In this episode I speak with Jared Knicley who is a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, DC. Jared's practice focuses on defending imperiled species, protecting communities from chemical spills, ensuring public access to government records, and enforcing federal environmental laws in courts across the country. Jared first joined NRDC as a Beagle Litigation Fellow after clerking for Judge Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Baltimore and Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia where we were co-clerks. Jared is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he studied Urban Planning and Harvard Law where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Environmental Law Review. In our conversation we discuss different ways to work at the intersection of law and the environment, his path from urban planning to environmental litigator, techniques for crafting effective complaints in civil cases, and the importance of finding and cultivating not just mentors but also champions in the early years of a lawyer's career.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with Russ Feingold who is currently the President of the American Constitution Society, the country’s leading progressive legal organization. He previously served as a United States Senator for the state of Wisconsin for eighteen years and for ten years before that as State Senator in Wisconsin. He also served as the Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and as a professor at several colleges and law schools. Russ is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Oxford University where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and Harvard Law School. In our conversation we discuss his path to politics, how becoming a lawyer allowed him to have both an impactful and varied career, the role of thinking big and taking chances in creating social change, the problems of today's political climate, ACS's new podcast "Broken Law," and his thoughts on the future of the federal judiciary and the United States Supreme Court. **PERSONAL NOTE: My wife is a Director of Policy and Program at the American Constitution Society**  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with Brian Potts. Brian is a Partner at Perkins Coie based in Madison, Wisconsin. He is an environment and energy lawyer with an active pro bono practice but is also an active speaker, writer, and serial entrepreneur (including inventing the LegalBoard (legalkeyboards.com), the world's first computer keyboard made just for lawyers). He is also deeply committed to demystifying the process of getting a legal job and helping young lawyers find their legal path. During the pandemic he has personally mentored hundreds of lawyers he met on LinkedIn and has started an informal lawyer mentorship network. His book, The Jobless Lawyer's Handbook (https://www.brianhpotts.com/), is scheduled to come out very soon.  Brian's professional story is one of patience and persistence. His firm bio includes the following anecdote about his own path his current position:  "In 2002, as a second-year law student, Brian applied to work at every one of the Top 100 law firms in the country. He received form rejection letters from all of them. Less than a decade later, Brian was among the youngest to make equity partner at one of those firms. And today, he’s an equity partner at Perkins Coie―where his form rejection letter from the firm in 2002 hangs on his office wall."  In our conversation we discuss his path from rejection letters to law firm partnership, how investing in yourself is one of the highest leverage things you can do as a young lawyer, techniques for more senior lawyers to serve as more effective mentors, finding joy and entrepreneurial success in his side hustles, and tips and techniques for standing out and getting hired in today's job market.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with Alex Su. Alex is currently the Head of Community Development at Ironclad, a digital contract management company. Before working at Ironclad, Alex was a Sales Team Lead and Director of Business Development at several other legal tech startups and before transitioning to the world of legal tech, Alex was an Associate at the New York law firm Sullivan and Cromwell and a law clerk in Chicago to federal district court Judge Edmond Chang. In addition to Alex's work in the legal tech space he is perhaps most well known on TikTok (where you can find him @legaltechbro) where his comedic videos about the legal industry get an incredible 3-4 million monthly views. He is also on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn where he shares his personal story and social commentary on the legal industry. In our conversation we discuss his path to legal tech, how to find the best legal career for you (even if the path is not as traditional), how being authentic on social media allows him to lead conversations about the future of the legal profession, the valuable skill of cold calling (and how to do it better), and advice for consumers of legal tech as well as those who want to enter the space.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with appellate lawyer Carl Cecere who owns his own firm in Dallas, Texas. Carl handles cases in state courts (including the Texas Supreme Court) as well as in federal courts of appeal and the United States Supreme Court. He represents clients at the certiorari stage, at the merits stage, as well as in filing amicus briefs. Before opening his own firm seven years ago, Carl practiced appellate advocacy at Akin Gump in Washington, D.C. and Hankinson LLP in Texas. He began his career as a law clerk to Judge Mary Lou Robinson in the Northern District of Texas.   In our conversation we discuss his path from DC Big Law litigator to solo appellate practitioner in Texas, the business side of being an appellate lawyer, why young lawyers should always have a business plan and can use social media as a professional tool, the importance of networking (even without going to cocktail parties or a website), how a major health scare required him to step back but also allowed him to build a new practice and step up years later, how to become a better writer, the unique skill of writing effective amicus briefs, and the importance of carving out time for family especially as a solo practitioner.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with EJ Lee who runs her own entertainment, copyright, and trademark law firm based in Atlanta, Georgia which services clients across the country. EJ has described her practice as where "creativity and legal protection collide" and her firm's motto is "be creatively legal." In addition to her client work, EJ also creates online courses in the area of trademark and copyright protection for those who need only limited legal assistance. She is active on social media (@EJLeeLaw on Twitter) and is famous for her "Referee With a Whistle" uniform. EJ is a graduate of Kaplan University and the Thomas Cooley School of Law of Western Michigan University. In our conversation we discuss her path to entertainment and intellectual property law, the benefits of running her own law firm, why she builds information products as well as representing clients directly, the importance of the state bar for a solo practitioner, and the value of having a brand as a lawyer dedicated to protecting client's brands.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with David Lucking who is a Partner at Magic Circle law firm Allen & Overy where he was recently named Head of the firm's Global International Capital Markets Group and where his practice focuses on derivatives and structured finance transactions. David's career path embodies the international focus of his practice. He is a graduate of a King's College London, the Sorbonne, and Oxford and is now based in the firm's New York office and is the firm's first US-based Practice Group Head.. He is also the Global Co-Head of the law firm's LGBT+ allies program where he regularly leads initiatives related to workplace diversity. In our conversation we discuss David's day-to-day life as a transactional lawyer and his path to a practice focused on derivatives law; the differences between learning to practice litigation and transactional law in a large law firm setting; his views on the increasing role of remote practice and technology in the legal profession; and the role his own identity plays in his position as a law firm leader.  If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with Brant Martin who is a civil litigator at the Texas-based law firm Wick Phillips where he has been a partner for the past 17 years. Before joining Wick Phillips and helping to grow the firm to more than 60 attorneys across multiple offices, Brant worked in Corporate and Securities Law at a Vault 50 law firm, as a corporate counsel at a startup in New York City, and as a plaintiff-side trial lawyer in Texas. He started his legal career as a law clerk to Chief Judge Schell of the Eastern District of Texas. Brant is a graduate of SMU Law, the Yale Divinity School, and Washington & Lee University. In our conversation we discuss Brant's path from divinity school to law school; what he does as a trial lawyer representing businesses in litigation against other businesses; his approach to building a law firm and book of business; his approach to training junior lawyers; the importance of building deep, meaningful relationships with clients; and how he prepares for trial and depositions in efficient and effective ways. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode I speak with Mike Yaghmai who is a Director and Associate General Counsel at Facebook where he heads up the company's legal work related to the company's brand and marketing. In this capacity Mike and his team are responsible for clearance, prosecution, and enforcement of the company's brand portfolio as well as the legal elements of Facebook's marketing policies. Before working at Facebook for the past 8 years, Mike worked at eBay for almost seven years and before that he worked as an intellectual property associate at Willdman Harrolld and then Howrey LLP. Mike is a Bay Area native and graduate of San Jose State University. After college, he worked in the San Jose mayor's office before moving to Chicago to complete his law degree at the DePaul University School of Law. In our conversation we discuss Mike's (largely unplanned) path to becoming a brand and marketing lawyer, what a brand and marketing lawyer does on a day-to-day basis (especially at a large company like Facebook), ways to stand out as part of an in-house legal team or as outside counsel servicing in-house legal teams, and techniques for transitioning into management roles where leadership skills become as important if not more important than legal skills. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to sign up for future episodes at www.howilawyer.com or to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back to How I Lawyer! Today's special episode is third in a series called "Panel Opinion" where I bring together experts on a particular topic (don't worry, there will be a new interview episode later this week or early next). Today's topic is on the mind of many How I Lawyer: how to succeed in your 1L year.  I am grateful to the three incredible professional academic success professionals who agreed to join me and share such incredible wisdom for those just starting their legal education:  Maura Demouy is the Director of Academic Success at Georgetown Law. At Georgetown, Maura provides personal and academic advising; develops and presents the 1L 101 workshop series; and oversees the peer tutoring program. She is also the head of the innovative RISE Program, which is designed to serve incoming JD students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in law school and the legal profession, including but not limited to underrepresented racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, and first generation college backgrounds. Prior to coming to Georgetown, Maura was the Dean of Students at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. She started her legal career as a law clerk to Judge Catherine Blake of the United States District Court for Maryland and as an associate in private practice at two law firms in Baltimore.  She is a graduate of Maryland’s Carey School of Law. Professor O.J. Salinas from the University of North Carolina School of Law where he is a Clinical Professor and Director of Academic Excellence. A native of South Texas, O.J. Salinas is the first Hispanic to hold a full-time faculty position at the University of North Carolina School of Law. His teaching and research interests include academic and bar support, legal writing, and client counseling. He has written several essays and blog posts on academic and bar support, and he is the author of A Short and Happy Guide to Effective Client Interviewing and Counseling (West 2016) and the upcoming book, MBEs for the MBE: Mnemonics, Blueprints, and Examples for the Multistate Bar Examination. Salinas is a graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law and St. Mary’s University. Before joining the academic ranks, Salinas practiced civil litigation in Texas and received a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he worked with individuals suffering from severe mental illness to students seeking educational academic support.  Professor Sarah Schendel from Suffolk Law. Sarah is an Associate Professor in the Law School's Academic Support Program where she teaches and writes in the areas of academic success, legal writing, negotiation and professional responsibility. She was previously an instructor at Emerson College, Northeastern University, and Northeastern University School of Law. Before that, she was an immigration attorney for 7 years, representing immigrants facing deportation, seeking security and safety in the United States, and reuniting their families. She was previously a Board Member of the Irish International Immigrant Center, and the Co-Chair of the Immigration Section of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association. She is a graduate of Bard College and Northeastern Law. Other Resources: - Rachel Gurvich's Article: https://scholarship.law.unc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1402&context=faculty_publications - Jonah's Tweet Thread on Law School Success: https://twitter.com/JonahPerlin/status/1425809608606507014?s=20