Jane Laut was charged with murder in the 2009 killing of her husband, Dave Laut, an Olympic athlete and local sports hero. Jane’s story of relentless abuse at the hands of her husband made for a shocking and contentious trial that still haunts many of the major players, including Ron Bamieh, who served as her defense attorney. In Part Two of our series, Ron tells the story of Jane’s trial, which holds a number of shocking developments, from prosecutorial misconduct to an outcome that remains incredibly disturbing. Stay tuned for Part 3, with Danielle De Smeth’s story of her own role in the case, along with perspectives on domestic violence and women in the justice system, coming soon. 

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

Jane Laut was charged with murder in the 2009 killing of her husband, Dave Laut, an Olympic athlete and local sports hero. Jane’s story of relentless abuse at the hands of her husband made for a shocking and contentious trial that still haunts many of the major players, including Ron Bamieh, who served as her defense attorney. In the first episode of a two-part series, Ron describes how he became involved in Jane’s defense, how his expertise in the field of domestic violence shaped his attitude and legal strategy, and how prosecutorial malfeasance contributed to a hostile atmosphere as the case progressed. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon.

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

Jennifer Yates is a senior partner at the firm whose work focuses on family law, but she’s also a dedicated true crime fanatic with a deep interest in the dark side of human behavior. In this episode we talk about the Netflix documentary CHAOS: The Manson Murders, which presents an alternative version of Charles Manson’s violent hippie cult, one that involves the CIA, LSD, and weaponized mind control experiments. How far down the Manson rabbit hole go? And why are we still obsessed with Manson’s murderous project?

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

What’s it like to work on “both sides of the law”? For the firm’s founding partner, Ron Bamieh, who worked as a prosecutor before starting a private criminal defense firm, the experience has given him deep perspectives on the intersection of justice, business, and the art of serving clients. In this conversation he shares some of the lessons he’s drawn from years of trial experience, and of course offers his uncensored takes on what it takes to be an effective criminal attorney.

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

It’s a wacky world for lawyers these days, and as one of the firm’s senior partners, Danielle De Smeth has a front seat for much of the wackiness. She joins us in the attic this week to talk about the many cases she’s currently juggling, as we contemplate a “week in the life” of a busy working attorney. From noisy neighbor lawsuits and criminal abuse cases to rapidly disintegrating federal agencies, Danielle shares her perspectives on an intense and shifting legal chessboard.

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

This week we talk with attorney Jennifer Yates about two big news stories last week that highlighted the dangers of AI and digital tech in the legal industry: another lawyer in trouble for citing non-existent cases “hallucinated” by ChatGPT, and the California State Bar’s disastrous attempt to administer the exam with remote technology. 

What can we learn from these embarrassing missteps, and how can we find a reasonable way to practice law with these emerging tools?

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

Meghan Sherry is an attorney whose work focuses on equity in education. In Part Two of our conversation, we continue discussing Meghan’s personal experiences and legal perspectives on the challenge of equal access for students with autism and other intellectual disabilities. We explore the role of parents, teachers, administrators, politicians, and students themselves within a complicated legal landscape, and try to imagine new ways of approaching a set of problems that aren’t going away. 

Click here to listen to Part One of this conversation.

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

Meghan Sherry is an attorney whose work focuses on equity in education. In Part One of a two-part conversation, she shares her personal experiences and legal perspectives on the challenge of equal access for students with disabilities. We discuss the roles of parents, teachers, administrators, politicians, and students themselves within a complicated legal landscape, and try to imagine new ways of approaching a set of problems that aren’t going away. 

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

This week the firm’s founding partner, Ron Bamieh, climbs the ladder to answer questions from our listeners. The number one legal case on everyone’s mind recently is the case of Luigi Mangione, who stands accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December. Ron sheds light on the idea of “jury nullification” and other issues around Luigi’s case, and answers other questions from listeners posting on our Instagram “Ask a Lawyer” thread. 

If you’ve got a burning question or a topic you’d like us to talk about on the show, head to our page and ask away!

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic

The Trump administration is cracking down on illegal immigration, with new rules, guidelines, and policies for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents) agents conducting raids, stops, deportations, and more. These actions have deep implications for people living and working in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Senior partner Danielle De Smeth outlines some of these dramatic changes, and what they mean for undocumented people, with translation help from legal assistant Ruby Nava.

Check out our Instagram thread and ask a question for us to answer on a future episode: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFJCYuVybuP/

Lawyers in the Attic is brought to you by the law offices of Bamieh & De Smeth: https://www.bamiehdesmeth.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyersintheattic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lawyersintheattic 

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyersintheattic