It is not a stretch to say that attorney Richard Jaffe is at the top of the legal profession in the state of Alabama.  I say this somewhat objectively, given the fact that he has been consistently named as a top 50 lawyer in the State of Alabama for well over a decade by Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers has listed him Lawyer of the Year for Birmingham in either White -collar criminal law or criminal defense 4 times in recent years.  In fact, he was featured on the cover of the 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers magazine and you can read that article here.  This quote pretty much sums up his 45 plus year career:  “A philosopher and a warrior.  Richard Jaffe helps people from being executed by the state.”  Richard’s book, “Quest for Justice: Defending the Damned”2 Ed is available at this link, and on Amazon .He is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). I learned on the podcast that Richard got his start through the help of correspondence he started with Alabama’s then up and coming Attorney General, Bill Baxley.  Also, during his career, he worked closely with former Alabama United States Senator Doug Jones as they taught each other state and federal legal practice.  It obviously worked out well for both of them!  It occurs to me that a lot of young lawyers just starting their legal careers can learn a lot from this episode with Richard as to how to have an enduring, impactful and satisfying career in the law

Attorney Reed Allmand runs one of the largest consumer bankruptcy law firms in Texas, Allmand Law.  Reed is highly respected nationwide in this practice area.  I know him as a colleague with the American Consumer Bankruptcy College.  Born and raised in Texas, Reed talks about his roots and how he has grown his law firm to be one of the biggest bankruptcy filers in Texas over the years.  I enjoyed getting to know Reed  on this episode of the podcast.    

Attorney Michelle Cross is the founder of Atlanta’s Law Firm.  While she hasn’t been practicing law very long, Michelle has already established herself in Atlanta, Georgia as an excellent criminal defense lawyer. In fact, she was named to Atlanta’s Jezebel magazine (published by Modern Luxury) 40 under 40 this past year, in addition to a cover feature.  As you'll hear on the podcast, Michelle’s singular goal has been to work as a criminal defense lawyer since she was five years old.  Michelle has taken full advantage of social media in this day and age, and I can't think of a lawyer who utilizes those platforms better than she does.  Besides criminal law, her other passion is the nonprofit that she co-founded called FYI Diabetes, which is near and dear to her heart. I enjoyed getting to speak with Michelle on this episode of the podcast and you can find her at Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, in addition to her website.

Attorney Erik Clark is a highly respected consumer bankruptcy attorney based in California.  He, and his longtime law partner, Barry Borowitz, run the law firm of Borowitz and Clark.  I have known Erik and Barry for probably 20 years or so, as both are nationwide leaders in this practice area. It was good to catch up with Erik on this episode of the podcast and to learn how a boy who grew up in Brooklyn made his way to California.  Erik is a really good guy and I think you’ll enjoy hearing his story.   

I first learned about attorney Bruce Wolf through WLUP, the preeminent Chicago radio station back in the day.  WLUP was very important to a lot of us growing up in the Chicago area when we did and there is a great new book out about this radio station. Here is the link to “The Loop Files” by long time WLUP employee Rick Kaempfer.  Rick’s book discusses Bruce Wolf in detail and all of the contributions Bruce made to that radio station.  Listening to him, I was fascinated by the fact that Bruce was a lawyer and, also, a highly respected Chicago sportscaster with a very quick wit. I enjoyed getting to speak with Bruce on this episode of the podcast and he is still as energetic, smart, and sharp as I remembered him!

Attorney Martin Conway, founder of Conway Legal, is a highly respected consumer bankruptcy lawyer who practices law throughout Virgina. I first got to know Martin as a colleague with the American Consumer Bankruptcy College (ACBC).  Since Martin is in Virginia, he has many clients who have security clearances. Invariably, when people with clearances run into financial difficulties, they are always concerned about the potential impact on their clearance which, in turn, potentially affects their jobs.  Martin and I spend a good bit of time discussing these aspects and this blog post is helpful when someone is considering bankruptcy who holds a secret, top secret or TS-SCI, TS-SAP, etc., security clearance.  I enjoyed getting to know Martin's story on this episode of the podcast and how a Louisiana boy made his way to Virginia and never left.

If you are a lawyer who practices in the area of immigration law, then you undoubtedly know the name of attorney Kevin A. Gregg. Kevin is a partner with the law firm of Kurzban, Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt and he practices immigration law nationwide. 

Additionally, he is the host of the Immigration Review Podcast which is a “must listen” if you practice in the area of immigration law.  Interestingly, I was introduced to Kevin by my close Army friend from my JAG days, Rico Bartolomei.  Rico is a long-standing immigration judge based out of San Diego, California.  Many of my friends know that Rico introduced me to my wife, Patty, 36 years ago when he and I were both serving on active duty with the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss, Texas.  Kevin ended up serving as a law clerk to Rico early in his career, prior to devoting his professional practice to the area of immigration.

I enjoyed getting to know Kevin’s story on this episode and I hope you like it too!

There are two Mark Zuckerberg’s in the country and this podcast features the one who is a bankruptcy lawyer practicing in Indianapolis, Indiana.  You can imagine how often the name confusion comes up for Mark over the last several years! 

Mark is the de facto “Dean” of the American Consumer Bankruptcy College (ACBC), which is how I got to know him.  Mark is an expert in consumer bankruptcy law and he is someone who really enjoys his work. To this point, Mark has been selected as an Indiana Super Lawyer for many years.   

I enjoyed getting to know Mark’s history on this episode of the podcast and how he came up with the idea for ACBC.  

I have known Scott Lawrence since 1996.  I can pretty much guess the exact date since he and his family moved into the same neighborhood at the same time that my family did and we all became immediate fast friends. In fact, our builder told us that Scott, Mary Carol, Jackson and Mary Kathryn were moving in at about the same time as us and  predicted we would get along well and, in the end, he was correct!  Even though Huntsville is now a cosmopolitan area where a lot of folks are from other areas of the country, Scott is a true Huntsville native and his family goes back here for several decades.  Scott  is a close friend and confidant  to many and you’ll understand why after you listen to him on this podcast!

Attorney Sam Givhan is very well known in Huntsville and, really, throughout the state of Alabama.  A highly respected attorney, Sam is currently a law partner at Lanier Ford which is based in Huntsville.

By the way, you can listen to my podcasts with other Lanier Ford partners Andy Sieja, Laura Harper, and former law partner and now full time author, Robert Bailey.  

Sam also serves our area and the state as an elected Alabama State Senator.  Sam, as you’ll hear, comes from deep farming roots down in south Alabama.  He has an engaging personality, and it is evident that he has never met a stranger! It is no wonder that Sam has a large constituency, along with his legal clients, that are grateful for his help and service. 

As an aside, Sam also does a good bit of charitable work in our community.  I haven’t talked to Sam for many years, really since he was doing creditor’s work in bankruptcy court a long time ago.  It was good to catch up with him on this episode of the podcast.