The Future Is Bright Podcast

We discussed the following topics:

• Law Firm merger and combination trends
• Tools they provide at Altman Weil such as MergerLine
• Why do some deals succeed
• Law firm merger deal killers and what can prevent the death of a deal
• Why law firms should consider a combination
• The leadership of law firms
• His passion for the outdoors, woodworking, UNC sports, and his family
• Predictions of tech companies

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Tom Clay's Professional Bio
• MergerLine by Altman Weil
• In M&A You Only Get One Chance To Make a First Impression By Altman Weil
• Law Firms in Transition Survey 2017 by Altman Weil
• How Kodak Failed by Forbes
• The ABA Commission on Multi-Disciplinary Practices-(The Commission on Multidisciplinary Practice’s mandate was to study and report on the manner and extent to which professional service firms operated by non-lawyers were seeking to provide legal services to the public.)
• PwC Opens ILC Legal Services in the US by New York Times DealBook
• Does the UK Know Something We don't about Alternative Business Structures? by ABA Journal
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell  
• Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
• University of North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball Team
• Peter Drucker by Wikipedia
• The Great Artificial Intelligence War of 2018 by Fast Company
• Richard Susskind | Author and Futurist

I interviewed Steve Harper, Author, Retired BigLaw Trial Lawyer and Adjunct Law Professor on Wednesday October 4th, 2017.

We discussed the following topics:

• The legal industry critique of the law firm model
• His book The Lawyer Bubble
• Downfalls of the eat what you kill law firm incentive model
• His fictional account of law firm culture called The Partnership
• Personal family history and his dad’s run-in with Jimmy Hoffa
• Books of choice
• Lack of succession planning in law firms
• His next book project and current focus tracking the Trump and Russia facts.   

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• Steve Harper's Website
• Steve Harper's Amazon Author Page
• Testimony by Scott Turow
• Anne Bradford and Aspire Legal
• The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Last Hope Island: Britain, Occupied Europe and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of the War by Lynne Olson
• Altman Weil Study - Next Generation of Leadership and Success Planning
• Trump Russia Timeline on BillMoyer.com

I interviewed James Fisher, Managing Partner of FisherBroyles on Wednesday September 29th, 2017.

We discussed the following topics:

• The history of FisherBroyles
• Cloud-based law firms
• Vision and anticipated growth trajectory of the firm
• Future of training lawyers
• Technology and talent to leverage a win-win for both clients and attorneys
• Developing blockchain technology
• Travel and his family

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• James Fisher Bio
• Kevin Broyles Bio
• Can Cloud-based Firms Rival the Traditional Model? by the National Law Review
• Block Chain Technology
• The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance

I interviewed Daniel Rodriguez, Dean of Northwestern University Pritzker Law School on Thursday September 7th 2017.

We discussed the following topics:

• Law school trends such as enrollment, LSAT vs. GRE, law firm hiring trends, etc.
• The current impact and use of legal tech in law schools
• Law school’s Innovation Lab
• Non-attorney ownership of law firms
• Life as a law school dean
• The First Amendment
• Topics and authors he likes to read

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• Daniel Rodriguez Bio
• NuLawLab by Northwestern University School of Law 
• Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens - NWU Alum
• Trump Pardon's Arizona Sheriff Arpaio
• Trump Moves to End DACA
• Richard Susskind - Legal Futurist, Author and Consultant 
• Rules for a Flat World: Why Humans Invented Law and How to Reinvent It for a Complex Global Economy by Gillian Hadfield
• Legal Evolution Blog by Bill Henderson, Professor of Law at Indiana University School of Law 
• Clay Christensen on Disruptive Innovation, Harvard Business School Professor
• Alfred Chandler - Business History Professor at Harvard University 
• Prophets of Regulation by Thomas K. McCraw

I interviewed Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons, on Tuesday August 29th, 2017.

Topics we discussed were:

• Meteoric growth since he took the role
• Numerous combinations, mergers, and group acquisitions
• M&A advice for firm managing partners and leadership
• His team and friendship with Joe Andrews
• Who Denton’s competitors are
• What will and won’t change in the next 10-20 years for the legal industry
• Being the global CEO of such a large firm
• Non-profit experience with KEEN

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• Elliott Portnoy Law Firm Bio
• Elliott Portnoy Wikipedia Page
• Joe Andrew Law Firm Bio
• Sonnenschein Nath Rosenthal Wikipedia Page
• SNR Denton Wikipedia Page
• Dentons Wikipedia Page
• Denton's NextLaw Law
• KEEN USA - Kids Enjoy Exercise Now
• Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by JD Vance

I interviewed Norm Champ | Partner of Kirkland & Ellis on April 21st, 2017.

We discussed:

• Hedge fund to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
• Being the Director of the Division of Investment Management
• Being a law partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis
• His new book Going Public: My Adventures Inside the SEC and How to Prevent the Next Devastating Crisis
• What surprised him inside the Federal Government
• Bernie Madoff and how he could have been caught more quickly
• Interactions with the Hill
• FSOC and their influence with SEC’s role in regulating US mutual funds, investment advisors and other investment firms
• Inspirations to him in public service
• What books should be written that are not yet

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• Norm Champ Law Firm Bio
• Norm Champ Speaking Writing Website
• (Book) Going Public: My Adventures Inside the SEC and How to Prevent the Next Devastating Crisis - released March 2017
• Bernie Madoff
• Allen Standford
• SEC Division of National Exam Program
• SEC Division of Investment Management
• Financial Stability Oversight Council
• Scott Alvarez, General Counsel of the Federal Reserve
• Mary Jo Wright, SEC Chair
• Jay Clayton, SEC Chair nominee
• Judge Charles Haight
• Patrick O'Shaughnessy & Invest Like the Best Podcast

I interviewed Bob Bostrom on March 9th, 2017.

In Part 2 of our interview we discussed:

• Stories of being General Counsel of Freddie Mac before, during and after the Financial Crisis of 2008/09
• Numerous leadership changes and investigations endured
• Why there are corporate crises
• The several takeaways of what corporate legal departments can do to mitigate those risks in the future.

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• Bob Bostrom's LinkedIn Bio
• Federal Takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae
• SEC Charges former Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Executives with Securities Fraud
• Kenneth Feinberg: Special Master
• What is a General Counsel to Do? Lessons Learned from the Major Corporate Crises from Enron through Volkswagen (PowerPoint)
• Norman Veasey | The General Counsel Persuasive Counselor (article)
• Norman Veasey | Indispensable Counsel: The Chief Legal Officer in the New Reality (book)
• Ben Heineman | High Performance with High Integrity (Memo to the CEO) (book)
• Ben Heineman | GE's Key Lawyer Rewired the Game (article)

I interviewed Bob Bostrom on March 9th, 2017.

In Part 1 of our interview, we discussed:

• The evolution of the General Counsel role 20 years
• How Ben Heineman of GE was a catalyst for these changes
• Responsibilities increased as the role changed within corporate America
• Different draws to in-house vs private practice
• What an attorney needs to make the transition to in-house
• Advice he has for those in private practice to move to in-house
• The challenges of being general counsel
• The technology used to manage outside counsel

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• Bob Bostrom's LinkedIn Bio
• Nat West Bancorp
• Freddie Mac
• Winston Strawn
• Abercrombie & Fitch Proxy Fight 
• Ben Heineman | GE's Key Lawyer Rewired the Game (article)
• Ben Heineman | High Performance with High Integrity (Memo to the CEO) (book)
• Norman Veasey | The General Counsel Persuasive Counselor (article)
• Norman Veasey | Indispensable Counsel: The Chief Legal Officer in the New Reality (book)

I interviewed Alan Hoffman | Chairman and Managing partner of Blank Rome on March 8th, 2017.

Today we discussed:

• The Christmas Eve deal with Jim Kelly to absorb remaining partners of Dickstein Shapiro
• His conversation with a law professor and how that greatly impacted him and his leadership at Blank Rome
• Stories about how he got the job at the Assistant United States Attorney’s office
• Being Knighted by a client for trials won
• Succession planning
• The importance of putting people of diversity into leadership
• Importance of integration to lateral partners
• Keeping an eye on pricing, predictability, and partnership with their clients
• Fear and change as he leads his firm
• Value for his family
• Robert F Kennedy as his hero

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Alan Hoffman's Web Bio
• Sir Alan, the Great Defender of the East
• The Legal Intelligencer March 8 2017 article - Blank Rome Boosts Revenue 22%
• BizJournal February 11 2016 article - Blank Rome picks up 107 lawyers from Dickstein Shapiro 
• Robert F Kennedy

I interviewed Kim Johnson of Quarles & Brady, partner, and Firm Chairperson.

Today, we discussed:

• Highlights of their executive committee's annual retreat
• Growth within the firm
• How to work better together
• Succession planning
• Forming an Innovation Committee
• The effects of the new White House administration
• Advice to future law firm chairmen and persons
• Blogs she reads regularly
• Metrics used to measure and monitor the law firms
• Who her heroes are
• Her hobbies and what's left on her bucket list

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• Kim Johnson's Web Bio
• Florida Commission on the Status of Women
• Florida Trend Magazine's Florida Legal Elite
• Five Star Award: Five Star Professional
• Dr. Larry Richard and LawyerBrain
• Dr. Daniel Martin Katz: Law Professor, Scientist & Technologist
• Lex Machina
• Kira Systems
• Ravel Law
• Aric Press' Blog
• BTI Consulting Group's Blog
• The American Lawyer