The Litigator's Edge

In this episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant sits down with Shahzad Qadri, Partner at Wong Fleming and Chair of Corporate & Immigration, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation on what it truly means to be a modern lawyer: versatile, technology-forward, and ethical.

From graduating from law school at just 20 years old to starting his career as a prosecutor, Shahzad shares how early courtroom experience shaped his confidence, decision-making, and long-term approach to law.

This conversation goes beyond traditional legal paths, diving into global transactions, corporate immigration, AI governance, and the importance of ethical boundaries in high-stakes legal work.

Shahzad also breaks down the principles of Islamic finance, offering a unique perspective on interest-free, fairness-driven financial systems, and reflects on his work supporting communities, entrepreneurs, and refugees.

In this episode:

What started with emails in the Enron era…is now becoming an AI-driven transformation of the entire legal system.

In this episode of The Litigator’s Edge, Aniket Sawant sits down with Marla Crawford, General Counsel at Cimplifi and a pioneer in eDiscovery, to unpack how legal technology has evolved over the past two decades and where it’s headed next.

From spending 22 years at Jones Day to building Goldman Sachs’ first eDiscovery program, Marla has been at the center of some of the biggest shifts in litigation and legal operations.

This conversation dives into:

• How eDiscovery evolved from manual review to AI-powered workflows
• What really changed after Enron and the rise of email evidence
• How AI is transforming document review, billing, and legal careers
• The growing role of legal technologists in modern law
• Why lawyers must adapt to AI while maintaining ethical oversight
• The story behind the Splash movement and advocacy beyond law

This is not just about legal tech, it’s about how the entire profession is being reshaped in real time.

#LegalTech #AIinLaw #EDiscovery #Litigation #LegalInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #Lawyers #LegalIndustry #FutureOfWork #LegalAI #InHouseCounsel #Compliance #DigitalTransformation

In this latest episode of The Litigator’s Edge, we sit down with Rich Lee, former patent attorney, two-time General Counsel, and Founder & Executive Chairman at New Era ADR, a platform rethinking how everyday disputes get resolved.

After years of seeing the same recurring issues, unpaid invoices, employment claims, and disputes too expensive to litigate, Rich realized something critical: the traditional legal system isn’t built for most cases.

New Era ADR is his answer, a 100-day, flat-fee, digital-first alternative to litigation, designed for the “core 90%” of disputes that fall through the cracks of the current system.

In this conversation, they break down:

• Why most disputes are never worth taking through the traditional court system
• How a 100-day resolution model actually works
• The problem with discovery gamesmanship
• How technology and AI are streamlining legal workflows
• Why user experience matters in dispute resolution and what the future of legal systems could look like

In this episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant sits down with Hongming Liu, Senior IP Counsel at Tencent America and a former PhD software architect, to explore the intersection of technology, patents, and legal strategy.

From his journey transitioning from engineering to law, to working at companies like Nokia and Tencent, Hongming shares a rare inside perspective on how modern patent systems actually function.

In this episode, we cover:

⚖️ Why software patents are often vague and difficult to interpret

🧠 How “invention harvesting” turns ideas into high-value patents

🌐 How global companies build and manage U.S.-focused patent portfolios

🤖 The growing uncertainty and risk in AI-adjacent patent litigation

🔍 The disconnect between engineers and lawyers in patent strategy

This conversation offers a deep dive into the realities of patent law and why outcomes are often far less predictable than they seem.

🎙️ Watch the full episode to understand how technology and law truly intersect behind the scenes.

#PatentLaw #IntellectualProperty #AIinLaw #LegalStrategy #TechLaw #Innovation #Litigation #TheLitigatorsEdge #SoftwarePatents #IPStrategy

In this forward-looking episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant sits down with Larry Robins, a global brand management authority and Partner at FisherBroyles. With a career spanning over four decades, Larry brings a rare dual perspective, having served as Worldwide Trademark Counsel for tech giant Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) before championing today's overhead-free, distributed law firm model.

Larry delivers a masterclass in strategic brand protection, recounting how implementing a strict "brand policeman" rubric at DEC saved millions by shifting the company from mindless trademark hoarding to value-driven asset management. He details his bold transition from legacy trademark search providers to advanced AI platforms—a move that slashed a client's global search and watch bill from nearly $100,000 to $40,000 while actually increasing precision. Beyond legal tech, Larry unpacks the tactical nuances of protecting functional designs in the furniture industry and battling sophisticated cybersquatters and fraudulent job scams in the high-stakes fantasy sports arena.

Finally, Larry offers a candid look at the unparalleled collaboration found in a 100% remote law firm and issues a stark warning to new attorneys: AI makes deep legal knowledge and critical thinking more vital, not less. For a compelling look at the evolution of intellectual property, the economics of modern law practice, and how to build a career defined by technological agility, listen now.

#IntellectualProperty #TrademarkLaw #LegalStrategy #AIinLaw #Litigation #StartupLaw #BrandProtection #LegalInnovation #TheLitigatorsEdge #IPLaw

In this episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant, Co-Founder and CEO of Threadeo, sits down with Steven Molo, founding partner of MoloLamken, to explore what truly separates elite trial advocates from the rest.From his South Side Chicago roots to early prosecutor experience, including writing a Supreme Court brief that led to a 9–0 reversal, to representing Elon Musk, Molo shares the lessons that shaped his courtroom philosophy.The conversation dives into:• “Forum sensitivity”, tailoring persuasion to judges, panels, and juries • Why mastering the rules of evidence creates a trial advantage • Getting on your feet early and learning through mistakes • Plaintiff + defense experience as a creativity multiplier • Launching a litigation boutique during the 2009 financial crisis • Technology, AI, and human judgment in close cases • What in-house counsel should look for when hiring trial teamsIn a world of short attention spans and razor-thin margins, effective advocacy isn’t about volume; it’s about clarity, editing, and strategic empathy.For litigators, trial lawyers, and legal leaders, this episode is a masterclass in courtroom precision.#TrialLaw #Litigation #SupremeCourt #TrialAdvocacy #CourtroomStrategy #LegalLeadership #LegalInnovation #TheLitigatorsEdge

In this episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant, Co-Founder and CEO of Threadeo, sits down with Dafney Dubuisson Stokes, a former law firm partner whose career spans civil rights litigation, Fortune 100 defense work, and now high-volume arbitration operations.From reviewing inmate files in the Innocence Project clinic to trying a First Amendment case with the ACLU, Dafney began her legal journey focused on systemic change. She later spent a decade in commercial and financial services litigation before pivoting into ADR operations at Forthright Solutions, the exclusive provider of New Jersey PIP arbitration, where thousands of arbitrations are processed daily.This episode explores:• The shift from “fighter” to problem-solver in mediation and arbitration • How attorneys can pivot into new practice areas with confidence • Scaling legal systems through process, technology, and workflow design • The role of AI and tech in modern ADR • Why flexibility is critical for long-term legal careersFor litigators, young associates, and anyone thinking about their next career move, this conversation is both practical and forward-looking.#Arbitration #LegalCareers #Litigation #LegalLeadership #LawFirmLife #CareerPivot #TheLitigatorsEdge #LegalInnovation #WomenInLaw

In this riveting episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant, Co-Founder and CEO of Threadeo, sits down with Eric Strober, head of the medical malpractice defense department at Rivkin Radler and seasoned high-stakes trial lawyer.

Eric shares his multi-generation path into medical malpractice, from plaintiff-side exposure in his early years to building a defense career shaped by mentorship, federal trial victories, and real courtroom pressure. He recounts early motion work connected to the O.J. Simpson civil case, a nationally recognized federal defense verdict, and the mindset required to take cases all the way to verdict in an era dominated by settlement culture.

The conversation dives deep into:

• The psychology of true trial lawyers

• Using trial as negotiation leverage

• Countering plaintiff tactics like anchoring and reptile theory

• Making damages “real” for juries

• The strategic realities behind $15M demands

• Toxic tort causation defense

• The impact of EMRs, AI, and post-COVID litigation

• The growing pressures of private equity and consolidation in healthcare

Eric explains why preparation often feels harder than trial itself and why fear of picking a jury is something young lawyers must overcome.

This episode is a masterclass in courtroom psychology, strategy, and the evolving landscape of medical malpractice defense.

#MedicalMalpractice #TrialLaw #LitigationStrategy #TrialLawyer #DefenseAttorney #JuryPsychology #ReptileTheory #LegalPodcast #TheLitigatorsEdge #CourtroomStrategy #LegalLeadership

In this refreshingly human episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant sits down with Nina Dow, a tax and estate planning attorney who has mastered the art of making the complex simple. Nina shares her unconventional journey from film school to earning an LL.M. in Taxation, revealing how she uses accessible analogies—like comparing trusts to Tupperware—to demystify wealth transfer for her clients.

Nina dives deep into the emotional intelligence required for estate planning, offering practical strategies for navigating client grief and managing delicate family dynamics, including her brilliant "blame the lawyer" tactic for difficult conversations. She also opens up about her personal path, sharing the grit required to pay off student loans in ten years and how her commitment to authenticity led her to co-found the Arab American Bar Association of Massachusetts.

From finding $60,000 in missed tax savings to balancing cultural expectations with professional ambition, Nina provides a blueprint for a legal career defined by empathy, technical mastery, and genuine connection.

In this riveting episode of The Litigator’s Edge, host Aniket Sawant sits down with Frank Amanat, a veteran litigator andMember Attorney at Motley Rice who has spent his career hunting down fraud at the highest levels. Frank takes us inside the war room of the historic Barclays investigation, revealing how he and his DOJ team helped to pioneer the use of AI and relationship mapping to unravel a massive financialfraud scheme that resulted in a $2 billion settlement—long before AI was an industry buzzword.

Frank shares the incredible story of how he saved the HarvardLaw Review from a digital catastrophe for his classmate, Barack Obama, and how he later used his legal training to win a rare appeal as a contestant on Jeopardy! Now a champion for whistleblowers, defrauded investors, and deceived consumers at Motley Rice, he offers critical advice on documenting evidence ("write everything down") and navigating the treacherous path of exposing corruption and fraud.

For a masterclass in using technology to pursue accountability and the power of resilience, listen now.