Explore every episode of the podcast How I Lawyer Podcast with Jonah Perlin

Today's special episode of How I Lawyer focuses on law students! In it, Jonah speaks with Lisa Blasser who is the founder of the Law School Success Institute and author of "The Nine Steps to Law School: A Scientifically Proven Study Process for Success: A Scientifically Proven Study Process for Lawyers."

I asked Lisa to join me on the podcast for this special episode of How I Lawyer to talk about how to succeed on law school exams. This episode is targeted at law students and I hope you’ll give it a listen and share it with anyone you know just getting started.

Lisa is kindly offering How I Lawyer listeners a 10% discount on her flagship Law School Operating System Recorded Course by entering coupon code HOWILAWYER10 at checkout (23 modules and a Workbook, to be completed in four hours).

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

In this special Substack LIVE Episode of How I Lawyer recorded on 10/7/2025, Jonah spoke with Amanda Litman, the author of the new book When We're In Charge and recognized expert on the Gen Z workforce.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Heather Stevenson, the General Counsel at RedCell (a venture firm and incubator that starts and invests in companies across national security, cyber, and healthcare). Before her current role, Heather worked as a litigator at Sullivan Cromwell, served as Deputy General Counsel at the Boston Globe, and notably owned a successful juice bar business for several years. Heather and Jonah met as founding board members of the Legal Mentor Network, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free mentorship to junior lawyers. Heather graduated from Columbia University and Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar.

In this episode, Heather shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⚖️ How having two lawyer parents influenced her career path, though she still had much to learn about the modern legal profession despite this advantage [2:26]

🏢📝 How her early career plan to become a big law partner changed when she realized the full lives of senior lawyers didn't align with what she wanted for herself [5:25]

🥤💼 How she and her husband transitioned from big law to entrepreneurship by opening a juice bar business, which became a hands-on MBA experience [8:33]

📊🧠 How her business experience proved invaluable when returning to legal practice, particularly for in-house roles where understanding business operations is essential [16:07]

📰⚖️ How she secured her position at the Boston Globe despite lacking traditional media experience by emphasizing her transferable skills and business knowledge [17:01]

🔄🚀 How her varied background—big law training, in-house experience, and entrepreneurship—uniquely qualified her for her current role at RedCell [24:40]

🙋‍♀️💡 How women should apply for jobs even when they don't meet all listed requirements, as studies show men typically apply with fewer qualifications [27:18]

👥🤝 How building genuine relationships and community (rather than traditional networking) is crucial for career advancement [29:26]

🧠👨‍🏫 How mentoring others has been a fulfilling way to give back, starting with helping those just one step behind her career-wise [30:58]

📝🔍 How mentees can get the most from mentorship by coming prepared with specific questions and following up regularly [35:22]

⏱️🧘‍♀️ How embracing "seasons of life" helps balance parenting and career demands, recognizing that different periods require different priorities [37:46]

📚🔄 How new lawyers should prioritize learning opportunities over billable hours, as investing in growth is essential for long-term career development [41:19]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

For more from Heather, follow her on LinkedIn or subscribe to her newsletter "In House Outside the Box" for in-house lawyers interested in building careers on their own terms.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Jonathan Z. Cohen, Associate General Counsel for PNY Technologies and Business Development lead for North America. Beyond his corporate role, Jonathan educates lawyers on wellbeing, stress management, and mental fitness through CLEs, keynotes, and workshops. His professional background includes serving as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx. Jonathan holds degrees from Muhlenberg College and Touro University Law and School of Business.

In this episode, Jonathan shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🧠💪 How his journey from struggling student to accomplished attorney shaped his understanding of personal potential and the power of overcoming limiting narratives [02:01]

🌍✈️ How taking time off before college transformed his discipline, structure, and approach to challenges [03:54]

📚🎓 How he became one of the first graduates of Touro Law's JD/MBA joint degree program, transitioning from academic struggles to graduating in the top of his class [06:43]

⚖️👨‍⚖️ How his experience as a Bronx prosecutor provided invaluable courtroom experience while teaching him to learn from more seasoned attorneys [12:17]

🏢💻 How he transitioned from criminal law to the technology sector, joining PNY Technologies and its partnership with NVIDIA before AI became mainstream [19:35]

😓🧘‍♂️ How the shift from high-stakes prosecution to corporate law allowed his nervous system to "calm down a thousand degrees" while still maintaining professional challenge [23:21]

🔍🧠 How awareness is the foundation of all personal and professional development, especially for managing burnout in the legal profession [32:20]

📝💯 How creating an "evidence frame" list of your credentials and preparation can combat imposter syndrome in high-pressure situations [34:25]

🏃‍♂️🏆 How setting ambitious physical challenges creates structure that positively impacts all areas of life, including professional performance [40:02]

🎓⚖️ Why new lawyers should ignore negative narratives about the profession and recognize that legal training provides skills that can be applied in countless ways [44:54]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is C.J. Mahoney, the Corporate Vice President and General Counsel at Microsoft. Before joining Microsoft, C.J. served as the Deputy United States Trade Representative (a position to which he was unanimously confirmed) and was previously a partner at Williams & Connolly. He started his career as a law clerk for Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy after graduating from Yale Law School where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal and attending Harvard University. C.J. was also one of Jonah'sfirst legal supervisors when he was a summer associate at Williams & Connolly 15 years ago.

In this episode, C.J. shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🏙️🧩 How growing up in a small Kansas town where lawyers were well-respected influenced his decision to pursue law as a career path [1:59]

🎓⚖️ How his journey through Yale Law School and prestigious clerkships ultimately led him to realize he wanted to learn how to try cases rather than focus solely on appellate work [3:46]

🔄🌟 How his career path wasn't as linear as it might appear on LinkedIn, but rather involved being open to new opportunities and distinguishing himself from other talented lawyers [6:48]

📝💼 How his litigation skills proved surprisingly transferable when he moved to trade negotiations, particularly in synthesizing complex information and cross-examining experts [14:19]

🧠📊 How the ability to take complex facts and make them understandable is a superpower that has served him well across different roles [18:13]

✍️🔍 How writing things down and putting concepts in your own words is crucial for learning new areas and sharpening your thinking [18:44]

⚖️💻 How his perspective on litigation changed dramatically once he moved in-house and saw firsthand the burden it places on businesses [24:52]

🤝💯 How building trust is the most important aspect of managing people, particularly in creating an environment where people feel comfortable bringing bad news [27:12]

🌐🔮 How the intersection of AI advancement and political polarization creates unique challenges and opportunities for lawyers in the technology sector [34:11]

⏳🏆 How sticking it out through hard times at a law firm and building a strong foundation was one of the best career decisions he made [41:06]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is William (Bill) Treanor, who recently stepped down as Dean of Georgetown University Law Center after serving for 15 years. Before Georgetown, Bill was a professor and later Dean at Fordham Law School for 20 years. His legal career began as a law clerk to Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as associate counsel during the Iran-Contra Investigations. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. Bill holds degrees from Yale University, Yale Law School, and a PhD in history from Harvard University.

In this episode, Bill shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎓🔄 How a pivotal lunch conversation with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. changed his career trajectory and led him to pursue both a JD and PhD to maximize his impact on future generations [03:00]

👨‍⚖️🔎 How his experience working on the Iran-Contra investigation provided invaluable trial experience and showed him the importance of thinking on your feet in high-pressure situations [09:00]

⚖️👨‍🏫 How he unexpectedly transitioned from government service to academia when Fordham Law offered him a tenure-track position rather than the visiting role he initially sought [19:00]

📚🏛️ How his early teaching experience involved staying just one week ahead of his students in property law courses – demonstrating the importance of adaptability in legal education [21:00]

🌟🏢 How his decision to pursue a deanship was motivated by a desire for more tangible impact and the opportunity to work with teams to build institutions [24:00]

🎯🔄 How serendipity and a handful of phone calls played crucial roles in his career transitions, including his move from Fordham to Georgetown [32:00]

💰🎓 How his commitment to expanding access to legal education was inspired by his family history and led to doubling financial aid and creating opportunity scholarships at Georgetown [35:00]

🧩🔍 How the RISE program has transformed outcomes for students from backgrounds without exposure to law, with many becoming Law Journal editors and Student Bar Association presidents [36:00]

⏱️🔑 How the average law school dean tenure of four years is insufficient to make meaningful change, and why he advocates for longer-term commitments to leadership positions [41:00]

🌱💼 How new lawyers should remain optimistic, nimble, and hardworking while building and maintaining strong personal networks that will support both career advancement and personal satisfaction [45:00]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Adrienne Prentice, CEO and Founder of Keep Company, a group learning platform helping legal organizations empower their teams with essential skills for the modern workplace. Before founding Keep Company, Adrienne's impressive career included roles as Manager of Attorney Talent at Hogan Levels, Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Hewlett Packard, and various positions at law firms and private companies. She holds degrees from Cornell University and American University's Washington College of Law.

In this episode, Adrienne shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎓💼 How following her gut and being open to opportunities led her from labor relations studies to corporate law [1:25]

👥🌟 How choosing mentors and practice areas based on people rather than just subject matter shaped her early career [2:22]

📚✨ How hands-on partner mentorship in 2007 provided invaluable learning experiences through direct observation [3:41]

📊💡 How the 2008 recession created unexpected career opportunities in green tech and federal recovery funding [6:07]

🤝📈 How sponsorship differs from mentorship in law firms and why it's crucial for career advancement [26:45]

💪🎯 How doing good work alone isn't enough - you need strategic relationships and advocates [28:26]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💼 How the legal profession is evolving in supporting parents and caregivers, with room for improvement [38:46]

🌱🔄 How law firms need to expand support beyond new parents to address challenges at all parenting stages [41:04]

🤝💫 How the pandemic has allowed fathers to be more vocal about work-life integration [43:34]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the ⁠How I Lawyer Podcast⁠, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Christopher Stephens⁠, the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the World Bank Group, a role he has held since 2022. Before joining the World Bank Group, Chris served as General Counsel of the International Finance Corporation (the private sector arm of the World Bank) and General Counsel of the Asian Development Bank. Earlier in his career, he was Managing Partner for Asia and a member of the management committee at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he was based in Hong Kong. He is a graduate of Colgate University and New York Law School.

In this episode, Christopher Stephens shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🏢💼 How his desire to avoid the repetitive nature of advanced microeconomics led him to pursue law as a career that would provide variety in clients and challenges [1:38]

📝🔄 How his initial "two-year plan" to work in Big Law before joining his father's small firm evolved into a much longer career path as he got caught up in the partnership track [3:46]

📊💰 How the 1980s "decade of greed" created a frenzy of transactional work with leveraged buyouts, management buyouts, and private equity deals that shaped his early career [5:27]

🌐📈 How the American legal market's focus on profits per partner, which increased partner mobility [7:10]

🌏💱 How the 1997 Asian currency crisis forced him to reinvent himself as a China Investment Lawyer just six months after arriving in Hong Kong [11:42]

🏦⚖️ How moving from a law firm to an in-house position at the Asian Development Bank represented a major shift from a business where law is the product to one where legal is a support function [19:21]

🌉🤝 How the public sector mindset differs from private practice, with a focus on outcomes like poverty elimination rather than profit [23:43]

🎓📚 How law students should take challenging courses like tax, environmental law, accounting, and international law that are difficult to learn after graduation [26:45]

🧠🔍 How critical thinking is the most important skill for young lawyers, who should question conclusions rather than accepting them at face value [34:30]

🛣️🔄 How being open to change and adapting plans can lead to better opportunities and more enriching professional experiences [37:36]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠⁠.

In today's special episode of How I Lawyer Panel Opinion, I am happy to share the recording of an event co-hosted by two longtime friends of How I Lawyer: The Legal Mentor Network and Summer Associate Hub. This conversation about finding a summer job (pre-OCI, OCI and beyond) features:

• Albert Tawil (Founder and CEO of Summer Associate Hub)
• Ashley Alford (Manager of Early Careers and Legal Recruitment - Americas at White & Case)
• Douglas Saphire (Recruitment and Employer Outreach, BC Law)
• Lauren Tapper (Chief Talent Officer at Kramer Levin)

I think the conversation is particularly valuable for current law students but may also be of significant interest to lawyers at every stage of their career.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Sophia Lin Lakin, the Director of the Voting Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she directs and supervises the ACLU's voting rights litigation strategy nationwide. Before joining the ACLU, Sophia clerked for Judge Raymond J. Lohier Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Carol Amon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School, where she also received her MS in Management Science and Engineering, and holds a BA in Political Science.

In this episode, Sophia shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎓🔄 How her academic journey through political science, management science, and engineering prepared her for a career focused on security and human rights before she discovered law [2:35]

🏥💪 How her experience with a serious health condition shaped her desire to become an advocate for the public interest [6:08]

🔄🗳️ How serendipity led her to voting rights work when Professor Pam Karlin suggested an internship at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund during an extra summer [7:52]

⚖️🔍 How the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision created a sea change in voting rights work just as she was entering the field [11:10]

🚀💼 How her early career involved being thrown into challenging litigation tasks with minimal preparation—taking depositions, handling expert witnesses, and defending clients just months into her fellowship [12:36]

🧠👍 How she advises junior lawyers to "take a shot" and try to figure things out themselves first to build confidence and judgment [14:49]

📜🔄 How voting rights litigation has evolved from focusing on voter ID and early voting restrictions to exploring new legal avenues including First Amendment protections, disability rights law, and state courts [16:37]

🌎🚫 How election subversion and anti-immigrant rhetoric present serious concerns for voting rights in the current political climate [19:34]

🏢🔄 How law firm experience can be valuable for public interest careers by providing litigation skills that small organizations can't easily teach [28:00]

🏥💬 How being open and honest about her health condition throughout her education and career has been valuable, emphasizing that everyone deserves accommodations to perform at their best [33:28]

🎯🧠 How staying true to your goals despite law school distractions and maintaining confidence in your own path is crucial for success [36:46]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Professor Woodrow Hartzog, an internationally recognized expert in privacy and technology law whose work has been published in numerous top journals and books. Before becoming a law professor, Woodrow followed a nontraditional path that included earning his JD/MBA from Samford University, practicing at the regional law firm Burr and Forman, earning an LLM from George Washington University Law School, working as a trademark attorney at the US Patent and Trademark Office, and ultimately earning a PhD in mass communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In this episode, Professor Hartzog shares valuable insights about privacy, technology law, and career development including:

🌐⚖️ How his undergraduate journalism class sparked his interest in technology law when his professor admitted "nobody knows what the law of the Internet's going to be" [3:24]

🎵💿 How writing about Napster for his college newspaper and receiving feedback about copyright infringement further pushed him toward law school [4:11]

🔍📱 How the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent USA Patriot Act made him think seriously about privacy issues for the first time [5:04]

📚✍️ How he discovered his passion for academia when he realized he was writing law review articles about privacy "for fun" while working as a trademark attorney [11:29]

🎓🔄 How his mentor Dan Solove told him being a "privacy attorney" wasn't yet a real career path in the early 2000s—a reality that has dramatically changed [10:26]

🌊🚣 How sometimes you need to "feel where the river is taking you" in your career while still making intentional choices [13:16]

🎯💭 How the most important writing advice he received was that readers will only remember one thing from anything you write—so make that one thing count [32:51]

📝🧠 How his writing process often starts with "white hot rage" about something wrong that needs fixing, then breaking complex concepts into simpler parts [32:21]

🔑🚪 How reaching out to professors and mentors is crucial for success—"people are kind and want you to succeed" [40:18]

❓🧠 How asking questions, even when afraid of looking foolish, is essential because "real wisdom is understanding what you don't know" [41:31]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

This episode was recorded LIVE at Stetson University College of Law as part of the school's landmark campus to career program! Special thanks to Stetson for inviting me to do this episode on their beautiful campus.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Howard Williams, an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Florida. Before his current role, Howard served as a public defender in the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Florida and worked in private practice. He holds degrees from Northwood University and Stetson University College of Law.

In this episode, Howard shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🧠💼 How his pre-law background in business management, including managing UAW facilities and sports stadiums, helped him develop people management skills that serve him well as an attorney [3:13]

🔄⚖️ How transitioning from business (which is results-based) to law (where "the why matters") required a significant mental shift in his approach to problem-solving [4:00]

🤝🙏 How public defense is fundamentally about helping people through the worst situations of their lives, often when the deck is stacked against them [7:13]

🕵️‍♂️🔍 How federal cases differ from state cases because federal prosecutors typically build cases for months or years before making arrests, while state cases are often more reactionary [8:28]

🗣️👥 How his background helps him translate legal concepts into everyday language for his clients, making complex legal situations understandable [9:55]

🏥🔪 How state court work is like being an "ER doctor" (fast-paced triage) while federal court work is like being a "surgeon" (methodical, precise, and slower-paced) [14:20]

📝⚡ How depositions are a critical tool in state court practice that he misses in federal court, as they allow attorneys to lock in witness testimony and discover case weaknesses [18:29]

🔎⚖️ How facts are the foundation of legal practice, with juries ultimately deciding what the facts are based on witness testimony [23:04]

🛣️🔄 How career paths often involve unexpected turns, including jobs not received that ultimately proved beneficial for his professional development [25:12]

⏰👶 How balancing the demands of criminal defense work with personal life requires being fully present in whatever you're doing, whether work or family time [32:17]

🔍💯 How self-reflection and knowing what truly makes you happy is essential for long-term career satisfaction in the legal profession [35:01]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the ⁠How I Lawyer Podcast⁠, where ⁠Professor Jonah Perlin⁠ interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is ⁠Kyle Robisch⁠, a Partner at ⁠Latitude Legal⁠, a premier flexible legal talent company providing top-notch legal professionals on a temporary or project basis. Before joining Latitude a year ago, Kyle was a litigation partner at ⁠Bradley⁠, an associate at ⁠Venable⁠, and a law clerk in the Middle District of Florida. He's a graduate of the ⁠University of Florida⁠ and ⁠Vanderbilt Law School⁠ and lives in Tampa with his wife and two children.

In this episode, Kyle shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎤⚖️ How his high school policy debate experience put him on a 12-year path to becoming a lawyer, teaching him to argue both sides of an issue and work within established rules [2:00]

🎓💰 How his desire to attend a top law school influenced his undergraduate decision, choosing the University of Florida to maintain financial flexibility for future law school options [4:54]

👨‍⚖️📝 How clerking for a federal judge provided invaluable experience that accelerated his career development, allowing him to function at a higher level when he entered private practice [11:00]

🌎🏠 How his decision to leave DC for Florida initially felt like a career downgrade but ultimately accelerated his path to partnership and broadened his practice areas [13:47]

🔄🧠 How he realized litigation wasn't the right fit for him despite external success, leading to his career pivot into the flexible legal talent space [18:00]

👥🤝 How his current role at Latitude Legal allows him to help both law firms/companies needing talent and lawyers seeking flexible work arrangements, creating a people-centric career that leaves him energized [23:24]

🚪🔑 How increasing your "surface area for serendipity" by saying yes to opportunities and meeting new people opens more doors in your legal career [39:00]

🤖⚖️ How AI will transform legal practice but won't eliminate lawyer jobs—instead creating new opportunities for those willing to adapt [33:55]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⏰ How intentionality is the key to balancing legal work with family life, including practical strategies like putting your phone on airplane mode during family time [45:46]

🛣️🔄 How it's never too late to change career paths, even after achieving traditional markers of success like making partner [50:00]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠⁠.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Mike G. Silver, a Partner at Husch Blackwell's DC office specializing in consumer financial services law. Before joining Husch Blackwell, Mike spent 12 years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and 7 years as an associate at Pillsbury. Mike earned his degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (where he served as student body president) and George Washington University Law School (where he was active on Law Review and Moot Court Board). Prior to law school, Mike worked as a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center.

At this moment, the CFPB's future is very much in question but Mike's story remains an important one about how government works and where his industry may go in the future.

In this episode, Mike shares other valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎓💼 How his path to law wasn't predetermined, but emerged from his interests in history, government, and politics [3:18]

📚⚖️ How being active in various law school activities and internships enhanced his legal education experience [5:01]

🏢💫 How his initial real estate practice at Pillsbury evolved unexpectedly from litigation aspirations [11:18]

🏛️🔄 How joining the newly-created CFPB in 2011 allowed him to help build regulatory frameworks from the ground up [17:51]

👥📊 How being a civil servant requires adapting to changing administrations while maintaining institutional expertise [33:46]

💼🎯 How transitioning to private practice requires developing marketing skills and building a business plan [40:25]

📋💡 How consumer financial services law involves navigating complex regulations governing personal financial transactions [46:08]

🔄🌟 How career pivots require recognizing transferable skills and maintaining a growth mindset [50:26]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin explores the diverse paths and practices of successful attorneys.

Today's guest is Molly Duane, a senior attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York. A Princeton graduate with both a JD from Cardozo Law School and MPH from Johns Hopkins, Molly has become a leading voice in reproductive rights litigation. Her groundbreaking work was recently featured in the documentary "Zurawski v. Texas," and she earned recognition in Time 100 Next 2024.

In this powerful episode, Molly shares insights including:

🔬📚 How her unexpected journey from aspiring scientist to reproductive rights attorney shaped her unique approach to advocacy [2:11]

⚖️👩‍⚖️ How her federal clerkship with Judge Chin helped develop her voice as an advocate rather than a neutral observer [10:25]

📊💡 How making yourself indispensable on legal teams creates opportunities for growth and responsibility [19:35]

📝🗣️ How storytelling through litigation can transform legal advocacy, particularly in reproductive rights cases [24:03]

🎭😊 How maintaining a neutral expression during heated court proceedings requires practice and self-awareness [33:04]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦❤️ How balancing intense advocacy work with family life requires embracing the integration of personal and professional passion [35:36]

⚡🔮 How reproductive rights advocacy represents broader challenges to individual autonomy and civil rights [37:45]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today's guest is Nancy Vinsel, a retired lawyer who previously served as general counsel at a Kentucky state agency regulating public utilities. Nancy brings a unique perspective as a second-career lawyer who attended law school at age 50 after working as a librarian and paralegal. She's also an avid runner and the mother of previous podcast guest Ashley Herd (Episode 86). Nancy is a proud graduate of Brandeis Law at the University of Louisville.

In this episode, Nancy shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

👥📚 How informational interviews with practicing attorneys helped shape her decision to first become a paralegal before pursuing law school [2:16]

🎓💪 How her family's support, especially her husband's willingness to handle daily responsibilities, enabled her to focus entirely on law school [3:53]

🤝📖 How her approach to law school emphasized collaboration over competition, setting a positive tone for fellow students [5:52]

🎯💼 How she strategically pursued her legal career path by identifying an agency that matched her interests in civil matters and statutory interpretation [11:51]

📊🤝 How utility regulation requires constant learning and collaboration with financial analysts, accountants, and inspectors [14:30]

✍️📋 How writing clear, accessible legal documents for non-lawyer audiences became a crucial part of her role [21:24]

👩‍⚖️🔄 How navigating organizational hierarchy requires a balance of confidence without arrogance [25:10]

🌟👥 How actively seeking mentorship and later becoming a mentor shaped her career development [27:31]

💫📈 How successful mentorship requires vulnerability from mentees and patience from mentors [31:36]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

In today's episode I share some reflections with the newest members of the legal profession, the Class of 2024. In these remarks, first delivered to Section 4 of the Georgetown Law Class of 2024, I talk about how career trajectories are rarely linear and I encouraged the graduates to embrace serendipity. It is a message I think we all need to hear.

The Class of 2024 is a special one for this podcast because the graduates today are the first class that has had access to this podcast since the day they began law school. In some ways it's How I Lawyer's first graduation.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠⁠⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠⁠⁠.

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In today’s episode I speak with Ryan McKeen who is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Connecticut Trial Firm which focuses on representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases. In addition to his expertise and experience in the courtroom, Ryan is a sought after speaker on topics related to law firm leadership and success for personal injury lawyers. He is the author of two books: Tiger Tactics: Powerful Strategies for Winning Law Firms and CEO Edition and is active on LinkedIn where he shares lessons from running his own firm and his lawyer life to his more than 16,000 followers on LinkedIn.

Ryan started his career at Leone, Throwe, Teller & Nagel in East Hartford, Connecticut before opening his own firm. He is a graduate of Framingham State University (Go Rams) and Western New England University School of Law (Go Bears).

In our conversation we discuss his path to becoming a lawyer and his practice area, the life of a personal injury lawyer (and his response to common critiques of the practice area), the shift from being a junior associate at a small firm to founding his own firm, the ways that he leverages technology in his law practice, the story of his firm's landmark 100 million dollar verdict (the largest bodily injury verdict in state history), and more.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠⁠.

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Hello & Welcome Back! In today’s episode I am excited to speak with Mike Spivey who is the Founding Partner and CEO of The Spivey Consulting Group LLC and previously a senior level administrator and admissions dean at Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and The University of Colorado.

Mike is an expert on law school administration and admissions and has been a featured speaker and panelist. In addition to his law school consulting work, he hosts the Status Check with Spivey Podcast. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University from which he holds a BA and a Doctorate in Education and the University of Alabama where he earned his MBA.

After learning a little bit about Mike, I am excited to chat with him about three topics near and dear to this podcast and its listeners: mental health, admission, and the 2024 US News rankings which are scheduled to be released very soon.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠⁠.

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In today’s episode I speak with Regan Smith, who is Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the New/Media Alliance as well as an Adjunct Professor at GW Law where she teaches copyright law. Regan is a trustee of The Copyright Society of the U.S.A and the Chair of the ABA’s Copyright Legislation Committee.

Before joining New/Media Alliance, she worked as the Head of Public Policy in Spotify’s Government Affairs group and spent seven years working at the United States Copyright Office including three years as General Counsel of the Copyright Office and Associate Register of Copyrights. She began her career at two large law firms focused on IP litigation and transactions. Her interest in media goes way back — she even worked as a record store clerk in Ann Arbor Michigan during college.

In this episode, Regan and Jonah discussed:

💼 Regan's transition from entertainment business to law.

👩‍🔬 How an unexpected foray into patent litigation led to valuable experience. [05:23]

⚖️ The difference between litigation and transactional work [06:32]

🇺🇸 Government work v. private practice [15:34]

🎧 Relationship between lawyering and business strategy in her time at Spotify [19:53]

💻 Tensions between copyright and AI [26:29]

✍️ Important skills: writing, multitasking, experience, and patience [32:45]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠.

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Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

This episode features the hosts of the Lawyers Behaving Badly Podcast, Karen Delaney and Jennifer Judge.  Karen is the Principal of Delaney Legal PLLC, where she serves corporate clients.  Before founding her law firm, Karen worked as in-house counsel at Half Price Books and GameStop and as an associate at a law firm in Dallas.  Jennifer is the Chief Legal Officer of Destination Pet, LLC, and before her current role, worked as a solo practitioner, General Counsel at Rug Doctor, Deputy General Counsel at Caliber Home Loans, and also as a law firm associate.

In this episode, Karen and Jennifer share valuable insights about the legal profession including:

⏱️📅 How there has been a frenetic increase in the pace in which lawyers practice law, due in part to technological advancements, such as emails [7:53]

🏠📑 How in-house lawyers’ responsibilities ranges broadly, from handling employment issues to reviewing 40+ contracts at any given time [13:16]

👩‍💼🏢 How one difference between being an in-house counsel vs. solo practitioner is that you have experts and greater resources at your disposal as an in-house counsel, but you have to be THE expert as a solo practitioner [18:57]

🛠️📚 How to find your niche by learning skills that are in demand in the market and by making the most of every opportunity [25:40]

🎙️💡 How the Lawyers Behaving Badly Podcast originated by Karen and Jennifer looking for their shared interests [32:40]

🔍💻 How Karen and Jennifer prep for their podcast episodes by researching to ensure they’re making accurate representations [36:12]

📢🌎 How the goal of the Lawyers Behaving Badly Podcast is to create a community and bring entertainment to listeners [43:02]

🤝🌟 How creating relationships is paramount as a lawyer and can lead to future opportunities [46:43]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠.

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Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well. 

Today’s guest is Rachael Bosch, the CEO and Founder of Fringe Professional Development (a leading professional development provider for lawyers and executives) and Candorly (an online tool to make gathering upward feedback easy and efficient).  Before becoming a legal tech Founder, Rachael worked in recruiting and development at top law firms, including Paul Hastings and Skadden, and before that, she was a professional actress and singer.

In this episode, Rachael shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎭⚖️ How her professional journey – from working as an actress to the legal profession – showed her that skills are transferrable between different jobs [2:04]

📈🌟 How there is a trend toward law firms becoming much more serious about investing in professional development, coaching, recruitment, and leadership [9:18]

🧠📚 How Rachael finds fulfillment in working with summer associates because lawyers’ brains are like sponges at that early stage in their careers [15:48]

👍👎 How many lawyers don’t understand that some of the characteristics that make you a good lawyer can simultaneously make you a subpar leader [19:19]

🌍💡 How Gen Z is entering the workforce and is starting to influence the profession’s culture [22:55]

🙋‍♂️❓ How it is senior lawyers’ obligation to answer questions about culture posed by younger lawyers [26:05]

🚦📉 How law firm leaders make choices about culture that have real consequences for their firm [33:55]

🎯🚨 How to prepare for legal interviews by understanding what you value and by asking targeted questions designed to see whether law firms share your values [40:23]

💬🤕 How to ask for and receive better feedback, even when it is uncomfortable [46:40]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠.

Please take two minutes to support the How I Lawyer Podcast!

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Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where it is my job to interview lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Emily Stedman, a Partner at Husch Blackwell, where she helps clients resolve complex commercial litigations. Emily represents a wide range of corporate clients at all phases of litigation, from investigation to appeal, in state and federal courts. After graduating from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, Emily clerked for Judge Pamela Pepper in the United States District Court and Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Following her clerkships, Emily worked as a commercial litigation associate at another law firm in Milwaukee before joining Husch Blackwell’s office there, where she was promoted to Partner in 2024. Online, Emily maintains an active LinkedIn presence and shares her perspective on lawyer well-being.

