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Eriq Gardner joins guest host Leigh Ann Caldwell to dig into the latest legal challenge to Trump's attempt to reshape the federal workforce—this time involving the firing of Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights. As Eriq notes, the case could redefine the limits of executive authority, with major implications for the separation of powers, the future of government independence, and even artificial intelligence. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to unpack the Swifties' intensifying racketeering lawsuit against Live Nation, along with two other serious cases the company is facing: a long-running civil suit from fans and an antitrust case from the Justice Department. Then Eriq explains how Taylor Swift got dragged into the legal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, and whether this news could hurt Taylor's... reputation. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to examine Trump's increasingly ominous fixation on sports—from launching a federal task force for the 2028 World Cup to a commission aimed at fixing college athletics and a bid to host the NFL Draft in Washington. As Eriq notes, each of these initiatives are fraught with legal and regulatory obstacles—not to mention the threat of a D.E.I. crackdown. Eriq also unpacks Ted Cruz's recent meeting the Roger Goodell over the league's anti-trust exemption and the NFL's continued push away from broadcast television and into streaming. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner drops by the pod to discuss Trump's all-out assault on the press. Eriq explains why he thinks CBS News will settle Trump's precarious lawsuit, breaks down Trump's latest swing at The New York Times, and unpacks the quiet Justice Department update that could make it open season on individual journalists. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter for a deep dive on F.C.C. chairman Brendan Carr, the pugnacious regulator who seems to be slow rolling the $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger while lobbing rhetorical grenades at Comcast, Disney, YouTube TV, and others. Then they discuss whether Carr's campaign against big media is really an audition to become a MAGA media star in his own right. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to unpack Donald Trump's ongoing crusade against blue-chip law firms. He breaks down how left-leaning firm Paul Weiss caved to Trump, agreeing to $40 million in pro bono work and other eyebrow-raising concessions. Eriq explains the chilling effect on the legal world, as firms shy away from taking meritorious cases against the government, worried that challenging Trump could put their business, and future, on the line. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to dissect the fate of the Paramount-Skyance merger, which remains in F.C.C. purgatory under the new Trump administration. Then Eriq scrutinizes Trump's grudge-driven crusade against the white shoe law firm Perkins Coie—and their titanic response, landing a major blow against Trump in federal court in the process. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Puck's famed journalist-centric publishing model is changing. Sort of. The news outlet debuted in 2021 with its journalists as the company's audience-facing focal point, not the publication. People would subscribe less so to Puck than to Matthew Belloni's or Julia Ioffe's newsletters via Puck. And Puck's journalists were, in part, compensated directly for the subscribers they attracted. Lately though, Puck's newsletters have come to resemble publications in their own right. “You almost have sub-brands under Puck that are franchises anchored by core talent versus in probably that first two years, it was a newsletter anchored by core talent,” said Puck CEO Sarah Personette on the latest Digiday Podcast episode. Belloni's entertainment-oriented “What I'm Hearing” newsletter, for example, has enlisted contributors like legal expert Eriq Gardner and, most recently, former The Hollywood Reporter editor Kim Masters. Similarly, Lauren Sherman's fashion-centric “Line Sheet” regularly features entries from retail writer Sarah Shapiro and beauty journalist Rachel Strugatz. This development has coincided with Puck's paid subscriber base growing by 30% in the past year, with Personette expecting the company to become profitable this year. “Putting journalists at the center of our model still exists, but what we are trying to do, as our subscriber base has experienced incredible growth over the last few years, we want to make sure that we're rounding out the stories and we're rounding out the coverage by bringing other journalists in,” said Personette. The expanding nature of Puck's newsletters raises the question of to what extent does Puck's compensation model also have to change. Puck gained a lot of initial attention for paying bonuses to its journalists for the new subscribers their articles attract as well as for the subscribers they retain. But how's that work if an article by Masters attracts a subscriber via Belloni's newsletter? “So [Belloni] is a franchise manager, and there are different benefits to being a franchise manager. And he also is driving a ton of his own subs. And then we also want to make sure that the individuals that are contributing to that franchise also get bonus-ed,” Personette said.
As Trump's war on the media accelerates, Eriq Gardner joins Ben to discuss whether the industry is headed for a state of mutually assured destruction, with MAGA allies chipping away at Times v. Sullivan's libel shield, billionaires financing defamation battles, Elon Musk accusing his enemies of fraud, and his targets contemplating counter-suits of their own. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The lads pledge to the Phoenix Club and destroy democracy as they cover David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's 2010 techbro parable: The Social Network. Topics include Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' iconic score, the polarizing nature of Sorkin's writing, and what it means to live in a world ruled by Augustus Caesar wannabes like Mark Zuckerberg. TICKETS TO GO SEE JOSH'S PLAY AT THE TANK IN NEW YORK CITY! Want more TWOAPW? Get access to our full back catalogue of premium/bonus episodes by subscribing for $5/month at Patreon.com/worstofall! Media Referenced in this Episode: The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher. 2010 “10 Years Later, Author Ben Mezrich On The Book Behind ‘The Social Network'” by Anhar Karim. Forbes. October 20th, 2020. “A Young Mark Zuckerberg's Early Mistake” by Shachar Bar-on. 60 Minutes. January 13th, 2008. “CONFIRMED: Aaron Sorkin Creates Facebook Page, Writing Facebook Movie” by Dan Kois. Vulture. August 27th, 2008. “Facebook's Other Privacy Issue” by Eriq Gardner. The Hollywood Reporter, November 30, 2007 “Joe Rogan Experience #2255 - Mark Zuckerberg.” “Mark Zuckerberg: How to Build a Future” by Y Combinator. “Tell-All Book: Zuckerberg Set Up Facebook To Get Laid” by Nick Douglas. Gawker. May 22nd, 2008. “What Producers Do: Explaining The Social Network's Social Network” by Claude Brodesser-Akner. Vuture. February 24th, 2011. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “The M.A.R.K.-BOT” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. Brian Alford as “Mark Zuckerberg”
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to navigate the growing tide of legal challenges surrounding Trump's contentious executive orders and his efforts, along with Elon Musk, to reshape the federal government. Then Eriq shifts gears to dissect the mounting scrutiny on Shari Redstone's bid to sell Paramount to Skydance, sparked by Trump's shaky lawsuit against CBS News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to break down the flood of legal developments emanating from the new Trump regime—from the firing of career D.O.J. prosecutors to the pause on civil rights and environmental litigation to the murky future of the TikTok ban. Then they dive into what antitrust enforcement might look like under Trump 2.0, as F.T.C. chair Lina Khan exits and Republicans grapple with just how far they're willing to go in siding with consumers over big business. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to break down how CNN ended up paying $5 million to Navy veteran Zachary Young in a stunning, potentially precedent-setting defamation case. Then they dissect Donald Trump's head-spinning lawsuit accusing ‘60 Minutes' and CBS News of election interference—and why, despite the specious nature of the case, Paramount might settle. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter for an in-depth discussion on the looming Sunday deadline for TikTok's ban or forced sale, exploring Trump's potential solutions to save the app. The conversation then shifts to Drake's baffling lawsuit against his record label Universal Music Group, sparked by Kendrick Lamar's now-iconic diss record “Not Like Us.” Eriq breaks down the complexities of proving defamation in creative works and speculates on the likelihood of this high-profile case ever reaching the courtroom. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to walk through the explosive P.R. and legal war engulfing Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni—including Baldoni's $250 million counterattack against The New York Times. Then the duo uncover the China subplot behind Trump's campaign to force the Supreme Court to delay a ban on TikTok. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From the archives: Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to unwind the myriad legal challenges facing sports business behemoth Fanatics and its brash billionaire founder Michael Rubin. Plus, news on an under-the-radar trial surrounding the Skydance-Paramount merger. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to break down ABC News and Disney's $15 million decision to settle the defamation lawsuit brought by Trump. He also dives into Trump's freshly-filed lawsuit against former pollster Ann Selzer and whether this signals a warning shot for other pollsters who could face similar lawsuits. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Legal expert Eriq Gardner joins Peter to explain the latest twist in Rupert Murdoch's high-stakes succession battle against his children. Then they debate the chances that Trump saves TikTok after a federal court upheld the app's ban slated for January. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Puck's legal expert, Eriq Gardner, joins Peter for an in-depth look at how the returning president would go to war with the regulatory state, installing allies to reshape—or dismantle—key agencies like the F.T.C. and F.C.C., with sweeping implications for Wall Street, Hollywood, and beyond. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to reopen the bloodcurdling case of the Menendez brothers, the parricidal ‘90s heartthrobs whose bid for freedom has gotten a jolt from Netflix. Then they discuss the involvement of embattled L.A. district attorney George Gascón, whose recent push for the brothers' re-sentencing may be a ploy to save his fizzling reelection campaign. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Puck legal expert Eriq Gardner joins Peter to discuss the bizarre legal battle between A&E and MGM over the pseudo-un-cancellation of “Live PD.” Then they chew over the startling A.I. implications of golfer Jack Nicklaus' lawsuit against Nicklaus Companies to reclaim his life rights. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to unpack the ‘Succession'-style courtroom battle enveloping the Murdoch clan as Rupert fights to ensure that his chosen heir, Lachlan, maintains control of his conservative media empire. Then they dig into a pair of defamation lawsuits against CNN and MSNBC. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to unpack a wholly different angle to the presidential race: the lawsuit brought against Trump by heirs of the soul music icon Isaac Hayes. Sure, there's a long history of political campaigns using unlicensed hit songs at rallies, but Eriq explains why this case, in particular, could change that practice forever. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to unwind the myriad legal challenges facing sports business behemoth Fanatics and its brash billionaire founder Michael Rubin. Plus, news on an under-the-radar trial surrounding the Skydance-Paramount merger. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner jumps on the horn with Peter Hamby to dissect two pressing legal developments subsumed by a week of high-octane political news: federal judge Aileen Cannon's decision to toss Jack Smith's classified documents case against Donald Trump, and the dramatic denouement (and potential legal epilogue) to Alec Baldwin's ‘Rust' manslaughter case. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Puck's legal expert Eriq Gardner, the one and only, joins Peter to comb through the depths of the recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. Then the two delve into Hollywood's surprising treatment of TikTok's existential crisis. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to mull the major legal controversies poised to reverberate through the '24 election: the Hunter Biden saga, Trump's criminal trials, SCOTUS's abortion rulings, R.F.K.'s ballot access challenges, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Dylan Byers to dig into the latest developments in the potential Skydance-Paramount deal, before unpacking a new $20 billion NFL Sunday ticket antitrust lawsuit. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Dylan Byers to discuss the D.O.J.'s monopoly lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, a high-profile antitrust effort with massive implications for consumers, the entertainment industry, and the broader M&A landscape. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Matt is joined by Puck's Eriq Gardner to discuss the U.S. government's monopoly lawsuit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation (02:58). They briefly go through the history of the Ticketmaster–Live Nation merger, what lead to the eventual lawsuit, why concert prices won't go down even if the two companies split, whether this lawsuit is just a PR attack against Ticketmaster, what impact this could have on the secondary markets, what a broken up Ticketmaster–Live Nation would look like, and more. Matt finishes the show with a prediction for this weekend's holiday box office (27:00). For a 20 percent discount on Matt's Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I'm Hearing ...,' click this link: puck.news/thetown Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Eriq Gardner Producer: Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to dissect Hunter Biden's multifaceted, Bryan Freedman-led legal war against Fox News. Then they foreshadow how A.I. is poised to infiltrate the courtroom. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby for a candid evaluation of Trump's historic criminal trial: 45's courtroom antics, the judge's gag order threat, the prosecution's evolving strategy, and how this soap opera might eventually resolve. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to discuss the TikTok ban marching through Congress, whether it's all a political stunt, and how this issue is probably bound for the courts, anyway. Then Ben and Bill Cohan dig into the lively post-SOTU chatter on Wall Street. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Abby Livingston joins Peter to discuss the news that Mitch McConnell is stepping down as Senate G.O.P. leader, and the quiet jockeying between “the three Johns” to replace him. Then Ben and Eriq Gardner debate S.B.F.'s sentencing odds. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter for a candid chat about Trump's liquidity in the face of his colossal financial penalties. The two also size up the various under-appreciated elements of this legal cinematic universe. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Abby Livingston joins Peter to discuss all the scary G.O.P. math involved in tonight's special election in New York. And then Ben and Eriq Gardner dissect Elon Musk's proxy legal war against Disney. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Ben to discuss how Byron Allen could use his political clout to take control of the Paramount fire sale. Then they chew over a bizarre legal settlement: Kevin Spacey's secret deal to trade his 'House of Cards' testimony for a $35 million debt. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to discuss the latest complications bearing down on the increasingly professionalizing NCAA. Then Ben Landy and Teddy Schleifer weigh into the provenance of RFK's fundraising mafia. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Abby Livingston joins Peter to discuss the generation divide rocking Capitol Hill while Eriq Gardner assesses The New York Times' lawsuit against OpenAI with Ben Landy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Ben for a Talmudic reading of the Colorado court decision banning Donald Trump from the ballot, how it's playing in Washington legal circles, and how the Supreme Court might rule. Then they turn to the M&A regulatory conundrum du jour: Would Biden block a merger of CBS and CNN? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bill Cohan joins Peter to discuss his recent conversation with Michael Lewis and his lessons learned from the S.B.F book. Then Ben Landy and Eriq Gardner discuss Elon's new adventure in litigation. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dylan Byers joins Peter to chat about the incipient Will Lewis era at The Washington Post. And then Eriq Gardner and Ben Landy get into a Hulu guessing game. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the historic Sam Bankman-Fried trial comes to a close, Eriq Gardner joins Peter to offer his privileged view from inside the courtroom and behind the scenes. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to discuss the latest developments in the Trump trials. Then Abby Livingston and Ben try to make sense of the historic House Republican speaker vote chaos. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Teddy Schleifer and Eriq Gardner join Ben from the courthouse steps to share their inside-the-room impressions of the second week of the S.B.F. trial: the damning testimony of Caroline Ellison, Sam's faltering defense strategy, and key new evidence that could bring the case to an extraordinary conclusion. For more from Teddy and Eriq - https://puck.news/will-michael-lewis-testify-for-s-b-f/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter Hamby to discuss the trial that could cost Trump his tower. Then Ben Landy and Tina Nguyen explain how it all went down with Kevin and what's next. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eriq Gardner joins Peter to discuss the bizarre lawsuit surrounding director Ava DuVernay, prosecutor-turned-pulp author Linda Fairstein and Netflix. Then Ben Landy and Bill Cohan dig into Bob Iger's remaining options for ABC and ESPN. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Teddy Schleifer joins Peter Hamby to discuss the behind-the-scenes tension between Peter Thiel and Donald Trump and Ben Landy and Eriq Gardner read the S.B.F. trial tea leaves. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Don't miss a thing! Follow Hollywood Raw on Insta, Facebook, and Twitter. Dax Holt - Insta / Twitter Adam Glyn - Insta / Twitter A Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a digital media and commercial video production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network and learn more about our other services today on HurrdatMedia.com. (00:00) – Intro/Banter (03:25) – Fan Reviews (04:44) – Introducing Eriq Gardner (09:20) – Dumbing Down the Actor's Strike for Us (13:02) – What are the Repercussions of the Strike? (17:25) – How Will A.I. Change the Movie Industry? (23:40) – Breaking the Scooter Braun Story (26:17) – The Legal Side of the Blind Side (32:30) – Who's the Most Famous Person You've Seen in Court? (39:28) – Are You Nervous to Cover Scientology Stories? (42:50) – What is the Story with Disney's Issues? (44:48) – What are the Wildest Cases You've Covered? (53:35) – What's a Case that Didn't Get Covered, that Should Have? (56:30) – Where Did the Name Puck come From? (58:15) – Outro/Banter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.comWelcome to Original Jurisdiction, the latest legal publication by me, David Lat. You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page, and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking on the button below. Thanks!One of the most important developments in the legal world in the past decade has been the rise of litigation finance, which has emerged from relative obscurity—and even illegality in certain states—to become a multibillion-dollar industry. Initially viewed by many with either skepticism or befuddlement, litigation finance has gone mainstream, and today numerous Am Law 100 firms and Fortune 500 companies work with funders for mutual benefit.But litigation finance remains controversial in some quarters, and its rapid growth has led to calls for greater regulation or disclosure. Based in part on such issues, I have long been interested in the field, dating back to when I covered it for Above the Law. Recent news stories—including litigation between a top funder and a former client, followed by a high-profile trial last month in the Southern District of New York—have brought litigation funding back into the headlines, making now an opportune time to explore it on this podcast.In picking a guest, I adhered to my approach of going straight to the top, speaking with the #1 executive at the #1 funder: Christopher Bogart, co-founder and CEO of Burford Capital, the world's largest provider of legal finance. In our conversation, Chris and I covered his remarkable legal career, in which he became the general counsel of a Fortune 50 company just seven years out of law school; the early days of litigation finance, including the founding of Burford; attacks on litigation funding, including claims that it makes litigation more widespread, long-running, and expensive; and his own firm's public beef with Sysco, the food-distribution giant and former Burford client. If you're not familiar with litigation finance—how it works, how it has evolved, and how it's transforming the legal and investing worlds—you'll want to listen to this episode.Show Notes:* Christopher Bogart bio, Burford Capital LLC* An Innovator's Journey: From Star Litigator to Litigation Finance, by Russ Banham for Carrier Management* A $16 Billion Wall Street Lawsuit for the Ages, by Eriq Gardner for Puck* Burford Capital Eyes Billions in Payout for Argentina Suit, Bloomberg LawPrefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below.Sponsored by:NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.