Brief Encounters

As Lebanon continues to grapple with the aftermath of conflict and longstanding political and economic challenges, reconstruction efforts present both opportunities and risks. This episode will examine the human rights dimensions of Lebanon’s current recovery needs, including the obstacles the country faces before, during, and after reconstruction efforts. These include whether aid and rebuilding...

Where do great ideas really come from—and can creativity be learned? In this episode, Cameron Powell and Gary Shuster explore creativity as a practical professional method rather than an inborn talent. Drawing from their experiences in litigation, invention, technology, and entrepreneurship, they discuss how lawyers can connect seemingly unrelated fields, tell compelling stories, and reinvent thei...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm's Securities Regulation and Litigation practice, and William Nelson, Senior Counsel at Eversheds Sutherland, break down the latest wave of SEC rulemaking proposals - the Atkins Avalanche - and also discuss the SEC's new Examination Handbook. First, Valerie and William discuss propo...

U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola (Ret.) joins Kevin M. Clark to explain why the general warrant, the abuse that gave rise to the Fourth Amendment, is back at the center of digital privacy law. Drawing on his years reviewing search warrant applications and his work in eDiscovery, Judge Facciola traces the line from United States v. Jones to the Supreme Court's decision in Chatrie v. Unite...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm's Securities Regulation and Litigation practice, and William Nelson, Senior Counsel at Eversheds Sutherland, are joined by Peter Chan, Partner at Baker McKenzie and former Assistant Regional Director at the SEC, for a deep dive into prediction markets. Peter draws on his expertise to b...

Join the D.C. Bar Public Interest and the Courts Community for a discussion on breaking into criminal defense work through the D.C. Superior Court's Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel. Panelists include Steering Committee member and former prosecutor Farhad Aspy Fatakia, D.C. Superior Court Associate Judge Rainey Brandt, and Todd Baldwin, current president of the CJA Panel. Together, they'll cover h...

Join the leadership of the Human Rights and Immigration Subcommittee of the D.C. Bar’s International Law Community as it examines the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities, in particular, already-vulnerable women whose livelihoods depend upon increasingly threatened habitats. During the past five decades, Royal Bengal tigers have killed at least 3,000 men and women...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Senior Counsel at Eversheds Sutherland, break down the latest developments shaping the financial services regulatory landscape. They discuss the House Financial Services Committee's report on financial fraud and scams...

Host Jivan Ramesh sat down with former Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe to discuss the endangerment finding, the Clean Air Act, and changes in the EPA. The Deputy Administrator provided a forward-looking insight into how environmental law has changed, how it's likely to change in the future, and what this may affect. Please note, the positions and opinions e...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, speak with Erin Koeppel, Managing Director, Government Relations & Public Policy Counsel at CFP Board. Valerie, William, a...

Join us for an engaging conversation on the social pillar of well-being with Maryland based psychotherapist, Cintra Harbold. This episode concludes the Lawyer Well-being Community’s series, The Six Pillars of Well-Being. In this dynamic discussion with your community host, Winsome Gayle, a social justice lawyer and leadership coach, Cintra provides practical ways for us to connect. From Aristotle...

Join us for a conversation on the spirituality pillar of well-being with best-selling author and psychotherapist Claudia Cauterucci. This episode is part of the Lawyer Well-being Community’s series, The Six Pillars of Well-Being. In this lively exchange with your community host, Winsome Gayle, a social justice lawyer and leadership coach, Claudia shares practical and accessible ways to (re)connect...

In the episode on intellectual well-being, attorney Lee Robbins speaks with Carlyn Schofield about the misconception that intellectual well-being always means adding more information, learning, or productivity to our lives. Instead, we explore the idea of “intellectual exhale”, which includes engaging with creativity, curiosity, and ideas outside of work in ways that nourish rather than deplete us...

Join us for a discussion on the physical pillar of well-being with internationally-recognized educator and researcher Dr. Stella Volpe, PhD. This episode is part of the Lawyer Well-being Community’s series, The Six Pillars of Well-Being. In this insightful discussion with your community host, Tom Kane, a former government attorney who is currently active in public health and exercise science educa...

This podcast episode explores the pillar of emotional well-being. In this conversation, attorney Lee Robbins speaks with Dr. Tyra Moore about how to adopt the idea that emotional well-being is really a lifelong journey, not a destination. They discuss practical ways to apply emotional well-being in everyday life and explore the importance of addressing well-being at both the individual and systems...

This conversation with Professor Sandra Simkins and attorney Lee Robbins explores occupational well-being and burnout in the legal field, with a focus on public interest law. Professor Simkins discusses her research on how structural factors can shape attorney well-being in high-intensity, mission-driven legal environments. The conversation critically examines the concept of “self-care,” noting th...

Join the D.C. Bar's new Lawyer Well Being Community as we launch "The Six Pillars of Lawyer Well-Being," a podcast series exploring the six aspects of wellness that support a healthy and sustainable legal career. In this conversation, host Abi Baxendale shares the inspiration behind the new community and the well-being framework that will guide the series. We are also joined by staff...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, discuss recent policy shifts at the SEC. Valerie and William discuss the SEC’s rescission of its “No Admit, No Deny” policy an...

Tune in to Robert T. Howard, Esq., Co-chair of the Health Law Community Steering Committee, as he moderates a dynamic conversation with panelists Remi Mehner, Esq. and Amaru Sanchez, Esq., counsels in Akin’s Health Care and Life Sciences practice, as they discuss the topic Food is Health/Medicine: Why Health Lawyers Should Start Paying Attention to Food Policy. This conversation introduces the con...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, are joined by Kendra Isaacson, Partner at Mindset, for an in-depth discussion of major policy developments reshaping retiremen...

Breathwork expert Lauren Watkins from Breath is Medicine joins the D.C. Bar's Lawyer Well-Being Community to bridge the gap between high-stakes legal advocacy and physiological regulation. She shares simple, science-backed breathing techniques designed to help attorneys handle intensity, regulate their state, and reclaim mental clarity without leaving their desks. Want more well-being content?...

To mark this D.C. Law Day on May 1, Brief Encounters, the podcast of the D.C. Bar Communities Office, features a conversation between Tamara Kraljic, Counsel at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP and incoming Treasurer of the Women’s Bar Association of D.C., and Dr. Annette Weerth, Consul General and Legal Adviser at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington, D.C. In this episode, th...

In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Director of Public Policy and Associate General Counsel at the Investment Adviser Association, break down a timely set of regulatory and legislative developments shaping today’s securities landscape. Valerie and William disc...

In this episode of Brief Encounters, host Joyce Williams is joined by former Appellate Immigration Judge Andrea Sáenz and former Immigration Judge Anam Rahman Petit for a timely conversation on U.S. immigration law at the intersection of policy and the rule of law. Together, they unpack judicial independence, detention and adjudication, and the shifting boundaries of asylum—offering an insider’s v...

In this episode of Brief Encounters, Christina Bonanni, Counsel at Clean Energy Counsel interviews Alice C. Hill, the David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and Environment at the Council on Foreign Relations about the growing strain climate change is placing on the insurance market. Alice explains that the increasing frequency and severity of disasters, such as wildfires, floods, and storms...