On The Road With Legal Talk Network

In this Special Report, Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti sits down with The Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession Chair Will Gunn to discuss the Spirit of Excellence Awards and the 2016 recipients. The conversation opens with a brief history of The Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and an exploration of its goal to eliminate bias and increase opportunities for all members of the profession. Will then gives some insight into the nomination process for the award and the criteria used to determine the finalists. He also takes a moment to introduce us to the four recipients: William Mitchell College of Law Professor of Law Sarah Deer, Illinois Department of Labor Director of Labor Hugo Chaviano, Temple University Beasley School of Law Dean and Professor of Law Joanne A. Epps, and The Marquez Law Group principal Victor M. Marquez. Laurence and Will then wrap up the conversation with a focus on the career-long struggles and achievements that made these candidates the 2016

In this Special Report, Deputy General Counsel to the Oregon State Bar Mark Roberts and ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Director Malcolm ‘Skip’ Harsch stop by to discuss the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’s Stonewall Awards and introduce the 2016 award honorees. The Stonewall Award is named after the 1969 Stonewall Riots that took place in New York City and recognizes lawyers, members of the judiciary, and legal academics who have affected real change to remove barriers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the legal profession. This year's honorees, Talmadge Fitzpatrick Tribe partner Thomas Fitzpatrick, Nashville attorney Abby Rubenfeld, and Freedom to Marry Founder and President Evan Wolfson, sit down with Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti to discuss their hard work and accomplishments in the fight for LGBT rights.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fenwick & West civil practitioner Laurence Pulgram and Schoeman Updike & Kaufman complex litigator Beth Kaufman stop by to discuss amendments that were made to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in this Special Report. In 2010, at a symposium at Duke University, rule amendments to improve civil litigation were proposed and over 2,300 individuals provided input on these changes during the public comments period. On April 29th, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court approved and submitted to Congress the proposed amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and these amendments took effect on December 1, 2015. However, many lawyers are not aware of these changes. Beth and Laurence, along with The Digital Edge host Jim Calloway and Thinking Like A Lawyer host Joe Patrice, sit down to discuss some of the changes and best practices to help you save money and expedite managing your case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Special Report, Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti sits down with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association President Jin Hwang, partner at Cooper & Dunham Robert Maldonado, and commercial litigator for Goldman Antonetti & Cordova Carlos Rodriguez-Vidal to discuss improving diversity in the administration of justice and the judicial system. Outside of the ABA there are national bars of color, such as NAPABA and the National Native American Bar Association, that work to promote diversity in all segments of the legal profession. Carlos Rodriguez-Vidal kicks off this episode by explaining why it is so important that bars of color work together to bring about positive change and why this endeavor is not driven by individual self-interest. The conversation shifts to a discussion of the importance of mentoring young lawyers and why all of the guests feel like they have broader responsibilities as lawyers of color who have found success in their careers. Finally, the conversation wraps u

Digital Detectives hosts Sharon Nelson and John Simek sit down with State Trial Court Judge Heather Welch and United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota Leo Brisbois in this Special Report to discuss the 2016 Judicial Clerkship Program. The goal of this program is to increase diversity in law clerk positions at court levels all across the country. Both guests go into detail as to why increasing diversity in the judiciary is so important and why starting at the clerkship level is critical. The focus then shifts onto the state, federal, trial, appellate, and international judges who volunteer their time and resources to help mentor young lawyers through this program. Finally, the group explores the benefits and opportunities that the Judicial Clerkship Program offers young lawyers as they seek job prospects after graduation. Leo Brisbois is the United States magistrate judge for the District of Minnesota. He served in the JAG Corps and is a member of the firm Stich, Angell, Kreidler & Dodge,

In this Special Report, Future of Latinos in the United States Project Manager Pilar Escontrias and Director Emeritus and MacCrate Research Chair in the Legal Profession Robert Nelson stop by to discuss their panel on the legal future of Latinos in America. As the Latino population in the U.S. continues to rise, so, too, do the legal issues surrounding that demographic shift. Professor Nelson sheds some light on the research that he and the American Bar Foundation are doing to pinpoint exactly what these growing legal issues are. Pilar Escontrias touches on important issues facing the Latino community such as access to university level education and the criminalization of Latinos in the legal system. Together, with Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti, these guests delve into the legal opportunities and obstacles surrounding the future of Latinos in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Special Report, Professor of Law Alan Brownstein sits in with Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti to discuss the legal intersection of religious freedoms and LGBT rights. The conversation opens with a brief recap of a recent denial of service case in which a Colorado baker refused to sell a wedding cake to a same sex couple. Then, Professor Brownstein dives deep into the complexity of the ensuing Supreme Court ruling and the legal concerns therein from both a constitutional and statutory standpoint. The conversation then shifts to a discussion examining the consequences that potential court rulings could have on the very fabric of American civil rights law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Special Report, Oregon Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Althea Cullen, California Department of Motor Vehicles Deputy Director and Chief Counsel Brian Soublet, Electronic Frontier Foundation Staff Attorney Kit Walsh, co-chair of Information Security Governance and Privacy at Troutman Sanders Mark Mao, and panel moderator and partner at Powell & Majestro P.L.L.C Anthony Majestro stop by to discuss their panel on the newest tech in motor vehicles. The conversation touches on the evolution of computers in cars and the challenges we now face regarding regulating vehicle safety, security, and privacy. From driverless cars and cyber security to global positioning systems and data collection, this episode ponders the obstacles facing lawyers as vehicular technology continues to advance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Special Report, ABA President Paulette Brown sits down with William J. Oakes Boys and Girls Club Branch Manager Ricardo Sandoval and Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti to discuss her Mainstreet ABA initiative. She goes into detail explaining why ABA youth outreach is so important and why she has made connecting young lawyers with the youth of America such a priority of her presidency. President Brown also takes some time to discuss the varied resources available to lawyers through the ABA Everyday program. The conversation then shifts to a discussion about the Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission and the work they are doing on implicit bias within the judicial system. Paulette Brown has been a lawyer for 38 years, worked for Fortune 500 companies, owned a firm for 15 years, and is now a partner at the Boston law firm Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP. She has been involved with the American Bar Association since she graduated from law school and was confirmed president-elect of the ABA in Augus

Navigating workplace dress requirements can be challenging for candidates seeking employment in a work environment whose look policy is in conflict with their religious practices. How can new hires avoid these conflicts? What responsibilities do employers have in accommodating these employees? On this Special Report, trial attorney Siri Thanasombat with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, executive director Zahra Billoo of the Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C. Dionysia L. Johnson-Massie sit down with Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti to discuss their ABA Midyear panel on accommodating religious attire in the workplace.   Zahra Billoo is the executive director of the Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She is also a co-founder of Project Feed and served as a board member of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California Foundation. Zahra graduated from the University of C

Digital Detectives hosts Sharon Nelson and John Simek stop by our table at the American Bar Association’s Meeting 2016 for a conversation about California’s water and drought issues with experts Meena Westford, Carolyn Angius, Elizabeth Clark, Heather Riley, and Michael Kiparsky. Together, they discuss the state’s 5 year water shortage and its impact on agriculture, forest fires, citizens, and , yes, the Delta Smelt. Programs and projects are currently in the works to bring relief to the Golden State, but for now conservation is having the biggest impact. Agencies across California are beginning to coordinate their efforts in what is known as closing the water cycle. Simply put, their future collaborations will be synchronized to create a more efficient and comprehensive water distribution system at lower cost. Tune in to learn more about First in Time, First in Right, curtailments, aquifers vs. surface water, the Delta Smelt, and more. Meena Westford is the special projects manager for the Metropolitan W

In 2012, the Washington Supreme Court adopted the Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) Rule, making it the first state to authorize non-attorneys who meet certain educational requirements to advise clients on specific areas of law. This concept of non-lawyer consultation is a new way to address the gap in access to legal services, but many lawyers are wary of the change. So what was the response in Washington?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As globalization changes the legal marketplace, solo and small firm lawyers are scrambling to keep up. Why are so many attorneys resistant to embrace new technology? Should technological competence be the responsibility of law schools, the American Bar Association, or individual lawyers? In this Special Report, Legal Talk Network host Adriana Linares and John Stewart, lawyer and legal techspert, interview Michele DiStefano and Michael Mills, presenters at the 2015 Clio Cloud conference. Michele, a law professor and founder of LawWithoutWalls, talks about globalization, the changing nature of legal services, and the responsibility law schools have to teach technological competence. Michael, a lawyer and founder of Neota Logic, Inc., discusses collaboration and interstate business models, eradicating the term “non-lawyer”, and how state bars and the ABA can encourage progressive change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti interviews Jeena Cho, lawyer, author, and meditation teacher, at the 2015 Clio Cloud conference. Like many other lawyers, at one point in her career Cho found herself burnt out and overly stressed. She discusses tools she discovered to achieve healthy work-life balance. Through general awareness, regular self check-ins, and mindfulness, Cho explains, anxious lawyers can improve their quality of life. Stay tuned for a guided meditation at the end of the interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clio’s lead scientist Fraser Newton and Vice President of Business Development George Psiharis stop by to discuss what law firms can learn from their data operations. During their interview, they share insights from their sales team and talk about applying key performance indicators to the business side of your legal practice. Although not every firm is the same when it comes to fee arrangements, area of law, and marketing budget, all must focus on return on investment to create growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Special Report, Billie Tarascio, Mary Juetten, and Duncan Stewart stop by to talk about measuring your firm’s performance as a business and predictions for future ways to interact with clients. Tune in to hear about net promoter scores, conversion rates, and the costs of acquiring new clients. In addition, they move on to discuss preferred technologies for millennials, print vs. digital for news and books, and when it’s appropriate to use the phone over an in-person visit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Special Report, Peter Carayiannis of Conduit Law, David Sparks of Mac Power Users, Shantelle Argyle of Open Legal Services, and Julie Tolek of Think Pink Law stop by our table to discuss their presentations at the Clio Cloud Conference. During our interview, the conversation migrates from efficiency tools like Slack, Sanebox, and Lexicata to the three P’s of building digital brands—passion, personality, and persuasion. Tune in to hear how much time you should be spending on social media marketing, the importance of providing value in your posts, and why you need to stay on a schedule when you share. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is no lack of advice when it comes to legal marketing, but it can sometimes be overwhelming. What are the basics in a law firm’s online presence and where should lawyers focus their time and money? In this short podcast, Adriana Linares and Jason Marsh interview three law firm marketing specialists about their areas of expertise. Gyi Tsakalakis, founder of AttorneySync, discusses the blurring lines of the real and online worlds and how local search engine optimization plays its part. Allen Rodriguez and Eva Hibnick, founders of One400, talk about the fundamentals for streamlining your law firm’s marketing and sales process. Essential Marketing Topics Discussed: Local search Overall service quality Reviews Social media Experiential marketing Remarketing Optimizing for receiving service Content marketing AdWords Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do outsourcing, Lean, and Agile mean for your law firm? Find out by listening to this Special Report with legal entrepreneurs Basha Rubin and Mirra Levitt plus Lean/Agile evangelist John E. Grant. Together they discuss their respective Clio Cloud Conference presentations with Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti. Tune in to hear where clients are searching for attorneys today, how the emoji lawyer problem affects your practice, and why lawyers need to adopt a culture for learning in their firms. In addition, hear Basha, Mirra, and John debate the merits of Agile principles as well as the minimally viable product concept in the legal profession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cloud based software platforms and Comment 8 on the ABA Model Rule 1.6 on Confidentiality of Information have sent shudders across state bars nationwide. The mounting pressures for innovation and increased technology competence have left many lawyers scrambling for answers. As uncertainty gives way to reason, the legal profession is starting to provide guiding parameters to attorneys trying to stay in compliance. On this Special Report, Executive Director Jayne Reardon of the Commission on Professionalism to the Illinois Supreme Court sits down with Legal Talk Network producer Laurence Colletti. Together, they discuss the ABA Model Rules, possible changes thereof, and the erosion of jurisdictional practice boundaries. Tune in to hear more about alternative business structure law firms and how they might apply to Limited License Legal Technicians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices