Lawyers Who Learn

Sarah Dray took a sick day from her Tel Aviv law firm to complete a freelance translation project, not because she was ill, but because that single job would pay more than her entire week's salary as a junior attorney. That pivotal moment crystallized a truth she'd been avoiding: the practical career path she'd followed since age 18 was leading somewhere she no longer wanted to go. In this episode...

Brendan Horgan learned a counterintuitive lesson as a young Navy judge advocate: the most effective arguments aren't delivered with fire and brimstone. Standing before decorated military officers as a third-year JAG, he discovered that matter-of-fact credibility beats theatrical passion every time, a principle that now guides his employment law practice at Hofheimer in Richmond, Virginia. In this...

Dan Warburton helps law firm owners increase profits by doing something counterintuitive: billing less while their teams bill more. His path here wasn't linear. After struggling to fit in throughout his youth, Dan spent years bouncing between ventures—earning a design degree, DJing across Europe, then literally knocking on 4,000 doors as "Super Dan the Handyman." When he scaled too fast with Team...

Joe Green has spent the last several years building one of the most ambitious AI and innovation programs in BigLaw — not by chasing the hottest tools, but by asking harder questions about how law firms actually create value and what has to change for that to evolve. He knows the real transformation won't come from product launches or conference buzz. It'll happen when firms feel actual business pr...

Lauren Hakala knew her path would be different the moment she heard a colleague gush about an incoming deal. They were having wine after work, and while the woman talked excitedly about her next deal, Lauren realized something crucial: she'd never felt that way about her own work, so it was time to find a different path. In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn , host David Schnurman explores how Laur...

Jason Levin wrote an entire book challenging a simple truth: we say "keep in touch" but really mean goodbye, so what if lawyers actually executed on those three words? For 15 years, he's trained new partners and practice groups on business development rooted in social science: the strength of weak ties, six degrees of separation, and the power of dormant connections. His message is simple but tran...

For years working in Big Law business development at firms like Pillsbury, Sherman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman), and McDermott Will & Emery, Megan Senese thought attorneys had it all figured out. Then she left to co-found Stage , and lawyers started opening up about their real challenges: the same struggles with impossible demands and professional uncertainty she'd experienced herself...

Tony Gerdes taught his students something unforgettable: "I can't steer a parked car." The metaphor captures his entire philosophy about professional development. You need to give him something to work with, show a willingness to try, and then he can help steer you toward growth. As Director of Professional Development at Groom Law Group , Tony brings this mindset to approximately 100 attorneys in...

What happens when someone who loved reading for pleasure but actively avoided leadership books finally cracks one open — and realizes she'd been doing everything wrong? For Michele Richman , that moment didn't just change how she led. It set off a chain reaction that's now reshaping how legal professionals grow, connect, and lead. In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn , host David Schnurman , CEO o...

Steven Harber 's path to legal tech started in an unexpected place: selling Japanese robots to automotive factories in 1985. Fresh out of Bucknell with an East Asian studies degree and zero job prospects, he stumbled into a role that taught him the power of eliminating waste from processes. That lesson from Toyota's manufacturing philosophy would later become the foundation for three successful le...

Matthew Galando never intended to build a 23-year career at one law firm. As a college student interning at K&L Gates, he quickly realized that while practicing law wasn’t his path, the legal industry itself was. What began as a legal administrative assistant role evolved into leading professional development for a global team of 13—shaping lawyers’ growth from a perspective grounded in strate...

At 40, Chris Keefer had everything lawyers are supposed to want: partner track, jury trial wins, Indiana Supreme Court experience. He also had something else—a growing certainty that litigation was slowly crushing him. When the celebration after his biggest courtroom victory felt hollow, he knew something had to change. So he made a decision that seemed crazy to everyone around him: sell the house...

Stacey had it all—managing $300-500 million brands as a marketing and advertising executive, traveling the world, leading teams. Then in her mid-thirties, she walked away from that successful career to attend law school full-time. Her colleagues thought she was crazy. For Stacey, law school felt like a vacation compared to her 80-90 hour work weeks. In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn , host Davi...

In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn, David Schnurman, CEO of Lawline, has a conversation with Steve Gluckman , a pioneer in legal e-learning who recently sold his company SkillBurst Interactive to Barbri . Though not a lawyer himself, Steve has spent over two decades developing innovative training solutions for law firms. Steve shares his entrepreneurial journey from his early days at PwC to foun...

Amy Woods failed her very first IOLTA audit. Fresh out of school with a master's in accounting, she thought she had everything in order for her lawyer client, until an auditor named Bruno sat her down and explained she was looking at trust accounts like an accountant when the bar wanted something entirely different. That moment of failure became the foundation for a 20-year specialization in an ar...

Kenton Brice sits at the center of what he calls "a massive Venn diagram"—law libraries, legal technology, higher education, and the practicing bar—and from that unique vantage point, he sees something most people miss: law schools have zero incentive to change. With three powerful forces keeping the status quo locked in place (U.S. News rankings, ABA accreditation, and unlimited student loans), t...

When Jennifer Rakstad 's firm surveyed their associates, the feedback was clear: traditional training wasn't having the impact they wanted. As Senior Manager of Learning and Development at White & Case, Jennifer worked hand in hand with a committee of partners to lead the creation of Momentum—a three-day immersive program that's already reached 350 lawyers. What makes it different: every sessi...

Sarah Ennor spent years as a securities lawyer at major banks, excelling at sophisticated legal work but challenged by corporate politics and what she sometimes thought was lack of motivation and discipline. In 2015, she left corporate law, traveled to Sri Lanka for a 10-day silent meditation retreat, worked and lived on a New Zealand winery, and returned to launch her own legal practice. But runn...

Yeve Chitiga immigrated to the United States at sixteen with clear goals shaped by hope and determination: college, law school, becoming an attorney. She followed that path, working in banking in London and later as a corporate lawyer at a top firm, reaching milestones that surpassed her wildest dreams. Along the way, a quieter inner question began to surface about meaning, contribution, and align...

Noah Waisberg left Weil Gotshal without a company, without a plan, and without knowing if the technology would work. For two and a half years, the AI kept failing. There was zero revenue, a newborn at home, and mounting financial stress. Then his co-founder finally cracked it. They bootstrapped to 100 employees before raising $50 million, then pulled off one of the most creative exits in legal tec...

Miriam Benor convinced her firm to let her create a role that didn't exist: Director of Attorney Coaching at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where she coaches attorneys on anything they want to discuss, personal or professional. After finding her calling as a law school career counselor following seven years as a litigator, she moved over to Pillsbury to do training and development. After inn...

Virginia Driver spent 36 years as a patent attorney in a profession she entered through a loophole, hired only because no men had applied. Today, she's building AttainIP, an AI-powered platform that could transform how patents get filed, saving attorneys 50% of their time while making the process accessible to entrepreneurs who previously couldn't afford it. In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn ,...

Nichole Velasquez has never tasted coffee, not since that childhood moment when her sister convinced her to try it and she spit it out all over the kitchen floor. Yet as Fellows Program Director at LCLD , she energizes hundreds of mid-career and senior attorneys through intensive professional development that focuses on something law schools never taught: emotional intelligence. In this episode of...

Jennifer Nelson Flynn never expected to become a TikTok creator. As a fractional general counsel at Dorf Nelson with inhouse counsel and chief privacy officer experience spanning from Arizona Beverage Company to Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. and Zevia PBC, she initially joined the platform anonymously just to learn about skincare and her long COVID symptoms from other users. In this episode of...

Visibility is not a personality trait. It’s a career skill—and one most lawyers are never taught. Paula T. Edgar , CEO of PGE Consulting Group LLC , helps lawyers and other professionals build influence, credibility, and opportunity through intentional visibility. Often attending more than 18 conferences a year, Paula is strategic about every room she enters, every relationship she builds, and how...