Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

How is speaking a marketing strategy?   How can you leverage speaking to grow your presence, your reputation, your firm, and bring on new clients?   As founder and CEO of The Speaker Lab, Grant Baldwin has helped thousands of people build successful and sustainable speaking businesses. Over the last 15 years, Grant has become a sought-after speaker, podcaster, author, and accomplished entrepreneur...

Many business leaders are mis-educated about what diversity is, and, as such, lack the ability to support it in their organizations. Jared brings on diversity coach Dr. James Rodgers to learn about his research and training strategies for effectively managing diversity in business, with particular tips for lawyers and law firms. On an all-new Rump Roast, Jared introduces the Legal Toolkit Law Revi...

Uh-oh, the robots are gunning for your jobs again. Or… are they? Generative AI has the ability to analyze existing knowledge and then produce its very own creative content, with varying results thus far. Dennis and Tom talk through what’s happening in this sphere of technology, recommend tools to try out, and examine whether real live content creators need to worry about losing work to these AI us...

In March 1960, Illinois Starved Rock State Park became the site of the brutal murder and possible sexual assault of three middle-aged women who were visiting the park from nearby Chicago. Authorities quickly identified Chester Weger as the primary suspect, and he promptly confessed and was locked away for life. However, in the decades since, Weger has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Weger wa...

Communicating with clients is essential to good lawyering, but doing so without proper precautions could set you up for trouble. Sharon Nelson and John Simek discuss the ethics of lawyer communications with Daniel Siegel, an attorney and current chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. They talk through the new guidance issued by this com...

For some small law firm owners, growth isn’t the goal. In this episode, Sara talks with former Lawyerist Lab member Katie Roe about how and why she built her firm with the intention of staying small. They discuss the steps Katie took and the boundaries she created to find balance while running her thriving business and being a working mother of two. If today’s podcast resonates with you and you ha...

In the summer of 2020, when the murder of George Floyd was igniting protests in Minneapolis and around the country, it occurred to Margaret A. Burnham that “George Floyd” was a common-sounding name. Burnham is the founder and director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at the Northwestern University School of Law, where she is also a professor. She went into the CRRJ’s archive of...

In Episode 2, Reclaiming Democracy, David Pepper, the author of Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines, provides a stark wake-up call for the steps he believes are necessary to move from a competitive autocracy back to a democracy. Pepper insists that reclaiming our democracy requires a sustained and persistent effort at the local, state, and federal levels. With a view to...

Annual gathering aims to silence woke heretics... misses spectacularly. The Federalist Society national convention kicked off with Judge William Pryor mocking Above the Law for insinuating that the organization is a bunch of ideological hacks in a monologue that was "funny" to the extent it amounted to a quarter hour of self-owns. A day later, FedSoc proved its hackery when the Board voted to bar...

Part Two of John Simon and Tim Cronin’s 49 Tips for Closing Arguments examines a range of issues including whether your close should suggest a range for damages vs asking for a specific number, strategies to make the jury’s job easier, and case framing that helps jurors feel better about taking money from the defendant if they are having a hard time giving it to the plaintiff. Take a tip from the...

Decades of research tells us why women leave their legal careers; it's the same story on repeat. So what is the difference between women who love their legal careers and those struggling to hang on? At different stages of their careers, the ladies of The Simon Law Firm have created a podcast based on answering that question. Starting with the basics, the hosts of “Heels in the Courtroom” will shar...

Dr. Steven Wood, litigation consultant at Courtroom Sciences, Inc., discusses the benefits of early case management in the litigation process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you looking to jump-start your career in the legal field? Whether you are a recent law school graduate, researching summer associate opportunities, exploring entry-level paralegal or legal support positions, or an experienced professional aspiring to transition to the field of law, listen to this program to learn about hiring trends, in-demand skills, search strategies, and career tips to find...

Many areas of the law require attorneys to meet and confer, meaning lawyers must communicate the basis for their disagreement on a legal issue and make a meaningful attempt to reach a resolution. You may be surprised to learn that lawyers rarely agree on anything, but the law still mandates they try. So how can litigators encourage more meaningful and productive “Meet and Confer” sessions? And wha...

Michigan Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack joins LSC President Ron Flagg to discuss access to the courts in the wake of the pandemic, lessons learned from the bench and her next chapter in access-to-justice advocacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you dominate local search?   How has Google My Business changed drastically over the years? Is it really enough to try and rank organically?   Joining me for this conversation is Stormy Knight.   With 27 years experience in search engine optimization, you would think that Stormy Knight would have a mumbo jumbo pile of technical complexity to share. But instead she has distilled all of her e...

As a mother and a professional, Lori Mihalich-Levin experienced the many challenges of working parents firsthand and discovered that there is all too often very little support for parents transitioning back to the workplace after the birth of a child. So, Lori created Mindful Return to empower parents with knowledge and a supportive community. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Lori about va...

Minority lawyers operating in white-dominated spaces face unique challenges as they navigate careers in the legal profession. As negative stereotypes assault them from without, self-doubt and imposter syndrome can develop within. DeMario Thornton welcomes Michael Nava, a gay, Mexican-American author and attorney, to gain insights from his remarkable career and hear his thoughts on overcoming discr...

Water is our most precious resource, but water, statewide and worldwide, is becoming scarce. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 55 million people globally are affected by droughts every year, and water shortages are the most serious hazard to livestock and crops in nearly every part of the world. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may face water shortages, and by 2...

If you could work from anywhere in the world, where would it be? What if we told you it could be possible with a little planning? In this episode, Sara talks with attorney and Lawyerist Lab Member Chrystan Carlton about being a legal nomad. Chrystan recently spent a month living and working in Spain without interrupting her practice. They dive into how she made it happen and the tools and preparat...

It's not 2009 all over again, but it's not great. Layoffs are continuing to percolate through the legal industry. Will they stay contained to a few firms with hard hit clients or are we seeing the beginning of widespread firings. Meanwhile, Jones Day has another brush with the Streisand Effect, leading the panel to have to explain who Barbra Streisand is to our youngest member. Learn more about yo...

There hasn’t been much progress when it comes to driverless cars. Most major car manufacturers have sunk hundreds of billions into developing and testing driverless cars; yet the finish line seems to be nowhere in sight. So what happened? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, you are a counselor, but does that mean you have to be a therapist too? Our clients may expect more compassion from us because we are women, but how do we protect our delicate sense of compassion when our jobs bombard us with pain and injustice? Can we compartmentalize and have compassion too? It’s a tough topic…..grab some grace and tune in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

The Simon Law Firm has earned over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements since the firm’s founding in 2000, so these attorneys obviously know how to close. John Simon and Tim Cronin offer 49 tried and true tips for strengthening your closing argument, such as how to handle life care plans and ways to make your issues more personal for jurors. Part One covers the first 25 tips which will help youn...

Gyi and Conrad talk about gorgeous data dashboards and the gorgeous-er data behind them. Then, the guys dig into how your clients really feel about fees and billing. Plus, book club! ----- Straight from the YouTubes: Gyi and Conrad answer a listener question regarding metrics dashboards. Plot twist, it’s less about the tools you use to display your data, and more about the integrity of the data yo...