from dawn to dusk

Rick Robinson studied law at Duke before becoming a litigator and partner at Reed Smith. As a mentor, he empowered associates to grow and make bold choices, offering steady support throughout the process. During COVID, Robinson discovered that nurturing a sourdough starter is surprisingly similar to practicing law: both require careful relationship management, patience, observation, and the confid...

After more than a decade as a prosecutor in Louisiana, Ann Parnes realized it wasn't the law that fascinated her most—it was the people behind the cases. She walked away from the courtroom, became a certified life coach, and co-founded After Hello, a national matchmaking and date-coaching firm dedicated to "Helping Professionals Find Lasting Relationships." In this episode, discover how Ann made a...

Dan Jaffe has spent a career at the crossroads of free speech, consumer protection, privacy, and advertising. After years on Capitol Hill, he moved to the Association of National Advertisers, where he became one of the industry's most respected advocates and a trusted voice for lawyers and corporate leaders alike. Dan hasn't left the field so much as evolved with it. He now consults on privacy and...

After collapsing in the lobby of the law firm where she worked, Ann-Marie Goodbody spent nearly a year confined to bed as her body began shutting down. More than two years later, she returned to work — but with a completely different perspective on success, stress, and survival in the legal profession. In this powerful conversation, Ann-Marie shares her journey through burnout, chronic illness, an...

Peter Alfandary grew up in Great Britain, but his parents made a decision that would shape the course of his life: they sent him to a French school because they believed true success in business and life required understanding cultures beyond one's own. That philosophy became the foundation of his career. As a lawyer, Peter built a thriving practice representing French clients seeking English lega...

"This is my son Steven. He's going to be a lawyer someday," was the introduction Steve Harper grew accustomed to whenever his Dad met someone new. Although his father wasn't a lawyer, Harper took his encouragement to heart, built a substantial practice, and became a leading litigator.  Early on, however, one of his mentors gave him the chance to enter a courtroom just eighteen months into his firs...

Retired Rear Admiral John D. Hutson once thought he might pursue life as an Episcopal priest, until he was called to the law and to serving his country. After joining the Navy and earning his law degree, he rose through the ranks to become Judge Advocate General. Throughout his military career, he visited at least 50 naval offices around the globe to get to know his staff personally—a management s...

Amy LaBelle was assistant general counsel at Fidelity in Boston when a hand-painted sign on a Nova Scotia roadside changed everything. Following it to a "teeny-tiny winery" sparked an epiphany; 4,083 days later, she opened her first winery. The transition from attorney to entrepreneur was a marathon of balancing a full-time legal career, motherhood, and family life—all while fermenting her first b...

David Miraldi followed in his father's footsteps and joined the family law practice. They specialized in personal injury litigation, initially from the insurance side, and then representing plaintiffs.  But at 59, Miraldi had a life event that made him reevaluate what he wanted to do with his future. Without much hesitation, he left the law for a dusty basement full of police files on the hunt for...

Mark Shaiken wanted to be a writer or a sports photographer when he grew up.  When he was in college, he told his father, and the response was less than promising.  Not knowing how he would make a living over the long term, Shaiken took jobs as a highway line painter, a septic tank fixer, and a fork lift driver.  He also took the law school entrance exam, and through a series of fortunate events,...

Bill McInerney built his career the hard way at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, leading by example, earning loyalty, and doing whatever it took to get the deal done. Sometimes that meant sleeping on the office couch. Then, after nearly four decades riding the waves of New York real estate, he walked away at 65 — burned out and thinking he might simply "do nothing."  But that's not what happened.  I...

Noah Hanft was attracted to the legal profession because he wanted to help people.  His career started at legal aid and after a brief stint in a law firm, he joined a five person legal department at Mastercard.  He then spent three decades helping to build Mastercard, and, as General Counsel he led the way through a complex and hugely successful IPO. His secret to success is something many lawyers...

Larry Weinstein says being the best at what he does made it possible to build his law practice, largely through word-of-mouth.   His clients trusted him, and they followed Larry from one firm to another.  He left his mark on big law including firms like Proskauer Rose and Davis Polk.  In 2022, he left Proskauer and started an arbitration business that he was told it would take years to build. But...

Alexander "Sandy" Thomas began his career as a Federal District Court clerk and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Virginia.  He then entered the private sector and practiced with his father.  When his father's firm merged into Reed Smith, Sandy's career took off.  He became the Global Managing Partner where he oversaw the growth of the firm to 31 offices across 10 countries.  But, Sandy's story isn...

Cathy Green led the way for women criminal defense litigators in New Hampshire, by being among the first. As she says, because she was an anomaly, it was easier to stand out, get media attention, and receive referral clients. But, she was also a great lawyer who got results. And she had an unusual way of approaching her criminal cases– she liked to have fun. In fact, Green decided early on that if...

In a series of additional podcasts, From Dawn to Dusk + , Doug shares some of his own strategies with live audiences.  In a recent visit to Wake Forest University, he discusses how important  business strategies are to growing your law practice.  First step is learn how to reprogram your brain, and how to do the same for potential clients, so they will not only like you, they will want to hire you...

Roberto Arochi has been practicing law in Mexico for forty-five years. After the first fourteen, he struck out on his own with a couple of associates and an admin to build the firm Arochi and Linder to nearly 200 employees, based in Mexico and in Spain. For Arochi, the secret sauce to success was hiring talent that filled in four core practice areas, and then specializing based on the strengths of...

Finding a mentor, or a natural role model, that to me is a key part of being successful.  Start to identify what makes them successful and ask yourself, what can I do to mirror that and use it to move forward in my career." Roger Parker has had an exciting career as a litigator and global manager at Reed Smith, one of the largest law firms in the world with offices in the United States, Europe, th...

My mother always told me: "If you don't share what you've learned, you'll never be able to move on and grow." That simple lesson became a guiding principle for Carla Michelotti, former Executive Vice President and Chief Legal, Government & Corporate Affairs Officer at Leo Burnett Worldwide, one of the most iconic advertising agencies on the planet.  In this episode of From Dawn to Dusk, Carla shar...

When John Langan first joined Barclay Damon, the firm was staring down a crisis with no promise it would survive. Instead of walking away, Langan rolled up his sleeves, rallied with his peers, and pursued a bold business development strategy other firms wouldn't touch. The results speak for themselves. Today, Barclay Damon thrives with offices in Syracuse, Manhattan, and Washington, D.C., powered...

What drives two successful lawyers to walk away from prestigious careers for a life in the arts? In this episode, I sit down with  Joseph Lewczak , once a partner at New York's Davis+Gilbert, and  Anne DiGiovanni , who left her role on Hulu's corporate legal team—all to pursue their creative passions as musicians, producers, and stage performers.   We explore what led them to take the leap, the fe...

Sherry Young is a founder, shareholder and past President of the law firm of Rath, Young and Pignatelli where she remains chair of the firm's Environmental Practice Group. She and her partners built their company to become one of the top law firms in Concord, NH.  Sherry says the key to stepping down from executive management was finding and training her replacement. In this episode learn more abo...

Duncan Grehan built a law practice and firm in Dublin, Ireland, beginning in 1984.  He has since sold his interest in Duncan Grehan & Partners, and in his interview, he brings insight into both the Dawn and Dusk phases of an attorney's journey.  Listen in to find out about some of the unique aspects of practicing law in Ireland, and learn about how Grehan's "Always put your client's first" rule ha...

Jeffrey A. Greenbaum has been the managing partner of Frankfurt Kurnit since 2010. He's been with his firm for nearly thirty years, and in part this has been the key to his success. Building community and not feeling the need to compete with other lawyers for the big clients, has given him the ability to do his career, his way. Listen to find out how he did it.

I sat down with entertainment lawyer Robert (Bob) Darwell who reflects on how his early experience as a waiter shaped his approach to law. Known for representing top studio executives and media clients around the world, Darwell attributes much of his success to a simple but consistent principle: service.