Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

In Part Two of our unfiltered discussion with legendary plaintiff attorney Tom Keefe, you’ll learn Tom’s strategy to “housebreak” a witness and how to handle a highly-coached expert. You’ll also hear Tom’s most embarrassing moment in trial when a common statement of surprise actually occurred in the courtroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don’t stomp your little last season Prada shoes at me, honey.” Can you name that movie? It’s one of the top three legal movies on our list, and if you can’t name it, you’d better listen to this episode. If you can name that film, you’ll love our spirited discussion of the classic legal films that inspire us, make us laugh, and teach us to be humble. And should you choose to disagree with our pick...

A lot of law firm intake processes are a bit painful to look at, if we’re honest, but they don’t have to be! Jared and guest McKay Ferrell share how a little tracking and better workflows can make your intake as smooth as butter. In lieu of a Rump Roast grilling, Jared delves into McKay’s passion for craft brewing, learning about hybrid IPAs and what led him into the seemingly saturated world of b...

The U.S. Supreme Court had a historic last term; including welcoming a new justice, striking down Roe versus Wade, the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion, an assassination plot, and questions from many in the public about the legitimacy of the court. With the court's new term beginning October 3rd, the court will take up additional major cases on issues such as affirmative action, voting, acces...

Why are smart lawyers so bad at conversation?  What makes one person excellent at conversation and another terrible? Does it come down to listening? And are there ways to develop these skills? Joining me for this conversation is Celeste Headlee, an internationally recognized journalist and radio host, professional speaker and author of bestselling book We Need To Talk: How To Have Conversations Th...

On the last episode of our The Life of a Lawyer Start to Finish series, we discussed Hobbies & Travel with attorney Steven Lefkoff. In this episode, we move on to the next rung of the ladder: Lifelong Learning. Host Craig Williams is joined by attorney, entrepreneur, and teacher Kelli J. Proia, founder of Lawducate. Craig and Kelli explore lifelong learning, discuss the importance of a continuous...

Still think your small or solo practice can go it alone without a client relationship platform (CRM)? Maybe you don’t have all the facts. From intake to holiday cards to referrals and repeat business, learn how a CRM propels your practice. Guest Matt Siegel is a serial entrepreneur, attorney, and the CEO of Lawmatics. He believes that a good CRM should free information from “data prisons,” integra...

ILTACON’s peer-driven approach strives to provide a unique experience for the legal industry with its heavy focus on education and attendee involvement. Sharon Nelson and John Simek welcome Doug Austin to debrief on ILTACON 2022. They cover highlights, lowlights, and how the conference stacks up against other legal tech events. Doug Austin is an established eDiscovery thought leader with over 30 y...

Do you treat your firm’s core values as the guiding principles they are designed to be? On this episode, Stephanie talks with Lawyerist Lab member Fiona McEntee about how, once she settled on her core values, she was able to use them as signposts to build and grow her immigration law practice. For Fiona, the values of harmony, optimism, modern, and empathy (HOME… get it?), are more than just buzzw...

Brian Schneider, president of Schneider & Associates Claim Services in California discusses the challenges of catastrophic claims for claims adjusters and insurers, including regulations for adjusters and ensuring accuracy of timely reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Receive The Appropriate Prizes. Did you know that it's not a good idea to keep two sets of accounting ledgers in order to scam banks and skimp on taxes? It's true! And the majority of the Trump family is finding that out as the NY Attorney General files a lawsuit. Have you considered putting your very freedom in the hands of a judge with decades of experience based on your own misunderstanding of...

It’s one thing when a shelf stocker slips at work and injures her back. It’s another thing entirely when a professional athlete blows a knee on the football field. Our guest this week is Jonathan Israel, senior partner at the Jacksonville, Florida, law firm RITE where he represents professional athletes in Workers’ Comp cases. Things get interesting when a case involves an athlete making millions...

Are you blindly following the “rules” of building a case without examining whether or not they are the best strategy for your client or your practice? Renowned plaintiff attorney Tom Keefe shares his “my rules, my way” tips on how to build a case without experts, the benefits of virtual vs video depositions, how visuals can help and hurt you, and other savvy bits of wisdom learned from decades of...

Self-awareness in the courtroom can make a real difference. Should you intervene or just sit back and let the awkwardness linger when someone misses cues from the judge or jury? Can you teach self-awareness? And if so, how? In part two of our deep dive into self-awareness, you’ll get a few tips on how to enhance your ability to read the room and respond appropriately, even when others don’t. Learn...

How fast are you moving potential clients from contact to contract? And businesses, which law practices most definitely are, need metrics, but the guys help you avoid the metrics that are really just noise. And, for a little something extra, we get into what’s been going on with Patagonia and a rant a little bit about the upcoming legal conference season. ----- Do you even like making money? Gyi a...

There is a massive disconnect between what courts were designed to do—solve legal disputes through lawyer-driven, adversarial litigation—and what these courts are asked to do today—help people without lawyers navigate complex social, economic and interpersonal challenges, most of which are deeply tied to structural inequality. As a result, the judicial role is in upheaval, according to our guests....

Every attorney knows to lock client secrets behind sophisticated cybersecurity. But as guest Rich Hale explains, the data that’s hiding in plain sight, “Dark Data,” is just as important to your client relationships and your reputation. After this important episode, you’ll want to look around your office. What do you see? Passwords taped to keyboards, thumb drives and scribbled notes left on deskto...

How can law firms rethink lead generation?  What are the changes and tweaks you can make to your current strategy? Tom Shapiro joins me for a conversation about creating a lead generation strategy that works for your business. Tom is CEO of Stratabeat, a B2B marketing agency specializing in SEO, content development, content marketing, web design, account-based marketing (ABM), and conversion optim...

The overall employment outcomes for 2007 and 2021 law school graduates were both 91.9%. And while that sounds like a good thing, it could be a warning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More likely than not, your tech stack isn’t enabled to its greatest functionality. Why? Well, sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know. Dennis and Tom talk about maximizing the potential your tools, platforms, apps, and software have to interact more collaboratively to improve the day-to-day operations of your law firm. Connecting your components improves not only your human interactions,...

Are you a fresh grad about to start working as a lawyer, or a relatively junior lawyer still figuring things out? The road to becoming a lawyer certainly isn’t an easy one; and the shift from studying law to actually practicing law can seem a bit intimidating.  In this episode of Young Lawyer Rising, guest and litigation attorney Dave Scriven-Young shares top tips for starting your legal career of...

How can the legal profession be more supportive of law students and lawyers with disabilities? In a profession already marked by the hypercompetitive pursuit of performance and achievement, young lawyers often face pressure to downplay their disabilities. In addition, access to accommodations for law students and lawyers with disabilities can sometimes be difficult, adding a lot of stress to an al...

In August, Lloyds of London announced that beginning in 2023 all of its insurer groups will exclude “catastrophic” state-backed attacks from their cyber insurance policies. And, unfortunately, this is just one of many on a growing list of potential exclusions for insurers worldwide, even though premium prices have continued to climb. So, is cybersecurity still worth it? Sharon Nelson and Jim Callo...

What if you could join forces with another professional to both streamline and boost your business? This week’s guests have found a way, through their integrated law and accounting firm (one of the first in Arizona), to better serve their clients and their business. In this episode, Stephanie talks with owners of BOSS advisors, Lawyerist Lab member Mike Payne and non-attorney business partner Chad...

And we speak of mermaids and copyrights. There are people out there planning to digitally replace Ariel in the new Little Mermaid movie with a computer generated white character. This is great news... if you're Disney's outside IP enforcement counsel! Meanwhile, the SCOTUS offseason heats up with Chief Justice Roberts complaining that the public questions the Court's legitimacy and Justice Kagan i...