Latte With a Lawyer

Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer, the podcast for attorneys exploring the many paths to a successful legal career. This episode features Ben Hutman, a partner at Sadis & Goldberg, who shares his unconventional journey from being a Talmud teacher in Pittsburgh to a litigator at the heart of the 2008 financial crisis fallout. Ben recounts his time at Boies Schiller, working on multi-billion dollar residential mortgage-backed securities cases, and the moment he realized the Big Law life wasn't for him. Driven by a desire for better work-life balance and the chance to get real, hands-on courtroom experience, he made the pivotal decision to trade massive document reviews for a firm where he could argue before the Second Circuit just a few years out of law school.

Now thriving in a more agile environment, Ben details the niche he’s carved out in high-stakes "business divorce" litigation, where he champions the rights of oppressed minority investors against majority freeze-outs. He reveals the aggressive, plaintiff-focused strategies that define his practice, including his "bread and butter" of mastering discovery with a two-binder deposition system and using summary judgment motions to expose a case's weaknesses and drive settlement. Ben also discusses the professional pride of "making good law," pulling back the curtain on a key Second Circuit victory that clarified fraudulent inducement precedent, proving that the biggest impact isn't always tied to the biggest case value.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-hutman-6b0a6216/
FIRM Website: https://www.sadis.com/

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 lawyers exploring the cutting edge of legal practice. In this episode, Kyle Sciolaro, owner of BurnettDriskill, reveals the shocking tactics his firm uncovered to win disability claims against a stacked system. He details a years-long fight against a Social Security vendor, Midwest CES, that was fabricating medical reports—claiming clients could "button a shirt" or "grasp a doorknob" when the exam rooms didn't even have doorknobs. Kyle explains how his team compiled over 250 of these bogus reports to expose a pattern of indifference and force federal judges to take notice, a battle made necessary by the elimination of the "treating physician rule."

Kyle breaks down the high-stakes world of disability law, from need-based SSI claims paying just over $800 a month to complex ERISA cases governed by federal law. He explains why this unique administrative practice strips away leverage—with no jury trials and hearings lasting as little as 20 minutes—and how the only path to victory is through intense scrutiny of the administrative record. Kyle also shares his personal journey from a grueling but rewarding career in criminal defense to becoming the owner of a dedicated disability law firm, fighting for clients in a system where he says the outcome can have a "large, unfortunate element of randomness."

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-sciolaro-ba088018b/
FIRM Website: https://burnettdriskill.com/

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

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the dynamic podcast for attorneys tracking the industry’s boldest legal minds. In this episode, Parker Thoeni, a partner at the boutique firm Shawe & Rosenthal, explains why he finds the fast-paced world of restrictive covenant litigation 'invigorating.' Parker pulls back the curtain on the 'rush to the courthouse' to enforce non-competes and protect trade secrets like customer lists and pricing schedules, detailing how these high-stakes disputes are often resolved in just a few weeks. He also breaks down his journey from a math major to representing employers in complex wage and hour class actions and navigating the ever-changing landscape of remote work.

But it’s not all about fast-paced injunctions. Parker shares candid stories from the front lines of employment law, a practice he compares to 'walking down the hall of a high school' where every day brings a new drama. He discusses the stark contrast between expensive, years-long court battles and swift, one-day labor arbitrations, and explains why narrowly tailored non-competes are far more potent tools for management. Parker also reveals the personal inspiration behind his career—his grandmother, one of the first women to attend Duke Law—and offers his perspective on feeling 'invigorated, not drained' by his daily practice.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parker-thoeni-9240b6a/
FIRM Website: https://shawe.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 unique paths to success in the legal field. In this episode, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Steve Cernak, a 33-year veteran of antitrust law who spent 23 of those years as in-house counsel at General Motors. Steve pulls back the curtain on navigating high-stakes scenarios, from a potential GM-Chrysler merger to joint ventures with Toyota, and reveals how his current firm, Bona Law, operates as a fully-remote antitrust boutique, delivering Big Law experience at a fraction of the overhead.

Steve also shares his unconventional journey, from earning a JD and a Master's in Applied Economics in just three years to becoming the first lawyer in his family. As a long-time adjunct professor, he offers a candid comparison between theoretical top-tier law schools and those focused on practical application, emphasizing the crucial skill of being a “storyteller” to make complex business arguments resonate with a jury. Discover the mindset required to build a durable career in a highly specialized legal niche, from a lawyer who has seen it all from both inside the corporation and out.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-cernak-81124226/
FIRM Website: https://www.bonalaw.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 seeking an edge in their practice. This episode features Sevy Fisher of The Simon Law Group, a top trial lawyer whose path to the courtroom was anything but conventional. From leaving his strict LDS upbringing to selling used cars at age 14, Sevy explains how his unique background shapes his approach to high-stakes litigation. He reveals the inner workings of his firm's revolutionary structure, where a specialized five-person 'trial team' handles only trials and depositions, allowing lawyers to thrive in their strongest roles—a model that put Sevy in his first trial just 30 days after becoming an attorney.

Sevy pulls back the curtain on a career-defining case: an eight-year legal war that started with a bicyclist's spinal injury and ended with a stunning $17 million bad faith victory against an insurance company. He breaks down the strategy behind turning a disputed liability case into a massive verdict, and the gamble his firm took by fronting half a million dollars in costs to see it through. He also shares how his experience on the car lot taught him to disarm juror stereotypes and why his grandfather, a self-made car dealer, remains his biggest inspiration, teaching him the ultimate rule for life and law: just be a good person.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sevy-fisher-1068b543/
FIRM Website: https://www.thesimonlawgroup.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 who want to learn from the masters of the craft. In this episode, we sit down with veteran criminal defense lawyer Robert Udashen, who pulls back the curtain on a career-defining case that is now an HBO true-crime series. Robert shares the inside story of the Candy Montgomery trial, a sensational ax murder case where he helped secure a not-guilty verdict on the grounds of self-defense. He gives a behind-the-scenes look at consulting on the set of the upcoming series from David E. Kelley and Nicole Kidman, watching actors like Elizabeth Olsen reenact the trial he lived as a young lawyer.

But a career spanning 45 years is about more than just one high-profile case. Robert provides a masterclass in the realities of criminal defense, explaining why the deck is almost always stacked against the defendant. He reveals a shocking disadvantage Texas lawyers face—the inability to take depositions in criminal cases—and how prosecutors can use the grand jury as a 'free deposition' that the defense can't attend. From his early days representing inmates in Huntsville to his gratifying work with the Innocence Project exonerating six wrongly convicted clients, Robert offers a candid look at what it truly takes to fight for justice against overwhelming odds.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-udashen-99bb4919/
FIRM Website: https://www.udashenanton.com/

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

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the podcast for attorneys navigating the frontiers of law and business. In this episode, YK Law partner Kresimir Peharda shares how being forced to flee communist Yugoslavia as a child shaped his career as a dealmaker in the high-stakes worlds of cannabis and crypto. Kresimir explains why his family was blacklisted following the “Croatian Spring” political movement and how that experience informs his approach to navigating legally gray areas and building a practice that thrives on calculated risk, all while offering clients a flexible alternative to the rigid and costly Big Law model.

Kresimir pulls back the curtain on the unique challenges his clients face, breaking down why lenders often can't foreclose on a cannabis business, even with a UCC-1 filing in place. He reveals the “loan shark” interest rates that fuel the industry and discusses why federal legalization is inevitable, citing surprising commentary from Justice Clarence Thomas. Shifting to crypto, Kresimir diagnoses the current market chaos as a direct result of a regulatory vacuum where agency inaction created a playground for scammers. He also offers a candid take for this legal tech podcast on how new software can create an efficiency paradox that challenges the billable hour.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kresimirpeharda/
Firm Website: https://yklaw.us/

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 the intersection of high-stakes technology and intellectual property. This week, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with JD Harriman, a patent attorney whose work you’ve almost certainly used. From patenting Disney's FastPass system and early Laser Tag technology to drafting the first 20 patents for Pixar, JD shares his unlikely journey from a small Ohio mining town of 932 people to the forefront of Silicon Valley innovation. He reveals how a competitive pact with his identical twin brother led him to law school and how 40 rejections for corporate law jobs accidentally landed him in a career working with the world’s top inventors.

JD pulls back the curtain on his unique philosophy of drafting patents with the creativity of a storyteller, ensuring a jury of laypeople can grasp complex inventions—a skill so effective that marketing departments have used his patent language verbatim. He shares his "five questions" method for interviewing inventors, his firsthand impressions of working with Steve Jobs at both NeXT and Pixar, and the experience of translating the work of JPL's rocket scientists into defensible IP. Tune in to hear how a background in ceramic engineering became the perfect foundation for a career in the semiconductor age and how to write patents that are ready for trial from day one.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-harriman-15015094/
FIRM Website: https://foundationlaw.com/jd-harriman/

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 seeking an edge in litigation. In this episode, Las Vegas personal injury veteran Donald Kudler pulls back the curtain on a career built at the heart of one of America’s fastest-growing legal markets. Donald shares the incredible story of how he secured a $675,000 verdict in a case capped by policy limits, all because the opposing counsel made one fatal error: insulting an elderly juror. He breaks down how he navigates Nevada's unique short trial program and why his 30 years of experience in a bar that grew from 5,000 to over 13,000 attorneys gives him an unmatched feel for the jury.

But Donald Kudler's practice goes far beyond routine auto accidents. He reveals his new passion for representing veterans in VA benefits claims, with a special focus on fighting for victims of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) who were previously failed by the system. He also gives an inside look at a complex, multi-million dollar case involving electricians burned by an arc flash from a single misplaced screw, detailing the fight to prove long-term damages and PTSD. From his early career shift from an MBA in tech to law, to why he often trusts the jury to calculate damages without an 'ask,' this is a masterclass in strategic litigation from a lawyer who has truly seen it all.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldkudleresq/
FIRM Website: https://lasvegaspersonalinjuryexperts.com/

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 the journeys of the legal industry's most successful practitioners. In this episode, Annette Clark, a partner at Callahan, Thompson, Sherman & Caudill, shares her unconventional path from a 14-year career inside the insurance industry to suing carriers for bad faith. Annette pulls back the curtain on her recent victory in a grueling, four-week jury trial where she turned a case with small out-of-pocket damages into a million-dollar punitive damages award against a major insurance company.

Annette details the trial strategies that secured the win, from her first-ever mock trial—which proved invaluable for finding case weaknesses, not predicting damages—to her jury selection process guided by Keith Mitnick's book "Don't Eat the Bruises." She also discusses her journey from moving to California at 17, working her way through night law school while raising a child, and her passionate belief that attorneys can achieve partnership without succumbing to a burnout culture of 200-hour billing months. For anyone who ever thought it was too late to pursue a legal career, Annette’s advice is simple: "Do it."

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-clark-a341a478/
FIRM Website: https://ctsclaw.com/

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