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Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what's happening in the legal industry. Each episode tackles a subject that's worthy of a deep dive—from law firm profit hacks to Supreme Court showdowns to the most promising plays in legal tech. Hosted by Law.com Editor-in-Chief Zack Needles and Newsroom Innovation Director Vanessa Blum, Legal Speak offers straight talk from experts, plus an inside-the-newsroom perspective on market-shaping stories.
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How Remote Work Sparked a Reluctant Revolution Across the Legal Industry
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39:28
In this week’s episode of Legal Speak, reporters from across Law.com's global newsroom discuss the aspects of remote work that are likely to stick for various sectors of the industry post-pandemic. Karen Sloan, who in addition to Legal Speak's co-host is Law.com’s legal education editor and senior writer, discusses legal education; legal technology…
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'My Child Is Interrupting Me Right Now.' The Challenges of Lawyering and Parenting in a Pandemic
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16:36
On this week's episode of Legal Speak, The American Lawyer reporter Dylan Jackson speaks with Corin Swift, a partner in Sidley Austin’s securities enforcement practice who has been working from home while also taking care of her two teenage sons, the younger of whom has Down syndrome and requires extra support during the school day.…
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'Test of a Business Model': What the $2.175B Megaverdict Against Intel Means for Patent Monetization
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21:15
On this week's episode, Law.com IP reporter Scott Graham speaks with Winston & Strawn partners Michael Tomasulo and Danielle Williams about the $2.175 billion patent infringement jury verdict for VLSI Technology LLC against Intel Corp. in the Waco Division of the Western District of Texas. They discuss might have led jurors to that number, the appe…
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'The Terminator Conversation': Legal Tech Isn't Going to Replace Litigators, but It Can Make Them More Valuable
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22:47
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22:47
This week’s episode features a conversation with Nicole Clark, co-founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Trellis Research, which helps state court litigators and in-house legal departments use artificial intelligence and data analytics to learn more about the judges they’ll be appearing before, the opposing counsel they’ll be squaring off against and…
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'Better Than Expected.' Law Schools and Firms Weigh In On OCI In The Age of COVID
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27:39
This week's episode of Legal Speak features two conversations about this year's unusual summer associate recruiting season with David Diamond, assistant dean of career services at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and Gavin White, global hiring partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.…
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'A Billion Dollars at Stake': Breaking Down the Trial That Has Patent Litigators Captivated
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27:55
In this week’s episode, Winston & Strawn partner Michael Tomasulo and associate DaWanna McCray join Law.com intellectual property reporter Scott Graham to talk about a high-stakes patent showdown between Fortress Investment Group and Intel Corp. in the Western District of Texas.
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Hundreds of Law Students are Showing Up For 'Candid Discussions' on Being a Minority in Big Law
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27:37
Akin Gump partners Jaelyn Edwards Judelson and Estela Diaz discuss the firm's online sessions for minority law students that center on breaking into Big Law, and what to expect once they get there.
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'Mindset Shift': How Law Firms Learned to Embrace Remote Lateral Hiring
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This week’s episode of Legal Speak features a conversation with Tallahassee, Florida-based legal recruiter Andrew Wilcox about how the widespread success of remote work has reshaped the lateral hiring market.
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For Women to Climb in M&A, Male Allyship is 'Essential'
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The co-chair of Cooley's M&A group shares her journey to success and how other women can ascend the ranks of the traditionally male-dominated M&A world.
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Morgan Lewis eData Head Tess Blair Talks Project Management, Outsourcing and Why AI Isn't Sci-Fi
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27:40
This week's episode features a conversation with Tess Blair, the founder and leader of Morgan Lewis’ eData practice, who discusses outsourcing vs. insourcing, what it takes to deal with massive amounts of data in an efficient and cost-effective way for clients and why artificial intelligence will actually make attorneys more valuable.…
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'Such a Relief to People': Wilmer's Jamie Gorelick on How Merrick Garland Will Refocus the DOJ
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29:09
With a new administration now in place in Washington, D.C., this week’s episode, a conversation with former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, examines how the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to be transformed under Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s pick for U.S. attorney general.