In this episode, Emily shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

👩‍🏫 How taking two years off before law school to teach a room full of children, as part of Teach for America, helped Emily hone her time-management and public speaking skills and gave her greater real-world experience prior to starting law school [3:17]

🌊 How making the most of her second choices and “riding the waves” of her career gave Emily opportunities leading to where she is today [8:54]

🏛️ How the judge she interned for during her 2L year landed her alast-minute federal clerkship in Wisconsin that became the foundation of her legal career [10:31]

🔀 How her day-to-day as a Big Law litigator is dynamic and ever-changing [18:02]

👩‍⚖️ How clerking gave her the ability to know what annoys judges and their clerks, and conversely, how to effectively advocate before the court [19:44]

🗂️ How she prepares for depositions by creating a document-driven outline [24:53]

🎯 How she takes control of her annual billable hour requirement by tracking her daily, weekly, and monthly billing targets [30:47]

📑 How reviewing a client bill gave her insight into billing best practices [36:46]

🏦 How Emily made her case to become Partner at Husch Blackwell [40:54]

🌱 How lawyers must invest in their well-being and bring humanity to their jobs [49:05]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by ⁠LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys⁠.

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Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where it is my job to interview lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Astor Heaven, a Partner at Crowell & Moring, where he is a trial lawyer and commercial litigator working on a range of matters, with a focus on defense industry and government contract clients.  After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Astor served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy before attending law school at American University Washington College of Law.  After graduating from law school, Astor worked as a transactional attorney at Mintz before joining Crowell & Moring’s litigation practice.

In this episode, Astor shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🏈 How discovering his personality didn't align with a sports agent role led to a rewarding shift to law.

⚓ How his experience serving on a Navy ship gave him the perspective to realize that law school was not the only thing that mattered in his life [6:47]

🕒 How he effectively juggled his commitments as an evening student, in addition to working as a military recruiter and as a new father, by being deliberate with time management [9:43]

⚖️ How working on pro bono cases fueled Astor’s passion for being in court and led to a lateral move from a transactional practice to litigation [12:30]

📚 How thorough research and self-advocacy are key to succeeding in law firm interviews [15:56]

🎯 How leveraging pro bono opportunities can sharpen trial skills and clarify career goals [24:40]

🤝 How and why to deliberately develop a sponsor relationship [28:45]

📅 How a day in the life of a litigator combines case strategy with future client planning [32:51]

🏛️ How trial work's fast-paced, collaborative environment is intense yet rewarding, reminiscent of the teamwork in sports [35:31]

💡 How to demonstrate initiative by proactively bringing new ideas to the table [37:29]

🌐 How building a network in law school lays the groundwork for future professional opportunities [41:10]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

For today’s special episode (and the final episode of 2023), we bring to you How I Lawyer’s first-ever live-recorded episode featuring former guests of the podcast, Eli Albrecht and Jordana Confino, in a discussion about positive lawyering in the practice of law. 

This episode was recorded LIVE at DLA Piper’s Offices in Washington D.C. with the support of sponsors Lateral Hub, LawPods, and the Legal Mentor Network.

In this episode, Jonah speaks with Eli Albrecht and Jordana Confino.

Eli is a partner at SMB Law Group LLP where he represents buyers and sellers of businesses and specializes in representing private equity groups.  After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, Eli worked as a mergers and acquisition Associate at DLA Piper and at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.  In addition to his day job, Eli writes about his own path in the legal profession primarily on LinkedIn where he focuses on balancing life as a private equity lawyer, husband, and LawDad in a way that is “fully integrated.”

Jordana is a lawyer and expert on positive lawyering. She previously served as the Inaugural Dean of Professionalism at Fordham Law where she remains an adjunct professor.  Jordana was voted Fordham Law Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2021 for her class on Positive Lawyering. In 2022, Jordana founded her own consulting and coaching business with the mission to advance the well-being of the legal profession.  Prior to joining Fordham Law, Jordana served as the Assistant Director of Academic Counseling, Acting Clerkship Advisor, and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law, clerked for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Southern District of New York, and graduated from Yale Law.  

In this episode, Eli and Jordana share valuable insights about the legal profession:

😊 Jordana discusses how googling “how to be happy” led to her discovery of positive psychology early in her legal career [4:36]

👩‍❤️‍👨 Eli discusses how a conversation with his wife recalibrated his career goals [12:15]

🧠 Jordana discusses how she redefined success by living according to her values rather than her fears [14:43]

🌟 Eli encourages listeners to follow their north star and to speak openly about life outside work [19:06]

🧩 Eli explains how “full integration” allows him to maintain continuity throughout his family, workplace, faith, and other vital parts of his life [26:31]

🌉 Jordana defends why boundaries are important and can create bridges to better relationships [29:57]

📅 Jordana explains how to identify your nonnegotiable needs and calendar them into your schedule [33:55]

💵 The panel debates the billable hour [36:52]

🤗 Jordana explains how to build a better relationship with yourself as a starting point to positive lawyering [54:26]

🌍 Eli implores listeners to trust that the world will support you and to enjoy the ride [55:43]

You can hear more from Eli by listening to HIL episode 87 and hear more from Jordana by listening to HIL episode 110.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

This live episode was sponsored by:

Lateral Hub⁠

⁠LawPods⁠

⁠The Legal Mentor Network

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Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Michelle Kallen, who is a Partner in Jenner & Block’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice and previously served as the seventh Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Virginia.  After graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School, Michelle clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and then worked as a Litigation Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, before moving to the public sector.  Following her service as the first woman Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Michelle represented the Select Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

In this episode, Michelle shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🗂️ How Michelle’s experience working in the appellate litigation clinic in law school gave her the opportunity to argue in the Sixth Circuit [3:04]

⚖️ How seeking pro bono appellate work as a junior associate allowed her to work on federal appeals early in her career [7:06]

💼 How and why employing an appellate lawyer at the outset of litigation is valuable in constructing a winning appellate strategy [11:28]

🚪 How working in Virginia’s Solicitor General’s Office opened the door to Michelle’s current appellate litigation practice [14:00]

🏛️ How practicing in state court gives you the opportunity to argue a plethora of diverse legal issues [22:09]

📝 How creating a clear argument outline, before drafting, makes it easier and more efficient to write compelling briefs [26:55]

✍️ How she prepares for appellate arguments using the same method that she learned in the appellate litigation clinical during law school [31:45]

🧩 How viewing yourself as a full member of the team, embracing an ownership mindset over your work, and presenting solutions to problems, can set you apart as a junior associate [40:04]

🌟 How surrounding yourself with excellent people, who are both kind and smart, can set you up for an amazing legal career and life [44:17]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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If you liked this episode, support Michelle by following her on Instagram, @appealsinheels

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where it is my job to interview lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Ayyan Zubair, who is a Litigation Associate at Allen & Overy, where he has experience practicing commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, and white-collar investigations, and also maintains a robust pro bono practice. Following his graduation from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Ayyan clerked on the Nevada Supreme Court for the Honorable Justice Lidia Stiglich, before joining Allen & Overy.

In this episode, Ayyan shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🎓 How legal internships provide valuable, experiential learning opportunities while still in law school [4:52]

🏛️ How clerking for a state supreme court justice gave him a peak behind the judicial curtain [7:11]

🌍 How being a junior litigation associate involves a multitude of practice areas [14:27]

⏳ How “work life integration” allows him to handle the workload of a big law junior associate [16:13]

🖥️ How to start a new research assignment by asking what is really necessary [22:01]

🔍 How junior litigation associates are often the master of the facts on their cases [26:05]

👂 How to handle feedback as a junior lawyer and how to treat constructive feedback as a gift [29:13]

🤝 How to network by creating personal connections with those at all levels [37:55]

🚪 How to open the doors to new lawyers by refusing to be a gatekeeper and by embracing kindness [42:15]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where it is my job to interview lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Danielle Garno, who is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Entertainment Practice at Holland & Knight, where she focuses on legal issues faced by fashion, beauty, and luxury brands. Danielle also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law and has written and lectured extensively on topics relating to fashion law. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Danielle was a Partner at two big law firms, Cozen O’Connor and Reed Smith.

In this episode, Danielle shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

💡 How to develop technical skills in your first job after graduating law school [5:06]

💼 How she transitioned from employment law to commercial litigation at her first law firm [7:38]

👠 How advocating for herself led to her career in fashion law [11:44]

📚 How her fashion law practice involves both transactional and litigation legal work [17:11]

🤹‍♂️ How her practice involves a focus on servicing industry clients [21:18]

💻 How to build your brand as a lawyer and the importance of maintaining a great reputation [26:44]

🤝 How she landed her first client in the fashion industry [28:32]

🎤 How she prepared for her first public speaking event and how that helped shape her brand [32:09]

🌐 How to successfully market yourself on LinkedIn [35:27]

👩‍👧‍👧‍👧‍👧 How to balance a robust legal practice while being a mother to four daughters [37:30]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

Welcome back to How I Lawyer, where I interview lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Lindsay Barnes who is a Senior Counsel at Capital One, where he advises on consumer financial services for one of the largest credit card issuers in the United States. Lindsay began his legal career clerking for both state and federal judges, Judge Pamela White in Maryland State Court followed by Judge Ronald Buckwalter in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  After clerking, he spent seven years as a commercial litigation associate at two big law firms, DLA Piper and Cadwalader, before going in-house at Capital One in 2021.

In this episode, Lindsay shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

• How his background as a journalist shaped the way he communicates as a lawyer [1:51].
• How sending over 200 tailored cover letters landed him a federal clerkship [11:10].
• How clerking for both state and federal judges taught him the difference between litigating in state versus federal court [14:02].
• How to manage a broad commercial litigation practice at two big law firms [21:58].
• How to develop subject area expertise alongside continuing to acquire new legal skills [27:47].
• How he transitioned from working in private practice to in-house counsel [30:23].
• How the role of in-house counsel involves a different type of legal work [34:53].
• How to create effective visual presentations and how to learn to say more with less [37:38].
• How his experience as in-house counsel taught him the importance of respecting people’s time [42:45].
• How to take a 10,000-foot view of your career [44:11].

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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In today’s episode I am excited to speak Scott Oliver. Scott is a Partner at Lewis Kappes in Indianapolis where he represents banks and non-bank lenders in SBA transactions nationwide. Scott became the youngest equity partner in his firm’s history after closing thousands of SBA loans and has counseled clients at every stage in the lending process. In addition to his busy practice, Scott is a frequent speaker on business development, personal branding, and supporting the “human” side of practice. Scott is an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where he teaches Legal Communication & Analysis.

In our conversation we discuss the importance of finding a practice area that “fits and fills your cup,” what SBA lawyers do and why the practice area is growing, the unique nature of doing transactional work in a regulated area of law, ways to build your personal brand and book of business even as a new lawyer, why taking ownership of a case and a task (even if it is something as simple as ripping out staples) is the ticket to a successful legal career, the power of sharing publicly and building a brand, and more.

You can follow Scott on LinkedIn.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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In today’s episode, I speak with Jason Mehta & Natalie Adams who are partners in Foley & Lardner LLP’s Tampa, Florida office where they defend companies and individuals facing government investigation and civil and criminal prosecution. Between the two of them, they have represented clients in healthcare, defense contracting, procurement, higher education, as well as Title IX complaints and in the financial service industries.

Both Jason & Natalie are also former Assistant United States Attorneys who received a number of accolades and awards for their work on behalf of the United States Government. They both started their legal careers as judicial law clerks and at large law firms in DC.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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In today’s episode I speak with Peter Orlowicz who is Senior Counsel and an Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official at the United States Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) speaking in his personal capacity. Peter previously served as a General Attorney for the RRB for 8 years before being promoted to Senior Counsel in 2022. He started his career in government as an attorney advisor at the Social Security Administration. He was honored by the RBB with the Special Act of Service award in 2020, recognizing his significant individual contribution to the Board's efforts. Peter is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and Illinois State University.

In our conversation we discuss his path to the law after earning an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, the challenges with getting his first government job during a difficult hiring market (and what he learned from that experience), why taking a first job in government helped him get the government job he has today in a different agency, what the RBB does and his role at that agency, some quirks of being a government train lawyer, why benefits work is not as boring as it might seem on first glance, and more.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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In today’s episode I speak with Hilary Gerzhoy who is a Vice Chair of HWG LLP’s Legal Ethics and Malpractice group where she focuses her work on legal ethics, white collar defense, and complex civil litigation.

She has represented lawyers before various disciplinary bodies at both state and federal levels, including the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline and the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility. Hilary is deeply involved in the legal community. She is the Vice Chair of the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee, she is on the ABA’s Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, and she is on the DC Circuit Admissions and Grievances Committee.

Hilary uses her expertise in legal ethics to teach as an adjunct professor of professional responsibility at Georgetown Law (Hoya Saxa) and she is also a regular author in the legal and popular press on topics related to legal ethics. Hilary earned her JD from the University of California Berkeley School of Law and her BA from the University of Chicago.

In our conversation we discuss her path to the law, the unique nature of legal ethics and malpractice work, what it is like to be a lawyer representing lawyers, her public facing writing and publishing, the importance of her volunteer work serving legal organizations and on bar committees, and more.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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In today’s episode I speak with Aliza Shatzman who is the Founder and President of the non-profit Legal Accountability Project based in Washington, DC an organization dedicated to ensuring that law clerks have positive clerkship experiences while extending support and resources to those who do not.

Aliza writes and speaks about judicial accountability, clerkships, and diversity in the courts and has submitted written testimony before Congress and published extensively in both academic publications and in the popular press.

She is a graduate of Williams College where she was a member of the golf team. Prior to Law School she worked on Capitol Hill of three years. She then graduated from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and following law school, Aliza clerked in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

In our conversation we discuss her decision to become a lawyer, her own clerkship experience and why she founded LAP as a result, her mission to improve the judicial clerkship system by making it a safer and more transparent training ground for junior lawyers, the ups and downs of founding a non-profit advocacy group as a young lawyer, and more.

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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In today’s episode I speak with Josh Scharff who is the General Counsel & Director, Programs at Brady, the Campaign to End Gun Violence.

Before joining Brady more than 5.5 years ago, Joshua served as an associate at Peer, Gan, & Gisler LLP, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm with a nationwide litigation practice and a special focus on effective resolution of labor and employment disputes. Joshua is a graduate of Rutgers (Go Scarlett Knights), the George Washington University Law School(Go Colonials), and holds a Masters in International Studies from John Hopkins School of Advanced Internal Studies (Go Blue Jays). 

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In today’s episode I speak with Allison J. Snyder, a long-time construction attorney, arbitrator, and mediator based in Houston, Texas. She has over 35 years of experience as a construction attorney specializing in construction and commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation, construction contract negotiation and drafting and the resolution of various construction claims/work-outs. After 22 years at the Law Firm of Porter Hedges LLP, she went out on her own in May 2023 and will continue to focus on her own ADR practice focused on the construction industry.

Ms. Snyder is a Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers and the College of Commercial Arbitrators. She has served as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section and as Chair of the Houston Bar Association ADR Section. She is listed as one of America’s leading lawyers in construction law by Chambers USA.

Allison was recommended by a longtime How I Lawyer listener who wrote the following: Allison is one of the absolute best construction lawyers in Texas, if not nationwide, and is a personal role model of mine. The first thing out of every single person’s mouth when her name comes up is invariably “Allison is so smart. . . Her demeanor is very calm and thoughtful, she comes across so well and authoritative without ever having to appear to push for it — accomplished, aggressive lawyers from all ages and backgrounds seem to just listen when she speaks." With that intro, how could I not interview her.

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In today’s episode I am excited to speak with Betsy Philpott who is a Senior Vice President & General Counsel of my hometown Major League baseball team the Washington Nationals.

After starting her career as an associate in BigLaw for 4.5 years, she took a career pivot by starting over as an intern and going back to school for her Masters in Sports Industry Management. She has now been with the Nationals Organization for more than 9 years starting as a Legal Affairs Specialist and working her way up to General Counsel.

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In today’s special Panel Opinion episode of How I Lawyer produced in collaboration with The Appellate Project I am excited to welcome four lawyers to talk about the judicial clerkship process and how to secure a judicial clerkship. Specifically I speak with: Megan Moffett Grayce Zelphin Ramon Ryan Justin Lam I am excited to partner with the Appellate Project once again on this episode. TAP is a non-profit dedicated to diversifying the appellate bar and empowering law students of color to thrive in the appellate field. On Episode #103, I spoke with four appellate lawyers about their paths to appellate practice and I previously spoke to TAP's Executive Director and Founder Juvaria Khan on Episode #10.

Learn more about The Appellate Project at http://www.theappellateproject.org. The Clerkship Handbook discussed on the episode is available here.
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In today’s episode I speak with Beth Kurtz. Beth, who is appearing on the show in her personal capacity, currently works as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Before DOJ, Beth was an Attorney at the American Bar Association at the Center on Children and the Law and before that worked for five years at the Children’s Law Center first as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and later as a Supervising Attorney. Beth started her legal career as a judicial law clerk on the DC Court of Appeals. Before attending law school, Beth worked at American’s United for the Separation of Church and State.

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In today’s episode I speak with veteran Aviation Lawyer Mark Fava. Mark started his career as a judicial law clerk and litigation attorney in Charleston, South Carolina but for the past 20+ year he has worked in aviation. In August 2001 mere weeks before 9/11 he went to work for Delta as a Chief Operations Attorney managing passenger litigation and defending the company for all FAA actions. He then worked as a Law Firm Partner focused on litigation and regulatory matters related to airlines, and for the past 13 years has been at Boeing where he has served in a number of different legal and executive roles.

Mark is also active in writing and speaking about the legal profession and aviation law. He has a blog called www.theaviatorlawyer.com, he has taught CLE courses about what he learned from his time as a law clerk, and now he is almost done with a book called What I Learned from the Admiral about business and leadership lessons I learned as an admiral's aide over 30 years ago.

Mark is a graduate of University of North Carolina and the University of South Carolina Law.

In our conversation we discuss Mark's path to the law, finding and then carving out a niche in aviation, what it was like to be working as an airline lawyer on 9/11, his time as a junior associate and then later as a partner after being in-house, his move back in-house to Boeing, his transition from a legal role to his current role as ombudsmen, his public-facing speaking and content and why that has been so important to his growth, and so many lessons he has learned along the way.

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Hello & Welcome Back! In today’s very special panel opinion episode, I am excited to welcome four FUTURE lawyers to the podcast to talk about their paths to law school, their lives as Georgetown Law students, and their tips for success. I think this episode is a great starting place if you think you might want to go to law school. It is also a great listen for those who haven't been in law school in a little while.

My guests are Noah Curtiss, Naman Gupta, Jon-Mark Overvold, and Alexis Marvel. I couldn't be more grateful to them for sharing their time and their personal stories. On the episode we discuss their different paths to the profession, their motivations to attend law school, what a day in the life of a law student is like and their tips & tricks for success.

I am lucky enough to work with law students everyday but recording this episode was really powerful for me. It is a reminder that the future of our profession is very bright.

One final note. Our four panelists today were selected because of their support of the Georgetown Law Equal Justice Foundation auction, an entirely student-run program that helps provides funding for Georgetown Law students working in unpaid summer internships within public interest organizations in Washington, D.C., across the nation, and around the world. I couldn't be more pleased to support EJF with this episode.

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In today's episode I speak with Entertainment Lawyer Paul Sarker who was recently named a Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig’s New York Office. Paul represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, television affiliation and retransmission consent agreements, content licensing, business affairs, television production, music, copyright, recording agreements, sponsorships, rights acquisitions, guild, and union matters. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Paul worked in-house at Disney & Marvel as well as at other law firms in the Entertainment space. In addition, Paul is the co-host of Better Call Paul, a podcast that discusses the business and legal side behind the scenes of Hollywood, sports, and entertainment.

In our conversation we discuss Paul's path to law, his decision to take an in-house job at Marvel out of school, his first day on the job, the differences between BigLaw and in-house practice, skills for junior lawyers, the power of visual communication, his podcast, and more.

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In honor of Well-being Week in Law I speak with Jordana Alter Confino. Jordana plays many different roles but what they all share is a focus on the skills, well-being, empowerment, mental health, and growth of lawyers & law students. She is the Assistant Dean of Professionalism at Fordham Law where she oversees all aspects of the Professionalism Office’s work including the Law School’s wellness, professionalism, and peer mentorship offerings. Jordana also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law, teaching Positive Lawyering and Peer Mentoring & Leadership. She was voted Fordham Law Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2021. She also has her own consulting and coaching business where she works with individuals and groups on topics related to building connections, living your values, dealign with perfectionism by cultivating a growth mindset, and using positive psychology to boost well-being, resilience, performance, and happiness. She serves as a leader of number of academic and professional organizations focused on balance and attorney well-being. Prior to joining Fordham, Jordana served as the Assistant Director of Academic Counseling, Acting Clerkship Advisor, and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law and before that started her career as a law clerk to judges on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Southern District of New York. She is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School (Go Bulldogs) and she holds a certification in applied Positive Psychology from the New York Open Center.

In our conversation we discuss her personal challenges and how they led her current career, her decision to study and then teach positive psychology to law students and lawyers, her techniques to help lawyers deeper and more fulfilling professional and personal lives, perfectionism in our profession, the importance of identifying and living your values, and more.

You can learn more about Jordana and her work at the following links:

• Jordana's Website: https://www.jordanaconfino.com/
• Subscribe to Jordana's Blog, Chronicles of a Recovering Type A+ Perfectionist: https://www.jordanaconfino.com/newsletter-sign-up

• Values Discovery Guide: https://www.jordanaconfino.com/values

• Jordana's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaconfino/

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In today’s episode I speak with Priya Coffey who is a Partner at Jackson Walker in Houston, Texas where she practices Real Estate law. Specifically, Priya assists clients with complex commercial real estate transactions, including the representation of buyers and sellers in the acquisition and disposition of raw land, office buildings and retail centers, and the representation of landlords and tenants in commercial office building leases and retail leases. Priya’s experience extends to advising her clients on land use matters, City of Houston ordinances and other governmental compliance related matters. She also represents both buyers and sellers in the acquisition and disposition of high-end residential property.

Priya is active in a number of legal and community organizations including Covenant House, Executive Sleep Out Committee, Board of Directors of Recipe for Success, and the University of Chicago’s Houston Regional Council. She is also a member of the South Asian Bar Association of Houston, and The Junior League of Houston, Inc. and the Executive Women’s Partnership in Houston.

Priya is a graduate of the University of Chicago (Go Maroons) and holds a Masters in Public Policy from the London School of Economics, and a JD from Texas Tech University School of Law (Go Red Raiders).

In our conversation we discuss her decision to become a lawyer, how a clerkship changed her professional life even as a transactional lawyer, the unique parts (and not so unique parts) of real estate law, some of the suprising parts of her career, the super power of taking on opportunities to learn new things, where the practice of real estate law is going in the years to come, and more.

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In today’s episode I speak with Donald Sherman who is a government ethics and oversight lawyer who is currently the Senior Vice President & Chief Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, CREW (where, full disclosure, he works with my wife). In addition to his non-profit litigation experience at CREW, Donald has worked in all three branches of government. He served for a number of years as Senior Counsel to Ranking Member Senator Claire McCaskill on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Before that he was Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel for Oversight and Investigations in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). And before that he worked for Rep. Elijah Cummings, then-Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform including as Chief Oversight Counsel. He started his legal career as a law clerk Honorable Neil E. Kravitz of the District of Columbia Superior Court and worked in private practice at Crowell & Morning. Donald is a proud graduate of both Georgetown University and Georgetown Law (Go Hoyas).

In our conversation we discuss his decision to become a lawyer in elementary school, how crashing a wedding helped him get his first job in government oversight, the nuts and bolts of being an oversight and ethics lawyer on Capitol Hill and in the non-profit space, how the Hill and advocacy organizations interact when it comes to government oversight work, developing the skills of factual development and investigations, what constitutes success when advocating for major political change, the ways to transition from the private to the public sector, the superpower of being an effective generalist, and the role that people/kindness/relationships play in the life and career of a lawyer.

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In today’s episode I speak with Kevin Elliker who is currently Counsel at Hunton Andrews Kurth in Richmond, Virginia where he focuses on Appeals, Litigation and Investigations. Prior to rejoining the Firm in October 2022, Kevin spent three years in government service first as an Assistant United States Attorney in Richmond and most recently as an Investigative Counsel for the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. He also assisted in an independent review commissioned by the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, to examine the City’s response to protest events in the summer of 2017, resulting in a published report detailing the independent review’s findings.

Kevin started his law career as a clerk to Judge King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Judge Gibney on the Eastern District of Virginia. Prior to Law School at William & Mary (Go Tribe) where he graduated number 1 in his class, Kevin was a High School history and government teacher for two years. He is a graduate of James Madison University (Go Dukes). 

In our conversation we discuss his decision to pivot from teaching high school to the law; how his experience teaching helped him find success in law school; securing his two clerkships and what he learned from each, his time as a federal prosecutor and investigations attorney for the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol where he conducted more than 60 interviews and depositions, provided Congressional briefings, coordinated the presentation of evidence for televised hearings, and contributed to the Committee’s final report; why being a "Fourth Circuit Nerd" helped him get opportunities at his firm; his work in private practice; and more.  

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In today’s episode I am excited to speak with Dan Cotter. Dan is currently an attorney at Howard & Howard in Chicago where he represents businesses at many different stages in corporate and transactional matters. He has a particular emphasis on privacy and cybersecurity law. But over the course of his 25-plus years as a lawyer, Dan has had a varied and in his words "eclectic" practice having practiced in different areas and different settings including but not limited to litigation, in-house counsel, outside general counsel, and working on behalf of both for profit and non-profit entities. 

More than that, Dan has been active in the legal community including doing pro bono work and serving as a past president of the Chicago Bar (and a current Mediator for that group). He also hosts a podcast called Podium and Panel and he is a prolific writer, writing a regular column called Cotter’s Corner for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and a book titled the Chief Justices: The Seventeen Men of the Center Seat, Their Courts, and Their Times. 

Dan is a graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (Go Dragons) where he was a night student but still was an editor on the law review graduated number 1 in his class and Monmouth College where he played football and was a radio DJ among other accolades (Go Fighting Scots). He’s a longtime supporter of How I Lawyer and I am excited to get the chance to share his story.

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This episode is sponsored by LegalBoard, the computer keyboard designed by lawyers for lawyers. Listen to the episode for a 10% discount on the coolest (and most helpful) piece of legal computer hardware you can find.

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In today’s episode I am excited to speak with Brian Farkas. Brian is an Associate at Arent Fox Schiff in New York City where he handles complex commercial disputes in federal and state courts as well as in arbitrations and mediation proceedings. Before joining that firm Brian served as a law clerk to Judge Robert W. Lehrburger of the US District Court of SDNY and worked for six years at a midsize litigation firm in New York. He is deeply committed to teaching and training the next generation of lawyers. I am not sure how he has time for it all but he serves as an adjunct professor at Cardozo Law where he teaches arbitration and dispute resolution having won the Best Adjunct Professor Award several times as well as teaching mediation and negotiation at CUNY and Brooklyn Law. He is also an active member of the New York City Bar Association, where he serves on the Board of Directors and chairs the City Bar’s New Lawyer Institute, which offers career development programming and mentoring for law students and recent graduates.

He’s been named a Rising Star in Business Litigation for 8 years and He’s also active in the ABA and is a regular contributor to law reviews and legal trade publications. He is a graduate of Vassar where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees and Cardozo Law.

In our conversation we discuss his path from college journalist and student bar leader to lawyer, the real value of what a legal education provides, dealing with imposter syndrome as a junior lawyer (getting comfortable with being uncomfortable), his decision to be a mid-career judicial law clerk, not ignoring the downside risk of not making a change when assessing a new opportunity, the differences and similarities between litigation, mediation, and arbitration practices, why the best lawyers know how to read a room, learning how to be a "middle voice," rethinking of networking as friendship building, and more.

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In today’s episode I am excited to speak with John Strohmeyer. John is a Tax and Estate Planning Attorney in Houston, Texas. After working in several law firms, John started his own firm about five years ago where he helps clients through the maze of estate planning, tax, & probate law to help them leave No Unfinished Business® John is active in the tax and estate planning communities like the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, the International Tax Committee of the Tax Section of the Texas State Bar, and the ABA. He also is a regular speaker on these issues to individuals and lawyers alike. 

But more than just a lawyer, John is a thought leader for lawyers who want to run effective and client-centered law practice. His wonderful podcast, Five Star Counsel, which has more than one hundred episodes ask a provocative question question: "What would a law firm built by the founders of Disney, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Zappos look like.” In his podcast he draws on interviews and his own expertise in the law and almost three years as a customer service professional as the Night Manager at the Four Seasons in Austin, Texas before law school. 

In our conversation we discuss his path to law as a college Zoology major and hotel manager, what is unique about a tax and estates practice, the lessons that lawyers should take from high-end experiences like the Four Seasons (and why they not be the lessons they think they should take), knowing and sharing your value as a lawyer when helping clients solve problems, the benefits of a fixed fee practice, techniques for marketing and sales other than having the lowest price product, why his dogs are on the staff page of his website, and more.  

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In today’s special Panel Opinion episode of How I Lawyer produced with The Appellate Project I am excited to welcome four appellate lawyers who share their paths to becoming appellate lawyers and the tools they have learned for success along the way. 

I am excited to partner with the Appellate Project on this episode. TAP is a non-profit dedicated to diversifying the appellate bar and empowering law students of color to thrive in the appellate field. I previously spoke to TAP's Executive Director and Founder Juvaria Khan on Episode #10!

The episode features:

• Cristina Najarro (Deputy State Public Defender at  the Office of the State Public Defender in Oakland, California) 
• Mahogane Reed (Appellate Attorney at the U. S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.)
• Juan Perla (Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP in New York, NY)
• Ian Courts (Assistant District Attorney-Appeals Unit in Philadelphia, PA)

Learn more about The Appellate Project at http://www.theappellateproject.org. 

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