Latte With a Lawyer

In this episode, Jacob interviews David Heemann of Heemann Law Group. They discuss insurance litigation and how winemaking makes you a better lawyer.

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

Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-heemann/

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Perrie Weiner is the Partner in Charge of Baker McKenzie's Los Angeles office. He speaks to us about securities litigation, complex business litigation, and what it's like running the office.

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

Connect with Perrie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrieweiner

Check out Baker McKenzie: https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en

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Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—an essential podcast for attorneys tracking the industry's most dynamic leaders. This week, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Perrie Weiner, the rock-and-roll drummer turned securities litigation powerhouse who runs Baker McKenzie's LA office. Perrie shares the incredible story of how a federal judge recruited him for a clerkship after seeing his band, 'The Libel and Slander Band,' play a charity gig. He details his journey from building a niche practice around 'death spiral' financing during the dot-com bust to growing Baker McKenzie's LA presence from just four to 37 lawyers in under two years.

But the story doesn't stop there. With Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) roaring back into the headlines, Perrie pulls back the curtain on his experience navigating the world of Chinese reverse mergers a decade ago—the very deals explored in the documentary 'The China Hustle.' He explains how today's billion-dollar SPAC market differs, with hundreds of millions in cash ready to deploy, and why US funds are once again looking to Asia for targets. From handling over 15 SEC investigations to building global practices at DLA Piper and Baker McKenzie, Perrie provides a masterclass in carving out an elite practice by taking the path less traveled.

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Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the dynamic podcast for attorneys exploring the business of law. In this episode, we sit down with Harlan Schillinger, a titan of legal marketing who has been shaping the industry since 1977. Harlan explains why he believes 95% of lawyer advertising is ineffective, derivative, and stuck in a rut of chasing low-value cases. He shares his foundational principle: 'talk to the public the way you would a jury.' Harlan pulls from a legendary career that started with shooting Irish Spring commercials to becoming one of the first to put lawyers on television, arguing that credibility—not hype—is the key to attracting a better class of case.

Harlan breaks down his 'you get what you ask for' philosophy, revealing how high-volume firms are plateauing because their messaging is designed to gather small cases. He shares the stunning example of a firm that pivoted its advertising to focus on high-value trucking cases and saw its revenue explode from $30 million to $135 million. As a co-creator of the intake and conversion tool Lead Docket, Harlan also dives into the technology of client acquisition and the hard truth that even the best trial lawyers can go bankrupt without sharp business sense. He offers a powerful reminder for every attorney to revisit the oath they took, framing it as the ultimate contract and roadmap for building a profitable, passion-driven practice.

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Harlan Schillinger joins Jacob Wells and discusses being the first in the Legal field to produce and market Television Advertising for the Legal community, and how he has seen marketing for the legal industry change during his 4-decade long career.

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

Connect with Harlan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harlanschillinger/

Check out Harlan's Legal Marketing Firm: https://www.harlanschillinger.com/

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Andrew Finkelstein joins Jacob Wells and explains how technology helps him manage and maintain 5 law firms.

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

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-g-...

Check out Andrew's Practice: https://www.lawampm.com/

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Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer, the podcast for attorneys exploring the business of law. In this episode, host Jonathan Brickman sits down with Andrew Finkelstein, the managing partner of five distinct law firms, to reveal the technological and strategic framework that allows him to operate them all as a single, cohesive powerhouse. Andrew recounts his journey as a legal tech pioneer, going paperless in 1995 and hiring programmers to build a proprietary case management system on an IBM mainframe—long before commercial software was available. He explains how this early investment in centralized technology became the engine for his empire, enabling him to acquire and integrate entire firms like Jacobia Myers.

Andrew also dives deep into the philosophies that drive his success, from his MBA-informed focus on service quality to his counterintuitive approach to trial preparation. He shares why most lawyers misunderstand what clients truly value and how he tests his own firm's culture of “caring, compassion, and concern” with regular client surveys. Andrew offers a masterclass in focus group strategy—explaining why you should want to lose and discover the “why” behind a juror’s thinking—and gives actionable advice on how studying behavioral economics and the emotional weight of words like “landlord” versus “slumlord” can give you a decisive edge in the courtroom.

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Welcome to Latte with a Lawyer, the podcast for attorneys exploring the industry’s most innovative minds. This episode features a fascinating career pivot from the newsroom to the courtroom with personal injury attorney Michael Rafi. Before founding his firm, Michael was an associate producer at Fox News, booking guests and producing segments in the middle of breaking global stories. He reveals why he left the world of 90-second news reports and moved into law to find real resolution for people, and how the skills he learned building trust on camera and cutting to the chase are now his secret weapons in client intake and discovery.

Michael pulls back the curtain on his ultra-modern practice, where he has traded formal communication policies for texting clients and managing case updates through Instagram DMs. He explains his strategy for capturing the attention of the “TikTok juror” by using dynamic visuals and introducing a new hook every 30 to 60 seconds during trial. Michael also offers a candid look into the modern battle for Electronically Stored Information (ESI), sharing his tactics for forcing corporate defendants and tech-resistant opposing counsel to produce the data that can make or break a case.

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

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

Michael Rafi joins Jacob Wells and talks about Fox News, problems and benefits that come with technological innovations, the future of law & more

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

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rafi-23190745

For more information on Rafi Law Firm :https://www.rafilawfirm.com/

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Welcome back to Latte with a Lawyer—the essential podcast for attorneys exploring unconventional paths to power and influence. In this episode, Howard Schweitzer, CEO of Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, reveals how he bypassed the traditional big law firm track to build an extraordinary career at the intersection of law, finance, and government. He shares how, as a young lawyer, he joined the Export-Import Bank and used hard work and common sense to quickly rise through the ranks, proving that the 'Rolls Royce' training of a major firm isn't the only route to success.

HHoward pulls back the curtain on one of modern history's most critical moments: the 2008 financial crisis. He details his experience moving to the Treasury Department to help Hank Paulson stand up the TARP bank bailout, offering a rare insider's perspective on the decisions that shaped our economy. He also provides a candid take on presidential politics, explaining why the Bush, Clinton, and Obama administrations were more similar than people think, and how his guiding philosophy—the 'Medici Effect'—emphasizes bringing diverse viewpoints together to make the most informed decisions, whether in business or on Capitol Hill.

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