On the Road with Legal Talk Network

Across a week of conversations in Missoula, one theme kept resurfacing no matter who was in the chair: AI is forcing every bar leader in the country to rethink risk, mentorship, and what it means to serve solo and small firm attorneys who are already stretched thin. Chris Newbold, COO of ALPS Insurance, opens this compilation with a thank you to the bar leaders who made the retreat what it was. Fr...

After 28 years as ALPS Insurance's Risk Manager, Mark Bassingthwaighte says cybersecurity now worries him more than legal malpractice, and he's tired of hearing solo and small firm lawyers insist they're too small to be a target. Bassingthwaighte, who's worked with more than 1,200 law firms and delivered over 700 CLE seminars, traces a quieter crisis behind the numbers: he estimates some form of a...

In 2016, Susan Carns Curtiss added 46 women attorneys she knew to a Facebook group with no real plan behind it, and it's since grown into Girl Attorney, a network of more than 40,000 women lawyers trading practice advice, mentorship, and support across the country. A plaintiff's personal injury and wrongful death trial lawyer in Oklahoma City, Curtiss describes watching newer attorneys increasingl...

One stretch of eastern Montana spans 75,000 square miles and has just 123 lawyers to cover it, and John Mudd, Executive Director and General Counsel of the State Bar of Montana, sees AI as one of the only realistic ways to close that kind of gap. A fifth-generation Montanan and national speaker on legal ethics and attorney wellness, Mudd lays out what he calls a "soup" of forces converging at once...

Some Wyoming counties have two practicing attorneys or fewer, and once you subtract the elected county attorney and public defenders, Alison Gee says there's barely enough left to keep a functioning legal system running. The incoming President of the Wyoming State Bar and a rural general practitioner, Gee describes fielding whatever problem walks through her door, a role she jokingly calls being a...

As Virginia marks 250 years since its lawyers helped shape American democracy, Susan Bradford Tarley, President of the Virginia State Bar, is framing her term around what that legacy still demands of the profession today. A real estate and business law partner at Tarley Robinson PLC, she's built her presidency around four priorities: foundational ethics, attorney wellness, the bar's strategic plan...

Maine has more legal work than it has lawyers to do it, and that gap grows every year even as rural opportunity grows with it. Rachel Okun, President of the Maine State Bar Association and a solo personal injury attorney at Okun Law, breaks down why she sees rural practice as a real career path, not a compromise, and why she taught herself AI tools so she could speak to her membership with real ex...

Federal judges are telling their own children not to answer the door to strangers, and that's the reality bar leaders are now building policy around. Kevin Maxim, national President-Elect of the Federal Bar Association and a commercial litigator in Atlanta, breaks down why judicial security has climbed to the top of the organization's Capitol Hill advocacy alongside judicial vacancies and court fu...

Rural legal deserts don't lack demand, they lack reach, and Angela Armstrong sees AI as one of the clearest ways to close that gap. Executive Director of the Maine State Bar Association since 2013, Armstrong describes how her members have moved past early AI hesitation into practical daily use, from legal research to marketing their own practices, while still needing to check every output against...

Fewer lawyers are gaining real courtroom experience, and the future of trial advocacy is at risk. In this special episode of On the Road, veteran trial attorney and educator Michael Schwartz examines why trial lawyers are becoming harder to find and what it takes to develop the skills true advocacy requires. Drawing on decades of experience trying hundreds of cases, Schwartz breaks down the founda...

Neurodivergence is far more common in the legal profession than many realize and when supported thoughtfully, it can be a powerful asset. In this special episode of On the Road, legal professional and advocate Christina Hough shares practical insights on working more effectively with neurodivergent attorneys, paralegals, clients, and colleagues. Drawing from both personal experience and decades in...

Employment disputes strike at a person’s identity, security, and sense of control. In this special episode of On the Road, employment attorney Drew Levine explains why clients often resist settlement—even strong offers—and how trauma and betrayal shape their reactions throughout the case. He outlines a trauma-informed approach to lawyering, showing attorneys how to create safety, listen with inten...

AI isn’t replacing legal professionals — it’s reshaping the work they do. In this special episode of On the Road, award-winning paralegals and educators Kelly Rednothy and Kristine Custodio Suero join attorney Michael Harris for a candid conversation about the skills and responsibilities legal pros need to stay competitive in an era of rapid technological change. Together, they break down the ethi...

In this special episode of On the Road, Nexl Chief Growth Officer Ben Chiriboga explains why the future of legal practice hinges on what AI can’t replicate: strong client relationships. He introduces the concept of “relationship intelligence” and shows how lawyers can use simple data points—from communication patterns to internal connections—to focus their limited time on building deeper, more str...

Growing a law firm isn’t just about new clients. It’s about building a strong team and a seamless client experience. In this special episode of On the Road, paralegal and law-firm operations consultant Eda Rosa breaks down the long-term strategies firms need to scale sustainably. She explains why continual staff training, proactive workflows, clear communication, and data-driven systems are essent...

Despite our nation’s commitment to justice, the system sometimes falters, allowing the innocent to be wrongfully convicted. In this episode, Ed Watts sits down with Michael Semanchik, Executive Director of The Innocence Center, for a compelling conversation about the fight to free those unjustly imprisoned. Michael sheds light on how these miscarriages of justice occur, the human stories behind th...

Family law is emotionally charged, complex, and full of pitfalls that can undermine even the most experienced attorney. In this special episode of On the Road, veteran family lawyer Claude Ducloux shares decades of hard-earned insights for running a successful practice. He covers how to set realistic client expectations, identify high-risk clients, handle social media ethically, protect yourself w...

The American Legal Technology Awards recognize those who have shown excellence as technology innovators in the legal industry, and the 2025 winners have been chosen! Patrick Palace welcomes winners across three of this year’s categories—Jim Calloway (Lifetime Achievement Award), Jenifer Whiston (Artificial Intelligence Award), and Susan Choe (Court Award). Patrick learns more about the creative le...

The best payment experiences are transparent and simple, but far too many law firms struggle with awkward payment barriers for their clients. Stephanie Everett welcomes A.J. Axelrod of Clio to discuss modern and secure billing practices for law firms. They consider common errors and archaic methods that may lead to profit losses, share insights from the Legal Trends Report, and talk about how Clio...

The reality is, if you don’t understand your metrics, you aren’t getting the most out of your marketing tactics. Gyi Tsakalakis welcomes fellow marketing pro, Margarita Eberline, to discuss her talk on how to leverage metrics to improve your law firm’s advertising strategies. Margarita explains how to effectively measure and engage with metrics to increase your ROI, make quality connections for be...

The 2025 Legal Trends Report is here—fresh with the latest insights into genAI, billing strategies, marketing tactics, client experience, and so much more. Adriana Linares and Ernie “The Attorney” Svenson sit down with Joshua Lenon, Lawyer in Residence at Clio, to gain a deeper perspective on the major findings in this year’s report. They discuss statistical shifts in legal practice data and consi...

Listen in for insider tips on Clio’s newest products for law firms everywhere. Kim Bennett chats with Michelle Dunlea about new Clio offerings for intelligent legal workflows with integrated AI through Clio Work, Clio Library, and much more. Michelle shares insights into practical use cases for these new tools to increase productivity and profitability for law firms of all sizes.  Michelle Dunlea...

AI in legal should allow lawyers to do better work for clients and create more accessible legal services, but it can be difficult for attorneys to wrap their heads around how and why this technology can change things for the better in their law firms. At ClioCon 2025, Gyi Tsakalakis sat down with Ed Walters to discuss strategies for embracing AI that reflect the care and wisdom attorneys must use...

What gets measured gets improved. In this On the Road episode, Bryan Billig, VP of Customer Education at Assembly Software, breaks down the most important data points law firms should be tracking—and the ones they shouldn’t stress over. From intake sources and case inventory to staff productivity and marketing ROI, Bryan explains how to turn firm data into actionable insights. Learn how consistent...

Finding fulfillment in your legal career goes beyond technical skills. In this On the Road episode, Chad Aboud, Chief Commercial Officer at Good Lawyer and keynote speaker at the 2025 Legal Up Virtual Conference, shares how attorneys can uncover their natural gifts, align them with meaningful goals, and identify the environments where they thrive. Drawing from his own journey from big law to in-ho...