Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Amid the far-reaching disruptions caused by the pandemic, safeguarding client relationships, maintaining seamless delivery of legal services and supporting an engaged and productive (and largely remote) staff have been critical priorities. As law firm and legal department leaders manage these and other health, safety and business continuity matters, they are facing growing compliance risks they ca...

Rob Bilott, the renowned attorney leading the fight against the spread of deadly “forever chemicals,” the author of acclaimed memoir “Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont,” and the subject of the 2019 legal thriller “Dark Waters,” sits down with host Jonathan Amarilio to discuss his struggle on behalf of tens of thousands of poisoned Ohio an...

Infinite vacation time sounds great until you place yourself inside the passive-aggressive crucible of a law firm. Management is probably genuinely trying to give associates more flexibility with their vacations but ultimately freaking out their lawyers in the process. Meanwhile, summer associates are heading to work and very worried about the level of mentoring they're going to get in a remote wo...

When Mark A. Torres was researching his first novel, A Stirring in the North Fork, he came across a piece of local history he'd never known about. Starting during the labor shortages of World War II, Long Island had been home to dozens of camps for several decades, some of which kept migrant workers in deplorable–and often deadly–conditions. As general counsel for the Teamsters Union Local 810, To...

Jaclyn Foster knows what it’s like being a full-time paralegal and working for a temp staffing agency. But she opted to break from the norm and build her dedicated paralegal agency because she learned that a professional contract paralegal service could save law firms money, improve quality, and assure continuity.  Host Christopher Anderson interviews Foster about her journey from rural Minnesota...

How do you balance the needs of a patient versus safely running a mental health facility? In this episode, we discuss whether or not a non-certified service animal should have been granted access to a treatment center. Christopher Knauf from the Disability Rights Legal Center joins us to discuss his work and the law. Special thanks to our sponsor Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

Gyi and Conrad review the latest news. First up: Clio’s “blind date” with HubSpot. They wonder about the development of Clio Grow, its relationship with HubSpot, and customer relationship management options for law firms.  In the Clio Legal Trends Report Minute, Gyi and Conrad consider the quarter of lawyers who don’t meet clients virtually and the third of lawyers who don’t support electronic doc...

Many Americans privately give to causes and charities but don’t want that fact to be made public. But, do we actually have a right to privately donate? The Supreme Court will soon answer that question in another free speech case called ‘Americans for Prosperity Foundation vs. Bonta’. Professor Roger Colinvaux from Columbus School of Law stops by to explain. Special thanks to our sponsor Nota. Lear...

Court packing is defined as “the act or practice of packing a court and especially the United States Supreme Court by increasing the number of judges or justices in an attempt to change the ideological makeup of the court.” Last month, Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, and President Biden announced the formation of a commission to...

2020 not only brought us COVID-19, but also seemingly the worst year ever for cyber-attacks and data breaches. So, did someone drop the ball, or are threat actors just getting better and better at their craft? Dennis and Tom hash out their thoughts on the matter, examining cyber threats both old and new, discussing how to effectively educate yourself on what’s out there, and emphasizing the import...

Data security risks are constantly evolving, and the past few years have only shown increases in the number of attacks faced by companies and organizations around the world. To examine these trends in depth, Sharon Nelson and John Simek welcome Craig Hoffman to look at the most recent stats from the BakerHostetler Data Security Incident Response Report. Craig offers insights into many of the repor...

Guest: Rachel Allums took a nontraditional path to law practice, first working as a receptionist and paralegal before reading for the California Bar. She benefited from years of firm management experience, leveraging these skills when she launched her estate planning practice one year ago. Topics: What it’s like being a legal unicorn Flipping the script by learning to be a lawyer before learning t...

Authors and professors, Michael Heller & James Salzman, talk to us about the rules of ownership in our lives and what role lawyers play in all this. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to TextExpander, Postali, and ESQ.Marketing for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Professor Adam Winkler from the UCLA School of Law joins us for a high caliber discussion about New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Corlett and what that case could mean for 2nd Amendment rights. Special thanks to our sponsor Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Kathryn discuss the latest legal Zoom fail as a defendant flirts with contempt after his sister changed his Zoom moniker to some sort of sci-fi sex machine. The pair also talk about Ropes & Gray's decision to transition to a four-day office work week and the latest insulting, dubious rant from the National Conference of Bar Examiners declaring that poor test results for minority applicants...

A gratifying legal victory sparked Jacqueline Schafer's desire to create a legal technology product that would help other lawyers efficiently craft case-winning briefs full of compelling evidence. Clearbrief is an AI-powered legal writing tool that launched in March. Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications and Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historically, lawyers have been pretty dependent on in-person networking, but in the era of social distancing, taking a new tack has become a necessity. Jared offers tips for remote-based networking to help you market your firm and make new connections. (1:47) Next, Jared brings on Jaimie Field to dig into her knowledge of law firm rainmaking. Jamie shares her experience with generating income, en...

Does Florida’s new anti riot law violate free speech and the right to right peaceably assemble? Kirk Bailey from the ACLU of Florida joins us to compare notes. Special thanks to our sponsor Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As far as the legal profession has come, there are still elements of racial inequality and it’s not always easy to see. Host Sonia Russo talks with attorneys Tiana Towns, Andrew Hairston, Paulina Vera, and Jerome Crawford about their personal experiences with racism while practicing law. In addition, they discuss microaggressions, implicit bias, and the importance of self-care. Stay tuned for the...

A huge 2nd Amendment case that flew under the press radar, Travieso v. Glock addresses liability issues when 3rd parties unlawfully use firearms and injure others. Larry Keane from the National Shooting Sports Foundation joins us. Special thanks to our sponsor Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, speaker and business coach, Trivinia Barber, talks to us about fighting our email to get to inbox zero. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Thanks to LEX Reception, ESQ.Marketing, TextExpander, and Postali for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eugene Volokh used his blog to whine some more about how his constant demands to be respected for throwing around racial epithets in class keep getting him clowned. This time he tries to pull a "gotcha" that two years ago, a single Above the Law article had an unedited slur in a block quote... which is so unhelpful to his argument that you have to wonder if he's suffered a concussion or something....

In 1974, a United States diplomat was kidnapped by the People’s Liberation Army of Mexico. His wife fought for his release but U.S. policy forbid the government from paying his ransom. Tune in to hear a true life account involving President Nixon, John McCain, Henry Kissinger, the “Hanoi Hilton”, a hijacking, and border crossings. Brendan I. Koerner, author and writer for the Atlantic joins us. Sp...

When they were putting together their new book, Crisis Lawyering: Effective Legal Advocacy in Emergency Situations, editors Ray Brescia and Eric K. Stern didn't know that the world would soon be gripped by a pandemic–but they knew that being ready for crises large or small could only benefit attorneys. In fact, lawyers who specialize in emergency management and handling crisis situations are more...

Top headline for #LHLM: More episodes are coming your way! Look for new shows twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Next up, as Gyi and Conrad predicted, venture capital is making waves in legal. Most recent headlines covered a $100 million infusion for Scorpion, followed soon after by word that Clio raised $110 million.  What does the investment mean for firms and matter management?...