Legal Speak
360 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 38 ratingsLegal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what's happening in the legal industry. Each episode tackles a subject that's worthy of a deep dive—from law firm profit hacks to Supreme Court showdowns to the most promising plays in legal tech. Hosted by Senior Litigation Reporter of the Daily Report Cedra Mayfield and Senior Staff Writer for the American Lawyer Patrick Smith, Legal Speak offers straight talk from experts, plus an inside-the-newsroom perspective on market-shaping stories.
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Episodes
Live from Legalweek with Michael Eisenberg
March 09, 2022 19:36 - 22 minutes - 40.6 MBThis week, Legal Speak is live on location at Legalweek 2022 in New York City, where we're interviewing professionals from across the legal industry about their work and how they're helping to shape the future of the profession. Zack and Alaina are joined by Michael D.J. Eisenberg and attorney and podcaster/blogger at The Tech Savvy Lawyer.Page
Live from Legalweek with Jerry Levine
March 09, 2022 19:20 - 15 minutes - 28.9 MBThis week, Legal Speak is live on location at Legalweek 2022 in New York City, where we're interviewing professionals from across the legal industry about their work and how they're helping to shape the future of the profession. Zack and Alaina are joined by Jerry Levine - the Chief Evangelist and General Counsel fpr ContractPodAI.
Legalweek Preview
March 09, 2022 13:19 - 2 minutes - 5.4 MBIt's Legal Speak at Legalweek. Zack Needles and Charles Garnar check in with a little preview of what's coming on the podcast all week. Legal Speak will be doing live shows all week at ALM's Legalweek event at NYC's Hilton in midtown.
'A Very Tight Line': Should Law Firms Continue Doing Business in Russia?
March 04, 2022 23:36 - 22 minutes - 41.5 MBLaw firms facing the practical, legal and moral implications of operating in Russia are often taking a middle course, said Tom Firestone of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.
Why Judges and Lawyers Are Getting in Trouble on Social Media During COVID-19
February 22, 2022 20:53 - 28 minutes - 52.9 MBIn this week's episode, Spencer Fane's John Browning shares why the pandemic has spawned an increase in incidents of social media incivility from lawyers and judges.
Five-Star Hoteling: Looking to Lure People Back, Law Firms Consider Luxury Amenities
February 11, 2022 19:26In this week’s episode, Anthony Davies, chief revenue officer of professional services staffing company Forrest Solutions, says law firms are increasingly looking to make their office spaces a desirable destination for their lawyers and staff by offering the types of services and amenities one would typically find at a five-star resort—from yoga rooms to upscale bars and restaurants to dedicated concierge services on every floor.
Five-Star Hoteling: Looking to Lure People Back, Law Firms Consider Luxury Amenities
February 11, 2022 19:26In this week’s episode, Anthony Davies, chief revenue officer of professional services staffing company Forrest Solutions, says law firms are increasingly looking to make their office spaces a desirable destination for their lawyers and staff by offering the types of services and amenities one would typically find at a five-star resort—from yoga rooms to upscale bars and restaurants to dedicated concierge services on every floor.
Five-Star Hoteling: Looking to Lure People Back, Law Firms Consider Luxury Amenities
February 11, 2022 19:20 - 30 minutes - 55.5 MBIn this week’s episode, Anthony Davies, chief revenue officer of professional services staffing company Forrest Solutions, says law firms are increasingly looking to make their office spaces a desirable destination for their lawyers and staff by offering the types of services and amenities one would typically find at a five-star resort—from yoga rooms to upscale bars and restaurants to dedicated concierge services on every floor.
How—and Why—Two Big Law Attorneys Are Fighting to Destigmatize Psychedelics
February 01, 2022 21:17 - 29 minutes - 53.9 MBThis week's episode features a conversation between Law.com business of law reporter Dan Packel, Winston & Strawn associate Brett Waters and Katten Muchin Rosenman CEO Noah Heller. The topic? Psychedelics.
'I Was an Activist Judge': Judge LaDoris Cordell's Letters Home Inspired Book Revisiting Her Life on the Bench
January 21, 2022 21:20 - 23 minutes - 42.6 MBIn this week’s episode, retired California Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell shares her definition of an “activist judge.”
'We Knew It Could Work': Quinn Emanuel Founder Talks Firm's New Permanent Remote Work Policy
January 14, 2022 21:42 - 16 minutes - 30 MBIn this week’s episode of Law.com's Legal Speak podcast, Law.com business of law reporter Dylan Jackson interviews Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan founder John Quinn about the firm’s recent announcement that it will permanently allow all of its U.S. lawyers to work remotely as much as they wish.
Jury Selection Strategy Was Key to String of J&J Missouri Talc Wins, Skadden's Alli Brown Says
January 08, 2022 00:30 - 24 minutes - 45.4 MBIn this week’s episode, Skadden's Alli Brown shared her strategy for securing defense verdicts in venues considered to be plaintiff-friendly.
How Counteroffers Can Harm Young Lawyers' Credibility and Hinder Their Careers
December 17, 2021 17:52 - 16 minutes - 30 MBThis week’s episode features a conversation between Law.com Editor-in-Chief Zack Needles and Midwest legal recruiter Nancy Newman, who has noticed what she considers to be an alarming trend during the pandemic: a sharp increase in the use of counteroffers by legal industry employers.
A Warning to the Industry: The Emerging Risks of Cannabis Insurance Litigation and Regulation
December 10, 2021 18:55 - 25 minutes - 46.2 MBIn this week's episode, Miller Nash's Jodi Green discusses the risks insurers should consider when writing coverage for cannabis grow operations, manufacturers and dispensaries.
Work Hard, Be Successful and Prioritize Family: Attorneys Share the Silver Linings of Pandemic Parenting
December 03, 2021 21:16 - 19 minutes - 35.4 MBIn this week’s episode, a dozen attorney-parents reveal their proudest accomplishments juggling parenting and lawyering during the pandemic.
'More Heads Chasing Less Work': What Will Happen When Law Firm Demand Dips?
November 19, 2021 21:46 - 24 minutes - 44.8 MBIn this week’s episode, Law.com business of law reporter Andrew Maloney speaks with Bill Josten, manager of enterprise content for Thomson Reuters, which earlier this week released its “2021 Law Firm Business Leaders Report.” Josten and Maloney discuss the survey’s findings and, more broadly, how firms should be preparing now for shifting market factors in the coming year or two—including the possibilities of red hot demand cooling down, rate growth slowing and talent retention continuing ...
'Honest Critique From Mom': Litigators' Families Helped Hone Virtual Technique in Drug Companies' Major Opioid Trial Win
November 13, 2021 02:03 - 26 minutes - 48.6 MBIn this week’s episode, Morgan Lewis partners Collie James and Wendy West Feinstein discuss the significance of the first trial win for drug companies facing nationwide litigation over their roles in the opioid crisis and the benefits of virtual litigating.
How the Charlottesville Trial Could Forecast the Capitol Riot Conspiracy Claims Against Trump and His Allies
November 05, 2021 19:16 - 19 minutes - 36.6 MBLaw.com reporter Jacqueline Thomsen reported on the first days of the civil trial against the alleged organizers of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as the potential parallels with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot claims against Trump and his associates.
ICYMI: Attorney and Disability Advocate Haley Moss on Why Remote Work Makes Her 'Incredibly Hopeful for the Future'
October 29, 2021 21:11 - 19 minutes - 35.9 MBWe’ll be back next week with a new episode, but until then we’re highlighting an interview from July that is only becoming more relevant as legal employers continue to contemplate office returns.In this episode, Law.com business of law reporter Dylan Jackson talks with Haley Moss, an autistic attorney and neurodiversity advocate who frequently provides consulting services to companies and law firms on neurodiversity programming.
How Edelson Ensures Diverse Attorneys Don't Feel Like 'A Cog in Someone's Machine'
October 22, 2021 21:19 - 18 minutes - 34.5 MBIn this week’s episode, Edelson PC Chief of Staff Kelsey McCann shares how the Chicago-based firm is diversifying its ranks by shattering the "illusion" that only Big Law can provide attorneys with stable, high-income careers.
'You've Got One Reputation:' A Former Judge on How to Avoid Getting Bench-Slapped
October 15, 2021 19:39 - 21 minutes - 39.3 MBIn this week's episode of Law.com's Legal Speak podcast, litigation reporter Cedra Mayfield talks with Dax Lopez, who recently went into private practice as a personal injury lawyer after 11 years on the bench as a state court judge in DeKalb County, Georgia. Lopez draws on the perspective he’s gained from both vantage points to explain what litigators should and, perhaps more importantly, shouldn’t do inside and outside the courtroom.
How to Kick Imposter Syndrome Out of the Legal Profession
October 08, 2021 20:09 - 23 minutes - 42.9 MBThis week's episode of Law.com's Legal Speak podcast focuses on an issue that plagues many professions but seems especially pronounced among attorneys. Business of law senior editor Lizzy McLellan speaks with Cameron Stout, a financial services defense litigator and mental health advocate, about the phenomenon of imposter syndrome, which involves feelings of self-doubt about personal skills and accomplishments.
How Peloton Went From Pandemic Pastime to Big Law Culture-Builder
October 03, 2021 11:11 - 24 minutes - 45.6 MBIn this week’s episode of Legal Speak, Law.com business of law reporter Patrick Smith chats with Rich Benenson, managing partner of Brownstein Hyatt, about how the hugely popular, high-end exercise bike has become something of a pandemic-era obsession for Big Law.
'How the Law Views Women': The Challenges Unfolding Against Texas' Abortion Law
September 24, 2021 20:03 - 22 minutes - 41.1 MBIn this week's Legal Speak episode, Shannon Selden, a Debevoise & Plimpton partner and outside counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights, presents the major legal questions she expects will be raised in upcoming arguments stemming from the U.S. Department of Justice’s action seeking to block Texas' SB-8.
Why Succession Planning Doesn't Have to Alienate Senior Lawyers
September 17, 2021 21:42 - 21 minutes - 39.8 MBThis week’s episode of Law.com's Legal Speak features Law.com Editor-in-Chief Zack Needles' interview with legal recruiter-turned-career coach Steve Seckler. While the conversation around succession planning often centers on how to bring up the next generation of leadership, Seckler delves into an equally important question: how do you prepare the current generation of legal leaders to pass the baton?
'People Want Confidence' In Their Leaders: Why Sidley Makes Succession Planning a Priority
September 10, 2021 21:06 - 17 minutes - 32.8 MBIn this week’s episode, Law.com business of law reporter Dylan Jackson talks to Yvette Ostolaza, the chair-elect of Sidley’s management committee, and Larry Barden, the firm’s outgoing chair. The conversation centers on the timeless topic of succession planning--an area too many firms neglect despite knowing the potential cost of doing so. Barden and Ostolaza, who will be the first woman to lead Sidley in its 155-year history, discuss the firm’s philosophy on succession planning and its appr...
ICYMI: Your Legal Writing Could Be Better. Here's How.
August 27, 2021 17:15 - 23 minutes - 42.9 MBWe’ll be back in two weeks with new episodes, but until then we’re highlighting an interview from June that you might have missed on a topic that never goes out of style. is your chance to get some pointers on legal writing from a sitting judge without worrying about having your motion tossed out. Am Law Litigation Daily editor and columnist Ross Todd chats with 10th Circuit Judge Robert E. Bacharach, author of the recent book, “Legal Writing: A Judge’s Perspective on the Science and Rhetori...
Is the Legal Profession Experiencing an Existential Crisis? McDermott Chairman Thinks There's a Better Way.
August 20, 2021 19:12 - 32 minutes - 58.7 MBIn this week’s episode, business of law reporter Patrick Smith and McDermott Will & Emery chairman Ira Coleman discuss how to change the current law firm model to emphasize personal and professional fulfillment. After conversations with organizational psychologists and behaviorists, Coleman has decided the pathway to providing more satisfying career opportunities starts with pondering the meaning of life and the law.
How Quinn Emanuel's Silicon Valley Office Leader Is Paving the Way for the Next Generation of Lawyers
August 13, 2021 18:25 - 23 minutes - 43.1 MBIn this week’s episode, Am Law Litigation Daily editor and columnist Ross Todd talks to Victoria Maroulis, an intellectual property litigator who has led the Silicon Valley office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan since 2012. Maroulis, who emigrated to the U.S. from the Soviet Union in the 1980s and worked her way through community college before ultimately earning her law degree from Yale, discusses her unique path to Big Law and the importance of providing guidance and mentorship to hel...
Kent Zimmermann on Balancing Client Demands to Return to the Office With a War for Talent
July 30, 2021 13:18 - 24 minutes - 44.2 MBIn this week's episode, Law.com business of law reporter Patrick Smith spoke with Zeughauser Group's Kent Zimmermann about how client demands to return to the office could force law firms to choose between clients and talent—and how the COVID-19 Delta variant could foil their plans.
Haley Moss on Disability as a Diversity Issue and Why Remote Work Makes Her 'Incredibly Hopeful for the Future'
July 23, 2021 17:04 - 19 minutes - 36.4 MBIn this week's episode, Law.com business of law reporter Dylan Jackson talks with Haley Moss, an autistic attorney and neurodiversity advocate, about how attorneys with disabilities are viewed by the legal industry, why remote work must continue and the benefits of tapping into the talent pool of neurodivergent attorneys.
Why Higher Salaries Alone Don't Equal Happier—or More Diverse—Associates
July 16, 2021 17:23 - 27 minutes - 50.7 MBThis week's episode features a conversation with Caren Ulrich Stacy, founder and CEO of Diversity Lab, about the associate salary war’s impact on law firm diversity and young lawyer retention. Stacy explains why firms that don’t strain themselves to keep up with the competition on associate comp may actually have a leg up in attracting and keeping young talent—and particularly diverse young talent.
ICYMI: The Overlooked Mental Toll of Law Firm Staff Cuts on Those Left Behind
July 02, 2021 16:05 - 26 minutes - 49.3 MBThis week, we're highlighting an interview from May that you might have missed on a topic that's only becoming more relevant as 2021 continues on and more firms look to make staffing reductions. Patrick Krill, principal and founder of Krill Strategies, a behavioral health consulting firm focused exclusively on the legal industry, raises an interesting and little-discussed point: as law firms continue to cut support staff and embrace automation, they’re limiting lawyers’ human interactions e...
Here's What You're Doing Wrong in Your Legal Writing
June 25, 2021 23:58 - 23 minutes - 42.9 MBThis week’s episode is your chance to get some pointers on legal writing from a sitting judge without worrying about having your motion tossed out. Am Law Litigation Daily editor and columnist Ross Todd chats with 10th Circuit Judge Robert E. Bacharach, author of the recent book, “Legal Writing: A Judge's Perspective on the Science and Rhetoric of the Written Word.” The book examines legal writing through the lens of psycholinguistics, a branch of cognitive science focused on how the brain p...
General Counsel of the Miami Marlins on the Challenges and Benefits of Managing Legal for a MLB team
June 22, 2021 19:03 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBIn this episode of the Legal Innovators Interview Series, host Gina M. Polo of Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney talks with Ashwin Krishnan, Vice President and General Counsel with the Miami Marlins. Ashwin has been with the Marlins for more than 10 years now, starting out as an associate counsel before becoming VP and GC in late 2017. During that time, he’s overseen an ownership change and even went from being on the seller’s side to the buyer’s side overnight. Gina and Ashwin discuss the...
'Associates Are Loving This.' How The Salary Race Is Shaking Up Big Law
June 17, 2021 15:57 - 8 minutes - 15.8 MBThis week's episode features New York-based legal recruiter and consultant Sharon Mahn discussing the wild Big Law associate compensation landscape and what firms are doing to attract and retain young lawyer talent. The recent move by several firms to bump starting associate salaries to $200,000 and up has set off a cascade of movement throughout the AmLaw 100, to the delight of associates and dismay of some law firm clients and support staff.
Let’s Talk Classic Cars
June 16, 2021 04:00 - 18 minutes - 33.6 MBAmerican Modern’s Rick Drewery discusses insuring collector vehicles in this Insurance Speak podcast.
'Another Avenue Plaintiffs Have Pivoted To': The Rise of SPAC-Related Securities Litigation is New, but Maybe Not Novel
June 11, 2021 17:51 - 19 minutes - 36.2 MBIn this week's Legal Speak podcast, Law.com’s Ross Todd talks with Susan Saltzstein, a securities and complex litigation partner at Skadden, about what's driving the recent uptick in securities litigation over SPAC transactions—and why it all feels familiar.
It's Year Two of Pandemic Law Firm Summer Associate Programs. Here's How Things Are Shaping Up
June 04, 2021 17:26 - 22 minutes - 41.6 MBThis week's episode features Law.com Legal Education Editor Karen Sloan's conversation with Yih-Hsien Shen, Associate Director of Career Services at Harvard Law School, about how law firms are adapting their summer associate programs during the pandemic and what lessons they learned from last summer.
'There Was An Extraordinary Amount of Interest.' These Orrick Associates Are Spending A Year Focused on Racial and Social Justice
May 21, 2021 15:46 - 27 minutes - 49.8 MBThis week's episode features business of law reporter Patrick Smith in conversation with Orrick associates Andrea Mazingo and Walter Alarkon—two of the firm’s six inaugural Racial, Social, and Economic Justice Fellows. Orrick established the fellowship program in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and national protests over systemic racism and inequality.
'These Shouldn't Be on Parallel Tracks': Law Firms Are Cutting Staff Without Considering the Mental Health of Those Left Behind
May 12, 2021 18:56 - 26 minutes - 49.3 MBThis week's episode features a conversation with Patrick Krill, principal and founder of Krill Strategies, a behavioral health consulting firm focused exclusively on the legal industry. Krill raises an interesting and little-discussed point: as law firms continue to cut support staff and embrace automation, they’re limiting lawyers’ human interactions even further, which is likely to exacerbate feelings of isolation that so many in the industry already struggle with.
Behind the Am Law 100's Banner Financial Year—and What Lies Ahead for Big Law
April 30, 2021 17:16 - 26 minutes - 49.2 MBDespite—or, perhaps more accurately, because of—its rocky start, 2020 ended up being a banner year for Big Law financials. The pandemic forced law firms to cut costs in a major way, but there was a lot more than that behind firms’ soaring profits. In this week's episode, Gina Passarella, ALM’s editor-in-chief, global legal brands, interviews American Lawyer executive editor Ben Seal and ALM Legal Intelligence senior analyst James Willer about some of the key findings from this year’s Am La...
'A High Holiday For The Cannabis Industry': Pot Lawyer Talks 4/20, Biden Administration Changes, and the Future of Psychedelics
April 20, 2021 17:28 - 25 minutes - 46.7 MBThis week's Legal Speak features reporter Cheryl Miller's conversation with attorney Dustin Robinson, whose Florida-based law firm is called Mr. Cannabis Law. Robinson and his colleagues represent clients in the marijuana and psychedelics space in everything from real estate deals, and M&A to IP and licensing. Robinson discusses how he went from working at a large law firm to specializing in cannabis law, and why his clients are desperate for any clarity he can provide in what he describes...
'The Stigma of Working From Home Has Lifted.' How the Pandemic Is Bolstering Associate Development
April 16, 2021 15:36 - 23 minutes - 42.1 MBLegal recruiter Keith Wetmore discusses how the shift to remote work may help associates on their path to partnership, and why that change has been particularly tough on lawyers who are just starting their Big Law careers.
How Remote Work Sparked a Reluctant Revolution Across the Legal Industry
April 09, 2021 22:58 - 39 minutes - 72.2 MBIn this week’s episode of Legal Speak, reporters from across Law.com's global newsroom discuss the aspects of remote work that are likely to stick for various sectors of the industry post-pandemic. Karen Sloan, who in addition to Legal Speak's co-host is Law.com’s legal education editor and senior writer, discusses legal education; legal technology reporter Frank Ready talks legal tech and in-house departments; business of law reporter Dylan Jackson examines remote work’s impact on law firms...
'My Child Is Interrupting Me Right Now.' The Challenges of Lawyering and Parenting in a Pandemic
March 26, 2021 16:27 - 16 minutes - 30.4 MBOn this week's episode of Legal Speak, The American Lawyer reporter Dylan Jackson speaks with Corin Swift, a partner in Sidley Austin’s securities enforcement practice who has been working from home while also taking care of her two teenage sons, the younger of whom has Down syndrome and requires extra support during the school day.
'Test of a Business Model': What the $2.175B Megaverdict Against Intel Means for Patent Monetization
March 17, 2021 20:34 - 21 minutes - 38.9 MBOn this week's episode, Law.com IP reporter Scott Graham speaks with Winston & Strawn partners Michael Tomasulo and Danielle Williams about the $2.175 billion patent infringement jury verdict for VLSI Technology LLC against Intel Corp. in the Waco Division of the Western District of Texas. They discuss might have led jurors to that number, the appeals we might anticipate from Intel, and the impact the verdict could have on future trials in the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.
'The Terminator Conversation': Legal Tech Isn't Going to Replace Litigators, but It Can Make Them More Valuable
March 12, 2021 23:01 - 22 minutes - 41.7 MBThis week’s episode features a conversation with Nicole Clark, co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Trellis Research, which helps state court litigators and in-house legal departments use artificial intelligence and data analytics to learn more about the judges they’ll be appearing before, the opposing counsel they’ll be squaring off against and even a little bit about themselves.
'Better Than Expected.' Law Schools and Firms Weigh In On OCI In The Age of COVID
March 04, 2021 15:46 - 27 minutes - 50.6 MBThis week's episode of Legal Speak features two conversations about this year's unusual summer associate recruiting season with David Diamond, assistant dean of career services at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and Gavin White, global hiring partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.