Tristian Shannon took an unexpected route to the legal profession, trading the world of real estate for the courtroom. He joins us to discuss that journey, revealing the challenges that propelled him toward law and the entrepreneurial spirit that led him to build his own firm. Beyond the traditional legal landscape, Tristian is a proponent of modern connection, explaining how social media can humanize lawyers and build trust with clients in a way that outdated models often miss. He also touches on the importance of carving your own path with a law degree, the pressures of the bar exam and the critical need to prioritize mental well-being, as well as the essential support and mentorship for women navigating the legal field.

Additional Resources:

Uncertain about Whether to Start Your Own Practice? Legal Incubators Can Help

What I Wish I Knew Before Going Solo

Navigating the Waters of a Solo Practice

Seven Funding Strategies for Solos

Using Social Media to Build Your Practice

How New Lawyers Can Build Their Brand on Social Media

American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division

• (00:00) - Intro

Bill Bay, President of the American Bar Association, joins Montana to discuss the role the ABA plays in supporting lawyers, promoting justice, and advocating for the rule of law.  Regardless of where you are in your career, the ABA offers not only a wealth of material for you to improve your practice and serve your clients better, but also an opportunity to get involved, get inspired, and effectuate a broader impact as part of something bigger than yourself. Discover the ways the ABA can help you advance your career, serve your community, and take a leading role in making a meaningful difference.

Additional Resources:

How New Lawyers Can Use the ABA to Further Their Career Goals

How to Make Your Law Firm See the Benefits of Bar Involvement

How to Be Admitted to the Supreme Court Bar and Why You Should

Today’s Law Students Are the Future Guardians of Justice

ABA Student Loans Resources

ABA Career Center

ABA Law Student Division

Disaster Legal Services

About the Rule of Law Initiative

americanbarsocial Linktree 

Bill Bay on LinkedIn

Associate Producer: Montana Funk

• (00:00) - Introduction: Bill Bay

As young lawyers, you’re motivated to impress, to seem like the smartest person on the team.  But no one person can know enough to succeed entirely on their own.  We rely on the assistance and expertise of those around us, building a community of trusted allies who can help ensure we’re capable of fully serving our clients’ interests.  Expert witnesses are one such invaluable resource in many avenues of legal practice.

In this episode, host Montana Funk sits down with Dr. Chris Spaeth, an expert focusing on neuroscience, toxicology, and pharmacology.  Together, they discuss the role of an expert witness and how lawyers can foster better working relationships with experts and be more effective lawyers in the process.

Additional Resources:

Expert Witnesses: Demystifying Science in and out of the Courtroom, By Chris Spaeth
Pretrial Gatekeeping: How to Handle Junk Science and Unqualified Experts

Best Practices for Working with Expert Witnesses

Qualifying an Expert Witness

American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

American Bar Association Litigation Section

Associate Producer: Montana Funk

• (00:00) - Opening

Financial expert Melissa Cecchine joins host Montana Funk to discuss the essentials of conscious financial management. Melissa shares insights into overcoming financial fears and building smart wealth strategies. Whether you're a young lawyer just starting your financial journey or you’re just looking to improve your approach to your finances, Melissa's practical advice on managing money, understanding your financial personality, and creating a conscious spending plan will help you achieve lasting financial stability and freedom. Tune in to learn how to take control of your finances and make informed, conscious choices that align with your goals.

Visit Melissa's website where you'll find the Money Mindset Quiz.
Follow Melissa on Instagram and LinkedIn.
 

Associate Producer: Kimberly Russell

Creators & Guests

• (00:00) - Our guest: Melissa Cecchine

Being a lawyer is a tough job. We’ve all heard the term “burnout”, maybe we even see it as just “something that happens occasionally” given our jobs, but most of us aren’t familiar with what all this stress is really doing to our bodies.  Montana is joined by Dr. Skattum to discuss the impacts of adrenal fatigue, burnout, and stress on the body, particularly for high-performing individuals like attorneys. They discuss practical strategies for managing stress, recognizing the signs of burnout, and making health a priority, whether you're a busy professional or managing a demanding home life. Tune in to learn how small changes can make a big difference in your overall well-being and productivity.

Additional Resources:
A Physician’s Guide for How Attorneys Can Avoid Burnout and Optimize Their Lifestyles

How Lawyers Can Implement a High-Quality Diet for Optimal Health

Directory of Lawyer Assistance Programs

Associate Producer: Julie Merow

• (00:00) - Introduction

Stacey Scrivani discusses the concept of mentorship in the legal profession, exploring what it means to be a mentor or mentee, and how these relationships can be mutually beneficial with Montana Funk. Stacey shares her insights on the various forms mentorship can take, from formal programs to informal peer support, and emphasizes the importance of a give-and-take dynamic. Whether you're seeking a mentor, aspiring to be one, or just eager to make the most of your mentor-mentee relationships, Stacey shares invaluable practical advice and personal anecdotes.

Additional Resources:

Fantastic Legal Mentors and Where You Can Find Them

How to Make the Most of Partner Mentors Within Your Law Firm

Learning from Other Lawyers

How to Be a Good Mentee in the Legal Profession

We Were All Young Lawyers Once: Here Are Some Survivor Tips

Earning a Sponsor Can Pave the Way to Career Success

Lift as You Climb: Accepting the Call to Mentorship

5 Tips for Mentoring and Managing Legal Interns

Associate Producer: Trevor Cooper

• (00:00) - Introducing Stacey Scrivani

Stefania Lessen joins host Montana Funk to share her journey from law school to a successful legal career, emphasizing the importance of networking at every stage. From leveraging local bar associations to utilizing social media platforms like LinkedIn, Stefania offers practical advice and personal anecdotes to help law students and new attorneys build and maintain a strong professional network.

Additional Resources:

Authentic Networking Is the Key to a Successful Legal Career

How New Lawyers Can Use the ABA to Further Their Career Goals

The Geometry of Networking

Networking for State and Local Government Legal Jobs

Associate Producer: Carneil Wilson

• (00:00) - Introduction

Learn how to exceed expectations and thrive as a new lawyer from a panel of seasoned attorneys who are open and honest about what it takes to make partner, navigate your career, and excel in the legal field. Special thanks to our friends over at Litigation Radio, ABA's Section of Litigation and Podcast Host Dave Scriven-Young for sharing this special episode with us. For more conversations with top litigators, judges, and experts, subscribe to Litigation Radio on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Newly admitted lawyers can feel overwhelmed and intimidated. Law schools can’t teach everything, and there’s a lot of on-the-job learning. Some of the work is difficult and complicated. Some of what’s required is as simple as showing up on time and doing work that looks perfect and is free of typos (yes, that matters, even for internal communications).

With each task, the best new lawyers progress from competence to excellence. Start with the goal of being a “superstar associate” by being the best lawyer you can be. When new lawyers take on tasks and do good work, others will notice and will mentor you. What any new lawyer makes of their earliest experience in any firm will drive them to the next level, no matter their career path.

This episode shares tips for standing out and learning how to be a lawyer from two attorneys who have excelled in their careers and have made partner at their respective firms.

Resources:

What New Lawyers Must Know on Their First Day on the Job

Early Career Success for Attorneys Can Come from Developing Your "Ownership Mindset"

Great Lawyers Don't Only Point Out Problems—They Offer Solutions

Success in the Legal Profession Is Not Achieved Through Participation Trophies

Building a Career you Love as a Young Lawyer

Some Advice to the New or Soon-to-be Lawyer

Top Tips for Young Lawyers: How to Survive and Thrive in Your Legal Career

American Bar Association

American Bar Association Litigation Section

American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

Everybody wants your data, from companies to hackers to governments. Guest Lexi Lutz is senior corporate counsel, and privacy watchdog, at Nordstrom. She advises the company on the legal implications of AI, cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection. As computers get smarter and capabilities expand, it’s more important than ever to maintain legal guardrails and understand potential pitfalls.

Lutz starts with keeping up with the slew of developing state privacy laws and international regulations. Corporations handle massive amounts of data, much of it confidential. Privacy disclosures, terms of service, customer service, data breaches, and transparency are all factors. It’s a lot for any legal team to manage, and the field is only getting bigger.

Hear how Lutz got her start in corporate data and privacy law, how she approaches her duties, and how she helps the rest of the corporation understand where the vulnerabilities and minefields lie.

As a lawyer, you understand your duty to maintain confidentiality. But as computing capabilities surge, and in the murky and evolving world of AI, there’s a growing need for attorneys who understand and stay on top of lurking challenges to privacy and data security. Everything from massive customer database hacks to simply sending an email using a coffee shop’s WiFi can create data security issues. (And Lutz reminds us, change your passwords frequently).

Resources: 

Microsoft Outlook email encryption

Google Gmail encryption

“Twenty Years Ago, AIM Chatbot SmarterChild Out-Snarked ChatGPT,” TechCrunch

ChatGPT

“’She Hooked Me’: How an Online Scam Cost a Senior Citizen His Life’s Savings,” Wall Street Journal

Justin S. Daniels at Baker Donelson, videos

American Bar Association

American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division

One challenge young lawyers encounter—especially in demanding corporate roles—is starting a family while advancing in their careers. Managing and balancing work and family isn’t something they teach in school. 

Guest Kimberly “Kim” Maney is a busy, successful in-house corporate attorney for a global corporation. She’s also a mom and a spouse who taught herself how to balance 10-hour days and constant demands from her job while carving out time for family. Raising a family is hard work, everything from coordinating childcare to spending meaningful time with children. And then, later, as kids grow up, there are soccer games, ballet recitals, and vacations.

 In today’s world of connectivity, it can be too easy to just “take a call” during the family trip to Disney World. You’ll need to develop and communicate boundaries with your coworkers and your organization. 

Maney shares how she leaned on coworkers who were already parents and even Facebook parent support groups as she learned to create space for family while excelling at her job.

Stephen C. Dinkel served as the associate producer on this episode of Young Lawyer Rising.

Resources:

Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers: Results and Best Practices from a National Study of the Legal Profession

 Parenthood Positivity: How to Use Parenthood in the Trajectory of Your Legal Career

Parental Leave in the Legal Field: Managing Employee and Employer Expectations

Attorneys Make the Case for Equal Parental Leave

Balancing Fatherhood and a Legal Career as a Young Lawyer

Juggling a Firm and a Family

Tips for Balancing a Legal Career and First-Time Motherhood

American Bar Association

American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division