Latte With a Lawyer

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—a leading podcast for attorneys exploring winning strategies from across the legal industry. In this episode, Andrew Watto of McEldrew Purtell shares his unique perspective on nursing home litigation, built from a rare career trifecta: claims adjuster, defense attorney, and now, plaintiff's counsel. Andrew pulls no punches, explaining how he targets the for-profit business model that incentivizes understaffing, directly linking corporate greed to catastrophic outcomes like falls, infections, and fatal bedsores. He details how this focused approach fuels his practice and contributes to his firm's nationally recognized work in civil rights and catastrophic injury.

The conversation turns tactical as Andrew reveals how to maximize case value in a state like Pennsylvania, where attorneys can't request a specific damages amount from the jury. His counter-intuitive strategy? Instead of focusing on the loss, he uses experts to prove the millions of dollars a facility *saved* by cutting staff, putting a powerful number in front of the jury without breaking the rules. Andrew explains why the threat of punitive damages is the ultimate leverage in settlement talks and why telling a simple, human story of neglect is far more effective than getting lost in complex medical charts.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-watto-1078981/
FIRM Website: https://www.mceldrewpurtell.com/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the essential podcast for lawyers seeking an edge in their practice. In this episode, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Matt Clark, the fourth-generation managing partner of the nearly 90-year-old firm, Chain Cohn Clark. Matt shares his unlikely journey from Hollywood film school to leading a legacy PI practice, a path he chose only after scoring slightly better on the LSAT than the GMAT with zero prep. He explains how that "accidental" career choice was the perfect fit, revealing how he leverages a filmmaker's production skills and storytelling instincts to win complex cases.

Matt pulls back the curtain on his firm's dominance in Bakersfield, California, detailing their specialized practice in high-stakes oil & gas and agricultural injury litigation. He discusses how serving a majority-Latino community is central to their mission and explains his passionate belief that law schools should require a one-year apprenticeship. From his meticulous, self-plumbed Slayer espresso setup to his experience learning from trial legends like Gary Dordick, Matt reveals the obsessive mindset and commitment to craft required to take a historic firm into its next generation of success.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-clark-5676541a/&nbsp
FIRM Website: https://www.chainlaw.com/&nbsp

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer—the dynamic podcast for attorneys tracking the industry’s boldest legal disruptors. This episode features Michael Jeandron, a trial lawyer whose career was launched after being fired from the DA's office when his boss lost an election. Michael shares how that political ousting pushed him into private practice, where he built a low-volume, high-impact firm focused exclusively on catastrophic injury and wrongful death. He reveals his simple but powerful success formula: outworking everyone, even if it means reading a deposition four times to master every detail before trial.

Michael pulls back the curtain on the harsh realities of PI law, including how to handle a case where a drunk driver with a $15,000 policy maims your client. He provides a masterclass on finding hidden value, explaining how to spot third-party liability in what looks like a simple workers' comp case—like when a subcontractor drops a brick on another worker. He also breaks down his counterintuitive trial strategy for mild traumatic brain injuries, detailing why he often waives medical bills entirely to avoid a low anchor and instead focuses the jury on the immense human damages.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-jeandron-a3a95327/
FIRM Website: https://www.robertslawfirm.net/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer, the essential podcast for attorneys who thrive on challenging the status quo. In this episode, Becki Young, a founding partner of the woman-owned firm Grossman, Young & Hammond, reveals her playbook for winning the "impossible" immigration cases that other lawyers turn away. Becki shares how her firm found the "gumption" to sue the federal government multiple times after navigating an era of "regulating by tweet," where policy changed daily. She explains how this chaotic period, while challenging, ultimately sharpened her team's legal skills and solidified their reputation for handling the most complex immigration matters.

Becki also dives into the unique niche she has carved out in hospitality immigration, helping hotels, restaurants, and country clubs navigate staffing shortages by sponsoring visas for overseas workers. She charts her unconventional path to law—from studying Japanese and teaching in Japan to discovering her passion for immigration law as a paralegal after finding international trade work "tedious." Becki also gives a fascinating look into the world of immigrant investor visas, explaining how capital from China and other countries has funded major D.C. development projects like the Southwest Waterfront, showcasing another complex area her firm expertly navigates.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blyimmigration/
FIRM Website: https://www.grossmanyoung.com/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer, an essential podcast for attorneys navigating the high-stakes world of professional liability. This week, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Douglas Chandler, the lawyer other lawyers call when their careers are on the line. A former Naval officer, Douglas has built a unique practice at Chandler Law focused exclusively on lawyer issues, from defending malpractice claims to advising on ethics. He explains the fascinating 'case within the case' dynamic of his work, which requires mastering everything from complex tax law to personal injury, and shares the startling statistic that roughly 4% of attorneys will face a claim or grievance each year.

Douglas pulls back the curtain on his most memorable cases, including a seven-year litigation battle that resulted in a landmark Georgia Supreme Court decision expanding the waiver of attorney-client privilege and ended with a seven-figure recovery. He also details the anatomy of a massive malpractice claim involving a missed IPO with potential damages soaring to $255 million. Beyond the war stories, Douglas offers critical advice for any lawyer who receives a claim: don't panic, don't handle it yourself, and get experienced counsel on your side before emotions lead to a costly mistake.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasvchandler
FIRM Website: https://chandler-law.net/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—a leading podcast for attorneys exploring unique and profitable legal niches. In this episode, Jason Neufeld of Elder Needs Law reveals the "big secret" of Medicaid planning that most lawyers don't know exists. He explains how he helps middle-class families—those with hundreds of thousands of dollars, not just the indigent—legally and ethically protect their life savings to qualify for long-term care benefits. Jason details his journey from personal injury litigation to this specialized practice, where he serves the clients he calls "everyone in the middle who's getting the short end of the stick."

Jason pulls back the curtain on the costliest myths that cause families to needlessly spend down their assets, including the false belief that you must sell the primary residence to qualify for Medicaid. He clarifies the real rule behind the infamous "five-year look-back period" and explains how his strategies avoid triggering gift penalties. Using his analogy of the work being a "puzzle," Jason shares how he develops tailored solutions for each client and gives a look into his role teaching other lawyers as a board member for the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elder-law-attorney/
FIRM Website: https://www.elderneedslaw.com/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—an essential podcast for attorneys exploring unique paths to success. In this episode, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Tim Oppelt, a partner at the boutique firm SW&M, who has built an incredible career in a fascinating niche: transactional law for credit unions. Tim explains why he acts as a "psychologist for CEOs," guiding leaders of these member-owned financial institutions through complex business decisions with comfort in ambiguity. He reveals how his 15-lawyer firm came to represent 20% of credit union assets over a billion dollars nationwide by being the biggest and best in their highly specialized pond.

But a quiet transactional practice doesn't mean a lack of drama. Tim shares gripping stories from his 16 years at the firm, from his "trial by fire" navigating the 2008 financial crisis right out of law school to the year-long, cross-country hunt for a missing Lamborghini Murciélago. He also gives a behind-the-scenes look at managing a chaotic 150-person recall meeting after a few "Occupy Wall Street guys" attempted a boardroom takeover of a client. Tune in to hear why one of the most successful lawyers in his field has no desire to be Perry Mason and believes true success is found far from any courtroom.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timoppelt/
FIRM Website: https://swmllp.com/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer, the essential podcast for attorneys exploring the intersection of law and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Richard Gearhart, founder of Gearhart Law, shares the inside story of his firm's David-versus-Goliath trademark battle against Duracell. Richard breaks down how his client, a vaping company, is taking on the battery giant over the identical brand name "Optimum" in a high-stakes infringement case. He reveals his strategy for litigating against a corporate behemoth and explains why he loves the passionate, high-energy world of protecting intellectual property for startups.

But Richard's expertise extends far beyond the courtroom. He pulls back the curtain on his unique journey, from heading up IP for Novartis Pharmaceuticals to launching his own successful radio show, "Passage to Profit," which reaches over 120,000 listeners weekly. Richard offers a masterclass in advising early-stage companies, detailing how he helped guide a cancer-treatment startup, Forma Therapeutics, from its early days to a major acquisition by Novo Nordisk. He also shares his contrarian—and critical—advice for why lawyers should almost never take equity from the startups they represent, arguing for a model that preserves both the client's and the firm's best interests.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-gearhart-7896aa2/
FIRM Website: https://www.gearhartlaw.com

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the essential podcast for attorneys looking for a competitive edge. This episode features Bernard Williams, a former Big Law litigator who traded the courtroom for entrepreneurship, only to have his business crushed by the 2008 recession. Bernard explains how that failure gave him the ultimate client perspective, revealing a massive gap in the market between unreliable Facebook advice and unaffordable corporate firms. He shares how he used that insight to build Company Counsel, a fractional general counsel practice designed to keep small businesses in “growth mode” and out of “trouble mode” using predictable, flat-fee pricing.

Bernard pulls back the curtain on how his nine years as a commercial litigator now serve as his greatest asset, allowing him to view client issues through a preventative lens and anticipate problems before they escalate into resource-draining disputes. He discusses the critical mistake most entrepreneurs make—waiting too long to get legal involved—and details how his “small and mighty” six-attorney firm uses technology and automation for contract review to deliver efficient, proactive counsel. It’s a masterclass in turning a career setback into a strategic advantage and building a law firm that truly plays to win.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardawilliams/
FIRM Website: https://companycounsel.law/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the essential podcast for attorneys looking for an edge in the business of law. In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Comer, a corporate lawyer and self-proclaimed "deal junkie" who thrives on the high-stakes, fast-moving world of small and mid-market M&A. Andrew pulls back the curtain on the post-COVID deal landscape, explaining why the market has shifted from sexy tech deals to stable, cash-flow-positive businesses like manufacturing and landscaping. He shares war stories from the trenches, including closing a software company "fire sale" in just four days, and reveals what it takes to guide entrepreneurs through the biggest transactions of their lives.

Andrew also breaks down the most common sticking points that can derail a deal, from navigating contentious "earn-out" clauses to managing the human element of blending company cultures. He provides a candid look into the unique legal challenges of the cannabis industry, where consolidation is rampant but federal illegality creates "ridiculous headaches" like the inability to secure a trademark for a brand. From his early career pivot away from environmental law to his advice for aspiring lawyers to be "all in," Andrew delivers a masterclass in building a dynamic transactional practice.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-comer-815617b/
FIRM Website: https://www.fortislawpartners.com/

Learn more about EmotionTrac and our AI-driven Emotional Intelligence Platform: https://legal.emotiontrac.com/