In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Diana Isyanova, founder of Isyanova Law in Huntington Beach, California. Diana is a business and transactional attorney who helps entrepreneurs, small businesses, and solopreneurs launch, structure, and scale their companies.

Diana shares her personal journey to the legal profession, including immigrating to the United States at nineteen, rebuilding her education from the ground up, and discovering her passion for transactional law. She explains why preventative legal planning, strong contracts, and proper business structure are critical to long-term success.

She also recounts a defining client story that illustrates her commitment to going beyond traditional legal counsel, supporting a client through a small claims court matter where legal representation was not permitted, and demonstrating what it truly means to be a lawyer who cares.

Topics covered:

- Business law for entrepreneurs and small businesses

- Preventive legal strategy and compliance

- Contracts and transactional law fundamentals

- Supporting clients navigating the U.S. legal system

- Why addressing legal issues early saves time and money

Connect with Diana Isyanova:

Phone: (949) 878-5858

Website: isyanovalaw.com

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Michelle Gaulin, founder of Gaulin Law, a California-based employment law firm focused exclusively on representing employees, with a particular emphasis on women’s workplace rights.

Michelle shares how her background in accounting and corporate investigations led her to employment law, and how becoming a mother shaped her passion for advocating for women facing pregnancy discrimination, wrongful termination, and parental leave violations.

She also shares a powerful client story illustrating how legal advocacy often extends beyond the courtroom: she helped a client navigate job loss, housing instability, and workplace discrimination during a vulnerable period of her life.

Topics covered:

- Pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination

- Parental leave rights in California

- Employment law from the employee’s perspective

- Advocating for yourself in the workplace

- Supporting clients during personal and financial crises

Connect with Michelle Gaulin:

Phone: (858) 381-2323

Website: gaulinlaw.com

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, Andrew Samalin interviews Kathie Opel, co-founder and partner at the Opel Bash Group in Edwardsville, Illinois. Kathie’s practice focuses on estate planning and business law, helping individuals and families protect their assets and preserve their legacies.

Kathie shares how her passion for critical thinking and client connection led her to estate planning, and how this area of law provides peace of mind across generations. She discusses the firm’s client-centered approach and the importance of involving the next generation in estate planning.

Kathie also discusses Edwardsville Neighbors, a nonprofit she co-founded to support families facing medical crises, and how community involvement is central to her work as a lawyer.

Topics covered:

- Estate planning for individuals and families

- Multi-generational legacy and asset protection

- Common misconceptions about estate planning

- Women-owned law firms and client-centered practice

- Giving back through community nonprofits

Connect with Kathie Opel:

Phone: (618) 307-5241

Website: opelbashgroup.com

Social Media: @opelbashgroup

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, Andrew Samalin interviews Summer McKeivier, senior attorney and shareholder at Chapman Law Group. Summer represents healthcare providers nationwide in federal criminal defense matters, including healthcare fraud, DEA investigations, and violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

Summer shares her unconventional path to law, beginning with aspirations for medicine and culminating in a career in white-collar criminal defense. She recounts an extraordinary and deeply personal client story involving compassionate release, family advocacy, and the challenges of navigating federal sentencing.

Her story highlights the human side of criminal defense work and the importance of persistence, creativity, and empathy when clients and their families face life-altering circumstances.

Her story highlights the human side of criminal defense work and the importance of persistence, creativity, and empathy when clients and their families face life-altering circumstances.

Topics covered:

- Federal criminal defense and healthcare fraud

- DEA investigations and controlled substance cases

- Sentencing advocacy and compassionate release

- Finding humanity in criminal defense representation

- Going beyond legal obligations for clients and families

Connect with Summer McKeivier:

Phone: (248) 644-6360

Website: chapmanlawgroup.com

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, Andrew Samalin speaks with Katonga Wright, founder of The Wright Legal Group. Katonga’s practice spans personal injury, DUI defense, probate law, and veterans’ benefits, serving clients across Georgia, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

Katonga shares her nontraditional path to law—from aspiring physician, to forensic toxicologist, to expert witness—which shaped her passion for advocacy and client education. She explains how her firm was built from the ground up to operate remotely, leveraging technology to enhance accessibility, efficiency, and the client experience. Katonga also discusses how her personal experiences on both sides of legal matters help her guide clients through difficult situations with empathy and clarity.

Topics covered:

- Transition from forensic science to legal practice

- Using technology to serve clients remotely and efficiently

- Personal injury, DUI defense, probate, and veterans benefits

- Understanding the legal system from both sides

- Why convenience and communication matter to clients

Connect with Katonga Wright:

Website: thewrightlegalgroup.com

Phone: (844) 297-4448

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Nancy Brodzki, founding partner of Brodzki Jacobs in Coral Gables, Florida. Nancy’s practice focuses on family law, divorce, and immigration, and she is widely recognized for obtaining Florida’s first same-sex divorce following a constitutional challenge in 2014.

Nancy shares how she found her calling in family law after initially planning a career in psychology, and how that background shaped her ability to guide clients through emotionally complex situations. She recounts the landmark same-sex divorce case that followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s Windsor decision, explaining how constitutional law, persistence, and careful legal strategy led to a historic outcome in Florida.

Topics covered:

- Building a family law practice rooted in psychology and advocacy

- The legal path to Florida’s first same-sex divorce

- Constitutional challenges following the Windsor decision

- Why accurate legal advice matters before making life-changing decisions

- The risks of relying on online or AI-generated legal information

Connect with Nancy Brodzki:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (954) 344-7737

Website: bjblawyers.com

Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin, interviews Katherine de Vos Devine, principal attorney at Implement Legal in North Carolina. Katherine’s practice provides intellectual property and corporate counsel services to creative businesses, artists, and cultural institutions.

Katherine explains how growing up surrounded by artists and earning advanced degrees in art history led her to intellectual property law. She shares a client story about a large public art installation, highlighting how her firm approaches legal work as relational rather than adversarial, with a focus on long-term relationships among artists, fabricators, commissioners, and communities.

She also discusses why emotions matter in legal transactions and how acknowledging them leads to better outcomes for creative clients.

Topics covered:

- Intellectual property and corporate counsel for creative businesses

- Relational law vs. adversarial legal models

- Facilitating long-term artist and client relationships

- Supporting public art and cultural projects

- Why feelings are valuable data in legal decision-making

Connect with Katherine de Vos Devine:

Website: implementlegal.com

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin interviews Wendy Meadows, founder of the Law Office of Wendy S. Meadows in Phoenix, Maryland. Wendy is a seasoned family law attorney, mediator, collaborative practitioner, parent coordinator, and professional coach supporting attorneys and law firms.

Wendy shares how her personal experience with divorce as a child shaped her desire to advocate for families. After beginning her career in traditional litigation, she shifted her focus toward mediation and Capital-C Collaborative Law, which she believes are often better, healthier, and more cost-effective paths for the vast majority of divorcing couples.

She explains the structure of collaborative law—including the roles of attorneys, mental health professionals, and financial neutrals—and why it creates clearer communication and better family outcomes than an adversarial system. Wendy also discusses her coaching practice, in which she helps attorneys overcome burnout, transition to solo practice, and rebuild their career alignment.

Topics covered:

• Why only a small percentage of divorces belong in litigation
• Mediation vs. collaborative law and when each is most effective
• The challenges of marketing and expanding collaborative practice
• Coaching attorneys through burnout, firm transitions, and professional growth
• How to avoid the “telephone game” that worsens family conflict

Connect with Wendy Meadows:

Phone: (410) 403-0600

Website: www.wendymeadowslaw.com

LinkedIn: Wendy S. Meadows

Instagram: @wendy.s.meadows

Book: Sparkle and Grit (available on Amazon)

Lawyers Who Care host Andrew Samalin, speaks with Ronald Petroff, Managing Partner of Petroff Law Offices in Columbus, Ohio. Ron leads a family law practice handling large, complex domestic relations cases in more than half of Ohio’s counties.

Ron shares how he moved from Vanderbilt to Ohio State to specialize in sophisticated family law work and build his own firm. He reflects on how his approach has evolved—from being a “bulldog litigator” early in his career to becoming a more strategic, collegial advocate who picks battles carefully, focuses on legal acumen, and prioritizes direct, practical advice for clients. He breaks down widespread misconceptions about no-fault divorce, marital vs. separate property, and the realities of financial settlements.

Ron also discusses legal issues he believes should change in Ohio, including the lack of automatic parental rights for unmarried fathers, explaining how the system creates barriers that courts cannot undo later.

Topics covered:

• Evolution from aggressive litigator to balanced, strategic advocate
• Misconceptions about no-fault divorce and financial settlements
• How courts treat income vs. property in Ohio divorces
• The injustice that unmarried fathers face in custody rights
• Why every client should consider a prenuptial agreement

Connect with Ronald R. Petroff:

Phone: (614) 222-4288

Website: petrofflawoffices.com

In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin interviews Giselle Girones, an attorney at Shullman Fugate in Miami, Florida. Giselle represents clients in content law, intellectual property, defamation, privacy, and First Amendment matters, drawing on her early experiences in journalism, media relations, and entertainment.

Giselle explains that her background in college journalism, PR work for a football program, and time at a music label naturally led her to practice at the intersection of media and law. She describes the firm’s mission to help clients protect their content—whether they are filmmakers, news organizations, bloggers, or artists—and offers real-world examples of the most common mistakes creators make, from misusing online footage to unintentionally identifying individuals in ways that create legal exposure.

She also shares what it’s like to support documentary teams and production companies behind the scenes, helping them access records, license materials, and mitigate risk while still telling the stories they want to tell.

Topics covered:

• Transition from journalism and media to IP, content, and First Amendment law
• Common copyright and defamation pitfalls for creators
• How pre-publication and pre-broadcast review protect content
• Supporting filmmakers and journalists through research, licensing, and risk analysis
• Why creators should consult lawyers instead of relying on internet advice

Connect with Giselle Girones:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (954) 329-2937