Aba Journal: Asked And Answered

In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Victor Li speaks with attorney and activist Paul Harris about his work stretching back to the 1960s. Harris, one of the radical “movement lawyers” featured in the cover story for the August issue of the ABA Journal, talks about his work defending high-profile clients like Huey Newton, Leonard McNeil and others. Harris also discusses the current political landscape and what today’s generation of aspiring movement lawyers can learn from their predecessors. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even trained advocators don’t get everything they want at work. But what are some good strategies for knowing when to accept a manager’s decision, or continue to press for what you want? In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Dr. Artika Tyner, vice president for diversity and inclusion at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Tyner discusses how lawyers can advocate for themselves in the workplace, without getting in their own way. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Government entities at all levels often set aside a portion of work for minority and women-owned businesses, including law firms. But many people are unsure about how to land these contracts or receive certification. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward gets tips for program participation from Emery Harlan. Harlan is a Milwaukee employment attorney and a cofounder of the National Association of Minority-Owned Law Firms. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 14th Amendment has been used to secure civil rights for a multitude of groups. But does it give children a constitutional right to literacy? Is it the government's responsibility to adequately fund schools, so students learn what they need to reach appropriate reading levels? In the Detroit public school system, it was recently found that only 7 percent of its 8th grade students were proficient in reading. So in 2016, a group of lawyers filed a federal civil rights claim against the city’s school system. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward discusses the lawsuit with Carter Phillips, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A handful of large law firms recently announced limited telecommuting plans for associates, which is a somewhat radical change for the profession.  Does this mean that for lawyers, office face-time may no longer be central to demonstrating you’re a valuable team member? In this month's episode of Asked and Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Sara Sutton Fell about lawyers working remotely. Fell is the CEO and founder of Remote, which helps companies hire, train and manage employees who work offsite, and Flexjobs, a career website focused on telecommuting, freelance work and part-time jobs. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You want to expand your book of business with networking events, and think that planning one yourself might be the most rewarding. But how can you develop an event that lawyers will actually attend, doesn’t go way over budget and brings you some great new connections? In this month’s episode, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Alycia Sutor, managing director at the sales-effectiveness firm GrowthPlay, about hosting successful networking events for lawyers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us don’t think of ourselves as biased, and we don’t want to be prejudiced towards others. But we’re also reluctant to acknowledge the ways bias can creep in, according to academics who study implicit bias. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Jeffrey Rachlinski, a Cornell Law School professor who has done various studies about implicit bias, including one that focused on trial judges. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not terribly unusual for a law grad to need to take the bar exam more than once to pass. But the experience of failing the bar can be crushing to one's confidence–and concentration. After failing the bar exam, many students have a hard time studying for a retake. This is not necessarily because they can't do the work, but because anxiety and fear of failure get in the way, Jamie Kleppetsch of John Marshall Law School tells the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's Asked and Answered. Kleppetsch, who is president of the Association of Academic Support Educators as well as being an associate director of John Marshall's Academic Achievement Program, shares with listeners some tips for reapproaching the bar exam with a fresh mindset and more preparation. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While negotiating for one’s client is second nature to most attorneys, many find it a lot harder to negotiate for themselves. How can you advocate for a better position without being seen as too aggressive or off-putting? In this month’s Asked and Answered podcast, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward talks to Kathleen Kelley Reardon about how attorneys can ask for what they want without jeopardizing good work relationships. Kathleen Kelley Reardon, a professor emerita at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, is the author of numerous books centered on workplace communications. Her work centers on persuasion, negotiation and women’s leadership. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You landed someone you thought would be a great client, but now you’re finding out that the client isn’t great about paying the bill. What should you do?  In this month's Asked and Answered podcast, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Bob Markoff, a Chicago lawyer who has done collections work for many years. Markoff, a past president of the National Creditors Bar Association, gives tips and advice on what you can do to recover the money you're owed. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawyers are in the suffering business, says bankruptcy lawyer and meditation instructor Jeena Cho. "Rarely do clients come to us with happy news." Taking on clients' tough problems can be source of a lot of stress for practitioners. Cho speaks with the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward about how practicing mindfulness--which at is heart, is about living in the present moment--can help lawyers quickly move on from daily stressors and setbacks. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you unhappy at work? Is it time to leave your job, or should you look for other options to improve your current work conditions? Trust your intuition, and don't beat yourself up with negative thoughts about workplace problems being all your fault, says Gayle Victor, a Chicago-area lawyer and social worker who counsels attorneys and their families. She spoke with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's Asked and Answered podcast.  Gayle Victor is a lawyer who also has a master's degree in social work. She uses her unique perspective as a former attorney to provide counseling to attorneys and their families through CareForLawyers.com. Her practice is based in Chicago. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business development doesn't come naturally to all lawyers. Some hesitate to take advantage of social opportunities out of fear of looking desperate or needy, but that's wrong-headed, says business development coach Larry Kohn. He speaks with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward about ways that attorneys can promote themselves and their skills in ways that help both the lawyer and their potential clients. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to get outside, but work tethers you to your desk? Getting physical can increase both your productivity and personal happiness, and Kandis Gibson has some tips and tricks for how you can make exercise and outdoor activities part of your routine. Gibson, a senior associate at Foster, Murphy, Altman & Nickel in Washinton, D.C., has not let her busy IP litigation practice stop her from competing in triathlons. She speaks with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's Asked and Answered to share how she did it, and how you can get your bosses on board with you getting out of the office more frequently. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"You have the right to remain silent.” Because of TV shows and movies, most people probably know at least this part of the Miranda warning. But do people actually understand all of their Miranda rights? Fifty years after the landmark decision in Miranda v. Arizona, we speak to Russell Covey of Georgia State University State’s College of Law to find out what people know and don’t know about their rights. Russell Covey, a professor at Georgia State University’s College of Law, teaches criminal law and procedure. One of his articles, “Miranda and the Media:  Tracing the Cultural Evolution of a Constitutional Revolution,” was published in the 2007 Chapman Law Review. Special thanks to our sponsors Amicus Attorney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence has long been a tool for lawyers to perform their tasks more efficiently. However, the technology has advanced to the point where computers can now perform many of the tasks that were once the exclusive domain of humans. In this month’s Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Victor Li talks to freelance writer Julie Sobowale about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the practice of law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cost savings are particularly important for small firms and solos. What are some easy fixes for making law firm budgets go further, and what are some common mistakes to avoid? In this month's Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward gets some tips and tricks for stretching firm's dollars further.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may have noticed that some lawyers are often quoted in the press. They might have a practice that naturally garners attention, or perhaps they are great at explaining complex issues succinctly and have a good camera presence. Or it could just be that they’re known for returning phone calls and emails in a timely manner. Reaching out to the media can be helpful–or harmful–to your clients. What are the best ways to approach reporters when you're looking for a media spotlight? How can you provide reporters with useful information, in a way that also promotes you and your clients in a positive light? In this month’s Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward discusses how lawyers can best approach the media when they’d like some press. This month's guest  is Vivia Chen, a senior columnist with the American Lawyer. Vivia Chen is the creator and chief blogger of the Careerist, an American Lawyer column that focuses on women and diversity in the profession. A former corporate lawyer who is n

It's time to set goals for the new year. But can you actually follow through with them? In this month's Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward discusses what reasonable steps you can take in 2016 to improve your life and your career. Her guest Karen Kaplowitz gives listeners tips on making and keeping achievable goals.  Karen Kaplowitz is the president of the New Ellis Group, a business-development consulting firm. She specializes in business development strategy, training and coaching for lawyers and other professional service providers. In 1971, Kaplowitz was the third woman lawyer hired by O'Melveny & Myers, and a few years later she opened a small, women-owned law firm that focused on plaintiff employment cases. She also was a partner with Alschuler, Grossman & Pines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are lawyers prone to anxiety, or is the pace of the profession the culprit? The ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Will Meyerhofer, a psychotherapist who has also been a practicing attorney, to learn more about anxiety and get tips on how lawyers can manage and overcome it. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/podcast_monthly_episode_68 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices