Latte With a Lawyer

Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer—the podcast for lawyers exploring the mindsets of top legal practitioners. In this episode, host Jacob Wells sits down with Josh Curry, a partner and vice chair of the intellectual property and technology practice at Lewis-Brisboy. Josh demystifies the world of high-stakes patent litigation, explaining how his undergraduate physics degree provides a unique edge. He shares his philosophy of fearlessly diving into complex technologies—from mobile banking apps to consumer products—and why asking “stupid questions” is the smartest first step to mastering a case.

Josh pulls back the curtain on his most challenging cases, including a multi-defendant mobile banking patent battle against one of the nation's top plaintiff's attorneys. He also details the anatomy of a landmark appeal where he successfully reversed a rare summary judgment decision, getting his client's invalidated design patent reinstated by the Federal Circuit. Josh offers candid advice for younger attorneys, reframing the 'mundane' hours of document review as an opportunity to become invaluable and stressing the '50-to-1 rule'—the fifty hours of unseen preparation required for every single hour of courtroom glory.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeirwells/
FIRM Website: https://lewisbrisbois.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 lawyers tracking the industry's rising stars. In this episode, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Jordan Bledsoe, a commercial litigator at Stoel Rieves, who shares his unconventional journey to the courtroom. Jordan reveals why he abandoned a promising pre-dentistry track for law after realizing he needed a daily intellectual challenge that dentistry couldn't offer. He also pulls back the curtain on how running a window cleaning business in college taught him crucial lessons about client acquisition and the power of reputation that he now applies to the world of high-stakes business disputes.

Jordan offers a candid look inside his case files, recounting two vastly different but equally compelling matters. He details a complex arbitration where he helped expose a deceitful real estate partner who lied "through his teeth" to steal a lucrative deal, culminating in a gratifying "justice served" moment with a full punitive damages award. He then shares the deeply moving story of representing two young children orphaned after a semi-truck collision killed their parents. Jordan discusses navigating the legal system to facilitate their adoption and secure a major settlement against the trucking company, highlighting a rare opportunity to find profound meaning in his practice.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeirwells/
FIRM Website: https://www.stoel.com/

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

In this episode, Jacob Wells interviews Jordan Bledsoe of Stoel Rives. He discusses how his technique for finding clients in his window cleaning business, while growing up, helped him find clients as a Lawyer working in commercial litigation.

Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeirwells/
 
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbledsoe/

For more information on Stoel Rives: https://www.stoel.com/

Check out our Sponsor: https://emotiontrac.com/

Jacob Wells interviews Sydney Phillips of The Freedom Foundation. Sydney discusses her work with public sector employees, and how volunteering as an adult youth leader at her local church helps improve her interaction with clients.

Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeir...

Connect with Sydney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneypphillips

For more information on The Freedom Foundation: https://www.freedomfoundation.com/

Check out our Sponsor: https://emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the essential podcast for attorneys navigating the complex intersection of public service and individual rights. In this episode, we sit down with Sydney Phillips of the Freedom Foundation to discuss her fight for the First Amendment rights of public sector employees. Sydney shares the shocking story of a home healthcare provider who had her signature forged on a union membership card by a representative with an iPad, and how the Freedom Foundation stepped in to recover her stolen dues and fight for systemic change. She reveals the tactics used to coerce workers and outlines her mission to arm them with the knowledge to fight back.

The fight doesn't stop with individual cases. Sydney details her landmark 9-0 victory in the Washington State Supreme Court, a case that forced the University of Washington to open its servers and affirmed that employee emails on government systems are public records. She also breaks down her forward-thinking solutions to prevent future abuses, proposing a simple automated email confirmation—a small tech change that could protect thousands—and advocating for a 'Miranda Rights' level of awareness for union-related rights. Sydney offers a rare look into her personal development, explaining how volunteering as a youth group leader helps her master the crucial skill of switching between empathetic client support and zealous courtroom advocacy.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeir
FIRM Website: https://www.freedomfoundation.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 seeking to challenge the status quo. In this episode, Deborah Dixon, a managing partner at The Gomez Firm, shares the gripping story behind one of her most meaningful cases: representing a group of tenured female scientists in a landmark gender discrimination lawsuit. Deborah details how the case, which she describes as a "death by 1000 paper cuts," exposed years of systemic bias at a renowned research institute that tried to dismiss its top female talent as "the worst scientists we have." She unpacks how their fight sparked international outrage and led to institutional and national-level changes in how funding and resources are allocated.

Deborah connects this fight to the pervasive, often unconscious biases within the legal profession itself, from female attorneys being mistaken for the court reporter to the hidden inequities in case assignments. Drawing on her experience training male-dominated legal groups, she offers powerful, practical solutions to create more inclusive workplaces, like the "symphony solution" of blind resume reviews. Finally, Deborah shares her vision for the future of the legal industry, predicting a post-COVID power shift where more women feel empowered to leave big law firms, launch their own practices, and redefine what success looks like on their own terms.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeirwells
FIRM Website: https://www.thegomezfirm.com/

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

In this episode Jacob Wells interviews Deborah Dixon of Gomez Trial Attorneys. Deborah discusses using her power as an attorney to help support women's empowerment and not only move the legal industry forward, but affect change in an all encompassing way.

Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeir...

Connect with Deborah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-dixon-2a969220

For more information on Gomez Trial Attorneys :https://www.thegomezfirm.com/

Check out our Sponsor: https://emotiontrac.com/

Rebecca Horton of Polsinelli discusses how playing team sports helped her become a skilled intellectual property and technology attorney.

Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeirwells

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-horton-9525b722/de

For more information on Polsinelli:https://www.polsinelli.com/

Check out our Sponsor: https://emotiontrac.com/

Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—a leading podcast for attorneys exploring the mindsets of top legal professionals. In this episode, Rebecca Horton of Polsinelli shares the invaluable lessons she learned not in a classroom, but on the field as a Division 1 athlete. Rebecca reveals how a devastating, career-ending knee injury in her senior season forced her to pivot from team captain to assistant coach, teaching her how to lead from the sidelines—a skill she now uses to navigate the high-stakes world of intellectual property and technology litigation.

That competitive fire translated into a ferocious start to her legal career, where Rebecca racked up over 20 jury and court trials in her first two years as a government lawyer. She gives a masterclass in courtroom psychology, recounting how she handled an opposing counsel who refused to shake her hand and another who tried to use procedural tricks to exclude her client from the courtroom. Rebecca breaks down why these experiences taught her that success in trial isn't just about the substance of the case, but about anticipating and mastering the procedural mind games that can make or break a hearing.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeirwells
Firm Website: https://www.polsinelli.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 a creative edge. In this episode, insurance litigator David Heemann reveals how his passion for winemaking makes him a better lawyer. He explains that just as winemaking balances scientific data with the creative art of tasting the grapes, great lawyering blends rigid rules with innovative arguments. David shares how he got his start in forensics and as a claims adjuster, giving him a five-year head start on understanding the language of tort and contract law before his peers in law school even began.

David pulls back the curtain on the human dynamics of high-stakes litigation, recounting a product liability case where a judge ordered the lawyers to go to lunch while he personally spoke with the plaintiff to resolve the emotional issues stalling the settlement. This experience taught him that understanding the people involved is just as important as the facts of the case. David also offers a contrarian take on the insurance world, explaining why adjusters are often looking for coverage—not just reasons to deny a claim—and how technology is rapidly changing customer service, citing how he resolved a broken windshield claim in five minutes online without ever speaking to a person.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmeir
FIRM Website:

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