Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend with pomp, parade, and Illuminations from one end of this continent to the other... Happy 4th of July! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Close to leaving the profession she worked so hard to join, Giugi Carminati realized what was missing: Legal project management. But there was a problem. By their very natures, lawyers are resistant to the methods and processes that make legal project management most effective. Carminati and host Christopher Anderson talk about how legal project management is slowly being adopted and embraced in the legal profession. Carminati explains how this change in management can help firms retain women and lawyers of color before they get fed up and flee. Giugi Carminati is an experienced litigator and certified Legal Project Manager and eDiscovery Director for NDH, LLC. Special thanks to our sponsors, Scorpion, Lawclerk, Alert Communications and LawYaw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not everyone is thrilled about going back to the office, but it seems that more and more businesses are setting dates for their employees’ required return. This begs the question – should employers be able to demand their workers’ physical presence? Dennis and Tom talk through the many issues at play here, and whether we ever can (or should) get things “back to normal.”  This time on “Hot or Not?”, Dennis and Tom give an update on their Second Brain projects, sharing their individual progress and the notable ways they’ve been implementing their chosen tech.  As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation 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 answers to your most burning tech questions. Special thanks to our sponsors, Colonial Surety Company, ServeNow, and Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sylvia Borunda Firth has been sworn in as the new president of the State Bar of Texas! Host Rocky Dhir welcomes Sylvia to discuss her hopes for the presidency, particularly her passion for diversity and inclusion. As the first Hispanic woman and first person from El Paso to ascend to the presidency, Sylvia discusses her unique campaign path, the importance of these “firsts” and the progress they represent, and then also zeros in on two specific issues: her hopes to tackle the problem of “legal deserts” in the state, and her thoughts on McDonald et al v. Sorrels et al and why a mandatory state bar is good for Texas lawyers.  Sylvia Borunda Firth is a solo practitioner in El Paso, Texas and State Bar of Texas President for 2021-22. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labster Mike Howard talks about how he is using the traits we teach in The Small Firm Roadmap to grow and improve his criminal defense firm.  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 Termageddon, TextExpander, Postali, and  Rankings.io for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is “Amazon Sidewalk” and does it come in peace? Professor Bryant Walker Smith from the University of South Carolina School of Law joins us to explain how Jeff Bezos turned our home wifi into his free network using our smart devices. How does it work? What does it do? Tune in to find out! Special thanks to our sponsor Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Association of Legal Assistants is seeing record registration numbers for its second all-virtual annual meeting in July.  NALA CEO Vanessa Finley joins host Jill Francisco to preview this year’s catalog of hot topics, standards, and certification courses. And Finley explains how to register to attend public events for free.  At its July meeting, courses cover a range of trending issues – qualified immunity and immigration law – to practical skills, such as case planning with Agile or Scrum, how to write appellate briefs, and avoiding the unauthorized practice of law. On the topic of UPL, Finley and Fransisco discuss how the regulatory landscape is changing when it comes to who can deliver legal services. Opening markets in as many as 17 states is leading to increased demand and expanded roles for paralegals. This is especially the case for limited licensed legal technicians and document preparers, Finley explains.  Vanessa Finley is chief executive officer of the National Association of Legal Assistants. Special thanks to our sponsors, NALA, ServeNow, CourtFiling.net and Legalinc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition, guest host Trisha Rich and co-host Jennifer Byrne are joined by public relations and legal marketing expert Debra Pickett of Page 2 Communications for a discussion about how lawyers can shift their mindset from lawyer to entrepreneur and embrace the art of shameless self-promotion to build their book of business. Special thanks to our sponsors, CourtFiling.net. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Kathryn welcome Chris Williams, the newest writer to the Above the Law staff, to discuss the latest Above the Law law school rankings. Chris's alma mater tied with Harvard this year and we discuss the ATL model and how it comes up with these numbers. We also discuss last week's biggest story: an associate who billed for over a year to a closed matter. Yikes. Special thanks to our sponsors, Lexicon and Nota. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you recall the moment your childhood ended?  Jared does.  For him, it all dates back to a fateful day in 1986. (1:50) Next, Jess Birken of the Birken Law Office joins Jared to share the best tips for “spring cleaning” your law firm. Tune in to learn how to eliminate the waste holding you back. (9:16) And finally, we find out what makes Minnesota so unique.  (Duck, Duck, Gray Duck?  What is that mess about?). (25:27) Every good “spring clean” needs a good soundtrack, so check out these inspirational tunes and get motivated! Spotify playlist! 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 August by Dario Benedetti. Special thanks to our sponsors TimeSolv, Clio, Scorpion, and Alert Communications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices