Episodit
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A trusted depth of data helps genAI infuse into the legal world more effectively and accurately, but not all genAI is up to scratch. Dennis and Tom talk with Emily Colbert about current AI uses in legal, with particular focus on the integration of AI into the Practical Law tool from Thomson Reuters. Emily discusses the importance of human experts and trusted content in developing genAI and what industry leaders are doing to drive efficiency and find new integrations for AI that support business growth and improved legal practice.
As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.
Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.
Emily Colbert leads global product management for the Practical Law, Checkpoint and Regulatory Intelligence product lines at Thomson Reuters.
Links Mentioned:
Gemini by Google
MoreUsefulThings.com by Ethan Mollick -
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-Sylvester followed a nontraditional path to her legal career. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology with the goal of pursuing that field, focusing on helping people with disabilities. Then, the idea of putting a law degree to work in the field of disability and civil rights attracted her. Throughout her education, she worked to embrace her own disability – cerebral palsy – and learn how to live independently while making a difference.
In her legal career, Nwosu-Sylvester shows organizations that people with disabilities are capable, valuable contributors. Accommodation doesn’t have to be insurmountable or expensive, and Nwosu-Sylvester and her team regularly make themselves available to help organizations understand and develop neurodiversity policies and programs.
RESOURCES:
U.S. Department of Labor Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
ABA Commission on Disability Rights
The American Association of People With Disabilities
American Bar Association
American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division -
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We return to our series profiling leading litigators and business builders with guest Paula Hinton, a litigation partner and executive committee member with international firm Winston & Strawn. She’s held numerous leadership positions, is recognized across the profession, and handles a variety of complex cases. And she did it her way. “It starts with taking people out to breakfast!”
Growing up the daughter of a respected small-town attorney in Alabama, Hinton jokes that she was “Scout” to a real-life Atticus Finch of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Hinton learned at a young age the trust clients place in their attorneys and the duty attorneys have to serve clients and the community, in and out of the courthouse.
Hinton’s path took her from a small town to big city firms with international clients. Entering an area of the law that at the time featured few women, Hinton made her own way, walking into senior attorneys’ offices and volunteering for the toughest cases. In an era before the phrase “work/life balance,” she learned to manage the demands of high stakes law in balance with her personal life.
Throughout, Hinton strove to raise her profile, develop a strong reputation, and build and sustain business relationships through involvement in nonprofit and association work and by making herself available to senior firm members for complex cases. “Don’t wait for them to find you, you go find them,” she says. Hear first-hand Hinton’s tips for building a high-profile career in litigation, leveraging both corporate and American Bar Association relationships, and building on each previous step.
Resources:
American Bar Association
American Bar Association Litigation Section -
Are your writings being read?
Stephanie and Harvard’s Todd Rogers discuss effective writing.
Links from the episode:
Schedule a free 30 minute strategy session with iLawyer!
Book with Todd
Writing for Busy People Checklist
AI Email Editing Tool
If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! -
Conservative justices can't stop telling on themselves when it comes to forum shopping.
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Joe Biden says he got a standing ovation for trying to BS his way through a law school cold call. We call BS on that. Also Cooley Law School finds itself at the bottom of the heap when it comes to bar passage rates again. At some point, the ABA has to step in... right? Finally, the nation's judges did something about politicized forum shopping and right-wingers can't stop help but crying about how they miss their cheat code. -
James Patterson has written bestsellers in many genres. But as he tells the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles in this episode of The Modern Law Library, he has always been fascinated by legal thrillers, courtroom dramas and crime novels. He even considered becoming a lawyer, before his literary career took off.
In his newest release, The #1 Lawyer, James Patterson partnered with co-author Nancy Allen to tell the story of Stafford Lee Penney, a criminal defense attorney in Biloxi, Mississippi, who’s never lost a case. But after handing a high-profile murder trial involving the son of a mobster, Penney finds himself on the other side of the bench as a defendant himself, charged with murdering his own wife.
Patterson has written and co-written more than 300 books, including bestselling series like Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Maximum Ride. He had some writing tips for attorneys, particularly on how to work collaboratively. As Patterson tells listeners in the podcast, he is open about working with other writers on many of his books, and he finds tools like outlining absolutely essential. He also shares with Rawles how he thinks co-writers should handle interpersonal communication while working together.
Patterson says one of the major benefits of working with co-authors is pulling from their experiences to make his books more accurate and true to life. When he wrote The President is Missing with Bill Clinton, the former president could tell Patterson the inside details of how a Secret Service detail worked. When he wrote Run, Rose, Run with Dolly Parton, she walked him through the production cycle for a song.