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Peering Into the Crystal Ball: Litigation Amid COVID, Shifting Power in Washington
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Latham & Watkins litigation chair Michele Johnson shares her predictions for 2021 and discusses what courtroom technology changes may stick around beyond the pandemic.
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'Be Deliberate and Intentional': How Law Firms Can Tackle 2021's Biggest Challenges and Opportunities
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22:43
In this week's episode, Law.com business of law reporter Dan Packel talks with consultant Marcie Borgal Shunk, president and founder of The Tilt Institute in Houston, about what lies ahead for law firms following one of the most transformative years the legal industry has ever experienced.
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Zooming Through 2020: COVID-19, Surviving Remotely and a Few Silver Linings
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As we say goodbye to 2020, we’re taking a look back at some of our standout Legal Speak podcasts during the past year with a focus on the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear clips from our favorite interviews on law firm leadership, remote business development strategies, virtual trials and the challenges and benefits for young lawyers workin…
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‘Business as Usual Doesn’t Work’: Inside Big Law’s Reckoning on Race
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28:23
It’s now been more than six months since the killing of George Floyd. On this podcast, we hear from diversity leaders at three Am Law 200 law firms: Yusuf Zakir, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Davis Wright Tremaine; Fenimore Fisher, chief diversity and inclusion officer at DLA Piper; and Narges Kakalia, director of diversity, equity and i…
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Remote Work Isn't Going Away. Don't Let Your Firm's Strategy Create 'Second-Class Citizens'
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This week's podcast explores a potential dark side of the legal industry's shift to remote working. Law.com editor Jonathan Ringel and legal recruiter Richard Hsu of Major, Lindsey & Africa discuss whether offices will still play a role in the legal profession post-pandemic. Hsu says firms that adopt a hybrid system in which some lawyers work in th…
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'We've Seen People Step Up': An Incoming Big Law Leader Talks Transitioning in Chaos
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24:00
DLA Piper U.S. Chair-elect Frank Ryan talks with Law.com reporter Patrick Smith about how the firm has managed through COVID-19, as well as its plans for the future. Ryan, a New York-based IP lawyer, officially steps into the leadership role in January. He gives his take on young lawyer training in the age of remote work and on the departure of DLA…
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Why SPACs Are the New Black: Inside Corporate Law's Hottest Trend
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30:27
Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, are everywhere in 2020, with celebrities, athletes and even lawyers getting in on the action. On this episode Sidley Austin partners Joshua DuClos and Michael Heinz explain how SPACs work, what’s behind the current boom and why the spate of 2020 IPOs are likely to produce a huge wave of M&A and other…
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'Incredibly Distracted': Lawyers Grapple With Election Exhaustion and an Uncertain Future
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25:31
As a wild week came to a close (with still no closure), we spoke with ALM journalists who have been following both the leadup to and the aftermath of Election Day. In this episode, business of law reporter Dylan Jackson discusses his reporting on how lawyers and staff at law firms have attempted to stay focused on work this past week. Fellow busine…
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Big Law Goes 'Alternative': Can Traditional Firms Disrupt the Disrupters?
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Legaltech News Editor-in-Chief Zach Warren talks with legal consultants Brad Blickstein and Beatrice Seravello about the forces driving some of the country’s largest and richest law firms to rethink the way they serve clients. Blickstein and Seravello, who lead the NewLaw practice at Baretz + Brunelle Brad, discuss the findings of a new report on c…
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A Plaintiff-Side View on Big Law Bloat, COVID Cutbacks and the ‘Secret Sauce’ for Landing Mega Settlements
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31:00
On this episode, we connect with Chicago plaintiffs attorney Jay Edelson, who the New York Times once labeled 'tech's least friended man.' Edelson, founder of 30-lawyer class action firm Edelson P.C., discusses the firm's recent $650 million privacy settlement with Facebook and describes what he's learning about remote work during the COVID-19 pand…
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'A Big Divide': Why Some Associates Are Struggling as Others Excel—and What Firms Can Do About It
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24:18
This week’s podcast is a conversation between Law.com business of law reporter Patrick Smith and Stephanie Biderman, a managing director of global consultancy Major Lindsey & Africa. They dive into the topic of associate life during COVID-19, discussing the challenges—and benefits—young lawyers have encountered while working remotely, as well as wh…
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Change Is Happening at Susman Godfrey. A Tough Loss, a New Leader and a Plan for Courting Clients
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23:58
Susman Godfrey's founder, Stephen Susman, died in July after a serious cycling accident and a bout with COVID-19. In August, the firm partnership elected Los Angeles litigator Kalpana Srinivasan to serve as a managing partner. She is the first woman and the first attorney outside Susman Godfrey’s Houston base to have that role. On this episode, Law…
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What to Know About the New SCOTUS Term and the Republican Race to Fill RBG’s Seat
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27:14
So much for the wheels of justice turning slowly. These days, developments at the U.S. Supreme Court are moving at warp speed. On this episode, Law.com Supreme Court correspondent Marcia Coyle and federal litigation and politics reporter Jacqueline Thomsen discuss the upcoming term and how Trump's conservative court pick could reshape the court's j…
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'Law Firms Simply Do Not Need the Physical Space They Currently Occupy': Taylor English Duma's Chris Wilson on Why Offices Are Becoming Obsolete
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31:01
This week’s podcast is a conversation between Jonathan Ringel, the Atlanta-based managing editor of the Daily Report, and Chris Wilson, a corporate and finance partner at hybrid law firm Taylor English Duma, which has one office in Atlanta, and lawyers elsewhere who work remotely. Wilson talks about how his firm made its largely virtual structure s…
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'Remoteness Creates Remoteness': Paul Hastings' Chair Talks Keeping Lawyers 'Emotionally Connected' During COVID-19
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22:53
This week’s podcast features business of law reporter Patrick Smith's conversation with Seth Zachary, chairman of Am Law 50 firm Paul Hastings. Zachary talks about how his firm is faring during the pandemic, including its aggressive pursuit of lateral hires at a time when many other law firms have been forced to make cuts. He also acknowledges that…
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Virtual Court Is Now in Session: A Judge Takes on the Skeptics
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27:57
In the second part of our series on virtual court proceedings, Judge Emily Miskel of Collin County, Texas talks with Litigation Daily Editor in Chief Ross Todd about her adjustment to online hearings and what she's been learning. Miskel says experiments during the COVID-19 pandemic could be a starting place for lasting changes that make court more …
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This Big Law Litigator Has Real Doubts About Virtual Jury Trials. Here’s Why He’s a Skeptic
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28:25
As the pandemic drags on, lawyers and judges are starting to confront questions about how to administer justice in a world that’s gone virtual. We’re devoting two Legal Speak podcasts to exploring the issues. In this episode, Cooley global litigation chair Michael Attanasio talks with Law.com California bureau chief Alaina Lancaster about what gets…
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‘The Practice of Law Can Be Really Lonely’: How Two Litigators Are Providing Podcast Therapy to Fellow Lawyers
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Philadelphia trial attorney and podcaster Bob Levant talks with Law.com Editor in Chief Zack Needles about the psyches of lawyers, what life's been like as a litigator in quarantine, the lessons he's learned from guests on his Iron Advocate podcast and the feedback that he and his co-host are getting from listeners.…
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‘We Got Punched in the Face’: Straight Talk from a Big Law Leader
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24:08
McDermott, Will & Emery chairman Ira Coleman talks with Law.com reporter Patrick Smith about the COVID crisis, the challenges large law firms are facing and what's on the horizon for 2021.
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For Big Law’s Working Moms, Pandemic Could Have a Silver Lining … Seriously!
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25:00
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the lives of working parents. But Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partner Maaren Shah is one of those working moms who sees a silver lining. On this episode, Shah, who leads the firm’s art litigation and disputes practice, talks with Law.com reporter Brenda Sapino Jeffreys about opportunities for attorne…
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You’ve Seen Hulu's ‘Mrs. America' — Now Hear the Real Story
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Feminist attorney Brenda Feigen, whose story is woven into the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America, joins Legal Speak co-host Vanessa Blum for a conversation about the campaign to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. If you've watched the show, you'll remember Feigen, portrayed by actress Ari Graynor, from Episode 5, which focuses on a televise…
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Climbing a Shaky Career Ladder: Rookie Lawyers Learn It's Hard to Plan in a Pandemic
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36:30
The legal profession is facing a new normal due to COVID-19. For law students and newer attorneys, the situation can be even more anxiety provoking. On this episode, Law.com legal business reporter Dylan Jackson talks with two guests about the adjustments they’ve had to make since the coronavirus outbreak and the pandemic's impact on their career o…
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‘I Hope We All Keep Up the Momentum and Keep the Strength:’ Black Women Firm Leaders Speak
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35:00
Recent police killings of Black men and women has spurred a dialogue on racial injustice in the legal profession and a push for greater inclusion. On this episode, Grace Speights and Tara Elliott join The National Law Journal Editor in Chief Lisa Helem for a candid conversation. Speights, who leads the labor and employment practice at Morgan Lewis …
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‘Pictures in My Head’: Black Law Deans Take on Racism in Legal Ed
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On this week's podcast, Law.com legal education editor Karen Sloan talks with two black law deans about a new initiative to mobilize law schools and their communities in the fight for racial equality. Angela Onwuachi-Willig, dean of Boston University School of Law, and Danielle Conway, dean of Penn State Dickinson Law, explain what spurred the Law …
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‘It’s OK Not to Be OK’: An In-House Leader’s Take on Guiding Resilient Teams
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With Uber's worldwide operations shaken up amid the coronavirus pandemic, Uber Technologies Associate GC Matt Wilson explains the strategies that help his team perform under pressure. Wilson, who leads Uber's 90-member legal team across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is passionate about fostering wellbeing and mental health in th…
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'This Has to Be a Seminal Moment': Black Law Firm Leaders on Inequity, Ire and What Comes Next
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30:52
On this episode, two prominent African American law firm leaders explore the context behind the frustration, sorrow and anger seen in protests around the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Scott Bolden, D.C. managing partner of Reed Smith, and Ben Wilson, chairman of Beveridge & Diamond, join National Law Journal Edito…
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Times Are Tough! A Shame-Free Guide to Surviving Career Disruption
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The legal industry shed 64,000 jobs in April as impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic permeated the economy. That leaves a lot of people figuring out the next steps of their careers in a difficult economic climate. On this episode, Baker Botts special counsel Cynthia Cole talks about losing her first job out of law school during the dot-com bust and s…
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Back to Brick-and-Mortar: Law Firms Reopen S-L-O-W-L-Y in the COVID-19 Era.
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22:00
Temperature checks, plexiglass partitions and crowd-controlled elevator access are just some of what's in store at law offices for the foreseeable future as they begin to reopen in the COVID-19 era. In this Legal Speak podcast, Law.com business of law senior editor David Bario describes what the workplace will look like as lawyers return to their b…
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Calming the Imposter Monster: You Don't Know Everything, And That's OK.
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Despite three years of law school, passing the bar and snagging a job, lawyers often are plagued by feelings of being ill-equipped to handle the challenges that practicing law throws at them. They've got the credentials and they look the part, but they don't feel the part. Those feelings have a name: imposter syndrome. In this episode, Reed Smith a…
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Hold the Phone! The Supreme Court Is in (Virtual) Session
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On this Legal Speak podcast, Supreme Court correspondent Marcia Coyle checks in with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr partner David Bowker, whose May 5 argument in USAID v Alliance for Open Society International was one of the first Supreme Court sessions to proceed by telephone. Bowker discusses the unexpected challenges and shares his advice…
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Summer of Our Discontent: Big Law Associate Programs Get Major Overhaul
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Forget swanky lunches, cocktail parties and boat outings. The coronavirus pandemic means this year's summer associate programs, for those law firms still conducting them, are online endeavors at this point, as Zoom meetings replace law firms' best laid plans. You'll hear from Skadden’s Gavin White, a partner in New York who helps handle the firm’s …
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Banner Year to Total Bummer: What’s Ahead for the Am Law 100
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American Lawyer Editor-in-Chief Gina Passarella and Executive Editor Ben Seal share key takeaways from the new Am Law 100 report and explain what the numbers mean in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Later, reporter David Thomas talks with Altman Weil consultant James Cotterman about how law firms are responding to the economic downturn and what he see…
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'Painfully, Sadly, Far Too Many Bankruptcies': Gibson Dunn Top Litigator on What's Coming Post-COVID-19
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In this episode, we hear from Randy Mastro, one of the most recognized litigators in the country, who describes the coming wave of lawsuits. Jenna Greene, editor of Law.com affiliate Litigation Daily, talks with the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner about bankruptcy litigation, insurance battles, labor and employment cases and how the coronavirus cri…
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'Take Heart. Be Strong': David Lat On How COVID-19 Has Changed His Life and the Legal Profession
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David Lat, founder of the blog Above the Law who’s now a legal recruiter, spent 17 days in the hospital—six of those on a ventilator—battling COVID-19. He talks about how he's changed by the experience and what life is like on the other side of a brush with death. Lat also shares what he thinks lies ahead for the legal profession as it struggles to…
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Zoom GC Aparna Bawa Opens Up About Big Gains and Some Growing Pains
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39:19
Hundreds of millions of people have flocked to the video conference platform Zoom to conduct business, to attend school and to socialize during the coronavirus pandemic. On this episode, Zoom's chief legal officer, Aparna Bawa, talks candidly about the company's unanticipated surge, how Zoom is helping people connect and some of the lessons she's l…
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For Big Law, Is COVID-19 The Great Recession All Over Again?
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In today's episode, you'll hear from Bill Brandt, founder of DSI Civic, a financial restructuring firm. Brandt, who for 35 years has helped handle workouts, turnarounds and restructurings for nearly 40 law firms, talks about the comparisons and contrasts between the Great Recession and the current situation for law firms. You'll also hear from Keit…
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How We're Surviving as a Shut-In Workforce: 'Know Where Your Mute Button Is' and Be Patient
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On this week's podcast, we check in with three lawyers to ask how they're coping with remote work in the age of COVID-19. Hear from Facebook deputy GC Paul Grewal, Orrick partner Kelsi Corkran and Stroock partner Kim Pagotto about the challenges, from sharing Wi-Fi and staying connected with colleagues to maintaining a schedule and juggling work an…
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Pressure’s On: Big Law Targeted by Student Activists
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In this episode, we explore law student activism and how future attorneys attending law schools at Harvard, Yale, New York University and elsewhere are using their leverage to protest some of Big Law's policies and practices. We also dive into the major takeaways from the 2020 Go-To Law Schools report, Law.com's annual ranking of the law schools th…
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Cancellations, Crisis Planning and Clorox: COVID-19 Strikes Legal Community
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The coronavirus has upended legal operations at law firms, in-house departments and law schools in the U.S. and abroad. In this episode, you’ll hear from Law.com journaiists who are closely covering how the legal industry is coping with the spread of COVID-19.
