Daily Matters: The changing face of the legal industry

In this episode of Daily Matters, Clio CEO Jack Newton is joined by NYT bestselling author and criminal justice reform advocate Shaka Senghor for a riveting discussion about lessons he’s learned about surviving isolation, the healing power of writing, the value of courage, mindfulness and self-awareness, and his efforts to protect prison populations through the COVID-19 crisis with the REFORM Alliance.

Shaka Senghor is the President of Shaka Senghor, Inc. His memoir, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison, debuted on The New York Times and The Washington Post Best Seller Lists.

Shaka is a former MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow and a former Fellow in the inaugural class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network. His 2014 TED Talk was featured in their “Year in Ideas” roundup and has over 1.6 million views.

Shaka is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2012 Black Male Engagement (BMe) Leadership Award, the 2015 Manchester University Innovator of the Year Award, the 2016 FORD Man of Courage Award, and the 2016 NAACP Great Expectations Award. He was recently recognized by OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) as a “Soul Igniter” in the inaugural class of the SuperSoul 100. He has taught at the University of Michigan and shares his story of redemption around the world.

Today, Shaka’s priority is shifting societal narratives through storytelling and developing workshops with high entertainment value and deep social impact. Transcending industries, Shaka Senghor, builds and executes global strategies, develops thought focused leadership and cultural campaigns as a consultant for businesses and non-profit organizations internationally.

For our tenth episode, Clio CEO Jack Newton is joined by Heidi Alexander, Director of Lawyer Well-Being for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. During the episode, Heidi and Jack discuss how COVID-19 is affecting Massachusetts, the challenges facing legal professionals (particularly solo and small firm attorneys), Heidi’s advice for maintaining mental and physical wellbeing during this crisis, how to recognize wellness red flags in yourself and others, and resources available for legal professionals who need help.

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In Episode 9 of Daily Matters, we’re joined by Katy Goshtasbi of Puris Consulting to discuss the importance of mindset in a crisis, how to reframe the challenges in a crisis as opportunity, lessons she learned in childhood adversity, building a brand through vulnerability, and lawyers can connect authentically with their clients (and themselves).

CEO of Puris Consulting, Katy Goshtasbi is an accomplished securities lawyer, author, and keynote speaker, and she is the immediate past-chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Practice Division. She was integral in the creation, development, and implementation of the Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD) while an attorney at the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). While at the SEC, Katy was also integral in drafting and implementing many of the Sarbanes Oxley rulemakings as a result of post-Enron regulatory changes in the financial services industry, for which she received a commendation and award from the SEC Investment Management director.

Episode 8 of Daily Matters features Jason Morris of Round Table Law, a solo practice he operates remotely out of his home in Alberta, Canada. During the episode, Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton interviews Jason about how he’s balancing the needs of his practice, his clients, and his family in this new COVID-19 reality. Jason also shares some of his favorite tech tools that are helping his firm run smoothly remotely, his advice for lawyers who are making the transition to cloud-based systems for the first time, and how Dungeons and Dragons has an edge when it comes to the move to remote management.

In Episode 7 of the podcast, Jack Newton welcomes Mike Whelan, Founder and CEO of Lawyer Forward, to talk in-depth about the very real difficulties people are facing as a result of COVID-19. During the episode, Mike shares what he’s going through, why he’s particularly concerned about solo lawyers (especially those who are introverted by nature), what strategies can help lawyers be leaders during this time, and what’s next for the legal profession.

Mike Whelan, Founder and CEO of Lawyer Forward, has worked in logistics, solo law practice, and legal media. He teaches about the overlaps between those activities and what they mean for attorneys and the companies that aim to serve them. Through his speaking, consulting, and writing, Mike aims to improve the lives of solo attorneys. The legal industry has many well-documented struggles. If we can harness the minds and compassion of solos—roughly half of the profession—we can have real impact on an array of social issues, including access to justice. That is Mike’s mission.

In Episode 6, attorney, blogger, and legal technology expert Dan Lear joins Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton on the Daily Matters podcast. As the Chief Instigator at Right Brain Law, Dan speaks with Jack about the biggest challenges and opportunities for law firms during this pandemic, the chaos of working from home with kids, as well as some of the permanent shifts Dan expects to see in the future of legal.

In Episode 5 of the Daily Matters podcast, Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton is joined by Mike Semanchik, Managing Attorney of the California Innocence Project, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 to law schools and legal clinics, how the California Innocence Project is still pursuing criminal justice reform remotely, and how coronavirus is affecting vulnerable prison populations.

In this episode of the Daily Matters podcast, legal analyst, consultant, and Law21 blog founder Jordan Furlong joins Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton for a discussion about the ways that the COVID-19 crisis is affecting the legal industry.

Jack asks Jordan to share his experience and perspective about this unique moment in legal history, to anticipate some of the short-term and long-term impacts the coronavirus will have on law firms and legal organizations, and to suggest what law firms need to focus on in the moment.

In Episode 3 of the Daily Matters podcast, Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton chats with Patrick Palace, Owner of Palace Law LLP, about his experiences with COVID-19 in Washington State, the first US state to be hit hard by this pandemic.

During the conversation, Jack and Patrick discuss how the coronavirus has affected Palace Law’s operations, how they were able to transition to remote work, the impact of COVID-19 on Worker's Compensation and the techniques Patrick is using to keep himself and his practice going during this challenging time.

In Episode 2 of the Daily Matters podcast, Clio CEO and Co-founder Jack Newton interviews Erin Levine, founder of both a law firm and a startup—Levine Family Law Group and Hello Divorce, respectively—about how she is navigating the COVID-19 crisis, and what other legal professionals can do during this time.

During the conversation, Jack and Erin talk about adapting to the new reality of legal practice during a pandemic, how cloud-based technology is helping Erin and her teams operate remotely, and what sorts of new needs clients now have that lawyers must work to address.