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.

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.

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.

Want to Support the Podcast in 2 minutes or less?

Leave a ⁠Review⁠ (this helps the algorithm connect me to new listeners)

Follow on LinkedIn

Subscribe on ⁠iTunes⁠ or ⁠Spotify