Young Lawyer Rising

After three years behind the mic, host Montana Funk is moving on to the next exciting adventure in her career.  But, before going, Montana sits down with Judge Jessica Fehr, a district court judge in Billings, Montana, who presides over a full caseload of civil and criminal matters. Judge Fehr offers an exclusive look at the legal profession from the bench, sharing her journey from a young attorne...

Montana is joined by legal business development expert Jared Correia to demystify business development for young lawyers and equip them with strategies to thrive in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. Jared clarifies the nuances between client and business development, emphasizing the importance of setting aggressive "stretch goals" for both referral networking and web-based marketing. Key takeawa...

Are you a young lawyer wondering how to snag that dream role? Host Montana Funk welcomes Gianne Falvo Mangiro, a top legal recruiter at LHH and a former practicing attorney, to demystify the world of legal recruitment. Gianne pulls back the curtain on how recruiters work, why they're not just for senior lawyers, and how they can seriously fast-track your job search. We'll cover everything from acc...

Tristian Shannon took an unexpected route to the legal profession, trading the world of real estate for the courtroom. He joins us to discuss that journey, revealing the challenges that propelled him toward law and the entrepreneurial spirit that led him to build his own firm. Beyond the traditional legal landscape, Tristian is a proponent of modern connection, explaining how social media can huma...

Bill Bay, President of the American Bar Association, joins Montana to discuss the role the ABA plays in supporting lawyers, promoting justice, and advocating for the rule of law.  Regardless of where you are in your career, the ABA offers not only a wealth of material for you to improve your practice and serve your clients better, but also an opportunity to get involved, get inspired, and effectua...

As young lawyers, you’re motivated to impress, to seem like the smartest person on the team.  But no one person can know enough to succeed entirely on their own.  We rely on the assistance and expertise of those around us, building a community of trusted allies who can help ensure we’re capable of fully serving our clients’ interests.  Expert witnesses are one such invaluable resource in many aven...

Financial expert Melissa Cecchine joins host Montana Funk to discuss the essentials of conscious financial management. Melissa shares insights into overcoming financial fears and building smart wealth strategies. Whether you're a young lawyer just starting your financial journey or you’re just looking to improve your approach to your finances, Melissa's practical advice on managing money, understa...

Being a lawyer is a tough job. We’ve all heard the term “burnout”, maybe we even see it as just “something that happens occasionally” given our jobs, but most of us aren’t familiar with what all this stress is really doing to our bodies.  Montana is joined by Dr. Skattum to discuss the impacts of adrenal fatigue, burnout, and stress on the body, particularly for high-performing individuals like at...

Stacey Scrivani discusses the concept of mentorship in the legal profession, exploring what it means to be a mentor or mentee, and how these relationships can be mutually beneficial with Montana Funk. Stacey shares her insights on the various forms mentorship can take, from formal programs to informal peer support, and emphasizes the importance of a give-and-take dynamic. Whether you're seeking a...

Stefania Lessen joins host Montana Funk to share her journey from law school to a successful legal career, emphasizing the importance of networking at every stage. From leveraging local bar associations to utilizing social media platforms like LinkedIn, Stefania offers practical advice and personal anecdotes to help law students and new attorneys build and maintain a strong professional network. A...

Learn how to exceed expectations and thrive as a new lawyer from a panel of seasoned attorneys who are open and honest about what it takes to make partner, navigate your career, and excel in the legal field. Special thanks to our friends over at Litigation Radio, ABA's Section of Litigation and Podcast Host Dave Scriven-Young for sharing this special episode with us. For more conversations with to...

Everybody wants your data, from companies to hackers to governments. Guest Lexi Lutz is senior corporate counsel, and privacy watchdog, at Nordstrom. She advises the company on the legal implications of AI, cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection. As computers get smarter and capabilities expand, it’s more important than ever to maintain legal guardrails and understand potential pitfalls. Lutz...

One challenge young lawyers encounter—especially in demanding corporate roles—is starting a family while advancing in their careers. Managing and balancing work and family isn’t something they teach in school.  Guest Kimberly “Kim” Maney is a busy, successful in-house corporate attorney for a global corporation. She’s also a mom and a spouse who taught herself how to balance 10-hour days and const...

Guest Nancy Maurice shares her unique background as she followed her curiosity and leaned on her courage to explore several countries throughout her education—ultimately landing a position as an associate with a New York-area law firm. Maurice is a native of France, where she learned English while growing up. She crossed the English Channel and earned her first law degree in England, a LL.B. Next,...

Guest Mary Smith is an accomplished attorney and the first Native American woman to become president of the American Bar Association. In addition to a distinguished career in legal leadership for billion-dollar organizations, including CEO of the national organization Indian Health Services, she is also active in many civic organizations, including the Caroline and Ora Smith Foundation, dedicated...

As a new lawyer, have you ever considered a career in government oversight? It’s a broad, important field that ensures a wide range of agencies work as designed while protecting public funds and interests. Guest Lucy Lang is a former prosecutor now serving as the New York Inspector General. She is charged with overseeing investigations into corruption, fraud, and abuse in the New York State govern...

Environmental law is a dynamic field that evolves rapidly with new challenges as they emerge but also against the backdrop of the politics of state and federal administrations. Regulatory focus shifts from administration to administration and crisis to crisis, creating a challenging area of law for those who practice it.  Our guest, David Mandelbaum, is a shareholder with the firm of Greenberg Tra...

Guest Evita Nwosu-Sylvester focuses on the civil rights and fair lending needs of middle- to low-income earners in their quest for affordable housing. She works in multifamily fair lending operations at Freddie Mac (the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.). But Nwosu-Sylvester is also a fighter for rights, fair hiring needs, and workplace accommodation for those embracing disabilities. Nwosu-Sylveste...

Guest Michael Kippins is a Boston-based civil rights attorney with Lawyers For Civil Rights. Driven by a desire to advocate for those too often left without robust representation, Kippins made the courageous jump from a big law setting to his civil rights practice and hasn’t looked back. In one of his high-profile cases, Kippins is challenging what the suit describes as Harvard University’s system...

Happy New Year, and what a year that was. Host Montana Funk sits down with Tamara Nash, chair of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, to review 2023 and share stories from listeners about the past year. For listeners, it was a year of lessons learned. Learning how to separate work and life is difficult, but in one case, a young lawyer reported that an unexpected health issue forced...

It’s been said there are only two things in life that are certain: death and taxes. Guest Anthony DeRiso can help with one of them. He’s a tax attorney. It may sound like a daunting career path, but it really isn’t, DeRiso says. It’s about helping people chart a course to a desired outcome. Being a transactional tax attorney makes you the “coach,” drawing up plans as teams of attorneys deal with c...

Professor Tony Ghiotto went from the battlefield to the classroom. He started his legal career in the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, and he explains how his career took him from Afghanistan to a law school classroom.  Saddled with student debt, and after an unexpected meeting with a JAG representative, Ghiotto found himself in the Air Force. Within his first two weeks as a full member of...

Is practicing law all dusting off established precedents and applying old case law? No way. Guest Jessica Gonzalez shares how she broke free, followed her passions, and found herself a pioneer in the wildly evolving arena of cannabis law. Gonzalez started in the usual practice of law for a firm after graduating. Contracts, paperwork, and a less-than-satisfying experience. Then, she started looking...

Host Montana Funk (herself a Canadian living and working in the United States) talks with immigration lawyer Stephanie Baez about the many facets of immigration law—a field that has been in the public eye a lot recently. Immigration law covers an array of niches, including employment and business immigration, student visas, and removal defense—fighting for desperate clients against deportation. Ca...

Guest Alexandra Graves tells her story, and it’s unreal. Bad things happen to good people. She was experiencing headaches and vision issues as a 2L and discovered she had a brain tumor. She needed neurosurgery and had to withdraw from classes. Then she started over.   If you hit obstacles, and you will, you can overcome them. Life can throw you for a loop. You can fight back. You are not alone.  ...