Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Following their keynote panel, Laurence Colletti sits down with Jazz Hampton, Erin Levine, Kimberly Bennett, and Jack Newton to hear their thoughts on the current state of technology in legal practice. They talk about dealing with fast-paced change, the pursuit of vision in the face of adversity, and engaging with technology to craft a better future.Jazz Hampton is CEO and general counsel at TurnSignl.Erin Levine is a certified family law specialist, owner of Levine Family Law Group, and founder of Hello Divorce.Kimberly Bennett is the Co-Founder of Fidu, a client experience platform.Jack Newton is the CEO and co-founder of Clio, a pioneer in cloud-based legal technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio starting a fire which spewed toxic fumes into the air, driving surrounding residents out of their homes. Since then, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a legally binding notice ordering Norfolk Southern to handle and pay for all necessary cleanup after this freight train derailment led to an intentional release of vinyl chloride.So what could be the long-term impact on residents? What about the air, soil, and water? And what needs to change in our laws to prevent another environmental disaster like this from happening again on our railroads? In this episode, host Craig Williams joins guest David Raack to discuss the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and the potential environmental legal issues that could stem from this disaster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard? We released a new edition of our book! Our goal has always been to help lawyers better manage their firms. Now we have new strategies and stories to help in that journey. Today Jennifer sits down with co-authors of The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited, Aaron & Stephanie. They dive into the reframing they have done since writing the first edition and the major differences in our new book. Links from the episode: https://lawyerist.com/book/ If today’s podcast resonates with you and you haven’t read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? Check out our coaching community to see if it’s right for you. Thanks to Posh Virtual Receptionists, Clio, & Gavel for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And Sidney Powell drew the judge she needed at the right time.It may tickle the search engine algorithms, but the phrase "quiet quitting" seems out of place among lawyers. A firm sued one of its former attorneys for "quiet quitting" on them and now she's hired Wigdor to countersue, which is about as loud as lawyers can get. Meanwhile, the Texas judge hearing the state bar's complaint against Sidney Powell was a tad too quiet with a sparse summary judgment order kicking the case citing confusion about exhibit numbering. Finally, Wikipedia tried to stand up for the Constitution... the federal government told it to sit down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve made a timely request for public governmental records but all you get are excuses. Under the law, you have to prove the delay is knowing and purposeful. How do you prove it and whom do you sue? Find out in our in-depth conversation about handling violations of your state’s Sunshine Laws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wouldn’t you love to know what jurors are thinking about your case? Focus groups provide valuable insights into case strategy and potential damages issues. They can also reveal issues you never considered or indicate where clarification or visuals might be needed to help the jury understand complex information. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of online and in-person focus groups, how to prep and present the case, and what you can learn from your results in Part One of our intro to focus groups for trial attorneys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hanging up a shingle takes more than a law degree. Today’s legal tech and software helps solo and small practices be more productive and organized than ever. “Good enough” isn’t good enough. Know what you need, and get it!Adriana runs through the tech foundation of a successful firm: from the computers to the office software to the case management software and add-ons that can streamline your practice and better serve your clients.Adriana names names, provides recommendations, and answers the questions she hears from clients regularly. This is the personal consultation you have wanted … for free!Got questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at NewSolo@legaltalknetwork.comTopics: PC or Mac? Does it matter? Office management tools? Make sure everything integrates, from your accounting software (hint, most accountants use QuickBooks) to your PDF creation tools. Don’t be cheap! Case management tools and “add-ons” save time and organize your practice. And when it comes to labeling files, don’t be clever, be clear and concise. You have 256 characters to name a document, use them all so you can share work. Mentioned in This Episode: Microsoft Office 365 Google Workspace Adobe Acrobat Pro QuickBooks Clio Clio Integrations ABA Legal Technology Resource Center Mycase Rocket Matter CosmoLex Zolasuite Actionstep Centerbase Microsoft OneDrive Dropbox Loom.com Law Firm Autopilot Netdocuments Fastcase Casetext Textexpander.com TextexpanderforLawyers Vonage Nextiva Dialpad RingCentral Ruby Abby Connect Smith.ai Back Office Betties New Solo Back Episode Library A Listener’s Guide to the New Solo Back Catalog Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suffolk Law Professor Quinten Steenhuis discusses his team’s successful collaboration with legal aid orgs to use technology to scale help for the courtformsonline.org project and the potential to use tech to extend the reach of legal services.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should reparations be given, and if so, who should get reparations and what form should they take? These are questions the U.S. has been pondering since General Sherman made the largely unanswered call for 40 acres and mule to be allotted to emancipated slaves during the Civil War. In this episode, hosts Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Jennifer Byrne are joined by the Mayor of the City of Evanston, Illinois, Daniel Biss, to discuss how Evanston has sought to implement the country’s first-of-its-kind reparations program, which seeks to distribute reparations to Black residents who were impacted by the city’s historical housing discrimination using revenue from cannabis taxation. Mayor Biss discusses the challenges the program has raised and how it may serve as a model for other U.S. cities looking to implement similar programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode’s discussion around the Community Table:  Is hiring a temp I’ve already worked with previously a mistake? “It’s not personal,” it’s personnel. I need a body, even if s/he won’t stay with me. Is this reasonable? Sometimes, a contractor (even one you already know and know won’t stay with you) is the answer. Mr. Right vs. Mr. Right Now. How do you test the “seriousness” of a job candidate? Are you dealing with a real job candidate or just a person out fishing and wasting your time? Or is this 007 work from a competitor checking you out? Should I be overlapping an exiting employee with their replacement?  Trying to squeeze out a bad employee while simultaneously onboarding a good employee – can this be done? And will keeping a less-than-perfect employee onboard, while offboarding and bringing in a new person, help? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices