Legal Speak – Details, episodes & analysis

Hold on to your hats - we've finally made it.  Welcome to the 400th Episode Spectacular - recorded live at the LegalWeek Leaders in Tech Law Awards show.

This year's LegalWeek conference, hosted by ALM Media and Law.com, was held in New York City from March 24th through March 27th.  More than 6,000 of the biggest names in the industry gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown for the four-day conference.  And yes ... Legal Speak was there conducting live interviews with some of the industry's biggest names - including this special celebratory show.

We put together an amazing lineup of six guests to commemorate this milestone.  Joining Patrick Smith and Cedra Mayfield were ALM Global CEO Bill Carter, Emily Lipincott, Senior Legal Futurist at Filevine and a Monica Bay Award Winner, Stephen Poor, Chair Emeritus at Seyfarth Shaw and a Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Gina Passarella, Senior Vice President of Content at ALM, Bridget McCormick, President and CEO of the American Arbitration Association, host of the AAAi podcast and a Monica Bay Women in Legal Tech Award Winner and Vanessa Blum Vice President of Legal Product Innovation at ALM.

Enjoy !!!

Hosts: Cedra Mayfield & Patrick Smith

Guests: Bill Carter, Emily Lipincott, Stephen Poor, Gina Passarella, Bridget McCormick & Vanessa Blum 

Producer: Charles Garnar

Just when you thought you couldn't get your fill of Legal Tech  ... we're back !!

This year's LegalWeek conference, hosted by ALM Media and Law.com, was held in New York City from March 24th through March 27th.  More than 6,000 of the biggest names in the industry gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown for the four-day conference.  And yes ... Legal Speak was there conducting live interviews with the best and brightest.

In this episode, hosts Patrick Smith and Cedra Mayfield sat down with Josh Upin, a partner at Royer Cooper Cohen & Braunfeld.

Hosts: Cedra Mayfield & Patrick Smith

Guest: Joshua Upin

Producer: Charles Garnar

In this week's Legal Speak episode, Patrick Smith talks with author and small-firm guru RJon Robbins about the history of law as a business, whether that has become more of a focus lately and whether, regardless of what attorneys say, the law has always been a business like any other.

In this week's Legal Speak episode, Judge Josh Thacker, who presides over the Spalding County State Court in west central Georgia, opens up about a tradition he engages in every Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day to help ensure he remains unbiased on the bench.

Mentoring. On a macro level, mentorship should be helpful in any profession, but when it comes to the legal arena, it is more critical than most. Attorneys stress being able to learn from those who came before, helping younger attorneys shape their lives and careers in a demanding environment.

Sue Light is a partner and co-head of the broker/dealer regulatory practice at Katten. An attorney with more than three decades of legal acumen, Light joined Katten five years ago after close to 30 years at the New York Stock Exchange Group, where she was held several senior leadership roles. It is also where she started mentoring younger attorneys decades ago. Light has continued those mentorship efforts at Katten, where she recently won the firm’s 2024 John P. Sieger Excellence in Mentoring Award, which is given annually by the firm to one attorney and one business professional. 

In an interview with Legal Speak's Patrick Smith, Light discusses the award itself, the motivations she has for spending her time and resources assisting others and why she feels mentorship is important.

In this week's Legal Speak episode, Dan Wolfe, the senior director of jury consulting at Magna Legal Services in Chicago, Illinois, teamed with Philly-based litigation reporter Aleeza Furman of The Legal Intelligencer to test out how the firm develops prospective juror profiles.

It has returned!  More than just a legal event, the General Counsel Conference East empowers today’s legal leaders for growth, innovation, and excellence. Designed specifically for general counsel, legal executives, and industry professionals, the GCC East is the premier gathering that offers unique opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development.  With a description like that, how could Legal Speak not be there doing live episodes … especially when it’s right up the street from the home office at the luxurious Mariott Marquis in Times Square, New York.  In this episode, host Patrick Smith sat down with Eric Wall, the Executive Vice President at Syllo.

It has returned!  More than just a legal event, the General Counsel Conference East empowers today’s legal leaders for growth, innovation, and excellence. Designed specifically for general counsel, legal executives, and industry professionals, the GCC East is the premier gathering that offers unique opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development.  With a description like that, how could Legal Speak not be there doing live episodes … especially when it’s right up the street from the home office at the luxurious Mariott Marquis in Times Square, New York.  In this episode, host Patrick Smith sat down with Katie Dugan, the VP of Global Labor and Employment at Match Group and Carol Goodman, a Partner, Co-Chair of Litigation and Chair of Employment at Herrick

It has returned!  More than just a legal event, the General Counsel Conference East empowers today’s legal leaders for growth, innovation, and excellence. Designed specifically for general counsel, legal executives, and industry professionals, the GCC East is the premier gathering that offers unique opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development.  With a description like that, how could Legal Speak not be there doing live episodes … especially when it’s right up the street from the home office at the luxurious Mariott Marquis in Times Square, New York.  In this episode, host Patrick Smith sat down with Virginia Griffith, the Director of Business Development for OutsideGC,

It has returned!  More than just a legal event, the General Counsel Conference East empowers today’s legal leaders for growth, innovation, and excellence. Designed specifically for general counsel, legal executives, and industry professionals, the GCC East is the premier gathering that offers unique opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development.  With a description like that, how could Legal Speak not be there doing live episodes … especially when it’s right up the street from the home office at the luxurious Mariott Marquis in Times Square, New York.  In this episode, host Patrick Smith sat down with Bill Tanenbaum, Chair of AI & Data Law Practice at Moses & Singer LLP.