The Filevine Fireside

Reza Torkzadeh is an American plaintiff's attorney based in Irvine, California. Reza has served in leadership roles in litigation at the National level and is currently serving as Chairman of the Dean's Circle at UC Irvine Law School. He is widely regarded as one of America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators. He is also one of the Top 100 National Trial Lawyers 2019. Reza is a frequently invited guest speaker and has lectured across the country on the practice of law and the civil justice system. In this special episode of the Filevine Fireside, your host Dr. Cain Elliot interviews Reza Torkzadeh about his new book, "The Lawyer as CEO." Hear about Reza's experience growing a law firm, get a behind-the-scenes look at his reasons for writing "The Lawyer as CEO," and learn about balancing your law firm's business and legal needs.

Join Dr. Cain Elliot, Alex Pearson, and Professor Fred Schauer as they discuss the finer points of Fred Schauer's latest book, The Proof: Uses of Evidence in Law, Politics, and Everything Else. Frederick Schauer (born 15 January 1946) is an American legal scholar who serves as David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is also the Frank Stanton Professor emeritus of the First Amendment at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is well known for his work on American constitutional law, especially free speech, and on legal reasoning, especially the nature and value of legal formalism.   Read Full Transcript

Often, we think about challenges the legal system faces in terms of ethics, or economics, or management issues. But what changes when we think through these issues with the lens of design? Our guest today is on a mission to improve the legal experience for all through thoughtful digital design. Nicole Bradick is the founder and CEO of Theory and Principle, a legal and justice technology design and development agency. At Theory and Principle, they're helping global law firms, foundations, legal aid organizations, and legal tech companies to design and build digital products that can make legal work more productive and accessible. Learn about the importance of user experience design for the future of the industry on this episode of the Filevine Fireside. Find out more about Theory and Principle, Nicole Bradick, and their mission on their official website: www.theoryandprinciple.com/ Read Full Transcript

Filevine CEO Ryan Anderson has a lot to say about the state of American social dynamics, the responsibility of business leaders in the age of climate change, the future of technology and its intersection with the legal system, and much much more. As a former personal injury lawyer turned CEO, Ryan offers valuable insights from a rare perspective in this "ask anything" edition of the Filevine Fireside. Ryan Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Filevine. Before starting Filevine, Ryan was a founding partner at a western-states firm focused on personal injury, mass tort, and employment class action. With lived experience litigating hundreds of cases, including successful trials with 7-figure settlements, Ryan faced stress and process issues at his firm. He decided to build a solution to solve his problems. Today, rated as one of the top automation tools for law firms, legal departments, and businesses, Filevine is on a continual path of growth. Ryan is a proud husband and father of 5 children and resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. His goal is to change the face of legal work and help lawyers be happier, less stressed, and better equipped to achieve their goals. Read Transcript

Today's guest has dedicated his life to fighting for children's rights, particularly children in the foster-care system. It's  a committment rooted in his own experience growing up as a foster child. Andrew Bridge is a New York Times best-stelling author, children's rights lawyer, and an advocate for children in families living in poverty. After eleven years int he LA county foster system, he earned a scholarship to Wesleyan, became a fulbright scholar, and graduated from Harvard Law School. Andrew wrote the powerful memoir Hope's Boy about his life and his work, and he's here today to share his knowledge an experience with us. Learn more about Andrew and his ilfe's work at www.hopesboy.com.

In this episode of the Filevine Fireside, Dr. Cain Elliot sits down with Joshua A. T. Fairfield to discuss his new book, "Runaway Technology: Can Law Keep Up?" Discover how changing definitions, new and emerging markets, consumer trends, and the ever-escalating tide of technological progress are affecting the reality of law all over the world.  Joshua A. T. Fairfield is the William Donald Bain Family Professor of Law at Washington University School of Law as well as a critically acclaimed author. Learn more about his work at joshuafairfield.com. Read Full Transcript

Today we are talking to a rising young leader in legal technology. Her name is Amanda Brown and she's finding new ways that technology can make legal services more efficient, personable, and accessible. Amanda's the Founder and Executive Director of the Lagniappe Law Lab, a Cochair of the Louisiana Access to Justice Commission's Technology Subcommittee, and she's active in the ABA's Young Lawyer Division, where she serves as the Vice Director of the Disaster Legal Services Team. Join the conversation and find out why Amanda is excited about the future of legal technology and what drives her passion for increasing access to justice.   Read full transcript

What does trust mean to you? Does your definition change when applying trust to a professional situation, as opposed to personal application of trust? Filevine CEO Ryan Anderson and VP of Strategic Partnerships Nathan Morris discuss the concept of trust with Cain Elliot, Filevine's VP of Industry Expansion.

As we continue through the COVID pandemic, an estimated 30 to 40 million people in the U.S. are currently at risk for eviction. Is this preventable? How can legal professionals help, and what larger changes need to happen to stop people from losing their homes? Here to answer some of those questions is Professor Emily Benfer, a law professor at Wake Forest University where she is the founding director of the Law Health Justice Clinic. Professor Benfer is also chair of the ABA's COVID-19 Task Force Committee on Eviction and co-creator of the COVID-19 Housing Policy Scoreboard with the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Learn why the U.S. faces an enormous wave of evictions after 2020, and how legal professionals everywhere can help those threatened by it. Read full transcript

In this special Fireside, Dr. Cain Elliott (Director & Consultant for Operations at FIlevine) interviews three women who are challenging the status quo in the legal and tech industries, to learn more about the future of women in business and law. Gabriela Isturiz is the founder of Bellefield Systems, and has been a major provider of timekeeping solutions for the legal industry. She leverages her knowledge of technology to help shape the modern legal landscape and continues to innovate in the space. Emelia Schinke, Filevine's VP of Legal & People, graduated from law school in 2013 but quickly found that law firm life wasn't for her. She made the switch to the tech industry 5 years ago, and uses her legal skillset to help tech companies grow responsibly. Colleen Leonard is Sr. Director of Operations at Filevine, and has worked in operations for 12 years. She comes from a military background, serving 6 years in the Air Force and eventually leaving the service with the rank of Captain. Listen now for valuable insights about the future of the legal tech space and business in general in this special episode of the Filevine Fireside.

When you're one lawyer up against a powerful and sometimes ruthless industry, it can help to have a sense of humor. At least, that's what comedian and attorney Mitra Shahri has found in her years of representing whistleblowers and workers with sexual harassment and discrimination claims against their employers. And these aren't just any employers; while fighting for her clients, Mitra has gone up against powerful Hollywood celebrities and major motion picture studios. Mitra has litigated over a thousand employment cases in Oregon and California, earning national and even worldwide attention. She has won countless accolades for her work—but the first that might catch your eye is her title of "Funniest Lawyer in Portland," which she earned for the standup routine she does to raise money for the Campaign for Equal Justice. Mitra shows how lawyers can benefit from the flexibility, creativity, wit, and sense of timing that comes with comedy. And she's here today to share her story and give us some tips for developing and keeping a sense of humor, even as we come up against life's major obstacles. Read full transcript

“The latest scientific research suggests that the great edifice of law is grounded on incorrect and damaging notions about human cognition that have gone uncontested for centuries.” Adam Benforado is a lawyer, writer, and professor at the Thomas R Kline School of Law at Drexel University. He made a splash with his New York Times best-selling book, “Unfair: the New Science of Criminal Injustice.” The book explores his extensive research into cognitive psychology and how it relates to our legal system. Adam's research continues to show that our system of law and punishment neither meets our needs nor aligns with our purported values. But beyond that, Adam is proposing bold, fascinating and controversial ideas for how our justice system could be radically improved. Check out Adam's best-selling book on Amazon, and learn more about his ideas in this episode of the Filevine Fireside. Read full transcript

Imagine that in only 90 days, you were able to liberate 17 people from prison. Imagine these people were each serving life sentences without parole, due to non-violent offenses. And imagine you didn't stop there, but continued dedicating your life to "picking locks on human cages." Brittaney Barnett was a successful accountant for an international firm. She switched to law and became a rising star in the corporate legal world, but something along the way moved her into a very different path. She threw herself into pro bono work to free those serving life behind bars for non-violent offenses. Along with her colleague, MiAngel Cody, she has freed dozens of people. Seven of her clients received clemency from President Obama. Kim Kardashian West learned about her work, and lobbied President Trump to free another client: a 63 year-old grandma (an ordained minister) who had already served 21 years behind bars for a drug offense. But those are just the higher profile moments of the years she spent in grueling labor to get people free. The American Bar Association has named Brittaney as one of America's outstanding young lawyers. Her story is shared in her forthcoming book, "A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom." It's part spell-binding legal drama and part emotional coming-of-age story. Van Jones has called it an essential book of our time. Learn more about Brittaney's important work on this episode of the Filevine Fireside. Read full transcript.

We're sitting down today with Rocky Anderson. Rocky was the mayor of Salt Lake City for eight years; he founded his own party, the Justice Party; and he ran for President in 2012. He then created a non-profit to fight for human rights and address the climate crisis around the world. But we're here today in Rocky's office to talk about his life as an attorney. It may not be as glamorous of a job title as others that he's held, but his commitment to the law has been a consistent shaping force throughout his work. Learn how his experiences representing underprivileged citizens of Salt Lake City helped to shape his moral and political identity. Read full transcript

Chris Dolan is the founder of Dolan Law Firm in San Francisco, CA. He's repeatedly been recognized as one of the top trial lawyers, even earning the California Lawyer of the year award. He's obtained settlements of over $1 Million dollars in over 26 cases. And, in addition to all this work, he is constantly thinking about the future of law, and how plaintiff-side lawyers can create a legacy of positive social change. Read Full Transcript

Today we're talking to perhaps the most tech-savvy law professor in the country, and he predicts big changes ahead for the legal profession. Gabe Teninbaum is the Director of the Institute on Law Practice Technology and Innovation and Professor of Legal Writing at Suffolk University in Massachusetts. He has also served as faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, as visiting professor at the MIT media lab, and a visiting fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project. Gabe has been named “the Fast Case 50,” which honors the law's smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders. But perhaps his greatest achievement of all is his uncanny ability to put complicated ideas into clear and simple terms.   Read Full Transcript

Today we're talking to Martha Knudson, who is Executive Director of the Utah State Well-being Committee for the Legal Profession, and she's helping us examine an intractable problem. Lawyers are smart, driven, and members of a highly lucrative profession. They're one of our society's paragons of success! And yet, they experience substance abuse and mental health problems at rates far higher than the general population. What's going on with lawyer well-being, and are there any way to turn these trends around? Martha has some ideas. That's because in addition to nearly two decades of work as a lawyer, Martha also has a degree in Applied Positive Psychology. She studied under one of the legendary founders of the field of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman, and she now combines her two fields of expertise to train lawyers on ways to make their lives happier, more satisfying, and more meaningful.

Today we're asking: "Can you be a successful lawyer if you refuse to meet your clients?" Sam Mollaei says the answer is yes. Sam's a business lawyer for entrepreneurs and he has dedicated his work to making his practice automated, scalable, and virtual. His clients are so pleased with his streamlined process that they have left him over 1,000 5-star reviews on Google. Sam sat down with the Filevine Fireside to share his thoughts on using funnels to build business, automating and delegating work, and just how you can get all those stellar online reviews.

All lawyers fall somewhere along a spectrum of energy. At the low end is convention and complacency; at the other end is Tyson Mutrux. Tyson is a personal injury lawyer in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to owning and managing his own firm, he's also one of the founders of Maximum Lawyer. Maximum Lawyer is a community for lawyers who are driven to learn new techniques and share ideas about improving their practice. It includes a podcast, a very active Facebook group, and it hosts its own annual conference. Even with all of this going on, Tyson still found the time to talk with us today on the Filevine Fireside. And really, that's just another reflection of his deeply-rooted beliefs about industry collaboration. Tyson maintains an "abundance mindset" that encourages the sharing of ideas, tactics, and even internal forms and procedures. This philosophy is reflected in every area of Tyson's work, from his growing personal injury law firm to his nationally supported Maximum Lawyer Conference. Learn more about it on this episode of the Filevine Fireside. Read Transcript

“Post the 2008 recession, a lot of law schools in America had to scramble. Even the Harvards and the Yales and the Stanford Laws had to go and reckon with decreased applications and potentially reduced enrollments.” Into that vacuum stepped Hamilton Chan, Loyola's new Director of Executive Education at Loyola Law School. His new approach to legal education is already making waves, with many proponents labeling it “the Netflix of legal education.” It definitely isn't your standard law school experience—Hamilton's methods include video libraries, digital learning environments, and even paid actors and performers. Hamilton doesn't see this approach as new-fangled or high-tech; he sees it as the logical next step for legal education in general, and his diverse career path specifically. How does one person find success at JP Morgan, become a rising star at a prestigious national law firm, surpass expectations at MGM, and then find his way into cutting-edge legal education? Find out in this episode of the Filevine Fireside. Read Transcript

Our guest today has worked in Big Law, a boutique firm, and now owns her own practice. She's logged her billable hours and she's figured out flat rates; she's represented multinational Fortune 200 companies and scrappy startups. Our guest today is Radiance Harris, the founder and managing attorney of Radiance IP Law. Today she's going to share with us the lessons she's learned throughout her incredibly diverse experience. Read Transcript

In our podcast interviews, we usually talk about new ideas and innovations in law. But today, we're talking about a very old idea. And by old . . . I mean thousands of years old. But our guests today believe it holds the key to transforming the modern legal practice. Kentucky attorneys Renee Heinrich and Helen Bukelmez are here to talk to us today about the role of mindfulness and meditation in the modern legal practice. Read Transcript

We live in a country that touts itself as the land of the free and the home of the brave. And yet we spend the majority of our waking hours in undemocratic workplaces where we fear retaliation for speaking out against fraud, assault, or other forms of misconduct. We've seen how the #MeToo movement is pushing back against workplace harassment and nondisclosure agreements. We're also living through some hard fights over mandatory arbitration agreements, the place of unions in our society, and whether whistleblowers should be protected. We're living through a battle over what justice looks like in the workplace. And today's guest is right in the thick of the fray. Welcome to the Filevine Fireside. I'm Katie Wolf. Today we're talking with attorney R. Scott Oswald. Scott is a hugely accomplished trial lawyer working with the Employment Law Group in Washington DC. He has done groundbreaking work around employment law and whistleblower law. He's also a prolific speaker, advisor, and writer on these issues. We're lucky to have him on the show today.

As Patrick Arenz says, there are few jobs that can change another person's life forever. But being a trial lawyer is one of those jobs. Patrick Arenz is a trial lawyer with the firm Robins Kaplan, working on patent and copyright law. And he's a pretty big deal for the intellectual property cases he's handled. But I first ran into Patrick's name in a very different place. It was the story of one of his clients - not a tech company or an internet startup, but a young Hmong woman who was suing her abuser. What made this case unique, is that the abuse happened in Laos, and the man was a U.S. citizen who was participating in sex tourism. Never before had a victim of sex-tourism won a civil suit against an abuser until this case. This story got international attention, but it wasn't Patrick's first pro bono case. Since he became an attorney, he's been finding ways to help clients who would otherwise have no access to the legal system. In 2018, he wont he Pro Bono Publico Award, given to attorneys who have shown a remarkable dedication to the public good. Somehow, he's been doing this work in-between the massive multi-million dollar patent and copyright law cases he runs. Read Full Transcript

When you talk to potential clients, do you connect with their fundamental hopes and fears? Or do their eyes glaze over? Does your website make potential clients excited, or does it leave them confused? Our guest today will share his tips for remaining relevant to our clients and thriving as an attorney in a world transformed by technology. Jeff Echols is managing principal of professional services organizations for the marketing agency Revenue Path Group. He'll share with us the science behind human decisions, and how an attorney can harness it to build a successful and sustainable practice. Learn more about Jeff and Revenue Path Group at www.revenuepathgroup.com.   Read Full Transcript

You've seen it in your Facebook feed. You've watched it bring down media empires and elected officials. We're living in the #MeToo moment, when unprecedented numbers of people are coming forward to share their experiences as victims of sexual harassment and survivors of sexual assault. Today, we're talking to civil rights attorney Jean Hyams, who has gained national renown for her work representing victims of sexual assault. Jean is sharing with us what it means to be a "#MeToo Movement Lawyer" in exciting but difficult times. Learn more about Jean Hyams at her law firm's website: levyvinick.com/portfolio/jean/ Read Transcript

Can you really have it all? Can you have a profitable job and live true to your values by making the world a better place? Attorney and writer Allen Bromberger believes the answer is yes, and he's built a thriving legal practice on that idea. Allen Bromberger is a pioneer in a new field combining non-profit and for-profit legal structures. That means his clients are simultaneously pursuing two goals: financial well-being, and social or environmental well-being. Sometimes this is called the 4th sector, and in Allen's 35 years of legal practice, it's moved from a fringe idea to a thriving pillar of our society and our economy. In addition to practicing at the firm Perlman and Perlman, Allen has co-authored the book "The Art of Social Enterprise: Business As If People Mattered." He's much sought-after for public speeches and presentations, but he's taken the time today to tell us about his work, the skills it requires, and how these same ideals can build a successful law practice.

We talk a lot about the future of the legal practice on the Filevine Fireside. But one thing we maybe forget is that the future of Law really belongs to future lawyers. We should be asking: who will the next generation of lawyers be? What challenges will they face? And how will they get through them? Our guest today has some insight. Christopher Chapman is the President and CEO of the non-profit AccessLex, and AccessLex is in the business of improving law schools - and the well-being of students who attend them.

Car collisions are the bread and butter of many personal injury attorneys, but today we talk to an attorney who has changed her focus from four wheels to two. Ann Groninger from North Carolina is a co-founder of Bike Law, a national network of personal injury attorneys representing injured cyclists. There are now 66 million cyclists in the U.S. Cities and individuals are promoting bicycles as a feature of healthy, fun, and sustainable lives, but cyclists still face a higher risk of death and injury than drivers do. That's where Ann and Bike Law come into the picture. Ann has found that her cycling clients are special. Their needs and interests set them apart from car drivers, and she's generously agreed to share her stories and thoughts today on the Filevine Fireside.

In every legal drama, it's the oral arguments that get all the attention. But for most cases, what really wins is good legal writing. And today on the Filevine Fireside, we're talking with one of this country's most esteemed legal writers. Ross Guberman has worked with thousands of attorneys and judges and dozens of state and federal agencies teaching the in's and out's of great legal writing. He's the president of Legal Writing Pro (an advanced training and consulting firm), and he just released the editing tool BriefCatch at briefcatch.com. Ross is also a professorial lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School, and holds degrees from Yale, the Sorbonne, and the University of Chicago Law School. He's here to talk about his work, and to give us a few tips to improve and polish our legal writing.

You may think of Estate Planning as a solid, dull, and conventional area of law, but we live in a time of unforeseen growth in our aging population. We live in a time where the very concept of family is in flux. And our guest today shows how Estate Planning law may actually be at the forefront in challenging all our old conventions.

He's the master of digital marketing for law firms. Now, he's ready to share a few tips with the Filevine Fireside. Seth Price is the co-founder of the prestigious Washington DC law firm Price Benowitz. In addition to his legal practice there, he's the firm's business backbone. He focuses on getting data insights, strategic growth planning, and searching out the most talented and driven attorneys to join his team.

We all aspire to innovation, but how do you know when a change is right? Even if you do know, how do you make it happen? Out of law school, Brian Mongelluzzo first went to work defending insurance companies, but he then switched sides and took those lessons with him as he began representing injured plaintiffs. Learn how a philosophy of constant change has helped shape his practice and his life in this episode of the Filevine Fireside.

Ryan McKeen is a warrior. The enemy he fights is Chaos. Ryan McKeen has been practicing personal injury law in Connecticut for over a decade. In that time, he's achieved some of the highest settlements in state history, been placed in the Connecticut Law Tribune Hall of Fame, has been honored as a new leader in law, and as an innovator in the practice of law. Learn how he leverages technology to reduce chaos and increase efficiency at his Personal Injury law firm.

What does love have to do with your legal practice? You may be surprised at the answer! Joshua Madsen & Cheryl Diaz are partners at their personal injury firm, but they're also partners in life. Learn how their relationship has helped influence and shape their practice in the latest episode of the Filevine Fireside.

Chris Smith is the brain behind Legal Marketing Group "Deep Magic Marketing." They specialize in digital marketing and intake services for attorneys. He's here to give us some tips for building your brand and growing your firm.

He started his firm with only a webpage and a cellphone, but he now has law practices all over California and Idaho. Ryan Sargent is here today to share some of his secrets for growing law firms sustainably. Learn how he's expanded his practice while keeping costs down, and about the importance of truly caring for your plaintiffs.

Amid the political fights over border walls and illegal immigration, we're talking today to one lawyer who has found himself caught at the center of the struggle. Andrew Free is a Civil Rights and Immigration attorney based in Nashville, Tennesee. He works on protecting the rights of immigrants held at for-profit detention centers throughout the country. We discuss his past work, the instincts that drive his practice, and his focus on social movements.

Lance Unglesby has done it all. He was a public defender in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he fought for prisoners on death row with the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana, and he's gone up against some of the largest corporations in the world in class action and mass tort law suits. His work has been featured on Dateline NBC, CNBC, and the Times Picayune, but he's here to talk with us today.   In this episode, Lance explains the work he's doing to bring balance back to Louisana's Justice System, his victories against big companies in mass tort and class action law suits, and the deep-rooted passion that drives him to be one of the most talked-about lawyers in Louisiana.

In many ways, Lauren Calvert has an iconic Las Vegas practice. Her past clients include big names like MGM Mirage and the government of Dubai's investment arm, and also the lesser known names of women who work inside Las Vegas's strip clubs who are fighting for better treatment in their work. She's an expert of complex litigation, including mass tort and class action law suits, and she works at Bighorn Law. In this episode, Lauren describes the amazing work she is doing to help under-represented workers seek compensation for workplace harassment, assault, or under-paid wages. We also learn about her backstory: how she came to be a lawyer, the bumpy road along the way, and how good people can be to those who need a helping hand.