Emphasis Added

In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 5 hosts Jake Guarino and Harrison Little interview Alamdar Hamdani, the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, to discuss his story and his role as the chief federal law enforcement officer for one of the most populous federal districts in the nation.

USA Hamdani discusses how his early experience immigrating to the United States shaped his journey into the practice of law, the factors that led him to become a federal prosecutor, the experience navigating the nomination process, and the personal philosophy that guides him as he serves in a role of such critical importance.

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The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of law school. In this episode of the series, Season 5 hosts Jake Guarino and Harrison Little met with Kaileigh Mallin and Chandni Jaggi to break down the key dimensions of the 1L experience. Kaileigh currently serves as the Houston Law Review’s Editor in Chief and plans to practice litigation at Norton Rose Fulbright, and Chandni currently serves as the Houston Law Review’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Editor, and plans to practice litigation at Vinson & Elkins. Our guests provided their unique perspectives and insightful advice regarding class preparation, study habits, community involvement, and legal recruitment.

Season 5 Episode 2 Contents:

00:00 - Introduction
06:50 - Class Preparation
15:55 - Outlining
24:41 - Study Groups vs. Studying Alone
28:19 - Writing an Excellent Exam Answer
35:35 - Community Involvement
38:15 - Mentorship
42:10 - Litigation vs. Transactions
52:42 - Distinguishing Firms
1:02:43 - Conclusion

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In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 5 host Jake Guarino and Season 2 host Adri Langemeier moderate the Hispanic National Bar Association's "Power in Numbers" panel at the HNBA Region XII Annual Summit. Panelists Justice Amparro Guerra (Texas First Court of Appeals), Commissioner Leslie Briones (Harris County, Precinct 4), Alicia Castro (Partner at Locke Lord), and Maria Amelia Calaf (Partner at Botkin Chiarello Calaf) reflect on the impact, influence, and inclusion of the Latinx community on the legal profession. "Power in Numbers" refers to the panel's call to enhance Latinx representation in the legal field. The decorated panelists discuss how they have navigated challenges, leveraged resources, and created windows where doors were otherwise closed to them.

Season 5, Episode 1 Contents:

00:00 — Introduction
06:00 — Impact
12:00 — Mentors vs. Sponsors
12:00 — Staying and Succeeding in Law
22:00 — Path to Government Service
35:00 — Influence
37:00 — Community Outreach
43:00 — Getting Involved in Legal Community
52:00 — From Imposter to Incomparable
01:03:00 — Activating Personal Power

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In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 host Matt Chelf and incoming Season 5 host Harrison Little met with Martin Thomas, a civil litigator and the founder of the Law Offices of Martin Thomas, to discuss the challenges and the benefits of being a solo practitioner as well as the recent proliferation of artificial intelligence software. We discussed the circumstances that drove Martin’s decision to open his own practice, the process of learning to manage one’s own business, and the various ways in which artificial intelligence can (and can’t) be used to bolster one’s legal practice. 

Martin specializes in breach of contract matters, business litigation, and more. Visit his website at: https://www.martinthomaslaw.com/.

Season 4, Episode 11 Contents:

00:00 – Introduction

02:06 - Motivation and Preparation for Going Solo

06:57 - Learning to Operate a Business

21:20 - The Recent Proliferation of AI

23:31 - AI and Confidentiality Concerns

26:52 - AI and Concerns Regarding Job Security

32:58 - Conclusion

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In this episode of Emphasis Added, incoming Season 5 host Jake Guarino and Season 4 host Brock Jones met with Archie Fallon, Managing Partner of Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Houston office, to discuss developing legal and transactional trends in the energy transition space as the world marches toward its 2050 goal of net-zero carbon emissions. Archie serves as the Co-Chair of Willkie Farr’s Project Finance and Power & Renewable Energy Practice Groups, generally representing private equity funds and corporate clients in strategic energy and infrastructure transactions. Archie also serves as Chair of the Renewables Practice Committee at the Institute for Energy Law and as an advisory board member of Houston’s Renewable Energy Alliance. We discussed topics like Houston’s involvement in the energy transition, policy implications of clean energy adoption, and recent legislation affecting the energy industry. 

Season 4, Episode 10 Contents:

00:00 – Introduction
02:28 – Houston’s Renewable Energy Alliance
11:37 – The Energy Transition
18:04 – Transactional Trends with The Energy Transition
23:47 – Policy Considerations for Clean Energy
35:07 – ESG Regulations and Concerns
42:31 – Greenwashing
47:02 – Lawyers’ Involvement in The Energy Transition

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The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of law school. On this episode of the series, season 4 host Brock Jones is joined by Houston Law Review members Andrew Jacobs and Chandler Johnson as they discuss their experiences and advice on how to make the most of law school summer employment opportunities and ultimately choose a full-time position. Our guests provided a variety of information pertaining to big law firm employment and judicial clerkships, with Andrew planning to clerk for Judge Jeffrey Brown of the Southern District of Texas upon graduation before practicing litigation at Bracewell, and Chandler planning to practice transactional law at Latham & Watkins alongside Brock. Andrew, Chandler and Brock discuss the inside details of working at firms and courthouses over the summer while providing their own tips, tricks and advice along the way, from the differences in clerkship and summer associate positions, excelling on work assignments, balancing social events and more. 

Season 4, Episode 9 Contents:

00:00 – Introduction
03:38 – Clerkships v. Law Firm Positions
11:26 – Best Practices & Expectations for Work Assignments
24:50 – Maximizing In-Office Outings & After-Hour Socialization
33:40 – Evaluating an Employer

For more on the Houston Law Review, please visit houstonlawreview.org
Twitter | @HoustonLRev
Instagram | @HoustonLRev
Facebook | @HoustonLRev
LinkedIn | The Houston Law Review

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The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of law school. On this episode of the series, season 4 host Matt Chelf is joined by Houston Law Review members Olivia Wogon and JP Johanson as they discuss their experiences and advice on how to decide on a law school as an applicant and getting the most out of that school as a student. Our guests provided a variety of information pertaining to evaluating law schools and using school resources to achieve desirable employment, with the unique perspectives of both Olivia and JP moving to Houston from out of state and JP transferring to UHLC following his 1L year. Olivia, JP and Matt discuss how they landed in Houston while providing their own tips, tricks and advice along the way, from factors for considering schools, networking on campus and more. 

Season 4, Episode 8 Contents:

00:00 – Introduction
01:24 – Factors & Resources for Evaluating Law Schools
14:47  – Maximizing the Law School Experience
18:05 – Leveraging your Law School’s Strengths
20:45 – Advice to your “1L Self”

For more on the Houston Law Review, please visit houstonlawreview.org
Twitter | @HoustonLRev
Instagram | @HoustonLRev
Facebook | @HoustonLRev
LinkedIn | The Houston Law Review

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In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf spoke with  @The University of Houston Law Center  Professor  Kellen Zale  about Land Use issues currently affecting the City of Houston, including the I-45 freeway expansion project's community impacts and the difficulties surrounding new affordable housing projects. Professor Zale is an expert on Land Use, Local Government, Real Estate, and Property law, and has been published in the Stanford, Penn, and Harvard Environmental Law Reviews, amongst many others. 

Episode Contents:
00:00 - Introduction, Professor Kellen Zale
01:10 - What is Land Use?
02:05 - Houston and Zoning
05:40 - Historic Preservation Districts
09:48 - The North Houston Highway Improvement Project
19:40 - Affordable Housing
31:20 - Citizen Engagement

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In this episode, we're joined by University of Houston Law Center Assistant Dean for Career Development Tiffany Tucker to discuss best practices for students participating in legal recruitment through both on-campus and in-office interviewing processes. 

Dean Tucker joined the UHLC Career Development Office after practicing transactional intellectual property and general corporate law at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York. As a former professional development specialist, her work with UHLC now involves overseeing employer outreach and student career counseling, facilitating the Passport to Success Professional Development Program, managing recent graduate employment data collection and reporting, and providing one-on-one career counseling to alumni.

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The 27th Annual Frankel Lecture, sponsored by the Houston Law Review at the University of Houston Law Center, focused on the U.S. Supreme Court and explored possible gender bias applied in protecting legal rights. Professor Melissa Murray, a leading expert on constitutional law, reproductive rights and justice, discussed “The Jurisprudence of Masculinity” during the keynote.

Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network Faculty Director at the New York University School of Law. She focuses her research on the legal regulation of intimate life. Her publication “Cases on Reproductive Rights and Justice” is the first casebook covering reproductive rights and justice.

After law school, Murray clerked for Sonia Sotomayor, a then judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Stefan Underhill of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Murray is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Yale Law School.

Commentators for the lecture are:

Helen Alvaré, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Robert A. Levy Endowed Chair in Law and Liberty at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School; and 
Reva Siegel, Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

11:49 - Melissa Murray
41:03 - Reva Siegel
57:03 - Helen Alvaré
01:13:10 - Melissa Murray's response

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