Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Addressing fear and anxiety with societal mantras like “fake it ‘til you make it” or “face your fears” isn’t all that helpful, and might even be harmful to many of us. Tune in as Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Heidi K. Brown about her book, “Untangling Fear in Lawyering: A Four-Step Journey Toward Powerful Advocacy.” Rather than stigmatizing fear, Heidi discusses ways to equip attorneys with the skills to work through fear responses and then physically and mentally recalibrate to meet the challenges of legal practice. Episode Links: Untangling Fear in Lawyering: A Four-Step Journey Toward Powerful Advocacy, by Heidi K. Brown https://www.viacharacter.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Returning guest Omarosa Newman joins Demario Thornton to go into deeper detail about her educational journey through multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities and why she chose to attend Southern University–also an HBCU–for law school. Since their inception, HBCUs have focused on educating brilliant young minds. Tune in to learn more about the unique experience students find at these institutions.Check out Omarosa’s book, Unhinged: An Insider's Account of the Trump White House.Omarosa Newman is a reality tv star, a communications professional, and a 1L at Southern University Law Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dennis and Tom’s new book, “The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools & Technologies: Work From Home Edition,” is available now! Debbie Foster hosts this episode to chat with Dennis and Tom about their writing process for this new edition and specific tools lawyers need to make the most of modern 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.Show Notes - Kennedy-Mighell Report #323A Segment: Debbie Foster Interviews Dennis and TomThe Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools & Technologies: Work From Home Edition https://www.americanbar.org/products/inv/book/424883450/ B Segment: Interview, Part II Parting Shots: Calendly - https://calendly.com/  Law Department Innovation Library - https://www.ldilibrary.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter if you’re new to the profession or a seasoned vet, paralegal professionals can never know too much.Guest Cathy L. Davis is an assistant professor and department chair of the criminal justice and legal studies programs at Alabama’s Faulkner University. She’s a champion of continuing education and the lifelong pursuit of new skills.Make your job your passion, and make learning your passion. Lexus, Clio, Mycase, Microsoft Office, local paralegal associations, and others all offer opportunities to learn and demonstrate competencies. Get every certification you can.For those new to the business, start with: Professionalism: Be organized, manage time, and listen.  Writing matters: Hone your skills. Really work on your writing. Research skills: Go beyond traditional sources, even social media counts. Preserve and protect data: Evidence and research are crucial. Offer to attend hearings or assist at the courthouse, even if some tasks are outside your scope. Consider volunteering at a legal aid office, neighborhood associations, and community causes. Ever thought about teaching or speaking at a local college? Never stand still. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A surprising shift has swept through Texas courts since COVID-19, likely traceable to the public’s collective new awareness of suffering due to pandemic-era hardships. In recent months, there has seemed to be a marked change in jurors’ thoughts on awarding non-economic damages, resulting in larger damages verdicts in many courts. To discuss this phenomenon, Rocky Dhir talks with Randy Sorrels about his article, Fully Acknowledging Human Damages, which appeared in the October issue of the Texas Bar Journal.Randy Sorrels is a partner at Sorrels Law in Houston, Texas, and holds board certifications from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, including: Personal Injury Trial Law, Civil Trial Law, and Civil Trial Advocacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People don’t connect with brands, they connect with people. Could a publicist help you tell your story in a way that truly resonates with potential clients?In this episode, Stephanie talks with Pam Perry, communications and PR professional, about the importance of being authentically “you” in your branding. They delve into how to tell your story to build connections and the role PR (or a publicist) can play to help you meet your ideal client.Listen now!If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap yet, get the first chapter right now for free!Thanks to Berkshire Receptionists, Lawyerist Lab, and Posh Virtual Receptionists for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

But it might make you a sociopath.Ginni Thomas testified to the January 6 committee that she still believes the election was stolen from Donald Trump. They wouldn't call it the "big" lie if it went down easy! But she also testified that she and Clarence don't talk about work, which might be even less believable than her stolen election claim. Also, an attorney billed 277 hours to review 20 documents... that seems like something the firm should've stopped earlier. And Judge James Ho is trying to help conservative Yale students by announcing he'll never hire them. And you thought Ginni wasn't making sense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part Two of our unfiltered discussion with legendary plaintiff attorney Tom Keefe, you’ll learn Tom’s strategy to “housebreak” a witness and how to handle a highly-coached expert. You’ll also hear Tom’s most embarrassing moment in trial when a common statement of surprise actually occurred in the courtroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don’t stomp your little last season Prada shoes at me, honey.” Can you name that movie? It’s one of the top three legal movies on our list, and if you can’t name it, you’d better listen to this episode. If you can name that film, you’ll love our spirited discussion of the classic legal films that inspire us, make us laugh, and teach us to be humble. And should you choose to disagree with our picks, you may invoke the classic line from My Cousin Vinny…..”Everything that guy just said is……” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of law firm intake processes are a bit painful to look at, if we’re honest, but they don’t have to be! Jared and guest McKay Ferrell share how a little tracking and better workflows can make your intake as smooth as butter.In lieu of a Rump Roast grilling, Jared delves into McKay’s passion for craft brewing, learning about hybrid IPAs and what led him into the seemingly saturated world of brewery businesses.And, Jared’s latest streaming pick might freak you out, but he thinks watching Netflix’s Dahmer series has left him with some solid tips for not getting murdered, so, tune in for those!McKay Ferrell is the vice president of product management at Assembly Software.-----Since we talked with a brewery owner, here are some of our favorite songs about boozin'. (Lots of country songs here, obvi.)-----Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.The music for the Legal Trends Report Minute is I See You by Sounds Like Sander.Our closing track is Big Bags by Ghost Beatz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices