The Legal Toolkit
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Welcome to the Legal Toolkit, where you'll get the latest trends and business initiatives that help your law firm everyday. Hear from the experts setting the standards for the legal, insurance, and law enforcement industries. You're listening to the Legal Talk Network!
229 Episodes
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So much of our communications and societal existence is housed online, so e-discovery is the major way we gather evidence. Jared talks with Cat Casey about the AI spectrum within the e-discovery world, explaining the many ways varying elements of machine learning and AI have created more powerful tools for attorneys. They also discuss the promising future of AI in e-discovery and the legal profession.
This time on the Rump Roast, Jared quizzes Cat on cat-themed song lyrics. Is Cat an expert on feline musical appearances? We shall see.
Everybody keeps asking about AI, so Jared’s delivering! There are quite a few budding AI softwares tailor-made for attorneys, so what tools are worth your attention? Jared reminds everyone—lots of the things you already use have had AI baked in for a long time, so use it. Security is important, folks, so picking vetted technology over an unknown/free tool could definitely keep it from coming back to bite you in your ethically questionable ass.
Cat Casey is Chief Growth Officer at Reveal Brainspace, helping lead innovation and direction for their legal technology solutions.
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Since you're listening to Cat on the mic this episode, the logical next step is to listen to this cat inspired playlist.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Banksy by Lunareh.
Links Mentioned:
Women in eDiscovery
Operation Safe Space
SPLASH Pledge
Law Rocks!
Sometimes, legal tech is the perfect solution for the needs of your law firm, but sometimes, lawyers need to look outside the legal tech world at other technologies that can serve their legal practice better. Emily Gordon has always been a tech-forward attorney, and she’s got tons of recommendations for non-legaltech tech tools that have become the most effective solutions for her law firm.
Then, Emily sticks around for the Rump Roast! The “Amara” in Emily’s firm, Amara Law, is actually her middle name, so Jared devised a middle-name trivia game: “Stuck in the Middle With You”.
And, dear listener, get ready for a hot take from Jared: SNL sucks, and… you know what? Maybe it always has. But, there’s something better out there—”I Think You Should Leave” on Netflix is worth watching again and again. Have fun!
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Since we talked about middle names coming first, I’ve put together what is, perhaps, our most middling playlist ever.
Links Mentioned:
Front
Twilio
PandaDoc
Stripe
Adjusting to the new and persistent presence of AI in the legal world isn’t easy, but it is necessary. Jared welcomes brothers Justin and Luc Cary, an attorney and software engineer, respectively, to unpack the current state of AI in business and legal uses. They discuss current safety issues, emerging guardrails, best practices for research, AI in legal tech software, and more.
Later on in the Rump Roast, the guys play “Brother Up”, where Justin and Luc must identify famous brothers in history and pop culture.
And, should you be entering confidential information into generative AI tools? Well, there are layers, folks, but in the current AI environment, lawyers should never assume their data is secure. That being said, Jared doesn’t want to throw a wet blanket on the AI revolution, he just wants you to know the three simple things that will enable you to use these tools safely and ethically.
Justin Cary is an attorney at Drummond Woodsum.
Luc Cary is associate director of machine learning at Invitae.
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Since we have the Cary brothers with us this week, here's a playlist all about siblings!
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Promised Land by Brian Brown
Backsliders are the worst, and if you’re making your employees come into the office after years of successful remote work, then, well… you’re the worst. Jared weighs in on the remote/in-office work debate to help you take a hard look at why you’re doing what you’re doing—and whether your reasoning is utter bullshit.
Next, Jared welcomes first-time guest Rob Joyner to talk about how technology adoption is the means to the end of future-proofing your law firm. To some lawyers, new tech may feel like the great unknown, but failing to learn and implement it will make you fall behind your competitors. Jared and Rob talk about the latest in AI and other essential legal tech and the best ways for law firms to stay current.
In the Rump Roast, Jared forgoes his typical torturous games, because Rob has a legit cool hobby to talk about. You can learn more about it at paintedjoyner.com.
Rob Joyner is Senior Vice President of Business Development at Centerbase.
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Since we talk about artwork - a departure for us, for sure - here are some songs related to art.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Spoken Word by Renderings.
Why is it that law firms are a frequent target for data breaches? Make no mistake, attorneys, you’ve got a lot of sensitive, valuable data that a threat actor would love to get their hands on. If your cybersecurity isn’t effective, you’re opening yourself up to a whole lot of ethical and legal issues. Jared chats with David Aaron about preventative measures lawyers should employ, what to do if you suffer a breach, and current cybersecurity trends.
Later on in the Rump Roast, the guys play “Doubling Up”––where Jared quizzes David on trivia devoted to people blessed with a first-name first name and first-name last name. You get it, right?
And, is anything more annoying than email? Not in Jared’s estimation. He shares his thoughts (read: rants) on the vexing email follow-ups people tend to send with irritating regularity.
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This episode, we covered some annoying email tactics, so we made the playlist all about the proper messaging.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Christmas Time is Lambs Farm by Sam Barsh.
If your firm is experiencing operational challenges you just can’t seem to overcome, you might be in need of some C-suite help. Lawyers don’t necessarily want to take on the business responsibilities of running a practice, and there are many flexible ways to get the business guidance you need. Jared talks with Seth Tuman of 2GO Advisory Group about how either fractional or full-time C-suite professionals can help attorneys take their law firms to the next level.
Later, you’re in for a holiday treat on the Rump Roast with the return of Correia Family Stories! Jared’s mom and brother, Pat, share some of their favorite holiday memories. Was it Jared or his sister who was responsible for the pine needle in Pat’s eye? And, who knew Scattergories could be so delightfully awkward? Listen in for more.
And, last but not least, if you’ve always wanted to elevate your holiday entertainment aficionado status, Jared has all the little-known titles you need to watch to become a truly well-versed movie snob.
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The holiday's are a good time to connect with your roots, so in honor of my mother and brother joining, here's a playlist of Portuguese music to honor my family's native land.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Christmas Time is Coming by Moments.
Searching for state court data used to be a huge pain in the ass, but data analytics has almost entirely fixed it, giving attorneys searchable databases in just about every state. What else has data analytics done for the profession? Plenty. Jared talks with Nicole Clark about how the aggregation of legal data has given us a much deeper understanding of courts, judges, and law firms—and even gives lawyers an edge in the courtroom. Trigger warning: they also give a nod to AI and its major contributions to legal data analytics.
It’s almost Christmas, but let’s take a look back at Thanksgiving! Jared and Nicole play “Overrated, Underrated, Properly Rated—Thanksgiving Edition” to determine whether beloved Thanksgiving traditions like stuffing, football, and uncomfortable political conversations are given their due.
Though controversial in its day, Paul Simon’s “Graceland” is a perfect album. After a run of personal and professional disappointments, Simon hit upon some pretty fortuitous inspiration that led to this pristine collection of musical craftsmanship. Jared unpacks the surprising and varied Americana-meets-world-music vibe of “Graceland”, the most popular album of Simon’s career.
Nicole Clark is co-founder and CEO at Trellis Research Inc.
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We celebrate Paul Simon's perfect album 'Graceland', with our episode + this playlist.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Life of the Party by Dr. Delight.
1As lawyers, you constantly assess the risks of your clients, whether in their business practices, court cases, personal relationships, or a multitude of other things. So, managing risk for your clients is what you do, but when was the last time you took a hard look at your own liabilities? Jared welcomes Mark Bassingthwaighte of ALPS Insurance to chat about common risks in modern legal practice. Mark’s approachable take on insurance could help just about anybody understand what they need for their law firm, and he and Jared also talk through current ethics considerations around AI and cybersecurity.
Then, in the Rump Roast, Jared tests Mark’s expertise on authentic blunders in a game called “Historic Mistakes.” Did the Titanic sink because of a sleepy watchman? Was Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination the result of a forgotten fancy hat? Listen in to find out.
And, lastly, everybody’s rolling out their AI tools/extras/whatever, and pricing for these things is truly all over the place. Jared ponders this issue—as a lawyer, you need to be able to keep up with the other guy, but how much should all this cost you?
Mark Bassingthwaighte has been a Risk Manager with ALPS, the nation’s largest direct writer of lawyers’ malpractice insurance, since 1998.
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Since we talked about mistakes - those lawyers make + historical ones, have a listen to our playlist featuring songs about fucking up.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.
Whether there’s a generational divide, unhelpful technology, a lack of emotional intelligence, or, really, a whole bunch of other issues—communication is hard. And, when communication breaks down, your business just doesn’t operate like it should. Is there any way to bridge all these gaps and interact effectively in your workplace? Jared talks with Rachael Bosch about her strategies for helping both individuals and teams understand each other better and overcome challenges in their professional lives.
In the Rump Roast, Jared and Rachael play “A Rose By Any Other Name”—a game entirely focused on… deodorant! Jared tries to stump Rachael with a variety of real and made-up slogans.
And, speaking of deodorant, Jared’s monologue took a deep, unpleasant dive into what is apparently acceptable on network TV commercials these days. It’s pretty revolting. Has Jared gone too far this time? Probably.
Rachael Bosch is the founder of Fringe PD.
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We talked about how to cover up for your stankiness, and so we put together some songs about smells.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is I'm Drowning by Dr. Delight.
Document management is a must in legal, and Microsoft 365 has plenty of ways to organize and process your documents for you. So, what do you need to know about it? Jared welcomes Keith Vallely to talk through the uses of SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft features to help attorneys understand the nuances of Microsoft’s methods for document management.
The Rump Roast digs deep into tricky Star Wars trivia in a game Jared likes to call “Star Tours.” Do you know what language is written on Darth Vader’s chest plate? Does Keith know? Listen in to find out.
And, Jared taps into his unapologetically nerdy side to analyze the current sci-fi offerings in the multiverse and beyond. So, if you’re in need of some excellent escapism, Jared has plenty of recommendations for the sci-fi movies and shows you should watch.
Keith Vallely is Vice President and Senior Consultant at Epona USA.
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Since we talked about a lot of different sci-fi IP - including Star Wars - let's enjoy a list of the best sci-fi movie needle drops of all-time.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Tenderness of You by Cast of Characters.
Women attorneys are intelligent and brave, but they still face particular challenges in the legal profession. Jared chats with Rachel Clar of Interconnected Us about her mission to create safe environments for women in law to get the support they need to grow their influence and flourish in legal practice.
Later, in perhaps the most uniquely named Rump Roast game yet, Jared and Rachel play “Town in Upstate NY, Town in Rural Alabama, or Discontinued Household Cleaner?” And, yeah—the name is pretty self-explanatory.
And, we know you’re sick of hearing about AI, but Jared still has a few things that need to be said. First, don’t be a moron and believe everything AI tells you, and second, *do* save yourself time by using AI for contracts, emails, and generating workflows.
Rachel Clar is founder and CEO at Interconnected Us.
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We talked about how law firms can use generative AI tools right now, so here's a playlist about AI, designed by AI. Hey, we had a nice run.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.
Chuki Obiyo has made a science of growing law firm businesses, with plenty of research to back up his time-tested strategies. Jared talks with Obiyo about how to form deeper connections with your network, tips for start-up firms, and leveraging social media and other technology to promote business growth.
Later, who knew September had so many stupid holidays? Apparently, Jared did, so you’re in for a treat on the Rump Roast. Jared and Chuki play “Fake-Ass Holidays" to showcase September’s plethora of silly celebrations.
And, Jimmy Buffet had a life well-lived. Jared pays homage to the late musician, highlighting his greatest songs, memorable collaborations, and more.
Chuki Obiyo is managing director of business development at Vedder Price.
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We talked about the recent passing of Jimmy Buffett. So, let's pour out a little rum for our fallen homie.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Kokobongo by Alessandro Gugel.
It’s been 563 days, but we’re finally back in the Playroom with musical guest Mark Oblinger. Mark holds the double distinction of being an Emmy-winning/Grammy-nominated musician AND having a longtime connection with this very podcast! Tune in for Jared and Mark’s chat about his colorful career in music and audio. Mark highlights his time playing with bands like Firefall and Pure Prairie League, his successful stint in the tv-music world, and his current budding career as a solo artist.
And then, the good stuff! Mark performs two of his songs live, including his slightly darker, melancholy version of the classic hit “Amie” by Pure Prairie League.
Learn more about Mark and his upcoming tours and projects at: https://markoblinger.com/
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Mark's done us the kindness of putting together an absolutely stellar playlist for our enjoyment. Check out some of the songs that inspire his work and maybe become inspired as well.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Little Bird from Mark's 2019 album High Water Line.
Lawyers, you really actually do need to use KPIs—that’s Key Performance Indicators for those of you who *still* haven’t kept up with good business practices. Do it! And, Jared’s here to help with a breakdown of the 5 KPI categories you need to start keeping track of, like, yesterday.
Next, software demos! If you’re paralyzed with indecision about what software to use, a demo could help, but only if you ask good questions throughout the process. Jared welcomes Andreas Becker to talk about the importance of planning and strategizing to gain the knowledge you need to solve problems and increase productivity with new software.
And, the Rump Roast takes yet another new turn, this time leaving us with Jared & Andreas dreaming about the songs they’d love to use in their podcasts if royalties weren’t a thing.
Andreas Becker is director of business development of Lawyaw at Clio.
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If we had no limit on the money we could spend for music, can you just imagine what music we'd use on this show. Well, IMAGINE NO MORE! Andreas and I share our dream picks for podcast music.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Chillabye by Midnight Daydream.
Integrations, integrations, integrations. You’ve probably heard about integrations for years, but lots of people still struggle to understand just how this stuff is going to change their workflows. Jared explains the whole concept, gives some of the first integrations you need to be using, and warns you away from some missteps.
Next, Emil Ali stops by chat with Jared about the unique challenges and worrying trends in IP ethics. Oh, what’s that? You’re not an IP attorney? Well, you’d be surprised how many non-IP attorneys get hit with these very much not trivial penalties.
Finally, the stars have aligned! Welcome to the era of Barbenheimer! Jared and Emil look back at past movie release days to debate other great film pairings that have paved the way for this “momentous” occasion.
Emil Ali is a partner at McCabe & Ali, LLP.
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Since it's Barbenheimer weekend, we've mixed some serious + silly songs together, in the spirit of the moment. (Though, I hear 'Barbie' is pretty deep, too.)
Why would a law firm hire a PR agency? Well, if you’ve ever wished your firm was known for its expertise and thought leadership, a PR agency might be just the thing. Jared brings on Michelle Calcote King to talk through the lawyer/PR relationship and its potential for improving your credibility, furthering your reach, and growing your business.
The rest of the show is a total Succession-fest. Jared’s monologue spoils the entire beginning, middle, and end of the series, so listeners beware. And, later on in the Rump Roast, Jared welcomes his own kids for dramatic readings of some favorite Succession quotes.
Michelle Calcote King is principal and president of Reputation Ink.
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We have fun on this show, but today it's all business - Succession style.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our Rump Roast song is Macbeth by JeesGuy.
Our closing track is Lucky Day by SPARKZ.
Adding value for bar association members is always a good idea. Jared chats with Rio Peterson, who has just about seen it all when it comes to bar programming—from cool events to tech offerings to stellar educational programs and more. Listen in for her thoughts on improving bar culture and providing more for members. Jared and Rio also talk about how lawyer side hustles are more common than you might think and just might provide the little extra something you need in your life.
This time on the Rump Roast—you don’t often use Simon Le Bon heads as your rating mechanism, but today is the day! Jared has Rio rate the annoyance level of a variety of “Name Songs” pulled from the archives of popular music. Also, does Rio like it when you ask her if she “dances on the sand”? If the answer to that one isn’t obvious, tune in to find out.
Circling back—since you’re a lawyer, your side hustle has to be seriously legit. You don’t want to find yourself in the middle of a legal ethics violation, so Jared explains the best ways to keep your extra gigs on the up and up. Learn more about this topic in Christa Arcos’ article: Wearing Two Hats: Dual Practices and Ancillary Businesses.
Rio Peterson is Bar and Affinity Partnerships Strategist at ALPS Lawyers Malpractice Insurance.
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We talked about songs titled after girls' name and how annoying that must be if you happen to share that name, so here's a playlist highlighting that occasion!
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Jewels by Falls.
Even if you’re a great lawyer, your top-notch skills might be holding you back when it comes to running your business. Jared talks with Steve Seckler about his recent article in the ABA’s GPSolo eReport, Stop Thinking (and Acting) Like a Lawyer, in which he outlines the typical attorney characteristics that work great in legal matters, but kinda suck when you’re trying to network, grow your firm, get referrals, manage your employees, and more. Listen in to learn how to suppress those lawyer instincts when needed.
Later, time to Roast some Rumps! Jared has crafted a brand new game for today’s special guest, titled “Deep Cuts with Steve Seckler” and featuring obscure trivia from the world of popular music.
And, if you haven’t noticed, most law firm logos are terrible. Tune in to hear Jared’s list of what not to do when you design your logo—we’re looking at you, Doric columns, books, boring stuff, etc—and learn how to make something that’s actually appealing.
Stephen Seckler is president of Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching.
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It's time to get deep - DEEP - into Steve's musical tastes. That's right, we've got some deep cuts here.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Tenderness of You by Cast of Characters.
Fastcase and vLex have merged to form the world's largest law library, containing the law from over 100 countries and more than a billion documents. One platform with all these resources means attorneys around the world will have bigger, better, faster access to everything they need to do legal research. Jared chats with Ed Walters of Fastcase about their goals for democratizing the law and what plans they have to continue developing this global library and legal AI for easier use.
This time on the Rump Roast, Jared and Ed play “Wack-Ass Responses from AI to Completely Reasonable Prompts,” but that title seems a bit unwieldy, so you can just think of it as: “ChatGPT Jeopardy!”
And, since AI will probably take over the world eventually, let’s prove our superiority while we still can. Jared’s found the clincher: we’re funny, and AI’s sense of humor is decidedly lame. We win.
Ed Walters is the CEO and co-founder of Fastcase, an online legal research software company.
Read more about the merger: Legal tech disruptors vLex and Fastcase merge to form world’s largest global law library
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Legal research is all about searching, but there's a lot of other stuff you can look for, too.
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Yellow Letter by Sam Barsh.
Randa Prendergast takes a “June Cleaver” approach to running a law firm, making every little thing run smoothly without breaking a sweat. Jared and Randa talk through how to identify your workflow needs and develop processes that make it easy for employees old and new to know exactly how to keep things rolling.
Later on in the Rump Roast, Jared’s fellow Bostonian Dan Winslow joins to talk about the great equalizer of the food world (beans, obviously) and the real reason Boston has long been known as “Beantown.” Dan also discusses the first-ever Beantown Beanfest, coming up on June 24, 2023!
And, finally, 1974’s “Sundown” album by Gordon Lightfoot is perfect. In Jared’s words, the title track is “…maybe the most quietly menacing pop song ever written.” That description alone is pretty damn intriguing, so tune in for Jared’s thoughts on the whole album—and RIP Gordon Lightfoot (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023).
Randa Prendergast is the Attorney Whisperer at Mrs. June Legal, LLC.
Daniel B. Winslow is President of the New England Legal Foundation.
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In honor of the late, great Gordon Lightfoot, here is a smattering of some of that Yukon gold!
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Our opening track is Two Cigarettes by Major Label Interest.
Our closing track is Night Whispers by Dr. Delight.
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