Allen, who conducted more than 30 jury trials as a prosecutor in Missouri and taught law for 15 years at Missouri State University, contributed her firsthand courtroom experience to The #1 Lawyer. Patterson says they worked to make everything as accurate as possible—while still allowing for a good story. It’s the pair’s second book together, following a previous standalone novel, Juror #3.
In this episode of The Modern Law Library, Patterson shares some of his favorite law-related pop culture picks; news about new and ongoing projects; and describes a very special birthday event with Dolly Parton. He also discusses how his children’s series Maximum Ride got caught up in Florida book bans in 2023. For fans of Patterson’s breakout success, the Alex Cross series launched in 1993 with Along Came a Spider, the author shares updates about what’s next for the intrepid detective—including details about the upcoming Amazon Prime TV series Cross, starring Aldis Hodge.
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In part two, we share our mentor’s most impactful lessons and talk about the benefits of building long lasting relationships through mentorship. No matter if you are the mentor or the mentee, taking time to share experience and expertise elevates our profession.
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Jim Barbieri from independent adjusting company Claims Advantage, Inc. discusses the complexity of automobile theft claims.
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Since the mid to late 1980s, an increasingly conservative federal bench has made it more difficult to defend Indian rights under existing treaties and federal law. John Echohawk is an attorney and Executive Director of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) defending Native American tribes, organizations, and individuals. He joins SideBar to discuss issues such as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, voting rights, and Indian education.
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Many law students begin their studies thinking they have their legal ambitions all mapped out, only to realize later that their perfect plan is no longer what they want. Having this type of identity crisis in law school isn’t a bad thing, and if it happens to you, don’t panic! Law school and your early legal career should be a time for exploration and change. Chay Rodriguez talks with attorney Katie Winchenbach about her personal experiences and the strategies, resources, and connections that helped her pivot to new opportunities both as a student and a young lawyer.
Katie Winchenbach is a corporate attorney at Motorola Solutions and program director for Ms. JD, a national nonprofit that supports aspiring and early-career women attorneys. -
March is Women’s History Month where we celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States throughout American history in a variety of fields. Charlotte E. Ray. Belva Lockwood. Sandra Day O’Connor. Ruth Bader Ginsberg. These are just some of the standout women who have shaped our legal history and fought for women and girls across the nation.
Unfortunately, in recent years women’s rights have come under attack. With SCOTUS’ overturning of Roe v. Wade, and many other policy issues like equal pay, Title IX, childcare, taxes, and equity in education, women continue to fight for their individual rights.
In this episode, Craig is joined by Amy Royce, Senior Counsel for Income Security for the National Women’s Law Center, as they will spotlight Women's History Month by discussing the current policy issues involving women, highlighting the intersection of gender justice and tax policy. We will also take a look back at women throughout history who have paved the way, and what women across the nation can do to rise up against legislation and fight for their rights. -
What are you putting off? We’ve all been there and here’s the good news: it doesn’t mean you are lazy or a bad person! In this episode, Stephanie explores the why behind procrastination with time management expert, Paul Unger. Of course, they’ll also dig into actionable steps you can take to overcome procrastination and get those to-dos off your plate!
Links from the episode:
Check out Pilot!
Time Management for Legal Professionals Course with Paul Unger
If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! -
Parental leave and a bumbling Supreme Court highlight the week.
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Are law firms going to get stingy with parental leave? While most firms report solid revenue, sparking resentment over a few weeks of leave seems like a weird strategy, but DLA Piper recently cut back on the leave available to non-birthing parents. It's a first as far as Above the Law can tell, but will it be the last? Also, the Supreme Court screwed up its metadata, committing an error that would get junior associates fired. And finally, Joe Biden offered the Court some tough talk... by quoting them. -
Frustration. Guilt. Anger. Loss. It’s hard to stay focused when so many powerful emotions come at you in a single day. Listen in as we discuss our recent rides on the emotional roller coaster and learn about the tools we use to keep our sanity and come back for more.
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This time, the guys unpack Google’s latest headlines, caution lawyers against some highly questionable speakers at legal conferences, and share the latest books to add to your reading list.
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Today’s big thing—The News:
Google’s latest core updates are really trying to crack down on spam and garbage content. Will it work? Gyi and Conrad talk through what it all means for you. Check out: Google’s Search Status Dashboard for Ranking and Google Is Finally Trying to Kill AI Clickbait.
Disgusting, but predictable––Google’s February LSA update was super gross: Google tests Branded Local Service Ads with opt-out option.
Gyi explains how Google is trying to reduce spam in some areas through quality rater guidelines, but they don’t seem to care about it when it comes to ads: Search Quality Rater Guidelines: An Overview.
Conrad rants against Google’s Pay Per Click (PPC) tactics, so to wrap your head around PPC marketing in general, try LHLM 101: Advertisement Buying Alphabet Soup and Search Engine Land’s What is PPC – Pay-Per-Click marketing?
Later, there are a fair amount of conference sessions these days in which the speakers are paying big money to pitch their message/product to attendees. What do we think of this practice? Gyi and Conrad both have their own take, but the bottom line is: there’s a lousy content issue at conferences, and the guys share IRL examples of session claptrap you should avoid.
Finally, what have the guys been reading lately? For Conrad, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, tells the story of the messy process of building a successful business. And Gyi has been reading all of Tiago Forte’s books, including Building a Second Brain and The PARA Method for organizing your digital life.
Mentioned in this Episode:
LHLM Office Hours are coming March 15th! Register or View Here
The Game Changing Attorney Podcast: The Brutally Honest Guide to Public Speaking
Leave Us an Apple Review
Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on YouTube
Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok -
Experts discuss the vast funding gap in legal tech. LSC President Ron Flagg hosts the conversation with guests Bob Ambrogi, lawyer and award-winning legal tech journalist, and Cat Moon, director of innovation design for the Program on Law and Innovation at Vanderbilt Law School. Inspired by Ambrogi’s recent LawSites article, they discuss how tech companies, big law firms and corporate law departments could step up to help close the justice gap.
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Since its inception in 2017, the Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda has been charged with the examination of Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and Rules of Disciplinary Procedure to determine rule adequacy and necessary changes. After extensive evaluation of existing rules, the committee proposed 12 new rules between 2021 and 2023 which Texas attorneys will now have the opportunity to vote on from April 1-30, 2024.
Rocky Dhir talks with committee members Lewis Kinard (Chair), Judge Phyllis Martinez Gonzalez, and Scott Brumley, and former member Claude Ducloux about the proposed rules to help Texas legal professionals gain a better understanding of the purpose and implications of the suggested changes. For more information, including links to background information on each rule proposal, go to texasbar.com/rulesvote. -
In this episode’s discussions around the Community Table:
We start with an attorney who wants to balance hiring and firm growth. What happens when you hire “too much” team for the work or have “too much work” for the team? It’s a delicate dance. Start with a business plan and control the one thing you can, the number of cases you accept. It’s OK to say no to a new potential client. (Plus, find out what Christopher calls a “bull$#!* plan”).
What happens when you haven’t explored new ways to market and you fall behind? No use crying over spilt milk, but honestly, get on it. You start from where you are. Understand what you’re doing, what’s working, and what’s failing. A swift kick in the pants may get you motivated.
And how do you help a long-standing employee establish some metrics, mainly a minimum billable hour requirement? Be straightforward, but it’s a balancing act. Sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind (in the right measure).
Mentioned in this Episode:
Empirical360
BlueShark Digital Marketing
What are LSAs? (Local Service Ads)
Join the next Community Table live. What’s on your mind? -
In this episode, I’m joined by Doug Reifschneider, a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer at Chief Outsiders, to discuss the benefits and strategies of employing fractional CMO services for law firms.
Doug Reifschneider is a marketing veteran from the restaurant industry. During his four-year tenure with Chief Outsiders as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Doug has worked with home services, funeral services, franchised security services, B2B, and restaurants to prove that marketing skills are transferrable. Chief Outsiders is the largest Fractional CMO firm in the USA.
Chief Outsiders stands as the largest fractional CMO firm in the U.S., offering over 110 CMOs and chief sales officers. Doug shares insights into the growing trend of fractional services across industries, including law firms, and emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs, competition, and unique value propositions for effective marketing strategies.
We get into 'The Growth Gears' methodology as a simplified approach to marketing strategy, focusing on insights, strategy, and execution phases to fuel business growth. Doug also highlights common marketing mistakes businesses make, such as lack of coherent strategy or 'random acts of marketing,' and suggests solutions like customer nurturing and leveraging operational systems for automated post-purchase engagement to keep law firms on the path to growth.
Doug gives listeners actionable tips on:
0:00 Intro
2:18 How he starts a big marketing strategy for a client
4:59 Using your people as a point of differentiation
8:31 How to move your clients through "I need marketing" to spending time going through a strategy for growth
10:34 How to explain the mistakes your clients are making when they come to you
12:54 What kind of suggestions do you offer at the bottom part of the funnel
16:56 How do you avoid random acts of marketing and stay focused
18:16 Do you have metrics and reporting to assure people it's working
20:32 What's the typical timeframe you recommend for them to see results
23:25 Looking at clients as customers and why language matters
26:31 Book Review
31:50 One big takeaway
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Growth Gears by Art Saxby
Connect with Doug here:
https://twitter.com/Reiflman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-reifschneider/
https://www.facebook.com/Reiflman/
https://www.chiefoutsiders.com/profile/doug-reifschneider
Connect with me
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Karin on LinkedIn
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