Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

While Craig is away on a well-deserved vacation, we wanted to do things a little bit differently, and share with you one of our favorite episodes from the Chicago Bar Association’s @the Bar podcast. This episode is Defending Against Domestic Violent Extremism: A Discussion with Brian Michael Jenkins. We hope you enjoy it!-----In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio speaks with one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and the man famously known for predicting 9/11, Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation. They discuss Mr. Jenkins’ historical work as an advisor to many U.S. Presidents and governments on terrorism, as well as the current state of domestic political violence and terrorism in America. In this riveting discussion, Mr. Jenkins shares his advice for how we can develop a pragmatic strategy to combat the rising tide of violence in today’s tumultuous world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephanie talks with Eric Webber about the silent addiction of gambling. In this episode, we explore why you can’t go anywhere or watch a sporting event without hearing betting terms. Online gambling has become all the rage, but it is not without potential dangers.  Especially in a profession like law where attorneys have access to client’s money, problems can turn problematic quickly. Learn more about what is triggered in the brain during gambling, what signs to watch for, and how to know when to suggest help for a colleague or yourself. Understanding this part of addiction is part of nurturing our healthy team.  Links from the episode:  Caron Treatment Center  Judge and Lawyer Assistance Program   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! Thanks to Posh Virtual Receptionists, Postali & LawPay for sponsoring this episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roberta Tepper, Chief Member Services Officer at the State Bar of Arizona, discusses ethical file sharing solutions. They cover the choice between file sharing tools and client portals, the insecurity of email, and drawbacks of standalone file sharing. They also explore client sophistication impact, using file sharing platforms and document management systems, and the upside and downside of secure messaging solutions.

You know the legal writing classes you took in law school? There’s a lot more to learn, and with a few steps, you can get better – and get better results. Guest Chris Schandevel is the “Brief-Writing Ninja” and passionate writing clear, simple, concise legal briefs that win over courts. Courthouses are busy places. Judges and clerks deal with a lot of distractions and competing demands. Make your briefs stand out boy making them easier to read and follow. Any jargon, excessive footnotes, parentheticals, and asides just add to the chaos and detract from your argument. Good writing, formatting, and attention to detail matter. Schandevel has created an easy-to-use, three-page style guide for legal writing and clear formatting. You don’t need to use fancy words to sell your case. Clear, simple language and a clean story help the court understand your argument and see your point.Take a deep dive into the art and artistry of writing and presenting a legal brief at the highest levels, and get some tips you can start using today. (Plus, do you know the official preferred font of the U.S. Supreme Court?) Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com  Topics: Judges aren’t impressed with fancy words and jargon. A clear, easy-to-read legal brief is easier to follow to the conclusion you want your reader to reach.  Learn to remove barriers to the reader such as excessive footnotes, lengthy sentences and changes in “voice.” And do use the Oxford comma! What is the “cleaned up parenthetical?” (And how is it being adopted at the highest levels of the law?) Find out. Mentioned in this Episode:BriefCatch software“Think Commas Don't Matter? Omitting One Cost A Maine Dairy Company $5 Million”“Cleaning Up Quotations” by Jack Metzler in The Journal of Appellate Law Practice and Process“Legal Writing: Font Matters,” Thomson ReutersLegal Office GuruLegal Office Guru’s Deborah Savadra on New Solo, “Word Up 2: Creating Tables of Authority with Ease” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And they're running out of a bunch of lawyers.A surprising level of jerk content this week as we discuss the value of real Jamaican jerk seasoning, Clarence Thomas getting his RV financed by a health care executive, Alan Dershowitz complaining about his neighbors, and Judge Aileen Cannon botching straightforward criminal law (more than once). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, lawyers who worked in BigLaw could expect some version of the following: Work long hours, including nights and weekends, with minimal free time, giving up almost all semblances of a social life. The reward: money and a potential partnership. And if you didn’t like it, there was the door. And if you were having mental health or wellness issues, then suck it up and deal with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 The scope of your pleadings dictates the scope of your discovery, and it’s important to make sure your pleadings are broad enough to allow discovery into all the product issues you need to explore. This two-part discussion outlines a discovery checklist for product liability cases, including what documents and persons may be pertinent to your case and how to track them down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liability waivers appear all around us…..on amusement park tickets, at ax throwing establishments, prior to medical procedures and maybe even as a requirement from your son’s friend’s parents before that weekend party at their lake house. Are these documents really enforceable, or are they just toothless deterrents? And should you sign them? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor Stephen Vladeck, author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, discusses how the Supreme Court has dramatically expanded the use of the little-known - and poorly understood - "Shadow Docket" to approve unconstitutional voting processes, abortion bans, restrictive immigration policies, and expanded religious liberties. Vladeck is a CNN Supreme Court analyst and cohosts an award-winning national security law podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Berkeley Research Group (BRG) is a Premier Sponsor of the ABA Litigation Section. On this Litigation Radio episode, we will hear from Richard Finkelman, Managing Director of BRG, about hiring economists as experts. The selection of the BRG as the subject of this interview should not be construed as an endorsement by the American Bar Association of BRG and its services.-----Is your firm using Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Should it be? AI is expected to have a profound impact on the practice of law. Lawyers are already using AI in their practices to review documents and conduct research. Yet, as the technology emerges, there are ethical, privacy, and practical concerns.Guest Richard Finkelman of the global consulting firm Berkeley Research Group (BRG) is an expert in AI applications in the legal profession. Finkelman is sees AI and machine learning already widely in use, specifically in e-discovery and document review. Four out of five legal firms surveyed by BRG employ AI in some capacity. This is the stuff of today, not the future.AI can already determine if a document is subject to privilege, pinpoint which documents need review, and even scan expert testimony (yours and theirs) for red flags. This speeds workflow, improves accuracy, and protects against potentially sensitive errors. Never again worry about accidentally turning over a privileged document or intellectual property? That sounds nice, but there are risks.Hear how you can incorporate AI tech into your practice, provide disclosures at the start of a case, check for accuracy, and avoid boxing yourself in with pre-trial agreements without knowing what’s coming next in the field. Learn this stuff before your next case.Mentioned in this Episode:ChatGPTGoogle BardAmerican Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association Litigation Section“Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Report,” by Richard Finkelman at BRG Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices