Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

A person getting hurt at the workplace is never funny. But it can be instructional to examine some of the strangest ways people manage to become injured at work. Hear about some “interesting” cases. A schoolteacher whose leg “fell asleep” while he sat in a classroom falls trying to stand up. He broke his femur. Is he entitled to compensation from his employer? An Amtrak baggage handler was visiting the restroom when someone tossed a firecracker into the room. Startled, he fell and was injured; is Amtrak responsible? How about a city worker who says he picked up a firecracker he found on the job, and it mysteriously exploded, injuring him? People get hurt at work, but as these and other cases illustrate, it’s not always the responsibility of the employer. (And sometimes, workers do silly things…).Mentioned in this Episode:Tom Robinson’s Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Comp Cases For 2022Steven Silberberg v. Palm Beach County SchoolsPhillip Durance v. National Railroad Passenger Corp aka AmtrakDylan Junior v. Illinois Workers’ Compensation CommissionJonathan Hollis v. Acoustics, Inc. and Associated General Contractors of MS, Inc.Donald Weed v. Spraying Systems, CoStanis v. Workers' Comp. Appeal Bd. (Brand Energy Servs.)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jenny Wright joins me to talk about how law firms can optimize their lead generation efforts. She explains that while SEO is an important avenue, it should be considered a long-term investment and not the main focus out the gate. The discussion shifts to the importance of choosing the right lead magnet and how it should be custom-fit to the law firm's specializations and target audience. We also cover common mistakes in lead generation, such as a poorly converting landing page and lack of consistent marketing efforts. Jenny emphasizes the importance of regularly posting on social media and committing to a marketing strategy for at least 90 days. The conversation touches on the concept of a marketing funnel and the importance of understanding it to avoid marketing pitfalls. Jennie Wright is an expert in email list growth and lead generation with over a decade of experience helping business owners achieve their marketing goals. She is the creator of The List Injection Method™, a system that uses inbound attraction and permission marketing to help clients and audiences generate leads.With a track record of building over 375+ list builds, Jennie has a deep understanding of the essential steps to creating events that not only attract ready buyers, but also build trust and engagement with audiences.Jennie's mission is to empower business owners with intelligent and authentic marketing, lead generation, and business growth strategies that drive bottom-line results. She is a sought-after speaker and consultant who inspires audiences with her expertise, passion, and practical advice.Jennie gives listeners actionable tips on: [0:00] Intro [1:01] Why is SEO not necessarily the place to start [2:32] What is a lead magnet + examples [8:37] Where does lead generation fit in to the process [12:34] How does her fractional CMO program work [17:36] Where people make the biggest mistakes regarding lead gen [21:58] Signs your lead magnet isn’t working, and how to fix them [27:35] Book review [34:11] One big takeaway Resources mentioned in this episode:Making It So by Patrick StewartConnect with Jennie here: https://www.instagram.com/jennielwright/ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniewrightjlw https://www.facebook.com/jenniewrightjlw/ https://jenniewright.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

Anyone can and will make predictions about the coming year, but Dennis and Tom tend to shy away from the crystal ball in favor of resolutions and goal setting. The guys discuss last year’s resolutions and their success or lack thereof on each one. Then, they jump into the now and share what they hope to accomplish in 2024. Spoiler alert: AI is front and center. Speaking of AI, in their second segment, ChatGPT asks a question! How can artificial intelligence be used to predict legal outcomes and what are the implications for litigation strategies? Dennis and Tom discuss. 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 #356A Segment: Our 2024 Technology ResolutionsB Segment: Question from our ChatGPT Listener: How can artificial intelligence be used to predict legal outcomes and what are the implications for litigation strategies? Pre/Dicta: https://www.pre-dicta.com/  Lex Machina: https://lexmachina.com/  Solomonic: https://www.solomonic.co.uk/  Parting Shots: The Best Smartphone Camera 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRoTOE3FqT0&t=314s  Anker Power Bank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VPHVT2Z?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 The Truth about Being the Stupidest in the Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkLzo_oNVho Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI has been around for a very long time, but 2023 was its renaissance, with ChatGPT and other AI technologies suddenly speeding forward with exponential growth. Attorneys and paralegals should be focused on learning and adapting to this quickly evolving technology to ensure competence in a world where AI is taking greater precedence. Rocky Dhir talks with paralegal Megan Goor-Peters and attorney Joshua Weaver about responsible AI use and its current impacts in legal practice. They address common concerns and discuss the hopeful merging of human and AI elements for greater efficiency and success in the future of our justice system.  Megan Goor-Peters is a senior paralegal and property manager at Brender Law Firm in Fort Worth. Goor-Peters is the current State Bar of Texas Paralegal Division liaison to the Texas Bar College and a member of the State Bar Task Force for Responsible AI in The Law. Joshua Weaver is Director of the Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator (TOJI), a flagship program of the State Bar of Texas focused on supporting attorneys as they build sustainable solo practices serving low-income and modest-income communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine what your firm would look like if EVERY team member had a professional development coach. Sound crazy? It’s not!  Today, Stephanie talks with Professional Development Coach Robin Carberry about why and how Affinity Consulting/Lawyerist decided to hire an internal coach for everyone on the team and how law firm owners can start coaching their team members today.   Links from the episode:  Simplifying Coaching by Claire Pedrick Time To Think by Nancy Kline  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!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maybe GPT-5 will want a free RV?_______________________________________________The Chief spent his entire annual report on the federal judiciary on the rise of artificial intelligence and how AI cannot possibly replace judges because the judge is so much harder and more nuanced than, say, calling balls and strikes. Not that anyone would be stupid enough to describe being a judge like that. Steven Calabresi has either lost his mind or is engaged in an epic troll with a series of pieces arguing that Clarence Thomas is the bestest and most incorruptible justice ever! Finally, plagiarism is all over the news for mostly bad faith reasons, but it highlights again that the law isn't easily governed by rules of plagiarism and copying by design. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you spending more time running your firm than handling your cases? That’s the tipping point when you should hand off those responsibilities to a qualified legal office manager. Angela Louis, the Simon Law Firm’s award-winning Director of Administration, lends insight into this critical multi-tasking role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jurors need legal guidance when deliberating a case because, duh, they aren’t lawyers. Jury instructions are their roadmap, and it’s definitely in your client’s best interest to be sure those instructions are as clear and concise as possible. In this episode, we discuss verdict directors, clean and dirty instructions, roving commissions, potential pitfalls and resources to create instructions that help the jury align their decision within the proper legal parameters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Scodro, former clerk to the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor and current partner with the law firm of Mayer Brown, joins Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey to discuss Justice O'Connor's career, impact and legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2013, the ABA Journal named Renee Knake Jefferson a Legal Rebel for her work co-founding the Michigan State University’s ReInvent Law Laboratory and rethinking how legal services could be delivered to consumers. In 2024, she’s taking a look back at more than a decade of research and experimental programs aimed at improving access to justice–the successes and the failures.On this episode of the Modern Law Library, Jefferson and the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles discuss her new book, Law Democratized: A Blueprint for Solving the Justice Crisis. The scale of the issue is daunting: Jefferson cites a study finding that 87% of American households facing legal issues don’t even attempt to seek legal assistance.“Civil legal disputes—think child support, citizenship, consumer complaints, custody, divorce, employment, guardianship, housing, medical needs—make their way to more than fifteen thousand courts throughout the United States each year,” Jefferson writes. “Whatever the root cause, a massive delivery problem clearly exists for personal legal services.”Jefferson shares examples of alternative business structures and access-to-justice projects from around the world that challenged old client models. Some–like offering legal services inside British grocery stores–were not successes.“In theory, consumers could pick up a will with a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk, allowing them to resolve legal problems in a place they already regularly transact,” Jefferson writes. “But grocery store law never flourished.”Other ventures fared better, and Law Democratized compiles a number of suggestions based on research findings and real-world experiences. Jefferson says she intends the book to not only be a record of what’s been tried, but to also serve as a user-friendly way for the public to learn about changes they could be advocating for at local, state and national levels.Much of the discussion around improving access to justice involves regulatory reform, and Jefferson shares what has been discovered in states like Utah and Texas through the establishment of regulatory sandboxes. Jefferson also shares ideas about how law schools can be serving their communities as well as their students. Law Democratized suggests ways antitrust law and the First Amendment could be used to expand the public’s access to civil legal services without the direct use of lawyers.Jefferson and Rawles also discuss her expertise in legal ethics, and what she thinks about the use of artificial intelligence by legal professionals. Jefferson, who writes the Legal Ethics Roundup newsletter on Substack, explains why she doesn’t see the need for an immediate rewriting of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct to address the new technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices