Legal Grounds | Conversations on Life, Leadership & Law

So, here’s a loaded question: how did your relationships change over the past year?  Did you lose some?  Did others grow stronger?  Did you maybe even manage to form new relationships among the chaos?  There’s obviously no “right” answer to this question, but it’s one that – for better or for worse – we’ve all had a little more time to reflect on than we used to.  And I’ll be the first to say that...

Sometimes it’s not always easy for me to remember, but at the end of the day, what I do (what MOST professionals do) is form and nurture relationships.  And as someone who is a sucker for the breakfast meeting or a coffee date, this past year has been one big learning curve. And a lot of the times, the curve pointed in directions I hadn’t planned on going…  But the thing that made it easier in the...

Back when families had to have set T.V. nights for shows, one of my family’s guilty pleasures was always “Law & Order.” I know some lawyers aren’t fans, but since I’ve always been a civil litigator, I think I was easier for me to suspend my disbelief. I don’t watch much T.V. anymore, but I know there is a show called “Bull” that puts an entertaining spin on the world of trial consulting. And j...

When it comes to “the law,” one thing I’ve always found appealing is that while FEELINGS are important, it’s FACTS that win the day.  But what happens when feelings impact our ability to cohere around the same set of facts?  As a mediator I’ve seen this situation play out in miniature plenty of times, but over the past decade I’ve seen this discrepancy become more and more commonplace in our socie...

I’m not usually one to make bold promises, but if nothing else, this week’s episode will make you laugh.  So, if you stick around for nothing else, please do not leave until you’ve heard possibly the best story of a Zoom mishap I’ve heard during this entire pandemic.  Now that that’s out of the way, this week I was fortunate enough to sit down with a fellow trucking attorney, Christy Comstock .  C...

Let’s be clear: I love my job. And as someone who’s founded their own business, I’d like to think I can say this with a sort of earnestness that other may not fully possess.  But every once in a while, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten into law school. See, the alternate course of action at the time was Ranger School for the United States Army. I was by no means guaranteed a spo...

I’ve often said on this podcast that some of the truest tests of leadership happen during a crisis.  But even if you’re someone who thrives in high-stakes situations, there is inevitably what I’ll call, “the drop.”  You can only run at full steam for so long … Trust me.  So, what would you do if your job was to manage a crisis that was never-ending?  That kind of leadership is unique and it’s some...

I think it’s fair to say that positivity is a little harder to come by nowadays.  And if the entire legal field had shifted only 4 years into my legal career, I could confidently say I would have been completely overwhelmed.  That’s why my guest this week, Allison Stewart , is something of a rockstar in my book. Now a 5-Year Associate at the world-renowned law firm, Greenberg Traurig , Allison foc...

One of the things I’m looking forward to in the near future is when all the folks at our office will be able to have another Volunteer Day.  Before Covid, twice a year we would find an organization that we could spend a day helping. From loading up backpacks for back-to-school drives, to organizing clothes & cleaning the shelves of a second-hand store for the less-fortunate, it is a tradition...

Love is in the air for this week’s Light Roast episode of Legal Grounds.  And since I can’t take my wife out for a nice dinner yet, I figured taking listeners on a virtual coffee-date just might be the next best thing.  For this Valentine’s Day Edition, I take a look at one of the qualities I think makes for the best relationships, romantic or otherwise: Vulnerability.  This past year has taught m...

The past year has been a hell of a ride – and that’s underselling it.  And while we’ve all struggled in our own ways, one of the things I know to be grateful for is that The Bassett Firm was “established.”  I’m not saying I wasn’t terrified, but at least I wasn’t worried about starting totally from scratch.   That’s why I have such mad respect for my guest this week, Winter Wheeler .  A practicing...

When I got ready for this week’s discussion, one thing kept poking at my mind: The Establishment Clause.  I’m sure many of you remember it from your civics lessons. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." And yet, my guest this week has made it his life’s work to understand the relationship between the powers that be...

It’s not often that I find myself using the phrase, “dynamic duo,” but I sincerely can’t think of a more apt term for my guests this week.  Tiffany Derry & Tom Foley are the minds behind Roots Chicken Shak where they have created some of the best fried chicken that has blessed my kitchen table.  You’ll have to pardon the pun, but these two business partners bring very different ingredients to...

More often than not, it seems that the people I meet who truly love what they do will say something along the lines of, “I didn’t choose this career, the career chose me.” My guest this week fits that bill.  John Bridgeland is the CEO & Founder of CIVIC , a bipartisan ideas company specializing in innovative initiatives at the cutting edge of domestic, economic, and international policy. And w...

Behind the bench of my guest this week hang the words, “We Who Labor Here Seek Only The Truth.” They are so prominent that you would have to actively try to not see them.  Judge Tonya Parker of the Dallas County 116th Civil District Court was the first black woman elected to a Civil District Court in the history of the county.  Respected by attorneys & the clients they represent, Judge Parker...

Well folks, we made it…  2021 will be here before many of you even get a chance to listen to this episode, & if I’m being honest, not a lot may have changed in terms of the “big-picture”. Still, this year has taught me a lot – even if many of the lessons were unwanted.  So, as we move forward, I want to share with you some thoughts on the defining feature I’ve witnessed in 2020: Grit. This New...

Back when we all used to record our favorite Holiday Specials on VHS tapes, my wife – in her infinite wisdom & patience – made sure we had all of the classics ready to go as soon as the Christmas decorations had been unpacked.  But there was one tape that still makes me laugh when I think about it.  If I remember right, it opened with the old animated “Frosty”, and then maybe it was “Rudolph”,...

“When you have enough for yourself and something more to give – you give it.” People of many faith traditions are probably familiar with some version of this concept, but rarely have I heard it put so simply. Then I met M.C. Sungaila .  M.C. is an Appellate Attorney who is the leader of Buchalter’s appellate practice group. She has worked on cases dealing with issues ranging from constitutional la...

Growing up in El Paso, I was fortunate enough not just to learn Spanish, but to be able to practice a second language in real life situations.  But my education, my friendships, and my opportunities never relied on me mastering another language…or culture…or legal system.  My guest this week, Olga V. Mack , can confidently claim to have done all three of these things.  The daughter of political re...

“No matter what kind of law you practice, all of us should remember we’re civil-rights attorneys.” Some may think this idea is a brush too broad to paint with, but as someone who has served clients on either side of the “vs.,” I couldn’t be in more agreement with this humanistic approach to the practice of law.  I’d love to take credit, but this insight is that of my guest this week, Brittany K. B...

Our Thanksgiving episode also happens to be the first in what will become our Light-Roast Series.  Instead of a conversation with a guest, I occasionally want to have a conversation with you, the listener.  These episodes won’t be replacing our original format, but every once in a while, you might find one of these 10-minute thought-experiments in your feed.  And because so many of us will be enjo...

It’s not often you get to sit down with a legend, but despite his humility, Al Ellis has earned this title.  I first met Al over 30 years ago as a young trial attorney & have been fortunate enough to have his friendship & example to lean towards in the harder moments of my career. A trial attorney with close to 200 cases beneath his belt, Al serves as Community Outreach Facilitator of the...

When I first began my legal career, there was an entire over-night department of typists who took our notes & dictation & transcribed them on ‘word processors’ for us to review before finalizing them.   Fast-forward 34 years & our Firm now no longer uses legal-pads or builds trial binders because everything is done on iPads & shared through the cloud. That kind of technological adv...

When I started this Podcast, I was nostalgic for the days of diner coffee & deep conversation with friends in one of the booths at Lucky’s Café here in Dallas.  And it’s that spirit of community, honesty, & curiosity has been the driving force for Legal Grounds.  Now, all of that being said, we felt like it would be tone-deaf to ignore the election climate as it currently is. After all, if...

Seinfeld has a great bit & an even better episode about making friends in your thirties. The joke hinges on the fact that you don’t. Or as Seinfeld puts it: “Sorry, we’re not interviewing anyone for a new position at this time.”  And while there is a truth to it – obviously, or the joke wouldn’t work – I’ve been lucky enough to continue to make true friends throughout my legal career.  Tim Dol...