ABA Journal Podcast

How to stop worrying and learn to love data-driven law

Data informs, and in some cases controls, every aspect of modern life. Well, almost every aspect. “If you look at finance or medicine or sports, almost every other thing in the world is using data to make better decisions,” says Ed Walters. “Everything except law.”

Oct 24, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Could 80 percent of cases be resolved through online dispute resolution? (podcast)

Perhaps in five to seven years, as Colin Rule sees it, half of U.S. citizens who file court cases will have access to online dispute resolution software walking them step by step through their matters, resolving up to 80 percent of cases.

Oct 17, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

We need to talk about abortion, says author of ‘Scarlet A’

Three in 10 American women who are 45 or older have had an abortion, Katie Watson, author of Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law & Politics of Ordinary Abortion, tells the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles. For women 44 and younger, one in four are projected to have an abortion in their lifetime. Yet for all the fiery rhetoric about the legality of abortion, Watson–who teaches bioethics, medical humanities and constitutional law at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine–has found a reluctance by people to discuss their own personal experiences with abortion, or even the nuances of their views on its ethics.

Oct 10, 2018 6:10 AM CDT

Election Protection: How lawyers can help uphold voters’ rights this November

Want to protect democracy and ensure voters’ rights? If you are looking to ways to volunteer during the 2018 midterm elections, there are opportunities available, especially for attorneys.

Sep 24, 2018 6:20 AM CDT

How to be—sort of—happy in law school (podcast)

Law school can be a lonely, stressful time, and it’s easy to feel like you're failing to fit the model of the perfect law student. But there’s no one right way to go to law school, says sociology professor Kathryne M. Young, author of How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School; you can craft your own experience.

Sep 19, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Legal writing pro is helping teach AI to draft contracts (podcast)

Ken Adams has brought his contract expertise to a Pittsburgh artificial intelligence startup. The transactional lawyer stopped practicing law “the regular way,” as he puts it, in 2006 and devoted himself full time to his interest in contract language. After constant exploration on the topic, the 57-year-old 2009 ABA Journal…

Sep 12, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

How difficult conversations can save working relationships (podcast)

Are you dreading talking with a colleague about an issue you're having with them? When approaching a difficult conversation at work, reframe it in your mind as a discussion that can help improve your relationship with someone, says Michele Coleman Mayes in this episode of our special podcast series.

Sep 5, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Halting the hover: Dealing with helicopter parents in law school (podcast)

As an associate dean of the University of Houston Law Center, Sondra Tennessee has witnessed her share of helicopter parents. She’s seen parents ask law schools to switch their child’s professor, because they didn’t think he or she was a good fit.

Aug 27, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Can you become a better lawyer in 5 minutes a day? This author thinks so (podcast)

Many people promote a daily practice of meditation, spiritual contemplation and mindfulness as a way to improve your personal life and well-being. Attorney Jeremy Richter argues that creating a similar daily ritual to focus on developing your professional skills can be just as helpful to your clients, career and law practice.

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles speaks with Richter, author of Building a Better Law Practice: Become a Better Lawyer in Five Minutes a Day. The book is structured to provide a daily reading on personal and professional development over a seven-week time period.

Aug 22, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Legal services innovator moves on to app development (podcast)

It’s too easy for attorneys to be aware that something isn’t perfect in their practices and accept the situation instead of pushing back. So says longtime legal innovator Nicole Bradick.

Aug 15, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Ask for help when you have an ethics quandary, says Lucian Pera (podcast)

If you’re working on a client matter and get even the slightest sense that something you’re doing may cause problems down the road, ask another lawyer about it, says Lucian Pera, the chair of the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility's coordinating council.

Aug 14, 2018 6:10 AM CDT

Why laughter belongs in your work life (podcast)

When her career was getting started in the 1970s, a partner interviewing Roberta "Bobbi" Liebenberg for an associate position asked if she would cry when things went south in court. "Why, do you want me to?" Liebenberg quipped.

Aug 8, 2018 6:10 AM CDT

Mounting a defense: Security expert shares tips on avoiding violence (podcast)

One of many lawyers’ worst fears is that a client, opposing party or even a random stranger may try to physically hurt them, often for nothing more than the attorney doing his or her job. In this episode of the ABA Journal's Asked and Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Ty Smith, a retired Navy SEAL who founded Vigilance Risk Solutions, a security consulting business that focuses on workplace violence prevention.

Jul 30, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

What would it mean to impeach a president? (podcast)

The authority to impeach and remove a U.S. president is one of the legislative branch's most powerful weapons. But in the country's history, despite many periods of open hostility between Congress and the executive branch, no president has been removed from office through the impeachment procedure. Why is that?

Jul 25, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

LawPay founder and former cheerleader focuses on what lawyers need (podcast)

When Amy Porter founded the online payment platform AffiniPay, she drew on her experience as a college athlete—cheerleading while majoring in merchandising at the University of Texas at Austin—which led to work as a sales representative with the athletic clothing company Varsity Brands. “We are competitive in the fact that…

Jul 18, 2018 7:00 AM CDT