The Future Is Bright Podcast

Hilary Gerzhoy has devoted her career to maintaining the highest standards of ethics in legal practice. As a seasoned litigator, she boasts an impressive array of accomplishments, including her pivotal role on the ethics and compliance team during the Biden/Harris transition to the White House in 2020. Presently, she holds the positions of partner and Vice Chair of the Legal Ethics Group at HWG LL...

"When people think of Warren Buffet they think investor and business icon, but he is an expert in corporate governance."  On today's episode of "The Future is Bright," Larry Cunningham, special counsel at Mayer Brown, tells the story of his organizing and hosting a two-day symposium with business magnate Warren Buffett at Cardozo Law School in 1996. The intellectual traction and gains produced the...

"Most people thinking about performance think about managers, products, and research. But it's also valuable to have a certain kind of shareholder," says Larry Cunningham. Larry Cunningham, special counsel at Mayer Brown, has had a truly extraordinary career, rubbing shoulders with billionaires, sitting on the boards of large public companies, and writing 20 books. Larry recently joined Mayer Brow...

Sandra Cohen returns to "The Future is Bright" podcast for part two of her interview with Chris and to tell the story of how she became an executive compensation attorney at Cohen & Buckmann pc. Her journey was a steady upward trajectory where her fierce sense of independence and ambition served her well at every step. A Midwestern girl, she moved to New York City right out of college, looking for...

"The most common thing I hear nearly every day on negotiations is, I hate negotiating my compensation. I usually ignore it, and now I've got this new offer or I'm getting a promotion." says executive compensation expert and attorney at Cohen and Buckmann, Sandra Cohen. Sandra boasts over 30 years of hands-on experience, guiding top-tier professionals through pivotal moments in their careers. Liste...

"According to Dan Binstock, successful partnerships rely on key factors such as people, practice, compensation, and confidence." Join Chris Batz and Dan Binstock, a partner at Garrison & Sisson in Washington, DC, as they discuss the reasons why law partners decide to leave their current law firms. Dan outlines the top four reasons behind partner transitions, including concerns about firm leadershi...

"For mergers to be successful, there really has to be a strategic reason on both sides that is well thought out by both parties, regardless of who makes the approach to whom," explains Gary Miles, President and CEO of Miles Partner Placement, an elite partner placement group movement and merger boutique. Today, Gary speaks with host Chris Batz about recent law firm merger activity, future trends f...

"For too long DEI work has been focused on changing individual hearts and minds, versus the organization taking on responsibility and frankly, modifying behavior without the need for personal buy-in," explains Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Foley & Lardner, as well as host of Foley's Path & Practice Podcast. There has been great improvement in DEI at law firms re...

With the fast pace that Generative AI models like Chat GPT have been expanding and improving, it has become quite clear that major disruptions are on the way for every single industry. And the legal industry is likely to be the first to face major disruptions due to these technological advances. Today, Mary O'Carroll,Chief Community Officer at Ironclad, lnc., and Craig Katerber, Chief Legal and Co...

"You have to be yourself, but you have to pay attention to the audience that you're working with," explains Stewart Hirsch, managing director and business development coach. The issue with talking broadly about concepts like executive presence is that everyone has a different definition for what executive presence entails. The initial ideas for executive presence applied primarily to white men, bu...

"It was something that I had always wanted to do, because I always felt this inclination to stand up for folks who didn't have a voice," explains Michelle Patterson Wimes, SVP Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children's Mercy Kansas City. Michelle began her professional journey as a teacher and then as a lawyer, thinking that was the best route to being able to help people. Along the way, she...

"It takes time to build that psychological safety, but I think it's a more important area than ever before in the modern workplace," explains Dennis Garcia, Assistant General Counsel of Microsoft. Today, Dennis and Kim Yapchai, former SVP, Chief Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer at Tenneco Inc., discuss their career advice for developing in-house talent. Trust is something that needs t...

"Anyone that knows me throughout my career would see that it's really been about trying to push the boundaries. And in our part of the market, I think we really are driving and pushing the boundaries of what is possible and what clients want," explains Matt Saur, strategic and institutional advisor, co-founder and partner of Woolery & Co. Today, Matt shares his career journey, the challenges he fa...

"Hedge funds, if you do it right and you set up a really good compliance and operational structure, it's a scalable business," explains Susanne Meline, co-founder of Francis Capital Management. Prior to going into hedge fund management and serving on several boards, she worked as an investment banker and as a lawyer. Today, Susanne shares how she first became involved with hedge funds, how a seren...

"I always try to make sure I'm contextualizing what I do on a day-to-day basis. And my personal priority is my family all the time," shares Bill Ryan, SVP. Bill is the Assistant GC of AT&T Services, Inc., but has held many roles from working as a bilingual educator to becoming an attorney and working in-house at DirectTV. Today, he shares his professional journey and how he has built a sustainable...

"Not enjoying the day-to-day was what prompted me to think about what I was doing. I then really started to try to focus on what I did enjoy," explains Amy Harris, EVP. Amy is the Chief Legal Officer at UMB Financial, the largest bank in Kansas City. Today, she shares her journey from starting college as a musical theater major to going into political science and becoming a lawyer, and ultimately...

"The law firms usually take their cues from their clients. If there's layoffs at the big banks and financial institutions, there's going to be a slowdown in the corporate work as well," explains Sharon Mahn,CEO and Founder of Mahn Partners. Today, Sharon and Gary Miles, president and CEO at Miles Partner Placement, combine their experience to discuss the current legal market, predictions for the f...

"If you're going to take a leap, you better at least like the people you're working with," explains Fred Stein, Chief Legal Officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Today, Fred explores his extensive career journey, from law school to his private practice experience to his passion for writing. By reflecting on his experiences, Fred reveals how his time at Redbox was a rocket ship of growth, leading t...

Join Chris Batz on his second episode of The Future is Bright Podcast as he welcomes guest speaker Lloyd Johnson to learn more about how he has taken the hardships in life and turned them into motivation to be a legal industry leader, influencer, and advocate for women and attorneys of color. Chris Batz spends this week's episode talking to Lloyd Johnson, born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA, an all-...

Join Chris Batz for the inaugural first episode of The Future is Bright Podcast as he brings on guest Dara Redler to learn about her legal career success at iconic brands and her passion for transformation, authentic leadership, and giving back. Chris Batz speaks to Dara Redler, born and raised in Pennsylvania and now resides in Atlanta, where she works remotely. She is the Chief Legal Officer at...

" Put yourself out there before an opportunity arises ," explains Sahang-Hee Hahn, Head of Strategy & Planning at Haven Life Insurance Agency. Before her current position, Sahang-Hee started her career in singing and acting, big law, and got her MBA at Wharton. Reflecting on her varied experiences, she discusses taking risks and being playful with her career. When you push away your fear of risk,...

" When you help others, they have the desire to come back and help you ," explains Ori Solomon,  Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Resilience. During Covid, Ori joined Resilience, a transformative pharma manufacturing company. With this transition in mind, Ori shares what it means to add value to your company and the world. Ori advises listeners to add value to every ar...

" With hard work and determination, you can really accomplish a lot " explains Meredith Ritchie, SVP GC, Chief Ethics & Government Affairs Officer. Starting her career as a paralegal, Meredith has developed an exciting career portfolio. Today, she shares the upcoming projects she has ahead and her dedication to volunteerism.  Through her position at Alliant Credit Union, Meredith has had an instru...

" If you want to learn about an industry, the best thing to do is jump into it in some way, shape, or form ," explains Donna Rolf, Investor of New Era ADR . Today, Donna shares her legal career leap to the real estate industry and her critical executive role at an alternative energy company. Reflecting upon her experiences, Donna recognizes that she is hard-wired for risk, adventure, and as a resu...

" I think about the term "generalist" professionally as someone willing to go outside their core area ," explains Brian Salmo, Managing Director at Hermann Companies. Before joining Hermann, Brian started his career as a corporate attorney before transitioning into other roles, including VP of Human Resources and Business Unit Leader at LMI Aerospace. Now focusing on sourcing, underwriting, and su...