Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

When Clio announced that it had acquired global legal research platform vLex for $1 billion in June, it was the latest in a series of big moves from the cloud-based practice management software company.

Do not underestimate your influence. Megan Phillips shares successful strategies that you can use to ignite change.

Is your career stuck in a rut? Hear what it takes to carve a meaningful career in law, as host Michal “Mic” Rogson sits down with Jill Wine-Banks, a history making lawyer who served as the only woman on the Watergate prosecution team and left a trail of shattered glass ceilings throughout her career.

Wine-Banks shares how she built her extraordinary career tackling organized crime, a corrupt president, and led military and state legal teams. She headed the American Bar Association, corporate legal departments, and went on to host influential podcasts, published an autobiography, and serves as a legal consultant and contributor for MSNBC.

Feeling locked in place in your career? Wine-Banks offers motivational insights about taking risks, moving forward, and never settling for the status quo. What do you really want to do, and what’s holding you back?

Throughout her fascinating career, Wine-Banks continually accepted new challenges, broke down barriers, and reinvented herself over and over again.

Resources: 

iGen Politics podcast

Just the Facts podcast

Jill Wine-Banks, Wikipedia entry

“The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President,” by Jill Wine-Banks

“The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life,” by Erving Goffman, Amazon

“Gideon's Trumpet: How One Man, a Poor Prisoner, Took His Case to the Supreme Court and Changed the Law of the United States,” by Anthony Lewis

Assembly of Captive European Nations, Wikipedia

American Bar Association

American Bar Association Litigation Section

In 1983, Bruce Lisker’s mother was violently attacked in their family home. After responding to his frantic 911 call, police quickly drew assumptions from the chaotic crime scene. Dorka Lisker was bludgeoned, stabbed several times, and near death in her Sherman Oaks home. Seventeen year-old Bruce embodied the era’s “stoner” look, he was highly agitated, and his hands were covered in his mother’s blood. The distraught teen, rather than being allowed to accompany his mother to the hospital where she died, was arrested and interrogated as the prime suspect in her murder. 

Bruce Lisker tells the story of how presumptions, the actions of a dishonest detective, and failures to examine critical evidence led to his wrongful conviction. After years seeking justice through every conceivable avenue, Bruce was finally exonerated through the determined efforts of LAPD Sgt. Jim Gavin and LA Times articles by Matt Lait and Scott Glover that shed light on the mistakes and manipulations that led to his false conviction.

The Case Doctors tackle questions from an attorney handling a case on behalf of a client suing for negligent misrepresentation after investing in stocks on the advice of a psychic and losing untold amounts of money. In hot topics, John and Alvin discuss the settlement Google and its YouTube subsidiary reached to resolve a long-running class action case accusing them of illegally collecting children’s data to generate targeted advertising.

Finding fulfillment in your legal career goes beyond technical skills. In this On the Road episode, Chad Aboud, Chief Commercial Officer at Good Lawyer and keynote speaker at the 2025 Legal Up Virtual Conference, shares how attorneys can uncover their natural gifts, align them with meaningful goals, and identify the environments where they thrive. Drawing from his own journey from big law to in-house roles to his current position, Chad outlines three core pillars that help lawyers design careers that feel purposeful, energizing, and impactful. Whether you’re just starting out or seeking a reset, discover practical steps to “job craft” a path that brings out your best.

Chad Aboud is Chief Commercial Officer at Good Lawyer.

Is true technology competence possible? The speed at which technology advances is now impossible to stay completely ahead of, but as lawyers, a commitment to lifelong learning and a focus on the humanistic side of law can help us engage effectively. Dennis and Tom talk with Marc Lauristen about his work with legal technology, lawyers, and law students. They talk through the challenges and opportunities surrounding AI, ways to manage technology education and implementation in the profession, and why being a good human is essential in our efforts to blend legal practice and services with helpful technologies.  

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Marc Lauritsen is a Massachusetts lawyer and educator who helps people work more effectively through knowledge systems.

Show Notes:

In episode 581 of Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Drew Bloom of Affinity Consulting Group about how artificial intelligence is evolving from assistants into agents that can act on a lawyer’s behalf. Instead of just suggesting edits or answers, agentic AI can redline contracts, search multiple documents, and connect across platforms to finish tasks before asking for approval.  

Drew explains what this shift means for law firms, what tools are likely to appear in the next 12–24 months, and why preparing your data—through structure, metadata, and integrations—matters more than ever. He also shares practical ways to start experimenting with AI connectors in tools you already use, so you’re ready when agentic features become standard in everyday legal work. 

Listen to our other episodes on AI in Law: 

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: 

0:00 – Introduction & Conferences Recap 

2:48 – From SEO to AEO: The New Search Frontier 

6:34 – Meet Drew Bloom: AI for Law Firms 

8:48 – What Makes AI “Agentic”? 

13:47 – Assistants vs. Agents: How They Differ 

16:00 – Redlining & Real-World Use Cases 

20:41 – MCPs and Custom AI Connections 

27:30 – The Future: Multi-Tool AI & Mobility 

29:48 – Preparing Your Firm: Data & Metadata 

34:38 – Where Lawyers Can Experiment Safely 

Judge Darrell Dullnig has presided over ten separate municipal courts in Texas during his career, offering a unique and seasoned perspective on one of the most vital areas of our justice system. In this episode, he sheds light on the critical role municipal courts play, the common misconceptions even attorneys have, and why a little kindness and respect go a long way in the courtroom. Municipal courts handle more cases than county and district courts combined, and all lawyers should have an accurate understanding of their purpose and processes. From deferred disposition to dealing with pro se litigants, Judge Dullnig shares insights, stories, and a touch of humor from the bench.

Biglaw capitulators face new challenge and James Comey gets indicted.

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Perennially embattled Cooley Law School once again called out by the ABA over sagging bar passage rates. The school has been out of compliance with ABA standards since 2020, and now finds itself on probation with its accreditor. The last time something like this happened, Cooley sued the ABA into relenting. History is a flat circle. After learning that Paul Weiss and Kirkland were providing free legal services to the Commerce Department, presumably in an effort to satisfy their pro bono payola obligations, we wondered how this could possibly be legal in light of 31 U.S.C. 1342. Apparently, lawmakers wondered the same thing. And James Comey finds himself indicted after a whirlwind that involved removing the existing top federal prosecutor for refusing to file a sham case and replacing him with an in-over-her-head Florida insurance lawyer.