Sidebar Advisors

Send us Fan Mail What actually separates durable law firms from those that won’t make it through the next decade? In this week's episode, Niraj Chhabra, CFP, MBA, CLTC, CRPC sits down with Bruce MacEwen , founder of Adam Smith, Esq., LLC , to unpack how law firm economics and structures are being reshaped in real time.  They discuss why the traditional business model is breaking down, how the...

Send us Fan Mail Negotiation, compensation, and advancement shape a lawyer’s career — but most attorneys are left to navigate those decisions without much transparency. In this episode of the Sidebar Advisors Podcast , Niraj Chhabra sits down with Jill Cruz , executive coach, career strategist, and founder of JLC Consulting .  Before launching her practice, Jill spent years in senior HR and talent...

Send us Fan Mail Michelle Calcote King, Principal & President of Reputation Ink, joins the podcast to break down how professional services firms — especially law firms — can turn their expertise into real visibility, credibility, and growth. At Reputation Ink, Michelle works with law and other B2B firms to help them become known authorities, earn meaningful media coverage, and build reputation...

Send us Fan Mail Trini Ross spent over 30 years in federal service, ultimately serving as the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York — overseeing major cases involving violent crime, civil rights, and public corruption.  In this conversation, she shares what that level of responsibility actually looks like day to day — from leading through high-profile, emotionally charged cas...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Sidebar Advisors Podcast , Niraj Chhabra sits down with Kathryn Hatfield and Stefani Schwartz , the founding partners of Hatfield Schwartz , a women-owned labor and employment law firm that has grown steadily since launching during the uncertainty of COVID. The two first met while practicing at a 60-lawyer firm and quickly realized they shared a similar visi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Sidebar Advisors Podcast , we sit down with Juliet Starrett - a former Big Law commercial litigator, world-champion whitewater paddler, and co-founder of The Ready State , a global platform focused on mobility, recovery, and longevity. Juliet’s career didn’t follow a straight line. Before law school, she spent years competing internationally as an elite athl...

Send us Fan Mail Lateral moves look straightforward from the outside. In reality, most fail for reasons attorneys don’t always see coming. In this episode of the Sidebar Advisors Podcast , Niraj Chhabra sits down with Melissa Peters , founder of MP Legal Search , to break down what’s actually happening in the lateral partner market — and how firms evaluate candidates behind closed doors. Melissa s...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of people in Big Law hear the phrase “professional development” — but don’t always know what it actually means in practice. In this episode of the Sidebar Advisors Podcast , Niraj Chhabra sits down with Hedieh Fakhriyazdi , Chief Engagement & Development Officer at White & Case , to talk about how growth really happens inside a global law firm — for associates, busin...

Send us Fan Mail Few people have a clearer view into the legal talent market than Merle Vaughn , Partner and Law Firm Diversity Practice Leader at Major, Lindsey & Africa . In this episode of the Sidebar Advisors Podcast , Merle joins Niraj Chhabra to share her journey from practicing attorney to one of the most respected legal recruiters in the industry — and what she’s learned from advising...

Send us Fan Mail As the year closes and a new tax landscape takes shape, attorneys can’t afford to rely on outdated assumptions about withholdings, deductions, or firm structures. In this episode of The Sidebar Advisors Podcast, Niraj Chhabra sits down with Larry Pon, CPA/PFS, CFP® , a nationally recognized tax expert, to break down what the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and recent tax change...

Send us Fan Mail Some career stories unfold neatly. Andrea N. Rivers story isn’t one of them, and that’s exactly why it resonates. This week on the SideBar Advisors Podcast, I sat down with Andrea, an associate in the Antitrust & Competition group at Baker McKenzie , whose path into law has been shaped by grit, community, and a whole lot of real-life juggling. In this episode we talk about:  ⚖...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Neel Chatterjee , one of the nation’s leading IP litigators and a finalist for ALM’s Attorney of the Year award. We cover a wide-ranging conversation, including: His path into law and the mentors who shaped him The bold decision to leave Goodwin for King & Spalding and his vision for building out an IP powerhouse in Silicon Valley Strategies f...

Send us Fan Mail Bree Herman didn’t set out to specialize in legal accounting, but a childhood spent learning how to “find the missing penny” sparked a passion that eventually led her to launch Herman Ledger Services , a boutique firm supporting solo and small law practices with bookkeeping, trust accounting, Clio and QuickBooks integrations, and fractional CFO support. Today, Bree helps attorneys...

Send us Fan Mail When Emma Smizer started law school, her path was anything but traditional. From a rescinded Big Law offer to finding her niche in video game law , Emma carved out a career that blends creativity, advocacy, and authenticity. Now an associate at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz , Emma is part of the firm’s Interactive Entertainment Group , advising top developers and publishers on...

Send us Fan Mail After two decades in litigation, Courtney Schulnick, Esq. stepped away from the courtroom to pursue something equally demanding, helping others manage the pressures of law with clarity and balance. Now a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor, Courtney teaches attorneys and other professionals how to use mindfulness not as an escape from their work, but as a tool to...

Send us Fan Mail John Quinn is one of the most recognizable names in the legal world — and for good reason. As Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan , he has built the largest litigation-only law firm in the world, with over 1,300 attorneys across 34 offices , an 86% trial win rate , and a ranking of #19 on the AmLaw 100 . In this episode of the Sidebar A...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Candace Dellacona, Principal and Shareholder in the Estates & Trusts practice at Offit Kurman, shares how she guides families through the most personal and complex planning issues: from wills and guardianships to elder care, LGBTQ+ planning, and business succession. We cover: Why estate planning is about more than legal documents - it’s about family dynamics,...

Send us Fan Mail Money is never just about dollars and cents. It’s about choices, values, and emotions. In this Sidebar Advisors episode, Jacquette Timmons — financial behaviorist, speaker, author, and host of the More Than Money podcast — shares how decades of experience have shaped her mission to help professionals, especially attorneys, transform their relationship with money. Jacquette has see...

Send us Fan Mail Erin Andersen, founder of Your Brand Networker, is on a mission to help professionals reclaim joy in their careers. From guiding burned-out attorneys through bold career pivots to introducing a flat-fee hiring model that challenges traditional recruiting, Erin brings fresh thinking to industries where culture and retention matter most. In this episode, Erin shares: How toxic workp...

Send us Fan Mail Before AI, commercial space exploration, or 3D printing became mainstream, James Wolff was already deep in the weeds - founding startups in college and chasing cutting-edge ideas long before they hit the headlines. In this episode, James shares how his lifelong passion for technology continues to shape the way he practices law, advises clients, and builds his reputation in the ind...

Send us Fan Mail Gail Cummings began her legal career to meet expectations, but the deeper truth was harder to ignore. After more than a decade in Big Law, with a thriving practice and two young children at home, she made the bold decision to pursue her long-standing dream of becoming a psychotherapist. In this episode, Gail shares her path from lawyer to licensed therapist and executive coach, th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Andrea D’Ambra, Partner and Global Executive Committee Member at Norton Rose Fulbright. Andrea shares her remarkable journey from leaving a major firm to pursue a true partnership track, to navigating Big Law while raising five kids and ultimately rising to leadership at one of the world’s largest law firms. We talk about her role co-chairing the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Niraj is joined by friend, colleague, and fellow advisor Ian Murray, CFP®, CSLP®. In this episode they discuss the real-life role student loans play in financial planning - especially for attorneys earning at the higher end of the scale. They talk through how student loan strategy shifts across compensation tiers, how to balance repayment with long-term planning,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we sit down with Emily Logan Stedman , attorney at Husch Blackwell , to explore her unconventional path to Big Law and the powerful personal brand she’s built along the way. Emily shares how she began her career as a teacher before making the leap to law, and how writing and blogging helped her find her voice in a demanding profession.   We dive into how her curre...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙 On this episode of the SideBar Advisors Podcast, we’re joined by Derek Brainard, CFP®, Director of Financial Education at AccessLex Institute—the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to supporting law students and legal education. We cover: The top resources AccessLex offers for law students and recent grads How practicing attorneys with student loans should approach repayment p...