Ethics Podcasts - Legal Talk Network

The AI Legal Impacts All Lawyers Should Know

Ally Kvidt — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:00:43 +0000

With the explosion of AI products, apps, software integrations, and more, many attorneys have no small amount of nervousness about whether they should trust this technology and, if so, how to use it to their advantage. To discuss AI’s current place in legal work and its future potential, Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome Sateesh Nori, legal innovation strategist and professor at NYU School of Law. They examine the many helpful uses for AI in everyday legal work, discuss AI in access to justice, and address the ethical and regulatory questions surrounding this technology. Later, Sateesh looks ahead to consider what legal professionals and law students should do to prepare themselves for a future with increasing AI use in the practice of law.

Sateesh Nori is a lawyer, law professor, senior non-profit executive, legal strategist, and author of “Sheltered: Twenty Years in Housing Court”.

#554: Competence and Diligence in Light of Changing Laws and Regulations

Ally Kvidt — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:00:20 +0000

Attorney Craig Dobson, an expert on ethics and professional responsibility, joins Stephanie Everett to talk about the ethical and professional responsibility concerns lawyers face in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. They discuss how solo and small firm attorneys can stay compliant while leveraging new tools, the importance of confidentiality and competence, and the fundamental need to maintain diligence in your practice. Craig and Stephanie examine alternative fee structures beyond just hourly billing and provide guidance on ethical practices around lawyer pricing models. Craig also shares how he’s approaching billing in his own practice and why lawyers need to be proactive about understanding the risks.

Read Craig’s article: Overview | Full Article

Listen to our other episodes about ethics and alternative billing practices:

#350: Ethics in Your Business: It’s More than Regulations, with Susan Liautaud Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Legal Talk Network

#488: The Power of Value-Based Pricing, with Shaun Jardine Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist

#543: What Lawyers Need to Know About the Ethics of Using AI, with Hilary Gerzhoy Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist

#547: Legal Tech You Need for Flat Fees, with Adriana Linares Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist

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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! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.

Spilling the Tea on Legal Ethics Missteps and DeepSeek Drama

Ally Kvidt — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:00:18 +0000

If you haven’t heard, there’s a new GenAI tool on the block, and the other neighborhood kids aren’t too happy about it. The newbie, DeepSeek, is stirring up a major rivalry with OpenAI over some alleged and oh-so ironic data “theft”—ha. So, what does Jared think? Well, he’s here for the drama, AND for the AI ethics admonitions all you lawyers need to hear.

Later, even more ethics! Jared welcomes April McMurrey to hear about the problematic things lawyers do to get themselves into ethical trouble. From iffy (or nonexistent) fee agreements to tech incompetence to communication breakdowns, and more, April dishes on common reasons attorneys are reported for ethics violations. And, don’t worry, she also offers sage advice on how to keep your clients happy and your practice on the up and up.

Finally, April sticks around for some Rump Roast trivia dedicated to Colorful Colorado. Just wait til you hear about Blucifer—yikes.

Think your life might be better if you lived in Colorado? Listen to this episode’s playlist to set the scene.

April M. McMurrey is Deputy Regulation Counsel for the intake division of the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel.

Mentioned in this episode:

ABA 50th National Conference on Professional Responsibility

When It’s Time to “Fire” a Client, Protect Yourself

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:00:55 +0000

What happens when your relationship with a client sours? When, and how, can you fire a client? And how can you avoid getting to that point? Guest Michael LeBoff is a veteran litigator who has worked with a variety of clients over his 25-year career.

LeBoff explains that client issues are, in most case, simply a matter of communication, payment, or a client’s frustration with the legal system. The system is complicated, cases take time, and costs may surprise unprepared clients. A lot of this is about managing client expectations. For instance, if a case is held up in a court calendar, communicate to your client that you’re still on the case and let them know what’s going on.

But despite all efforts, sometimes things simply don’t work out and you may need to fire a client. It could be over slow payments or because a client has pushed you to behave unethically. Withdrawing from a case has its complications, ethical considerations, and Bar requirements. In these situations, it helps if you’ve documented everything in writing. That includes your strategy, desired outcomes, and costs.

Listen to this episode for best practices, how to protect yourself, and how to avoid minefields.

RESOURCES:

ABA Rule 1.16: Declining or Terminating Representation

American Bar Association

American Bar Association Litigation Section

#525: Judicial Clerkship Truths Revealed, with Aliza Shatzman

Ally Kvidt — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 16:00:03 +0000

Uncover the shocking truth about judicial clerkships in this eye-opening episode of the Lawyerist Podcast.

Today, Stephanie sits down with Aliza Shatzman, president and founder of the Legal Accountability Project, to discuss the crucial need for transparency and accountability within the judiciary.

Aliza shares her personal journey through a challenging clerkship experience, highlighting the lack of Title VII protections for law clerks and the systemic issues plaguing judicial clerkships.

Discover how the Legal Accountability Project’s centralized clerkship database empowers clerks and enhances judicial transparency.

Links from the episode: 

Visit LAP’s Centralized Clerkships Database to submit a post-clerkship survey or register for Database access.

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!

How to Navigate Legal Mistakes with Integrity and Transparency

Ally Kvidt — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 11:00:29 +0000

At the 2024 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Scott C. Skelton’s session on the ethical handling of mistakes in legal practice was immensely helpful to attendees. Rocky Dhir welcomes Scott to the podcast to discuss his session and get more details on this important topic. If you think you’ve committed malpractice, what should you do? Scott shares experiences from his own career and explains how honesty, transparency, and graciousness in legal practice can help attorneys move forward from mistakes with integrity.

Scott C. Skelton is a founding member of Skelton Slusher Barnhill Watkins Wells.

Integrating the Heck out of Your Software; Lame Legal Ethics Rules; & “Questionable Ethics”

Ally Kvidt — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 08:00:36 +0000

Dear lawyers, software integrations exist to help you make life easier, make work faster, and much more. So, get on board as Jared takes us on a magical journey of understanding, helping lawyers everywhere grasp the versatile, customizable integration possibilities in legal practice. Jared explains the differences between direct, indirect, and DIY integrations, and gives real-life, legal-centric examples of how to amp up the usefulness of your software in almost innumerable ways.

Next, there are definitely some issues with our current legal ethics rules, but is there really any way to clear up the confusion? Jared welcomes legal ethics expert Jayne Reardon to talk about some of the inconsistencies at play, antiquated rules, inconsistent enforcement, and all sorts of other ethics questions worth examining in view of the current climate of the profession and needs of consumers. While Jared wants to burn it all down, Jayne offers constructive criticism vital to the future of legal ethics.

And, finally, the Rump Roast, of course! Jared and Jayne play a round of trivia called “Questionable Ethics”. Which philosopher had a penchant for being swaddled like a baby? Yikes.

Jayne R. Reardon is a Partner and Deputy General Counsel at FisherBroyles LLP, a distributed global law firm.

This week, Jared shares the playlist he turns to for help making the “right” choice. Proceed with caution.

Our opening song is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.

Our closing song is Something Else by Nu Alkemis$t.

Do Existing Legal Ethics Rules Cover AI?

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 15:20:55 +0000

Dean Andrew Perlman of Suffolk Law School joins host Cat Moon for a discussion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and legal ethics on Talk Justice. Perlman authored an article in February of this year, “The Legal Ethics of Generative AI,” which describes how lawyers can use generative AI while satisfying their ethical obligations.

Survey Finds Americans Lack Knowledge About Civil Legal Issues

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 11:00:39 +0000

Experts discuss the findings from a new survey on Americans’ knowledge of civil legal issues on Talk Justice. The recent survey of more than 2,000 Americans was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of LSC. It revealed widespread misconceptions about civil legal rights, and that many people do not reach out for help with their civil legal problems.

AI, Legal Tech, and Ethics: The Florida Bar’s Groundbreaking Guidelines

Ally Kvidt — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 11:00:05 +0000

Two friends of the podcast return for this episode of New Solo to talk all things legal tech and the latest in AI services for lawyers. Guests Renee Thompson and Liz McCausland are both accomplished mediators and solo practitioners who depend on tech to boost productivity and keep up with their busy lives.

AI is an emerging technology that is finding its way to more and more law offices. McCausland and Thompson served on a Florida Bar committee to draft an advisory opinion laying out ethical guidelines for the use of AI in legal practice.

With ethical guardrails published, what’s next? A best practices guide and clear definitions and examples of AI for legal services. Client consent, the impact on fees and confidentiality, and even how judges view the use of AI and informing the court that AI played a role in your presentation are all pieces of the puzzle.

It’s a brave new world. Where can attorneys new to AI find mentoring, what will clients and courts expect, and what about billing?

Plus, hear about the Florida Bar’s Solo & Small Firms Section and how other solo and small firms are incorporating legal technologies. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, but if you take in all these new tools step-by-step, you’ll quickly find yourself up to speed and exploring new frontiers.

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.com

Topics:

Hear from two lawyers who helped the Florida Bar Association develop ethical guidelines for attorneys adopting AI technologies into their practice.
New tools are emerging at a rapid clip. But if you take it step-by-step, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Every small and solo firm is different. There’s no single “right way” to incorporate legal tech into your practice, but the days of a legal pad and pen are in the past. Stay current or fall behind. Help is out there, and you can do this.

Disaster Preparedness and the Legal Needs of Survivors

Ally Kvidt — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 15:00:14 +0000

Experts discuss disaster preparedness and the role of civil legal aid in recovery on LSC’s “Talk Justice” podcast. September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. Since 2022 the federal government has issued more than 75 major disaster declarations across the U.S. and its territories. Yet even with the increasing frequency and ferocity of natural disasters, the overwhelming majority of Americans are unprepared if disaster strikes.

Understanding Professional Sports Leagues’ Personal Conduct Policies and Disciplinary Processes (State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting 2023)

Ally Kvidt — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 23:00:08 +0000

The way athletes conduct themselves has the potential to majorly impact them, their team, and their sport as a whole. With such high stakes and the added influence of social media, personal conduct policies are in place to help maintain the integrity of professional sports leagues. Rocky Dhir talks to Kelli Masters, Daniel Hare, and Brian Michael Cooper about how these policies are created and the discipline processes that provide accountability and continued quality within a sports league.

Kelli Masters is an attorney, an NFL sports agent and Founder and President of KMM Sports, a full-service sports management company with offices in New York, Los Angeles and her hometown of Oklahoma City.

Daniel Hare is the founder and president of Varsity Search, a legal recruiting company dedicated to building great teams by bringing together lawyers and law firms.

Brian Michael Cooper is an accomplished sports executive, currently holding the positions of President & Chief Operating Officer at the American Flag Football League.

Defending Against Domestic Violent Extremism: A Discussion with Brian Michael Jenkins

Ally Kvidt — Wed, 17 May 2023 20:30:19 +0000

In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio speaks with one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and the man famously known for predicting 9/11, Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation. They discuss Mr. Jenkins’ historical work as an advisor to many U.S. Presidents and governments on terrorism, as well as the current state of domestic political violence and terrorism in America. In this riveting discussion, Mr. Jenkins shares his advice for how we can develop a pragmatic strategy to combat the rising tide of violence in today’s tumultuous world.

Repelling Reptile Strategies and Establishing Boundaries in Expert Witness Testimony

Legal Talk Network — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 12:00:26 +0000

Expert Service Provider Janine McCartney from HHC Safety Engineering Services Inc. examines expert service provider techniques aimed at countering plaintiffs’ attorney arguments that encourage jurors to punish defendants.

The Legitimacy of SCOTUS

Legal Talk Network — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 11:00:46 +0000

Last month at a judicial conference in Colorado Springs, two judges from the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals interviewed Chief Justice John Roberts on all things SCOTUS, in which he decried attacks on the court’s legitimacy following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health ruling. Roberts said “If the court doesn’t retain its legitimate function of interpreting the constitution, I’m not sure who would take up that mantle. You don’t want the political branches telling you what the law is, and you don’t want public opinion to be the guide about what the appropriate decision is…”

In a later response to Roberts comments, Justice Elena Kagan declared “Judges create legitimacy problems for themselves when they don’t act like courts” and “when they instead stray into places that look like politics.”

So does the Supreme Court of the United States have a legitimacy problem? In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest Douglas Keith, counsel in the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, as they spotlight the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Craig and Doug take a look at the public’s reaction to recent SCOTUS decisions, the justices reaction to a legitimacy problem in the High Court, and what the new term will bring.

#404: The Other F-Word: Protecting Your Business from Fraud, with Bernadette Harris

Legal Talk Network — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 11:00:19 +0000

Stephanie talks with Lawyerist Lab coach Bernadette Harris, about how to protect your firm from fraud with proper procedures and safeguards, outsourcing accounting, and more.

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 Albatross Legal Workspaces, Postali, and Posh Virtual Receptionists for sponsoring this episode.

Cybersecurity: A Lawyer’s Ethical Duty to Read the News

Legal Talk Network — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 15:30:57 +0000

Lawyers need to stay up on cybersecurity news to understand both the current threats and the mistakes made by others. Failure to keep up could eventually result in a breach! Sharon Nelson and John Simek discuss this topic with Lucian Pera to learn more about lawyers’ ethical responsibilities for technology and cybersecurity competence and why failures could result in a lawyer facing disciplinary action.

Lucian T. Pera is a partner at Adams and Reese LLP in Memphis, Tennessee, where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation, media law, and legal ethics work.

Special thanks to our sponsors CaseFleet, Clio, and PInow.

ITRC’s 2021 Data Breach Report: Sobering Stats

Legal Talk Network — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 13:00:55 +0000

The overall number of data compromises is up 68% over 2020. Now, more than ever, attorneys must take action to protect themselves and their law firms. John Simek and Sharon Nelson welcome James E. Lee of the Identity Theft Resource Center to discuss the findings of his organization’s 2021 Data Breach Report. James discusses common root causes of data breaches and explains how prevention tactics and data security services can help lawyers avoid and/or deal with a data compromise.

James E. Lee is the chief operating officer of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Special thanks to our sponsors CaseFleet, Clio, and PInow.

Law Firms, Take Notice: The US is Cracking Down on Ransomware Gangs

Legal Talk Network — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 15:00:02 +0000

Our government has been earnestly campaigning against ransomware and cybercriminals — seizing cryptocurrency, offering bounties, and issuing frequent alerts. Sharon Nelson and John Simek talk with Ariel Parnes about the tactics involved in this war on ransomware, implications for lawyers, the importance of constant vigilance during the holidays, and who to call if you’re the victim of an attack.

Ariel Parnes is co-founder and chief operating officer at Mitiga, a cloud incident readiness and response company.

Special thanks to our sponsors CaseFleet and PInow.

Knowing when to tell your client ‘no,’ and other ethical dilemmas

Legal Talk Network — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 11:00:43 +0000

One of the most important ethical obligations a lawyer has is knowing when to tell their client “no.” But how do you know when that moment has come, and how do you deal with it? For legal ethics experts Lawrence J. Fox and Susan R. Martyn, teaching their fellow attorneys how to cope with the dilemmas they may run into at their practices has been a passion for years. It’s also behind their seventh book together, the recently released Fair Fight: Legal Ethics for Litigators. Told in a storytelling format, the book strives to be a reference manual that is also a good read. Fair Fight walks its readers through every step of the litigation process, from recruiting clients—or understanding when you’ve acquired a client—to a sentencing or settlement. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Fox and Martyn walk the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles through “the Six C’s” of legal ethics, discuss the writing process that’s made their longtime partnership work, and share their advice for what lawyers most need to keep in mind to meet their ethical duties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABA TECHSHOW 2020: Red Pill vs Blue Pill–How Deepfakes are Defining Digital Reality

Legal Talk Network — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 19:37:11 +0000

The rise of deepfakes and their obvious potential for creating damaging content is generating concerns for legal professionals. How can lawyers determine the trustworthiness of information in their cases? From TECHSHOW 2020, host John Simek talks with Sharon Nelson and Lincoln Mead about the impact of deepfakes on legal practice and what is being done to combat abuses of this emerging technology.

Sharon D. Nelson is president of the digital forensics, information technology, and information security firm Sensei Enterprises.

Lincoln Mead is a project manager and client relationship manager for Canon Discovery Services.

Why Privacy Matters

Legal Talk Network — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 23:00:23 +0000

Does privacy still matter? And if so, how do we protect it in the Digital Age?

In this episode, Glenn Greenwald—the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, constitutional lawyer, commentator, and best-selling author who brought the Edward Snowden case to the public—joins us for a can’t-miss discussion on privacy, and why it’s more important now than ever.

In his conversation with Matters’ Teresa Matich, Glenn discusses what he learned about privacy while covering the Snowden case; the diverse privacy concerns that the Internet and companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google have created; and how issues of privacy will affect current and future generations. He also shares perspective on the ways in which matters of privacy affect the legal industry, and the responsibilities legal professionals have to adhere to privacy standards.

The Implications of Biometrics in Privacy Law

Legal Talk Network — Wed, 20 Mar 2019 18:52:50 +0000

How much should people care about privacy? And what’s at stake when it comes to tracking biometrics? In this episode of Planet Lex, host Jim Speta talks to Matthew Kugler about his research into consumer sentiment around biometric tracking. They discuss the landscape of privacy law and its current trends, and Professor Kugler explains the methods and findings of his recent research. They also talk about the various ways biometric information is (and can be) acquired and used, and the implications of this in the future of privacy law.

Matthew Kugler is an assistant professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

Clio Cloud 2018: Legal Ethics and Running A Modern Law Firm

Legal Talk Network — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 16:32:54 +0000

How can you keep your firm ethically safe and secure? In this On the Road report from the Clio Cloud Conference 2018, host Kelly Street welcomes Erin Gerstenzang and Kimberly Bennett to talk about legal ethics and how it collides with modern law firms, how lawyers better secure their documents and data with clients who don’t use gmail, and the do’s and don’ts of posting on social media. They also discuss technology that they believe works for small firms and which add on services to choose.

Erin Gerstenzang is the owner of EHG law firm and practices criminal defense.

Kimberly Bennett is the founder and attorney at K Bennett Law LLC, and a virtual general counsel to small businesses and serial entrepreneurs.

The Harrowing World Of Cybersecurity

Legal Talk Network — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 18:11:10 +0000

Elie and Joe chat with Joshua Lenon, Clio Lawyer-in-Residence, about global cybersecurity threats and what lawyers can do about them — for both themselves and their clients. We also discuss potty training philosophies, so if you’re looking for guidance on that, Elie has you covered.

Special thanks to Clio, our sponsor for this episode.

What can we learn from the history of interracial relationships in America?

Legal Talk Network — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 13:00:18 +0000

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws against interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia. But Richard and Mildred Loving were not the first American couple to love across race boundaries. The history of what we would now consider interracial relationships in America extends back to the first European explorations of the continent. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles speaks with Sheryll Cashin, a professor of law at Georgetown University and author of Loving: Interracial Intimacy in America and the Threat to White Supremacy. Cashin discusses how the concept of race was introduced in America; how the doctrine of white supremacy was used as a method to divide slaves and free blacks from indentured servants; how flimsy the rationale for racial classification was; and the stories of some men and women who ignored those barriers and formed relationships anyway. She also shares her thoughts on how a younger generation’s “cultural dexterity” could help battle the forces of racism and white supremacy.

Controversial Legislation in Women’s Health

Legal Talk Network — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:57:19 +0000

From the Obama Administration’s decision on female contraception coverage, to the Congressional hearing on women’s health featuring an all-male panel of witnesses, to the Rush Limbaugh/Sandra Fluke firestorm, legislation targeting women’s health is causing quite the political controversy across the country. Lawyer2Lawyer co-host and attorney, Craig Williams, joins Attorney Shari Rendall, Director of Legislation and Public Policy for Concerned Women for America and Attorney Gretchen Borchelt, Senior Counsel for Health and Reproductive Rights for the National Women’s Law Center, to discuss current legislation aimed at women’s issues, reaction from women’s groups and the present state of women’s rights.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Firm Manager.