On the Law Practice podcast, host Terrell interviews career coach and former attorney Dena Lefkowitz about navigating a legal career without burning out. Dena shares how, after over 20 years practicing law, she realized law school didn’t prepare lawyers for the business of law—networking, marketing, and sales—and that lawyers themselves must generate business. She describes feeling embarrassed after discovering that litigation was a poor fit for her personality and values, and warns against “doubling down” on past decisions when a role harms your health or life. Dena explains using values and the five-factor personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extroversion/introversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) to evaluate fit, and discusses finding outlets or pivots when misaligned. She recounts a back injury that prompted a change to in-house counsel work aligned with her values, and highlights her book, "Winning in Your Own Court."

00:00 Lawyers Are Miserable
00:12 Podcast Intro Disclaimer
00:50 Meet Dena Lefkowitz
01:33 Two Things Law School Missed
02:23 Wrong Practice Area Realization
04:20 Embarrassment And Sunk Costs
06:17 Trapped By Lifestyle Choices
07:50 Values Driven Career Pivot
08:50 Big Five Personality Factors
10:32 Misalignment And Mental Health
13:00 Injury Forced A Change
14:24 Book Title And Key Laws
15:44 How To Contact Dena
16:15 Final Thanks And Outro

Live at the ABA TECHSHOW, host Terrell interviews Jay McAllister of Paragon Tech about how law firms should evaluate legal technology, especially AI, with a skeptical, results-driven approach. Jay explains that marketing hype often overstates capabilities, using software “integrations” as an example, where firms must check whether syncing is unidirectional or bidirectional. He ties vendor due diligence to lawyers’ duty of competence, urging firms to understand the benefits and risks of new tech and to ask what large language model powers a tool and, more importantly, what primary legal data sources it uses to reduce hallucinations. Jay describes Paragon’s “Leverage AI” framework, starting with identifying a firm’s limiting operational constraint, and shares a case where a custom GPT cut discovery chronology work from over an hour to five minutes with human verification.

00:00 Live From TECHSHOW
00:20 Meet Jay And Paragon
00:58 Why Stay Skeptical
01:24 Integration Claims Explained
02:57 Vendor Due Diligence
03:35 Ai Model Hype Check
05:59 Ask About Data Sources
08:45 Leverage AI Framework
09:14 Case Study Discovery Timeline
10:49 Human In The Loop
11:51 Pick The Right Tool
12:50 Show Floor Wrap Up
13:36 Closing Thanks

In this episode of the Law Practice Podcast, the host interviews Shawn L. Holahan about disaster planning for law firms, drawing on her experience as a New Orleans litigator displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Holahan explains how a simple laminated wallet card with key phone numbers helped him reconnect with her firm when power and communications failed, underscoring that low-tech tools can be critical when “the power’s out.” She outlines a practical disaster recovery approach centered on a low-tech critical information binder containing family and staff contact details, bank account information, and password references listed in a non-identifying way, plus guidance on posting calm, redundant client-facing messages with updated contact information. Holahan emphasizes that lawyers’ ethical obligations to clients are not suspended during disasters, and encourages broadening the definition of “disaster” beyond hurricanes.

00:00 Low Tech After Disaster
00:20 Meet Shawn L. Holahan
00:39 Katrina Changed Everything
01:34 The Laminated Card Lesson
03:20 Critical Info Binder Basics
04:26 Ethics Don't Pause
06:53 Client Communication Playbook
08:12 Why Attend TECHSHOW
09:37 Closing Thanks

In this episode of the Law Practice podcast, Terrell interviews Catherine Sanders Reach, a co-author of an ABA book on design thinking, about what it’s like to write and publish with the ABA. Catherine explains how the project began at ABA TECHSHOW, became a collaborative effort with multiple authors, and was assembled into a practical guide featuring real attorney stories and worksheets. She shares her writing workflow—outlining and research first, removing distractions by turning off email and phone, using music to focus, and relying on deadlines for motivation—plus tips on choosing the best time of day to work. Catherine describes the iterative editing process, including peer review, handling critical feedback, and refining organization to match how readers learn. She outlines a typical timeline of about a year and discusses her recent 900-page managing editor project and interest in a future book on project management for lawyers.

00:00 Focus Rituals
00:17 Podcast Intro Disclaimer
00:56 Meet Catherine Sanders Reach
01:15 Design Thinking Book Origin
02:44 Writing Workflow
04:03 Music For Focus
04:49 Editing And Peer Review
06:20 Feedback And Structure
09:00 Book Timeline And Delays
10:17 Future Book Ideas
11:19 Wrap Up And Publishing Tips
12:24 Outro And Subscribe

Live from ABA TECHSHOW 2026, the Law Practice podcast shares three perspectives on Jordan Furlong’s day-one keynote. Alan Klevan calls the talk motivating and terrifying, emphasizing that AI can act like a “3L” but cannot replace courtroom advocacy or the counselor role, and he urges firm-wide AI policies plus a residency-style training model for new lawyers amid emerging privilege and work-product questions. Ruby Powers highlights Furlong’s framework of civic, proficient, and human lawyers, connecting the civic role to community work and the rule-of-law theme, and raising concerns about law school graduates’ readiness and future needed proficiencies. Julie Bayes focuses on rapid AI-driven change, debates about apprenticeships, law school relevance, and eliminating the bar exam, and notes ongoing real-world ethics problems like hallucinated citations and sanctions, while encouraging lawyers to learn practical AI use and attend TECHSHOW 2027.

00:00 Keynote Recap Setup
00:24 Podcast Welcome Disclaimer
01:03 Alan First Reactions
04:19 Residency Model Idea
05:05 AI Policies And Privilege
07:19 TECHSHOW Community Wrap
08:00 Meet Ruby Powers
09:19 Civic Human Proficient Lawyer
11:05 Law School Readiness Gap
12:14 Why Attend Next Year
13:16 Meet Julie Bays
14:11 Rethinking Law School Bar
16:23 AI Adoption Ethics Reality
19:36 Conference Highlights Closing
20:24 Final Sign Off

This Law Practice Today podcast episode discusses legal ethics and privilege issues arising from clients’ and lawyers’ use of generative AI, featuring consultant and ethics attorney Jennifer Ellis. Ellis compares two February 10, 2026, bench rulings—United States v. Heppner (S.D.N.Y.) and Warner v. Barco (Michigan)—that reached opposite conclusions on whether a client’s AI interactions are discoverable, highlighting differences in judges’ approaches and understanding of AI privacy policies and training. She advises firms to warn clients via engagement agreement clauses about unclear privilege, discoverability risks, and billing impacts when clients send AI-generated materials. The conversation also covers widespread sanctions for AI-fabricated citations and misstated holdings, urging lawyers to take ethics training, promptly correct mistakes, and verify citations by reading cases using tools like law libraries or Google Scholar.

00:00 AI Fabrication Trouble
00:26 Show Intro Disclaimer
01:05 AI Privilege Cases
02:04 Guest Background
04:37 Heppner vs Warner
07:21 Privacy Policies Training
10:44 Client Warnings Clauses
15:34 Billing Value Added
20:49 Hallucinations Sanctions
26:02 Mitigating AI Risks
27:02 Warner Ruling Explained
28:08 Policies Resources Wrap
29:16 Final Thanks Outro

In this Law Practice Today podcast episode, recorded a week before ABA TECHSHOW, host Terrell interviews returning guest Alexander Paykin, a managing director of a commercial and real estate litigation/transactions firm and a leader on multiple bar and technology committees, including the ABA TECHSHOW planning. Paykin explains that legal tech choices are limited by category, so the key is identifying vendors that meet a firm’s needs, ethics, and security requirements and integrate with existing systems. He argues conferences like ABA TECHSHOW let lawyers quickly compare competing products, challenge vendor claims, and evaluate tools using their own scenarios rather than scripted demos. He shares examples of testing an automated process-service platform in a dummy case and benchmarking AI/legal research tools using questions whose answers are known, emphasizing training, prompt quality, and verifying outputs before relying on them.

00:00 Vendor Showdown Teaser
00:30 Podcast Intro Disclaimer
01:09 Meet Alex Tech Insider
03:08 Why Legal Tech Feels Small
05:29 Why Conferences Beat Demos
09:01 Tech Nutrition Label Checklist
12:31 AI Research Reality Check
15:18 Test Before You Trust
18:42 Don’t Buy the Scripted Demo
21:13 Wrap Up Links and Final TECHSHOW Pitch

In this episode of the Law Practice Podcast, host Terrell Turner interviews Steve Embry, former mass tort defense litigator, legal tech blogger at TechnoLaw Crossroads, Above the Law contributor, and past ABA Law Practice Division chair and ABA TECHSHOW leader, about navigating the overwhelming pace of legal technology—especially since ChatGPT’s rise in 2022. Steve emphasizes that firms often adopt AI out of fear of missing out, even though generative AI isn’t right for everyone, and urges lawyers to start by identifying specific practice problems and then selecting tools that fit their needs and practice area. He highlights ABA TECHSHOW's uniquely welcoming, lawyer-to-lawyer environment for learning what tools actually work, recommends asking vendors to explain products in practical terms, and suggests using generative AI to translate technical explanations into plain language.

00:00 AI FOMO In Law
01:04 Meet Steve Embry
01:42 Steve’s Legal Tech Journey
03:51 ABA TECHSHOW Roots
06:55 Information Overload Since ChatGPT
09:28 Start With The Problem
12:56 Avoid AI Hype Traps
14:54 How To Vet New Tools
16:55 Vendor Talk Vs Lawyer Reality
19:55 Ask For Plain English
21:54 Use AI To Simplify Jargon
22:26 Where To Find Steve
23:24 Closing And Wrap Up

On the Law Practice Today podcast, Wendy S. Meadows shares how her renewed focus on fitness and wellness in 2015 helped her break a burnout cycle, improve confidence and performance as a lawyer, and organically evolve into coaching and speaking on being a healthy lawyer. She discusses how the legal profession is increasingly embracing wellness at conferences, though many still struggle to implement habits. Wendy explains healthy lawyering as both mental and physical: protecting your mind by not starting the day with email or social media, intentionally deciding who you need to be for key moments, journaling, and moving your body daily, even in small increments. She describes building habits through gradual layers—exercise, nutrition changes, and personal development. Wendy also outlines her future: continuing family law through mediation, parent coordination, adoptions, and representing children, while scaling coaching via masterminds like her Gone Solo Mastermind and planning another book.

00:00 Coaching Without Quitting Law
00:27 Podcast Intro and Wellness Focus
01:50 Morning Routines and Workouts
03:27 Wendy’s Origin Story
05:54 Wellness in Legal Culture
07:53 Defining a Healthy Lawyer
10:51 Building Habits in Layers
13:16 Future Plans and Masterminds
15:13 Where to Find Wendy
15:59 Final Wrap Up

In this episode of the Law Practice Podcast, host Terrell Turner welcomes guest Marianne Talbot, a seasoned lawyer and coach with over 30 years of experience in the legal field. Marianne discusses her transformative journey from civil rights lawyer to entrepreneur and coach, sharing insights on how embracing one's unique, authentic self—what she calls the 'Punk Rock Principle'—can help lawyers thrive. Learn practical exercises to infuse energy and creativity into your life and career, and hear Marianne's personal stories and strategies for maintaining passion and joy in a demanding profession. Tune in for valuable tips on staying confident, standing out, and finding happiness in your legal practice.

00:00 Introduction: The Pressure of Perfection in Law
00:28 Welcome to the Law Practice Today Podcast
01:07 Meet Marianne Talbot: A Journey Through Law
03:16 Embracing the Messy: From Law to Coaching
06:47 The Punk Rock Principle: Exercises for Lawyers
18:17 Conclusion: Bringing Punk Rock Energy to Law