Why are millennials leaving their careers in law? Generational differences and breakdowns in communication often broaden the disconnect between the career goals of millennials and the traditional legal practice models of law firms. Florida Bar podcast host Christine Bilbrey talks with consultant JP Box about the millennial mindset and his recommendations for creating a culture that motivates young associates. JP encourages law firms to engage millennials in meaningful work early on and gives perspective on the work-life blend that fuels this new generation of lawyers.

JP Box is the founder of JP Box Consulting LLC and author of, “The Millennial Lawyer: How Your Firm Can Motivate and Retain Young Associates,” published by the American Bar Association in 2018.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 1 hour of General CLE Credit. Course #3789.

Legal professionalism continually evolves alongside changes to the practice of law and advances in technology. What should be done to help lawyers maintain necessary and even exceptional levels of professionalism? In this edition of the Florida Bar podcast, host Jonathan Israel welcomes Mike Tanner to moderate a panel discussion between Ashlea Edwards, Judge Paul Huck, Judge Nelly Khouzam, and Kara Rockenbach on lawyer professionalism. They review the current definition of professionalism per the Florida Bar’s Professionalism Expectations and give their take on what teaching strategies would encourage optimal professional behavior in Florida lawyers. To close out their conversation, they also discuss best practices for handling instances of unprofessional behavior.

Ashlea Edwards is an associate attorney at Akerman LLP.

Paul C. Huck is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Judge Khouzam is a judge for Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal.

Kara Rockenbach is a founding partner of Link & Rockenbach.

Employment law violations happen in all businesses— even law firms. How can you protect your firm and, more importantly, your employees from harassment and other workplace issues? In this edition of the Florida Bar Podcast, Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt welcome employment law expert Deborah Minnis to help lawyers understand the applications of Title VII and other antidiscrimination statutes within the law firm setting. They share examples of misconduct in law firms, offer advice on preventative training, and discuss the elements of harassment claims. Deborah also surveys current employment law trends to help law firms stay up to date on developments in this area of the law.

Deborah Minnis is an attorney and shareholder at Ausley & McMullen in Tallahassee, Florida.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 1 hour of General CLE Credit. Course # 3732.

The Florida Bar wants you to get the most out of your membership, so tune in for this second installment in this series focusing on member benefits! Podcast hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt spotlight three prominent services available for free or with discounts through the Bar’s member benefits program: Fastcase, ROSS Intelligence, and LegalFuel. 

Segment 1: Fastcase - Ed Walters and Damien Riel share the driving forces behind the creation of Fastcase and offer insights into their ongoing goal to make legal research easily accessible for all lawyers. They also explain how to gain free access to Fastcase with your Florida Bar membership.

Segment 2: ROSS Intelligence - Andrew Arruda discusses how ROSS’s artificial intelligence features come alongside lawyers to offer faster, easier legal research processes. Andrew also highlights the value of ROSS’s document analyzer. Florida Bar members can take advantage of a 14-day free trial and then receive a 10% discount. 

Segment 3: LegalFuel - Jonathon Israel, director of the Florida Bar’s Practice Resource Center, gives members an in-depth look at the programs available to them, including LegalFuel and its free practice management CLEs, the Lawyer Referral Service, and Lawyers Advising Lawyers.

The episode offers 1.0 hour of General or 1.0 hour of Ethics CLE credit and it is course number 3694.

Did you know the Florida Bar offers its members over 70 free or discounted products and services? Check them all out, including its newest member benefit: TrustBooks. In part one of this two part series on member benefits, podcast hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt talk with Tom Boyle, CPA and TrustBooks co-founder, about what led him to develop trust accounting software tailored to lawyers’ needs. They discuss the importance of ensuring your accounting is compliant with current state bar rules and how TrustBooks helps lawyers avoid common pitfalls. Tom also shares details on how TrustBooks can seamlessly integrate with both Clio and LawPay.

Is your practice in need of a firm administrator? You may be reticent to pass the baton, but it could help your firm become significantly more efficient and profitable. Florida Bar podcast hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt sit down with Debra Elsbury, president-elect of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), to discuss what lawyers need to know about the successful management of their law firms. They talk about how legal administrators save attorneys time and money and describe what the relationship between an administrator and managing partner should look like. Debra shares many of her personal experiences and offers insight into how administrative roles may differ from firm to firm.

Debra Elsbury is the firm administrator for Threlkeld Stevenson in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 1 hour of General CLE Credit. Course # 3672.

In this special edition of the Florida Bar Podcast recorded at the Annual Convention in June, hosts Christine Bilbrey and Karla Eckardt sit down with Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson to hear about her personal journey in the legal profession. She describes the path she took to eventually become Leon County Judge and shares valuable wisdom for lawyers on breaking through self-imposed barriers and creating personal meaning in the practice of law.

Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson has served as a Leon County Judge in Tallahassee, Florida since 2008. Prior to her election, she spent the majority of her career representing teachers and university faculty as in-house counsel with the Florida Education Association and as adjunct faculty at Barry University’s Tallahassee campus. She has distinguished herself as a first in many categories, including as the first Ethiopian-American judge in the United States and the first African-American elected president of the Tallahassee Women Lawyers and the Tallahassee Bar Association. She is also a former president of the William H. Stafford American Inn of Court. The Conference of County Court Judges of Florida awarded her the Distinguished Leadership Award in 2016, and she was also the recipient of the Florida Bar’s 2019 Distinguished Judicial Service Award.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 1.0 hour of General CLE credit. Course # 7000.

When we talk about technology, we like to focus on the innumerable benefits afforded to us, our businesses and our clients, but it’s worth remembering that technology is a double-edged sword. Joining host Laurence Colletti at this year’s Florida Bar’s Annual Conference, victim’s rights attorney Stephanie Cagnet Myron provides a chilling portrait of the dangers technology poses not only to our children but to all of us, in the form of cyberstalking, harassment, and more. They also discuss ways we, and parents especially, can work to protect ourselves and the ones we love from the potentially lasting impacts of bad actors online.

Stephanie Cagnet Myron is an attorney and founder of Cagnet Myron Law.

Do you have any sense of how the law will address the testimony of a conscious AI? The panelists from the Florida Bar’s eDiscovery committee and the Digital Currency Taskforce have been, as well as exploring and educating on issues related to technologies like blockchain. Zachary Catanzano, Daniel Maland, and Darren Spielman join host Jonathon Israel at the Florida Bar’s Annual Convention to talk about their work and the impacts these cutting edge technologies could have on the practice of law.

Zachary L. Catanzaro is a small business and entrepreneurship lawyer who focuses on intellectual property and emergent technologies, including cryptocurrency and blockchain.

Daniel Maland is a member of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton’s complex litigation department.

Darren Spielman is a shareholder of Kain Spielman, P.A.

Data breaches are a regrettably routine occurrence in our increasingly digital economy. Yet, many companies are still woefully underprepared to respond to a breach of their own data. At this years Annual Convention of the Florida Bar, host Laurence Colletti hears from Chris Dix and Ryan Bilbrey about who is at risk (everyone), how much a breach costs (more than you think), and the first steps to recovery (hint: don’t keep your digital breach incident plan only on your computer). Tune in to learn how to protect yourself, your business, and your clients.

Ryan Bilbrey is the founder of Reckoning Consulting Partners.

Chris Dix is a technology-focused lawyer and CPA working at Smith Hulsey & Busey