That One Lawyer™ Podcast

I Almost Didn't Go... In this first edition of That One Lawyer Unplugged , Neal Goldstein shares a personal story about almost skipping a New York Law School alumni event—and why showing up reminded him that relationships are built one conversation at a time. This isn't an episode about networking. It's about overcoming hesitation, reconnecting with people, and remembering that meaningful relation...

When Alex Wilson was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2016, she faced the same uncertainty that confronts many people receiving life-changing medical news. What happened next surprised even her. Rather than pulling back, Alex adopted a simple philosophy: why wait? In this episode, Alex joins Neal Goldstein to discuss her journey from private practice to senior in-house leadership, living with...

Nick Altopiedi grew up watching his father build a successful personal injury practice, but his own path to law was anything but direct. Before becoming a lawyer, Nick played college baseball, worked in finance at JP Morgan Chase, bartended in New York City, and attended law school at night while working full time during the day. In this conversation with Neal Goldstein, Nick shares how those expe...

Michelle Stern never wanted clients. She went to law school intending to work in advocacy and nonprofit leadership, not traditional legal practice. That path eventually led her to the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, where she has spent more than two decades building one of the largest trial lawyer organizations in the state. Today the Academy serves more than 6,000 members, but Michelle b...

What happens when a lawyer refuses to stay in one lane? Asha Smith has spent her career doing exactly that. Public defender. Professor. Mediator. Appellate advocate. Civil rights lawyer. Bar association leader. Artist. While many attorneys are told that success comes from narrowing their focus, Asha built her career by pursuing multiple interests and refusing to separate creativity from legal prac...

Victor Suthammanont's path to becoming a lawyer was anything but traditional. Before entering the legal profession, he studied drama at NYU Tisch, founded a theater company, wrote screenplays, and performed stand-up comedy across New York City. Eventually, he went to New York Law School, clerked for a federal appeals judge, spent years at the SEC, and became a litigation partner while continuing t...

Most lawyers are taught that networking means legal mixers, bar association dinners, and handing out business cards to strangers. Neal Goldstein explains why that approach often feels transactional and why it rarely creates meaningful long-term relationships. In this episode, Neal shares how shifting away from traditional legal networking helped shape his career, his client relationships, and ulti...

Who decides what it means to be a professional lawyer? In this episode, Haley Moss, Florida's first openly autistic attorney, explores how expectations around professionalism are formed, reinforced, and applied in the legal field. Many of these standards are not written down, yet they shape how lawyers are judged, evaluated, and advanced. Haley shares her experience navigating those expectations e...

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Many lawyers try to project success. Fewer actually build it. In this episode, Michael Liner discusses the gap between how lawyers present themselves and how real legal value is created. From luxury marketing to surface-level branding, he explains why many approaches fail to build trust or attract the right clients. The conversation explores what clients actually care about, how authenticity influ...

Scott Peterson spent seven years on the defense side before making a decision that changed his career. It was not driven by money or opportunity. It came from a moment where the work no longer aligned with who he wanted to be. In this episode, Scott explains what pushed him to leave and what it actually takes to build a plaintiff-side practice. He talks about the risk most lawyers underestimate, t...

Most lawyers follow the same path and still end up feeling like something is missing. In this episode, Neal sits down with Alycia Kinchloe to talk about what law school doesn't teach and why that gap creates problems later in your career. Alycia shares how stepping into leadership early exposed a lack of training in managing people, running systems, and building a business. That experience led her...

A lot of lawyers look successful on paper. That does not mean they are happy. In this episode, Neal sits down with Jordan Ostroff to talk about what is really going on behind the scenes for many attorneys. Burnout, pressure, and chasing the wrong definition of success are more common than most people admit. Jordan breaks down why so many lawyers are stuck playing someone else's game and what happe...

Most people think criminal cases move quickly. They don't. In this episode, Michael Kotek explains what really happens after an arrest and why most cases take six to eight months before they reach any kind of resolution. From pretrial conferences to discovery and delays, the process is slower and more complex than clients expect. That gap between expectation and reality is where many lawyers lose...

This is a conversation about the part of practicing law that no one really prepares you for. Not the cases. Not the textbooks. The reality. The pressure, the expectations, and the moments that stay with you longer than they should. We talk honestly about what it feels like to be in it — and why so many lawyers struggle with things that aren't talked about nearly enough. If you're a lawyer, thinkin...

The legal profession demands excellence. But what is the hidden cost of that demand? In this episode, Neal sits down with Patrick Krill, lawyer and board certified addiction counselor, to explore burnout, perfectionism, alcohol culture, and mental health in law. Patrick co authored the landmark 2016 national study of 13,000 lawyers that revealed elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and problem d...

Neal sits down with Moe Matabbar, a first year student at Tulane Law School, for a conversation about what 1L really feels like from the inside. They talk about getting cold called for 30 minutes in the very first class, the reality of the Socratic method, and whether law school is actually as competitive as people say. Moe shares how focusing on grades first semester caused him to miss part of th...

Burnout is one of the most common conversations I'm having with younger lawyers right now. Not about marketing. Not about tactics. About exhaustion and sustainability. In this episode, I share a perspective from 35 years in practice: burnout is not the enemy. Surprise is.  If you are building a book of business, launching a firm, or pursuing autonomy in your legal career, this conversation will he...

What happens when a lawyer is told outright that he doesn't belong? In this episode, Neal Goldstein and Jeffrey Possinger talk about rejection, identity, and the emotional cost of chasing approval in the legal profession. Jeffrey shares how being told he wasn't a fit for certain firms forced him to rethink success, integrity, and what kind of lawyer he wanted to become. This conversation explores...

Ego is often rewarded early in law, but it quietly erodes trust, credibility, and long-term success. In this episode, Thomas Tona shares what decades of practice taught him about judgment, self-awareness, and building a law firm that lasts. We talk about burnout, client relationships, discipline, and why humility is often the difference between lawyers who plateau and those who endure.  Watch Full...

Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer. It does not teach you how to practice law, build trust with clients, or grow a sustainable firm. In this episode of That One Lawyer™ Podcast , Neal Goldstein sits down with Florida attorney Ed Wimp to talk about what actually prepares lawyers for real world practice. Ed's path to law was not linear. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked in the music...

In this episode of That One Lawyer™ Podcast , Neal Goldstein sits down with Seth Price, founder of BluShark Digital and one of the most experienced voices in legal SEO and law firm growth. Seth has built, tested, broken, and rebuilt growth systems for law firms across the country. In this conversation, he explains why some firms compound over time while others stall, even when everyone is working...

This episode is a little different. Instead of one full conversation, Neal Goldstein shares highlights from three guests whose stories stayed with him long after the microphones were turned off. Watch the full episode HERE Gretchen Nicolaysen talks about reinvention, timing, and what it takes to go back to law school later in life. Ben Glass reflects on burnout, identity, and building a life that...

How do you practice law without burning out, losing your empathy, or becoming someone you do not recognize anymore? In this episode of That One Lawyer™ Podcast , Neal Goldstein sits down with Professor Heather Cucolo to talk about the emotional weight of practicing law, representing the unpopular, and how lawyers can build real trust without sacrificing their values. Heather's work sits at the int...