partner took Price Benowitz LLP from two to over forty lawyers in less than a decade. If you listen closely, you’ll also get some tips on how to use AI to help you hire the right person for the right job. Links from the episode: Lawyerist Complete Guides Check out NetDocuments! If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1980s and 1990s, Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) was a popular medical theory used to arrest and convict innocent parents of fatally abusing their children. Unknown at the time, this theory was severely scientifically flawed. Unfortunately, erroneous data collection led experts to believe certain brain injuries in children could only be the result of abusive shaking. What they didn’t realize was that those “signature” injuries could also be caused by short-falls and disease. It would take decades to unravel their blind faith in this junk science. It is unknown how many innocent parents remain behind bars for a crime they didn’t commit. Host Michael Semanchik is joined by Katherine Bonaguidi. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in Shaken Baby Syndrome. Formerly a staff attorney with the California Innocence Project, today she works as a San Diego County Public Defender. Special thanks to our sponsor Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump, Drake, And James Ho... punchlines write themselves. ----- Donald Trump's trial shenanigans continue. Is he going to violate the gag order again? It seems inevitable but... our prediction might shock you! But even if his unfiltered "Truthing" is behind him, there are so many other ways to show contempt of court. And a busy week in Morningside Heights as Columbia Law School students ask school to cancel exams in light of campus unrest, or at a minimum convert its optional pass/fail model to mandatory pass/fail to avoid placing a stigma on worried students. Then conservative judges announced a boycott of Columbia until their demands for "viewpoint diversity" are met. Also, small talk becomes big diss track talk as we devote a whole segment to Drake and Kendrick going to war and the legal implications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does success mean to you? Is it a monetary goal? A safe and comfortable home? Or simply the ability to shop at the “fancy” grocery store? Take a moment to re-evaluate your idea of personal success and give yourself some credit for your little successes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Y’know what’s super annoying?—Google thinking it was okay to just auto-enroll all LSA clients into their branded queries. Sheesh. Later, should we all be mourning the death of links for SEO (again)? ----- Google… someday, we’d really appreciate it if you stopped being so presumptuous. Listen up, business owners—Google’s auto-enrollment scheme in branded queries for LSAs might be leading you to spend money unnecessarily, but it’s all a little too murky to know what’s really happening. The good news is: you can opt out if you want to. The bad news is: the current data is so fuzzy that it’s pretty darn tough to tell whether opting out is the right move. Gyi and Conrad pick apart their findings thus far and offer insights into how to navigate these shifts in your LSAs. The Link is dead; long live the Link? A recent article headline caught our attention: Google Confirms Links Are Not That Important. Is this really true, though? Nah. Links may have decreased in significance in some ways, but they still absolutely have a place in the SEO kingdom, and Gyi and Conrad explain why. The News: Google just shared their Q1 earning call, and nearmedia.co has all the deets. Whaaaaa..?! Google Confirms Links Are Not That Important Google’s March 2024 Core Update Finished April 19th — Hopefully any turbulence you experienced has died down by now. Next, Google tests scan-to-call QR codes and extra images on sponsored ads. If you see one within the legal sphere, send it to us! For all 2 of you who needed to know, you can no longer manually update ads on Bing as of April 30th: Microsoft Ads to replace Manual CPC with Enhanced CPC by end of April Old news? The Federal Trade Commission Announces Proposed Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials. Somebody’s gonna get in big trouble, y’all; we’re looking at you Banana Slicer. Gyi and Conrad will both be participating in the Law Firm Growth Summit from May 21-23. And, LocalU Detroit is coming up on June 24th! Mentioned in this Episode: The Bite - Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Newsletter! Brand Conquesting: Dirty and Underhanded? || How would you spend $5000? - LHLM Episode Join us live for LHLM Office Hours on LinkedIn, May 17th. Leave Us an Apple Review Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on YouTube Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the Dobbs Supreme Court case was decided, we have gained a heightened awareness of the criminal laws surrounding pregnancies, including the decision to terminate one. But the criminalization of abortion isn’t a new post-Dobbs phenomenon. Women, especially women of color, have frequently faced punitive state laws regulating reproductive health. Dr. Michelle Goodwin, attorney, law professor, and author of Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood, joins SideBar to discuss her research into the long and continuing history of the government policing and criminalizing women’s reproductive health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Generative