Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Last month, six Democrat lawmakers, all with military or intelligence backgrounds, released a controversial video urging service members to refuse illegal orders set forth by the current administration. In response, the Defense Department said it would investigate these lawmakers, while President Donald Trump chimed in accusing them of  “seditious behavior,” a charge “punishable by death.

On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, Craig joins Professor Victor M. Hansen as they spotlight the controversy over the "illegal orders"video.  Craig & Victor discuss what constitutes illegal orders in the military, the FBI/DOD investigation into those involved in the video, and military code and law.

Episode 591 of the Lawyerist Podcast explores one of the most urgent questions facing law firms today: how do you stay findable when Google and AI are rewriting the rules of search? SEO expert Cyrus Shepard explains how zero-click search, AI-generated answers, and new “experience” signals are transforming the way law firms must think about content, visibility, and online authority. 

Cyrus and Stephanie discuss why informational blog posts no longer drive the traffic they once did, how to structure content so LLMs can “read” and reference it, and why brand signals now carry more weight than keywords. They also cover how to evaluate SEO vendors, what metrics matter in an AI-first world, and simple steps lawyers can take to establish trust and expertise online. 

Links from the episode: 

lawyerist.com/scorecard 

Zyppy.com 

Listen to our previous episodes about Practical AI for Law.  

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 – Intro & Scorecard
03:53 – Meet Cyrus Shepard
05:12 – How AI Is Changing Search
06:00 – Zero-Click & AI Overviews
07:26 – Why Old Content Tactics Fail
08:57 – Shifting Toward Brand Authority
10:09 – Writing Content LLMs Can Read
11:33 – Showing Experience with E-E-A-T
14:23 – Reddit, YouTube & Source Signals
15:51 – Where New Firms Should Start
17:18 – Brand Building as SEO Strategy
18:27 – Vetting SEO Agencies Today
20:40 – Metrics That Actually Matter
22:03 – Real-World Visibility Wins
22:21 – Wrap-Up & Where to Find Cyrus 

Ever since cryptocurrency made its debut, many have repeatedly questioned its validity. Is it legal tender? A scam? Well, in today’s digital ether, both exist en masse, and lawyers need to understand how to recognize the real thing and how it fits into our current legal framework. Rocky Dhir welcomes Nelson Ebaugh to chat about his article in the Texas Bar Journal, Texas Cryptocurrency Jurisprudence. Nelson Ebaugh is an attorney in Houston. He has an LL.M. in securities and financial regulation and is certified in criminal appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Special thanks to our sponsors Thomson Reuters and State Bar of Texas.

And a shorter summer associate program.

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While most of us celebrated Thanksgiving, some of Trump's phony U.S. Attorneys were the real turkeys. First, a conservative leaning panel of the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the million dollar sanctions against Donald Trump and the parking garage lawyer he claims to have running the District of New Jersey. Then his Eastern District cosplaying prosecutor managed to lose not one, but two of the high profile revenge cases she brought. In other news, a major firm announced a new look summer associate program as it tries to deal with the law school recruiting free-for-all that everyone hates, yet no one seems able to do anything about.

December 8th marks the 45th anniversary of John Lennon's death in 1980. In this special rebroadcast of Modern Law Library, we're looking back at how his immigration helped expose corruption within the Nixon administration and rewrote the immigration process. His attorney, Leon Wildes, sat down with Lee Rawles and his son Michael Wildes to discuss what the case and the legal legacy Lennon left behind.

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When immigration attorney Leon Wildes got a call from an old law school classmate in January 1972 about representing a musician and his wife who were facing deportation, their names didn’t ring a bell. Even after meeting with them privately at their New York City apartment, Wildes wasn’t entirely clear about who his potential clients were. He told his wife that he’d met with a Jack Lemon and Yoko Moto.

“Wait a minute, Leon,” his wife Ruth said to him. “Do you mean John Lennon and Yoko Ono?”

What Wildes didn’t know when accepting the Lennons’ case was that he and his clients were facing a five-year legal battle which would eventually expose corruption at the highest levels of the Nixon administration and change the U.S. immigration process forever. His account of that legal battle is told in “John Lennon vs. the USA: The Inside Story of the Most Bitterly Contested and Influential Deportation Case in United States History.”

Leon Wildes and his son Michael (now a managing partner at the firm his father founded, Wildes & Weinberg) joined the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles to discuss the legacy of the case and the effect it’s had on the entire family.

Mentioned in This Episode:

John Lennon vs. The U.S.A.: The Inside Story of the Most Bitterly Contested and Influential Deportation Case in United States History

Data shows that family building benefits improve productivity and support employee’s mental and physical health. It’s a win-win, but many employers may balk at the expense. Sarah Moore discusses low cost ways to retain and gain key employees.

In this episode, we discuss the topic every litigator must deal with at some point: effective business development strategies. Guests Maureen Cruz, Ph.D., and Tracey Salmon-Smith, both with the firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, share tips for new business development. 

Waiting for the phone to ring and a client to drop into your lap isn’t a strategy. Running a practice and serving current needs take up a lot of your time. But if you can, try to carve out at least 10 to 15 percent of your time to network, follow up with clients, and put yourself in front of new clients and new environments.

Client and business development is a deliberate process. Start by setting some time aside on your calendar.

Keep up with those touchpoints and connections. Talk with colleagues across your firm. Read something that might impact a client’s interests? Pass it along. Whether it’s through publishing, speaking, networking, ABA involvement, or pro bono work, listen to two experienced professionals describe how to mindfully build your business.

Have a question, comment, or suggestion for an upcoming episode? Get in touch at [email protected] and [email protected].

Resources: 

2026 Women in Litigation CLE Conference

American Bar Association

American Bar Association Litigation Section

What to do when your client wants to sue for nondisclosure of paranormal interference. Plus, is there a case when a service dog literally crashes a wedding? Alvin shares how a personal experience with his own dogs shape his opinion on how to handle this case.

The National Council of Bar Presidents has had only 10 female presidents in its 75-year history, but women have become increasingly prominent in leadership in recent decades. In this episode, Amanda Arriaga speaks with three of the NCBP’s female presidents about their leadership experiences and their efforts to advance diversity within the profession. They underscore the importance of leaders cultivating strong relationships and acting as a source of encouragement and support for those who follow in their footsteps.

AI isn’t replacing legal professionals — it’s reshaping the work they do. In this special episode of On the Road, award-winning paralegals and educators Kelly Rednothy and Kristine Custodio Suero join attorney Michael Harris for a candid conversation about the skills and responsibilities legal pros need to stay competitive in an era of rapid technological change.

Together, they break down the ethical obligations around technology competence, how generative AI is transforming legal research, drafting, and document review, and what it means to “trust but verify” in modern workflows. They also highlight the durable skills—critical thinking, emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration, and continuous learning—that will define the next generation of legal professionals.

From understanding AI tools to protecting client confidentiality, this episode offers a grounded, practical roadmap for paralegals and legal teams preparing for the future.

Kelly Rednothy is a litigation paralegal, educator, and legal solutions consultant. Kristine Custodio Suero is an award-winning paralegal, author, and past president of the San Diego Paralegal Association. Michael Harris is an attorney and Chief Revenue Officer at Brightline Counsel.