I Am The Law

Rachel Frank is a senior associate at Quinn Emanuel who focuses on appellate litigation. She discusses the journey from summer associate to working on cases before the Supreme Court. Rachel explains what appellate practice actually involves, from preparing partners for oral arguments through intensive moot courts to crafting persuasive appellate briefs. She discusses how she uses AI as a thinking...

Matt Skinner is a public defender with passion. Criminal defense is high-stakes, sometimes chaotic work that can be extremely difficult, but Matt navigates the courts, clients, and his career with genuine sincerity and excitement. As a lawyer for those who are accused of felonies but cannot afford a lawyer, his love for underdogs fuels his advocacy. It was a profound experience in high school, how...

For the government, sanctions and export controls are foreign policy tools. For businesses, they are legal minefields. Audi Syarief is a senior associate who helps clients navigate this high-stakes world of regulatory puzzles and enforcement actions. In this episode, Audi explains how sanctions work, the outsized role of ambiguity in his practice, and his approach to managing risk across diverse c...

Jeremy Evans managed to outlast hundreds who started law school hoping to do sports and entertainment law. He talks about the struggle to start his own firm and why he thinks he was among the last standing. Jeremy is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Law. This is a replay of episode #47 that originally aired on June 20, 2020. This episode is hosted by Kyle McEntee. Mentioned in this episode...

Through her social security disability practice, Asha Sharma represents clients who are often struggling with poverty, homelessness, and complex medical conditions. In this episode, she discusses the realities of building a practice around contingency fees from federal back pay, the challenge of working with vulnerable clients who lack proper medical documentation, and the extensive medical knowle...

Joe Stephens operates at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and traditional legal practice. As both a trial consultant and public defender, he helps lawyers harness AI to transform their litigation strategies and case preparation. Joe discusses how he guides other attorneys through AI integration, from analyzing mountains of depositions to crafting more effective motions. In his own publi...

Sudha Setty entered legal academia on a path less traveled—without a clerkship or teaching fellowship. While working as a litigation associate at an elite New York City firm, she prepared for the academic job market and charted her course into teaching and scholarship. In this episode, Sudha reflects on how she built a scholarly agenda, developed an engaging classroom presence, and relied on mento...

Margeaux Thomas is the definition of lawyer meets entrepreneur. She specializes in business partnership disputes, landlord-tenant conflicts, and contract law. In this episode, Margeaux shares her journey from law school to working at a large firm, the challenges she faced navigating firm dynamics, and the personal experiences that led her to start her own practice. She dives into the realities of...

Before becoming a judge, Alex Manning served in the military, worked undercover as a cop, and defended people in complex criminal cases. She was also a key spokesperson advocating against the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In this episode, Judge Manning talks about what drew her from law enforcement to the law, the challenges of presiding over a courtroom, and the mental and emotional...

Today, Venetia Mayhew is one of Oregon’s most well-known clemency and post-conviction lawyers, but her path to the law was anything but typical. She started college at 39 and law school at 43. Her prior experience? Working in film, catering, and truck driving. In this episode, she explains how her unconventional path shaped her work as a criminal defense attorney. She reflects on years spent leadi...

Alexis Taitel, a commercial litigator and fourth-year associate at a large firm, spent her first two years after law school clerking in federal district court. She explains what a federal clerkship really involves and how that experience helped her launch a litigation career in private practice. Alexis offers a window into her work on breach of contract cases as a mid-level associate, from pre-lit...

Eric Bernheim works at the intersection of real estate transactions and land use law—two areas that are often siloed but deeply interconnected in his practice. We focus on his commercial real estate practice, highlighting how he supports restaurant clients through lease negotiations, why standardized provisions matter for growth and sale, and how seemingly small terms can affect a company’s long-t...

What really draws people to become lawyers? In this special bonus episode, we draw on previously unpublished clips with recent guests. You'll hear from lawyers inspired by family members in the profession, those who found their calling through student government or workplace experiences, and others who were motivated by iconic legal dramas like Legally Blonde and A Few Good Men . But inspiration i...

Jaimie Nawaday is a former federal prosecutor and current white-collar defense and government investigations litigator. In this episode, she reflects on the skills and insights she brought from her time as a prosecutor, switching sides, and how real-world experience shapes confidence in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. Jamie also offers candid thoughts on the drinking culture within the...

In this episode, Ezra Lintner (they/she), a legal aid lawyer in San Francisco, discusses defending evicted tenants in a city on the forefront of a civil right to counsel. The conversation highlights the high-stakes reality of eviction defense work, the nuances of habitability, and the emotional challenge of helping clients through a fundamentally disruptive experience. Ezra also reflects on the pe...

Mergers, acquisitions, hostile takeovers...if you've ever watched television lawyers arguing on the big screen, you’ll know these terms. For transactional lawyer Stephanie Hurst, these words are part of her daily diction. As an income partner at Mayer Brown, Stephanie has been negotiating cross-border transactions for years. In this episode, she highlights the complexities of structuring deals, th...

Samm Tillotson is a commercial litigator at an elite law firm, where she spends a lot of time defending class action lawsuits for insurance clients. While she doesn't go to trial often, she spends a lot of time in court, preparing for court, and negotiating. Despite the firm's size, Samm's cases are leanly staffed, which means she works a case from beginning to end. She talks a bit about her love...

For Katie King, investigations have always been at the center of her work. As a federal prosecutor turned Title IX and institutional equity expert, she’s spent her legal career tasked with piecing together the truth. Katie now serves as a senior administrator at Cornell University – a job that does not require a law degree or license. In this episode, Katie shares her journey into the world of civ...

Tijana Brien, a partner at the elite law firm Cooley, specializes in high-stakes securities litigation. In this episode, she unpacks the complexities of defending major corporations, discussing the importance of motions to dismiss, investigation, and focusing on the elements of a case. She shares how she navigates the challenge of translating complex technological concepts—like encryption—into acc...

As a “dirt lawyer,” Don Pinto’s cases typically involve one party that wants to do something in real estate, and another party trying to stop it. Whether coastal erosion or view obstruction with residential homeowners, or developers seeking to build new commercial or residential property, disputes end up in court if he can’t help his clients come to terms sooner. Each day on the job looks differen...

Lynette Paczkowski is a litigator at heart, and her career journey has taken her to the world of probate litigation. When a will is contested, the legal battle is rarely just about money—it’s about trust, family dynamics, and sometimes the question of whether someone "pulled a fast one." In this episode, Lynette walks us through the complexities of her practice, from uncovering undue influence to...

Adam Deutsch is a personal injury lawyer who litigates medical malpractice claims...and he loves what he does. Although he opted for lawyer rather than doctor, he spends his days researching areas of medicine and consulting with experts before negotiating settlements and arguing in court. In this episode, Adam talks about medical rabbit holes, his strategy for jury selection, and the challenges th...

Former Biglaw attorney Cece Xie shares her unconventional journey from practicing law to building a portfolio career. After graduating law school, she embarked on a well-traveled road to a large law firm with a shiny name. Though she has many positive things to say about her two firms, she ultimately stepped away from it all. In this episode, Cece talks about the challenges of leaving a stable car...

Juan Dawson is a junior associate at a newly merged megafirm. He’s one of the firm’s many energy industry lawyers – or, as he puts it, a "lawyer for electrons." In this episode, Juan shares how he pivoted to a niche, multi-faceted field involving regulatory compliance and interaction with government agencies. Juan discusses how he reconciles his initial public interest aspirations with a corporate...

Victoria Nauman is a very recent law school graduate and state public defender. Like many law students, she entered law school intending to do some sort of public service, but lacking specificity. This episode focuses on her transition to practice. Victoria discusses some early career challenges, including imposter syndrome, building trust with clients, how she balances kindness and collegiality w...