Legal Talk Network

A recent order from Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directing the state to consider medical treatments for transgender youths as child abuse is hurtful to children and their families, as is a new Alabama law that makes providing gender-affirming care to a minor a felony, says lawyer Asaf Orr.

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During its time as a Soviet republic within the USSR, Kazakhstan was the site of massive nuclear tests, both above and below ground. The cost to the environment and health of the Kazakh people and livestock was likewise massive, though the full scale of the effects was under-studied and suppressed for decades. Through massive public protests in the 1980s, nuclear-weapons testing in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan was brought to a halt.

But when the Soviet Union dissolved and Kazakhstan became a sovereign state, it now had a conundrum: Should the country—which had no military of its own—retain the nuclear weapons and become the world’s fourth largest nuclear power, or relinquish them in return for international commitments?

This is the story that Togzhan Kassenova was born to write. The nuclear policy and nonproliferation expert grew up in the capital city, Almaty, in a family with deep ties to the Semipalatinsk region. Her father, Oumirserik Kassenov, was the head of the country’s first think tank, now known as the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, and he was charged with helping the fledgling Kazakh government make nuclear policy decisions in the 1990s. Kassenova—who now lives in a different capital city, Washington, D.C.—was also able to access and interpret archival documents from the United States, Kazakhstan and Russia.

The result is Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Kassenova and the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles discuss the challenges of writing about top-secret nuclear test programs; the brave Soviet-era medical professionals who sought to record the sicknesses and birth defects caused by nuclear radiation; and the connections between the communities in Kazakhstan and the United States impacted by nuclear testing. She also sheds light on the real international diplomacy that took place that led to Kazakhstan giving up its nuclear arsenal, which was not a foregone conclusion.

Atomic Steppe was released only nine days before Russia invaded Ukraine. Kassenova also discusses the parallels between Ukrainian and Kazakh experiences, the Russian attitudes towards the former Soviet republics, and what the international community can do about the threat nuclear weapons still pose today.

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“It’s business, don’t take it personally.” How many times have you heard that, and how do you react? Is there a middle ground that allows tough skin and a tender heart? Today’s thought-provoking discussion examines how we can make business decisions with humanity in mind and draw boundaries that help us honestly evaluate harsh criticism or aggressive language from opposing counsel while protecting our self-esteem.

Everybody hates to lose. If you avoid tough cases just because you might not win, you are doing a disservice to your client and yourself, and you are missing an opportunity to learn important lessons and build your character. Join John and Erich in this candid encore discussion on how to handle a loss with less pain and more gain. Reset your attitude and you’ll discover it’s not win or lose. It’s win or learn.

To move away from the death penalty as a country, the public needs be able to see inside the process and understand its effects. Sister Helen Prejean has dedicated much of her life to ministering to those affected by the death penalty, from death row inmates to guards to families of murder victims, and has worked to help the public and the church change their thinking on this issue. Michael Semanchik talks with Sister Helen about her keynote address at the conference and the importance of sharing personal stories to unveil the injustice of capital punishment.

Host Michael Semanchik is the managing attorney for the California Innocence Project.

Sister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work advocating against the death penalty. She has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church's vigorous opposition to all executions.

As a young personal injury litigator in Georgia, Gino Brogdon Jr. says he was accustomed to using different technology tools to manage his practice. But when Brogdon began working as a mediator, he realized that there were limited tech options to assist him in the alternative dispute resolution realm.

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Google ads, Facebook ads, pay per click, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn – the list goes on.

In an ever-changing digital landscape, how do you know which tactic is right for you and your firm?

A key takeaway from this episode is that sometimes the old school marketing techniques still work, and this is what we’re talking about with Shreya Banerjee and Paul Counts: How to get free traffic from Google.

Shreya and Paul are Co-Founders of Marketing Counts, serial entrepreneurs, Tech Startup Founders, and advisors to the influencers. They are teachers at heart who have a passion for helping entrepreneurs and students alike grasp proven marketing concepts.

Paul and Shreya give listeners actionable tips on: Why your firm should have a Google Business Account. How a Google Business Account keeps your content top of mind. Tips to get better reviews. What to put on your Google Business account to keep it updated with minimal effort. Why consistency matters and how it can be game-changing for your firm.

What’s the difference between benchmarks and baselines when it comes to measuring your firm’s KPIs?

Often, we set revenue and project-based goals to achieve on a quarterly or annual basis, without having a clear understanding of our KPIs, how to measure them, or how to shift them if they’re no longer aligned.

We dive into all things KPIs with Jeff Smith in this episode. Jeff is affectionately known as “The KPI Guy” as he’s written 7 international #1 best-selling books on KPI and Business Management. He is on record as the most successful author in history on the subject.

Throughout his career, he’s worked with, and is trusted by Royal families, Governments of different countries and Senior Executives in the largest companies in the world.

Jeff gives listeners actionable tips on: What KPIs are and why we use them? How to decide which KPIs you should focus on in your firm? The difference between a baseline and a benchmark and how to measure it within your firm. His recommendations on which KPIs lawyers should be using to measure. Trust as a key component of achieving KPIs.

How do you double your website revenue? There are so many different strategies, and this week, we’re talking about a new concept called The Rule of 26.

Joining me for this conversation is Michael Buzinski, President & CMO of Buzzworthy Website Marketing.

Michael is a lifelong entrepreneur, digital marketing thought leader, and best-selling author. Dubbed a “visionary marketer” by the American Marketing Association, Michael’s sole mission is to help entrepreneurs avoid the time drain and frustration of managing profitable digital marketing campaigns. Buzz, as most call him, has simplified digital marketing success with The Rule of 26 and is on a mission to double the website revenue of service-centric businesses across America.

Buzz gives listeners actionable tips on:

- What’s the rule of 26?

- How to increase your conversion rate

- Three ways to increase the value of a client

- Tips to run a profitable firm

Do you love being a lawyer, but can’t stand the sales hat that comes with it?

It’s no secret that sales plays a vital role in securing new clients and growing your firm.

What do we do when we want to close the business, but don’t want to use pushy, oldschool sales tactics? My guest, Merit Kahn, shares the four words that can transform your sales in this episode.

Merit gives listeners actionable tips on: Why the word sales has such negative connotations and how to reframe it for yourself? The three key components to sales. The four magic words to transform your sales conversations. How emotional intelligence plays a key role in the sales process.