AI is everywhere, including inside many law practices, creating documents, analyzing data, researching, and creating content. But what happens when AI makes a mistake? Who’s liable? The implications could be enormous, are we may see a new wave of liability litigation. It’s a brave, new world without a lot of legal guardrails. There are existing, vague, nonspecific “tech” and business practice laws, then there emerging – AI specific – laws that aren’t backed by a lot of precedent from the courts. Privacy laws, data usage, intellectual property laws, even state and federal rulings, have created a jigsaw puzzle for lawyers to apply in the AI space. Guest Graham H. Ryan is an experienced litigator and an author and frequently quoted commentator on tech issues and the emergence of generative AI and its consequences. Ryan says it might help to look back to the “wild west” of the Internet’s earliest days and the infamous “Section 230” that has helped decide who’s liable for what when it comes to digital content. How far does Section 230 go when AI starts creating content instead of simply searching for it? And when does Congress get involved? Proceed with caution. Resources: International Association of Privacy Professionals, IAPP IAPP “AI Governance Global 2024” conference “The AI Industry Is Steaming Toward A Legal Iceberg,” Wall Street Journal quoting Graham Ryan Harvard Journal of Law and Technology “Department Of Justice’s Review Of Section 230 Of The Communications Decency Act Of 1996,” U.S. Dept. of Justice Moody v. NetChoice, LLC, via SCOTUSblog “Sanctions for Fake Generative AI Cites Harm Clients,” Bloomberg Law Analysis “The EU Artificial Intelligence Act” “Schumer Launches New Phase In Push For AI Bill,” Politico American Bar Association American Bar Association Litigation Section Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Erin Andrea Craske joins me to discuss the critical aspects of branding, emphasizing the common pitfalls businesses face in their branding strategies. She highlights the lack of engaging branding within the legal industry as a prime example of widespread branding issues. Erin stresses the importance of understanding that regardless of the industry, whether B2B or B2C, the target audience consists of humans, and emotional connection is key to effective branding. She argues that many companies fail to convert potential clients into actual clients because they overlook the emotional and psychological factors that influence decision-making. The conversation also covers the significance of targeting specific customer segments and the necessity of imbuing brands with emotional value to differentiate them from competitors. Erin Andrea Craske, an award-winning strategist, boasts a 20-year career, culminating as Global Head of Consumer Brands. With expertise in strategic development, profitability, leadership, and communication, she's an ICF-certified executive transformation coach. Leveraging 16 years of leadership, she empowers conscious business rebels to succeed and create positive impacts. Erin gives listeners actionable tips on: 0:00 Intro 03:29 The core of branding - getting people to make the decision in the way we want them to when it comes down to the right time 05:16 How to move people through the decision process rather than assume action 11:14 The money drain on acquisition/awareness when you're not using a strategy 14:55 Adding the emotional piece into consideration to really speak to clients 18:07 The bottom of the funnel, emotionally 22:33 Taking your overthinking out of the brand and focusing on your potential client/customer 23:45 Lead with the questions you most get from your clients 26:44 Book Review 34:24 One big takeaway Resources mentioned in this episode: The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama Connect with Erin here: https://linktr.ee/eacraske https://www.erinandreacraske.com Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The return of an annual tradition: NALA CEO Vanessa Finley joins hosts Jill Francisco and Tony Sipp to talk about all things NALA, including the upcoming NALA Conference & Expo in Louisville, Kentucky July 11-13. (It’s hybrid, live or online, so if you can’t make it in person, you can still take part). Enjoy both fun and serious sessions, including keynote speaker Iliana Oris Valiente, CPA, CA, as she shares insights into the role of AI and the paralegal profession, while you earn valuable CLE credits. And if you attend in person, you also get the chance to watch recordings of any sessions you miss and pick up those extra CLE hours. Plus, our own Jill Francisco will be a featured speaker, and you can meet co-host Tony Sipp in person as well. Stop by and say hello. Hear all the conference has to offer, how to register, how to attend in person or online, one day or all, and even learn about early bird and group discounts. Don’t be left out. It’s a big year for NALA. Hear about the upcoming member survey (including a salary survey, are you being paid fairly?) Watch your inbox for a link to the survey. More? How about the latest on NALA core competencies and the expanding role of paralegals! This is a jam-packed episode. If you have insights you’d like to share or a topic you’d like us to take on, please send us a note at [email protected] and [email protected]. Mentioned in This Episode: NALA Conference & Expo 2024 NALA, The Paralegal Association NALA Paralegal Core Competencies NALA YouTube Channel American Association for Paralegal Education NALA Talks DEI Microlearning Episode 1: Access to Justice with Michael Houlberg, IAALS Equality Ohio “Exploring the Vital Role of Paralegals in the Legal System” By James David Louisville Tourism Office Prior episode, “Live From The 2023 NALA Conference: An Inside Look” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if, instead of tech competence being this scary, overwhelming thing, we showed lawyers how to engage with technology in a more lighthearted, even playful, way? The reality is—tech competency doesn’t have an endpoint, but the process of continuous learning shouldn’t be dull and confusing. Sarah Glassmeyer joins Dennis and Tom to talk about her perspectives on technology education for attorneys, the latest trends in the legal tech world and new AI developments, and growing your knowledge of technology by building on small skills, one at a time. As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions. Sarah Glassmeyer is director of data curation for Legaltech Hub. Show Notes - Kennedy-Mighell Report #364 A Segment: Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Sarah Glassmeyer Legaltech Hub - https://www.legaltechnologyhub.com/ Legal Tech & Innovation Explorer - https://explorer.sarahglassmeyer.com/ https://sarahglassmeyer.com/ B Segment: Continued conversation with Sarah Glassmeyer Parting Shots: The WayBack Machine - https://archive.org/ The McGill Big 3 Exercises - https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=P8YiZO3OGjk&ab_channel=BrianCarroll1306 Pivot Podcast - Future of Work: AI - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/future-of-work-ai/id1073226719?i=1000651291436 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could your marriage/relationship use a little spice? Maybe you’ve put your business before your partner? In this episode, Stephanie talks with relationship coach and host of the Make More Love Podcast, Ellen Dorian, about enhancing your intimate relationships. As Ellen says on her show, it’s time to “make more love: with your wife and in your life.” Links from the episode: Check out Omnizant The Passionate Partners Project Make More Love Podcast Connect with Ellen If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should our criminal courts exist to punish or reform those who have broken the law? Every case is unique, but in those involving mental health, a rehabilitative approach may be beneficial. Rocky Dhir talks with Judge Brent Carr about his long years of service in the Tarrant County Mental Health Court, which had the overarching goal of improving outcomes for people with mental illness impacted by Texas’ justice system. They discuss the efforts of the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health, the Specialty Courts Advisory Counsel, and the programs that address mental health issues in many areas of the law, including cases involving sex trafficking, drug offenders, family law matters, veterans, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New York courtroom where Donald Trump is on trial is apparently unpleasant. Is that the former president's doing? The world may never know. Also, the fact that the racists are coming for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson isn't surprising -- but who gave them the green light? And, a judge learns a valuable lesson about hot mics and why you should always assume someone is listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big trials are keeping our TJIO team away from the mic, so the support staff hijacked the podcast to share their insights on office dynamics. Learn how to improve your own office with candid comments from our paralegals and IT team members, and find out how you can help them help you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the Trump administration's policy of separating families at the country's borders was announced, opposition from the public and the legal community was swift. The outcry and judicial decisions led to a reversal of the administration's stated policy. But detention and family separation have a long history in this country, history professor Ana Raquel Minian says. Minian, who immigrated from Mexico to the United States right before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has made an academic career studying immigration, incarceration and detention. As a young adult, Minian followed the news of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base being used to detain people who might be connected to those attacks. But in researching their new book, In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States, Minian discovered the base was first used as a detention center under President George H.W. Bush to hold Haitian refugees. Minian uses the personal experiences of four immigrants to walk readers through the history of immigrant detention in the United States: Fu Chi Hao, a Chinese Christian attempting to escape the Boxer Rebellion in 1901; Holocaust survivor Ellen Knauff, a war bride of an American GI who arrived at Ellis Island in 1948; Gerardo Mansur, a Cuban who joined the Mariel boat lift in 1979; and Fernando Arredondo, a Guatamalan asylum seeker who was separated from his daughter by border officials in 2018. In this episode of The Modern Law Library, Minian shares details of these stories with the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles. They also discuss the shifting motivations behind changes in the immigration system, parole versus detention, and how attorneys can help immigrants currently in detention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bored with your run-of-the-mill marketing campaigns? Maybe it’s time for you to make a musical! Jared brings on Jacob Sanders to learn all about the recent release of NinjaCat’s Big Data Day – a corporate musical. They talk about the history of these sorts of marketing ventures and their uniquely fun and tactical advantages. They also dig into how super effective use of your data will help you run a better, more profitable business. Next, the Rump Roast! In a new trivia game called “Large Fathers”, Jacob must answer questions about big daddies of historical pop culture. ----- Also in this episode—Jared, in general, hates musicals (Sorry, Jacob). No spoilers here, but a very select few did make Jared’s remarkably minuscule shortlist. ----- Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest. Our closing track is Sepulveda by Midnight Daydream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When workers are recovering from a workplace injury, there are psychosocial factors, mental factors, which can impede the recovery from physical injuries. Things such as a worker’s recovery expectations, fear of pushing too hard or performing activities that may restrict the benefits of physical therapy and hamper recovery, or even new negative feeling about their job and perceived injustices over how a supervisor or employer reacted to the injury. Can these “mental” factors prolong recovery and delay a return to productive work? Guest Vennela Thumula, Ph.D., works at the Workers’ Compensation Research Institution – a nonprofit, objective provider of research and analysis – and is the lead author of this year’s WCRI report, “Importance of Psychosocial Factors for Physical Therapy Outcomes.” The role of psychosocial factors is increasingly being recognized as a major factor in recovery. Understanding a clients’ mental state – and its impact on recovering – may be just as important as their injury diagnosis when it comes to achieving full compensation and helping them return to a full, productive life. Just because you can’t see an injury doesn’t mean it isn’t there. What you hear on this episode of Workers’ Comp Matters may change how you approach each client’s individual situation. Mentioned in This Episode: Workers’ Compensation Research Institute “Importance of Psychosocial Factors for Physical Therapy Outcomes,” WCRI, Vennela Thumula et al. Previous appearance on Legal Talk Network “Examining State Variations in Opioid Dispensation with WCRI’s Vennela Thumula” Previous appearance on Legal Talk Network “2015 Workers Compensation Research Institute Conference: Cost and Impacts of Physician Dispensing Drugs” Keele STarT Back Screening Tool “Multidimensional Screening for Predicting Pain Problems in Adults: A Systematic Review of Screening Tools and Validation Studies,” National Library of Medicine via National Institutes of Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Expert Service Provider Dan Thompson of Dee Gee Rehabilitation Ltd. discusses the impact of AI on the claims handling process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve opened your firm, hung out the shingle, and taken the leap. Now that you’ve made it a year or two, what’s next? There’s no step-by-step guide for small and solo practitioners, but you can learn from those who established a solo practice and made it through the first few years and how they’re moving forward. Hear guest Joanne Martin’s story, how she learned to hire, add relevant tech, and build on her success. Martin is the founder, managing director, lawyer, and accredited mediator at Align Family Law, a boutique law practice based in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Hear how she joined professional organizations, expanded her marketing, and drove her practice to the next step. As you grow, you can build a network of like-minded professionals, ask clients for a Google review, manage and improve your branding and website, and hire a pro when you need technical help (and even personal coaching). You’ll learn as you go, but you can also learn from others. Once you get your feet under you, it can be tempting to be overly cautious with your emerging practice, but growth is essential. Spend the money when you need to, hire when the practice demands. Get better and bigger. Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected] Topics: Launching a solo firm is hard. But so is taking that firm to the next level. Hear tips for growing beyond a one person show Adding associates and support staff may sound challenging, but making the right additions builds your business and takes routine tasks off your shoulders. It’s OK to spend on the tools and professionals you need, such as legal and practice management software and professional help optimizing your tech, even professional coaching. Mentioned in This Episode: Collaborative Family Separation Professionals Legends Legal Marketing AlignFamilyLaw.ca Clio (Grow, Manage, Documents, and Payments) Microsoft 365 DivorceMate Adobe Melissa Shanahan, Velocity Work coaching Previous appearance, “A Second Career: Building a Solo Law Practice Later in Life” Previous episode, “Productivity Boost: Real Uses of AI in the Software You Already Have” Previous episode, “Google, Maps, And Business? This is YOUR Episode” Previous episode, “A Better AI, Built For Lawyers: Results You Can Finally Trust?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices