The Mother Board

Rob has been with Drew, Eckl & Farnham for over 30 years and leads its Corporate and Transactional Practice Group. He works closely with corporate leadership to meet day-to-day legal challenges and accomplish long-term strategic objectives. His clients range from closely-held local businesses to mid-market national and multi-national companies. Rob also has extensive civil litigation experience, giving him valuable perspective in advising clients with regard to corporate risk management and litigation avoidance. Yet, despite the hectic nature and pressure of his job, Rob still takes the time and effort to look after his team, something Juliana is very familiar with. Listen to this week's episode to find out more!

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For most jobs, it's relatively straightforward to measure how much work you have; whether it's billable hours, commission, project milestones, or just how long your shift is, there's often something to measure your performance with. But what about the things you can't measure? That's where "invisible" work comes in.
In general, invisible work is unpaid and unnoticed work. Whether it's vacation planning, cooking, laundry, or simply driving the kids to school, invisible work piles on to the many responsibilities of a demanding career, and it can wear someone out fast.
This week, The Mother Board discusses the invisible work in their lives, how to manage it, and how those around them have helped ease the stress of trying to do it all.

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This week we celebrate the impending DRI Presidency of our partner, friend, and mentor Douglas Burrell at the DRI Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. DRI is one of the largest civil defense organizations in the world and Douglas's presidency reflects years of hard work to achieve this tremendous accomplishment. Joining us this week are our partners Karen Karabinos, Lara Ortega Clark, and Elissa Haynes. Also joining us is a very special guest, Lori Johnson, who happens to be Douglas's wife. She is also tremendously successful in her own right as the main female news anchor at WMAZ TV in Macon, Georgia. This week we discuss our experiences at the Annual Meeting thus far, the benefits (necessity?) of DRI involvement generally (hint: it's not just networking and CLE credit!), what it takes to be a great leader (hint: see Douglas Burrell), and how Lori manages to "have it all" while also support Douglas in his goals and dreams.

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All of your The Mother Board hosts bring us into the fall season with some back-to-schooling on all things cryptocurrency. What do we know, what should we know, and why should we care about these digital currencies?

Juliana mentioned that some well-known companies accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from consumers buying goods and services, which is a growing group of businesses: 

• Business Insider (May 2021): More Companies Are Accepting Bitcoin, Including PayPal and Xbox
• PC Mag (August 2021): Walmart Is Working on a Cryptocurrency Strategy, According to Job Post 
• MSN (Sept. 2021): AMC theaters will accept cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin

Juliana mentioned Bitcoin, Etherium, Helium, Emrit.io, and Sean Go of the Sean Go Gallery, as the NFT artist, on the show, and although she was not paid to mention them, she has engaged in transactions personally that have involved some of these. Her mention of these currencies, technologies, companies and people was for use as informational examples and was not her providing investment advice or an endorsement or solicitation of them for listeners to purchase cryptocurrencies or NFTs or to sign up to be a crypto miner on behalf of any of them. Listeners should discuss investment opportunities with their wealth and financial planners, accountants, and legal counsel, and research these currencies and crypto mining on their own, before making any purchases. The Mother Board presented this topic for general informational purposes and not as legal advice.

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Welcome to Season 2! The co-hosts of The Mother Board return and explore the very real reasons behind career burnout and the ripple effect it has. Stressed out? Feeling like you're out of gas? Turns out, they are actually opposite problems. Together, our co-hosts discuss the signs of burnout, the real-life implications of it, as well as concrete ideas of how to avoid it. Hit the brakes with us and avoid the crash.

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There's a reason so many lawyers strive to achieve positions as in-house counsel. In theory, it's a coveted role with more flexibility, no billable hours, and far fewer interactions with a rude opposing counsel. But what's it like in practice? Join us on this episode of The Mother Board where we chat all things "in-house" with Southern Company Gas' Yoon Ettinger, including her likes and gripes for her outside counsel.

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On this week's episode of The Mother Board, we are joined by Solita Roberts, the founder of Style to Impact, a personal styling and image consulting agency working with high-performing, purpose-driven women entrepreneurs and professionals to refine their wardrobe and image so they can showcase their talents, expertise, and thought leadership with confidence. Listen as Solita challenges the myth that books and looks don't go together, and offers practical tips for how women can feel confident about placing importance on personal style.

Click here to visit Solita's website Style to Impact.

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Our last episode focused on Karen Karabinos, her somewhat non-traditional career path, and how it shaped her mentorship abilities and business development. But what about someone who wants to take a more traditional arc to her practice? This week, Taylor Poncz and Aarati Subramaniam talk to Sandra Cho, a partner at DEF, who put herself on the fast track, and found herself in a leadership role at a relatively young age. Now, with over two decades of practice behind her, she offers insight she would give her younger self and others who are just starting out.

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Mentorship is key in navigating nearly any profession, but especially in the practice of law. Listen to this week's episode of The Mother Board, where Taylor Poncz and Aarati Subramaniam speak with one of their mutual mentors, Drew Eckl & Farnham's partner, Karen Karabinos. Karen discusses the many ways she has received and given mentorship over her 3+ decades of practicing law. She also offers advice and practical tips for how to weave her mentorship strategies into business development.

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Whether it is buying a car or settling a claim, we all need to learn how to be better negotiators or peacemakers through dispute resolution. This week on The Mother Board, Matt Jordan of Jordan ADR talks turkey with our hosts about what makes for a successful dispute resolution process, tactics to avoid, and hallmark of a good mediator. So, do we have a deal?

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