Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Free speech is rarely pretty. But there was no shortage of hand-wringing last week over Yale Law students who -- checks notes -- protested an event and then left promptly when asked by faculty. If that doesn't sound bad, but that's because you're not vested in the ongoing effort to redefine free speech as protecting the people with microphones and punishing dissent. We also talk about a wildly inappropriate in-house counsel and the story of a town that ticketed an elderly couple to the tune of $30K and the federal judge who was not pleased about it.Special thanks to our sponsor, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest is law student Simon X. Cao, winner of this year’s College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyer’s John F. Burton Jr. Student Writing Award. His essay, “Fighting The Tide – Overcoming The Rebuttable Presumption of Intoxication In The Age of Marijuana,” examines a common Workers’ Comp defense arguing an injured worker was somehow culpable in his own injury by virtue of intoxication.Cao examines to what extent – if any – evidence of prior marijuana consumption can be used against injured workers, as a growing number of states legalize marijuana both for recreation and medical use.The nexus of marijuana and injury compensation is a sticky issue. Evidence of marijuana can be detected in an injured worker’s system for weeks after use, unlike alcohol, but it can be present without indicating intoxication. How reliable is testing? How consistent are the rules across states? And what about presumed consent for a drug test after a workplace accident? All interesting topics that could affect your clients.Special thanks to our sponsor PInow.com, Posh Virtual Receptionists, and MerusCase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a lawyer, you may think you are a good listener. But could you listen more effectively, and in turn, be heard more clearly? With tips from the Heels in the Courtroom trial attorneys and insights from Kate Murphy’s book, You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, you can improve your listening skills. Better communication will advance your practice, enhance your relationships and make your next obligatory cocktail party a little less painful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Detroit has been the site of many civil rights and labor rights battles, and many notable Black attorneys have called the city home. The first Black president of the ABA, Dennis Archer, came from the Detroit legal community, as does the current ABA president, Reginald Turner. But the full story of one of the city's pioneering legal figures has not been told–until now. In No Equal Justice: The Legacy of Civil Rights Icon George W. Crockett Jr., co-authors Edward J. Littlejohn and Peter J. Hammer have filled in this blank with an absorbing history of Crockett's Floridian childhood, his law school years at the University of Michigan, his defense of Communist activists at the height of the Red Scare, his harrowing search for the murdered Freedom Riders in 1964, his time as a judge on Detroit's Recorder Court, and his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. For this episode of the Modern Law Library, Hammer joined the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles to discuss the research that went into the book, some of Crockett's most high-profile cases, how Crockett ended up serving four months in prison for contempt of court, and to explain why Crockett was one of the Detroit police department's most-hated public figures. Special thanks to our sponsor, Posh Virtual Receptionists.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the first-ever mailbag episode of CBA's @theBar! Host Jonathan Amarilio is joined by co-hosts Trisha Rich, Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Jennifer Byrne for a conversation that is even more unscripted than usual. Be a fly on the wall of an @theBar podcast production meeting as the group discusses letters from the audience and potential topics for future episodes. If you have comments, questions or ideas for future episodes, write in to podcast@chicagobar.org.Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC, and Smokeball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A trial is a contest of competing stories and the jury is your audience. Prepare your witness for their best performance with tenets from acting and theater explained by Andrew Caple-Shaw and Alexandra Wright of ACT of COMMUNICATION, a unique litigation consulting group. Their powerful and highly effective communication techniques, such as identifying non-verbal micro-expressions, harnessing the power of metaphor, and strengthening sensitivity and listening skills, will help your witnesses tell the essence of their story more effectively and help you command center stage in the courtroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you attract an ideal client with your brand personality? Most lawyers don’t get to learn the branding, marketing and content creation piece of their business while in law school. The challenge is, in order to be relevant in today’s digital economy, you have to have a presence online. When it comes to brand personality, it’s so much deeper than the colors you pick or the fonts you use. It’s the psychology behind it, and how it creates deep and lasting connections with your potential clients. Joining me for this episode is Kaye Putnam, the psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs. Through work with hundreds of clients from international corporations to solo-entrepreneurs, she developed her signature Clarity Code™ method. She believes that business should be more human and that all entrepreneurs have an inner-genius they can use to impact the world. She works with students in her Brand New Brand incubation program and with clients 1-on-1. When she’s not transforming brands, she’s exploring the world with her husband and two little ones. Kaye gives listeners actionable tips on: Why thinking about your brand personality is necessary Decoding brand archetypes  The impact emotional connection has on your brand Why branding is deeper than colors and fonts Resources mentioned in this episode:Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell MaltzConnect with Kaye here: Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Facebook http://kayeputnam.com/   Connect with me Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Karin on Twitter Karin on LinkedIn Conroy Creative Counsel on Facebook https://conroycreativecounsel.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Information and disinformation campaigns are centuries old, but our social media era has given new and rapid thrust to the sharing of ideas, both for good and ill intent. Meg Steenburgh and Peter W. Singer discuss his book, LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media, which analyzes the poisonous effects of disinformation on politics, war, and social issues worldwide. They look at the role of governments, laws, and individuals; and our collective responsibility to support digital literacy and engage in positive digital citizenship. Peter Warren Singer is strategist at New America, a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and founder and managing partner at Useful Fiction LLC.Thank you to our sponsor NBI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For young litigators who want to be considered “a lawyer’s lawyer,” careers spent mostly working from home may not get you to where you want to be, according to Robert Giuffra and Evan Chesler, two Wall Street partners who have been trying cases for more than 30 years.Special thanks to our sponsor, LawPay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are non-fungible tokens, and why should you care? Dennis & Tom break down the definition of these unique digital objects (art, video, and much more) and outline the issues surrounding their current hype and value in the real world. NFTs have the potential to engage a surprising variety of legal angles, so lawyers in any area of the law need an understanding of this new trend in virtual property.Later on, the guys chat about the established tradition of tech announcements and whether they are still necessary or useful for consumers.Special thanks to our sponsors, Posh Virtual Receptionists, Clio, and Colonial Surety Company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices