Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

On December 1, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in the landmark copyright case, Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment. 

This case centers on whether Cox, an internet service provider, can be held legally liable for copyright infringement committed by its subscribers when those users downloaded and shared thousands of copyrighted songs without permission. 

On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, Craig joins Professor Christopher Jon Sprigman, Co-Director of the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy at NYU Law, 

as they spotlight Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment.

Craig & Chris discuss this SCOTUS case, oral arguments, the friend-of-the-court brief, copyright law, and the potential impact of a future ruling.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment Brief of Amici Curiae ACLU et al. in Support of Petitioners

Not all clients are created equal—and some quietly drain your firm’s time, energy, and profits. In episode 593 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Affinity Consulting’s Jeff Krause about the hidden cost of bad clients and how law firms can use data to make better decisions about who they serve. 

Jeff breaks down his Moneyball-inspired profit formula to show how client quality impacts leads, conversion rates, revenue, and margins. They explore why discount-seeking clients create compounding damage, how setting clearer expectations can improve client behavior, and when it makes sense to let certain clients walk away. A closer look at the tension between profitability and access to justice, and how intentional business models can support both. 

Listen to our previous episodes about Client Experience & Law Firm Profitability: 

Episode #384 – Delivering Bad News to Clients, with Marjorie Aaron — Apple | Spotify | LTN 

Episode #462: Designing an Empathetic Client Experience, with Kirk Simoneau — Apple | Spotify | LTN 

Episode #474: Moneyball for Lawyers, with Jeff Krause — Apple | Spotify | LTN 

Episode #560 – Stop Doing Everything Yourself! Unlock Your Law Firm’s True Potential, with Leticia DeSuze — Apple | Spotify | LTN 

Have thoughts about today’s episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X! 

If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you. 

Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com. 

Chapters / Timestamps:  

00:00 – Introduction 

05:12 – Meet Jeff Krause 

06:51 – What “Moneyball for Lawyers” Really Means 

09:08 – The Profit Formula That Drives Firm Growth 

12:46 – How Bad Clients Damage the Numbers 

15:30 – The Compounding Cost of Discounts 

18:21 – Raising Rates vs. Chasing More Clients 

19:45 – Can You Improve Mid-Tier Clients? 

21:58 – Profitability vs. Access to Justice 

24:19 – Building Intentional Service Models 

26:48 – Trusting Your Data—and Your Gut 

27:43 – One Step Firms Should Take Right Now 

28:23 – Closing Thoughts 

Looking for something to occupy yourself over the holidays, or to kick off your 2026? Lee Rawles is joined by her fellow Legal Talk Network hosts Stephanie Everett of the Lawyerist podcast and Conrad Saam and Gyi Tsakalakis of Lunch Hour Legal Marketing to share what books, TV shows and movies they enjoyed this year. They also share some of their own resolutions for 2026–and reveal a special new project for the Modern Law Library, coming soon to your podcast feed.

If you want 2025 in a nutshell, it doesn't get much better than a blundering Secretary of Defense bragging that the Pentagon bought an expensive, bespoke AI bot and it immediately started calling out the Trump administration for committing war crimes. As the legal industry ventures into a hallucinatory AI frontier, it's worth remembering that sometimes the bots outperform the human lawyers. At the Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor tries to convince her colleagues not to blow up the federal government over a theory concocted in the 1970s. Sadly, she's fighting the wrong fight. And in a world of mergers -- especially cross-border mergers -- we have a reminder that sometimes it doesn't work out.

The failure rate of our prison systems is staggering, with recidivism exceeding 70% in nearly every state. What should this tell us about the success—or lack thereof—of our criminal justice system? And, how can those who are incarcerated survive the harshness of prison and avoid becoming part of the large percentage who seem to inevitably return? 

This time on For the Innocent, Michael Semanchik welcomes Matthew Cooke, writer and director of Survivors Guide to Prison, a documentary exploring life in United States prisons from the perspectives of two wrongfully convicted men, Bruce Lisker and Reggie Cole. Drawing from his extensive research, Matthew reveals a system plagued with fundamentally misaligned incentives that do little to create pathways for inmates to succeed on the outside. 

Michael and Matthew discuss new shifts in criminal justice reform and offer their thoughts on how to continue to bring this issue to the forefront of public discourse. The system is broken, but change is possible. 

We’re so proud to have won a $10 million verdict for our client in a battle that took seven years and two trials. Mary Simon shares her courtroom story, including how she handled losing her carefully prepared outline and what she learned through this team effort. Tune in and celebrate with us!

Live from Denver and the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section Annual Conference, a conversation with guest Charlotte Burrows on gender discrimination and the status of the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). 

Host Matt Greer talks in person with Burrows, the former chair of the EEOC and a fellow at both the University of California Berkeley’s Applied Technology Policy group and the New York University School of Law. 

When most people spend the majority of their adult lives working, Burrows says there’s nothing more important than workplace protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, and abuse, regardless of sex and gender identity. 

Today, recent attempts to roll back many protections have brought the mission of the EEOC into the spotlight. Hear from a lifelong fighter for workers’ rights about how the tug of war over conflicting interpretations of the law, along with staffing cutbacks and shortages at the EEOC, are impacting workplace rights, protections, and case processing. 

Also, a few minutes with Salomon Chiquiar-Rabinovich Ph.D., 2025 winner of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section’s Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award. Chiquiar-Rabinovich came to the US from Mexico and shares his inspiring story of immigration, his thirst for knowledge, and overcoming challenges and a disability in his service to others.

Live from Denver and the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section Annual Conference, a conversation with guest Charlotte Burrows on gender discrimination and the status of the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). 

Host Matt Greer talks in person with Burrows, the former chair of the EEOC and a fellow at both the University of California Berkeley’s Applied Technology Policy group and the New York University School of Law. 

When most people spend the majority of their adult lives working, Burrows says there’s nothing more important than workplace protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, and abuse, regardless of sex and gender identity. 

Today, recent attempts to roll back many protections have brought the mission of the EEOC into the spotlight. Hear from a lifelong fighter for workers’ rights about how the tug of war over conflicting interpretations of the law, along with staffing cutbacks and shortages at the EEOC, are impacting workplace rights, protections, and case processing. 

Also, a few minutes with Salomon Chiquiar-Rabinovich Ph.D., 2025 winner of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section’s Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award. Chiquiar-Rabinovich came to the US from Mexico and shares his inspiring story of immigration, his thirst for knowledge, and overcoming challenges and a disability in his service to others.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, Wikipedia

EEOLeaders.org 

EEOC Title VII

The ABA Labor and Employment Law Section 2026 Annual Conference is scheduled for Nov. 4-7, 2026 in Washington, DC 

ABA Labor and Employment Law Section

Neurodivergence is far more common in the legal profession than many realize and when supported thoughtfully, it can be a powerful asset. In this special episode of On the Road, legal professional and advocate Christina Hough shares practical insights on working more effectively with neurodivergent attorneys, paralegals, clients, and colleagues. Drawing from both personal experience and decades in the legal field, Hough explores how conditions such as ADHD, autism, PTSD, and other neurodivergent traits can influence communication, learning styles, sensory processing, and collaboration.

From inclusive meeting practices and clearer communication strategies to simple workplace accommodations that improve focus and outcomes, this episode offers a roadmap for building more inclusive, productive legal environments while recognizing the unique strengths neurodivergent professionals bring to the practice of law.

Christina Hough is a neurodivergent legal professional, speaker, and advocate with more than 23 years of experience in the legal field.

This bonus episode of Leading the Bar features a special installment from the Council of Firsts series, which spotlights trailblazing leaders who were the “first” to break barriers in their bar associations.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Melissa Johnson, Past President of the San Diego Bar Association and Executive Council member of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP). This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/ National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

In this episode of The Legal Report from Robert Half, host Jamy Sullivan sits down with Imani Maatuka, Commercial Litigation Managing Associate at Sidley Austin LLP. Imani shares insights on what leadership and development look like for early-career attorneys in Big Law, the role of mentorship and feedback in professional growth, and ways law firms can invest in culture and meaningful development to retain high-performing talent.