Legal Current
Legal Current is a podcast from Thomson Reuters, Legal, that features information and commentary on the business and practice of law.

Episode 5 of our special podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure continues the discussion between Prof. Arthur Miller, founding author of the treatise, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, including her thoughts on what it’s like to argue a case before the High Court with her perspectives and experience on both sides of the bench.

Professor Miller and Justice Ginsburg discuss the Justice’s views on what makes for an effective argument before the Court, how lawyers can write more effective briefs, and how Justice Ginsburg feels about the recent RBG documentary on her life.

In the previous episode –the first of the two-part discussion -- Professor Miller and Justice Ginsburg discussed their overlapping journeys in the law, first as classmates at Harvard Law School, as attorneys arguing before the Supreme Court, and in their current roles, respectively, as law school professor and supreme court justice.

Federal Practice & Procedure is one of the most respected and enduring legal treatises. The treatise has been cited by federal courts an astounding 90,000 times, according to Westlaw estimates, and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court every year since 1973.

Thomson Reuters is presenting this special podcast series throughout 2019 featuring Professor Miller with leading legal scholars and thought leaders as they explore the issues and challenges facing attorneys practicing before the federal judiciary.


The law and the courts have undergone many changes over the years.  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discusses what she believes is “the most heartening change” in the legal profession.

Episode 4 of our special podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure is a discussion between Prof. Arthur Miller, founding author of the treatise, and Justice Ginsburg.

In this first of a two-part discussion, Professor Miller and Justice Ginsburg discuss their overlapping journeys in the law, first as classmates at Harvard Law School, as attorneys arguing before the Supreme Court, and in their current roles, respectively, as law school professor and supreme court justice.

Federal Practice & Procedure is one of the most respected and enduring legal treatises.  The treatise has been cited by federal courts an astounding 90,000 times, according to Westlaw estimates, and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court every year since 1973.

Thomson Reuters is presenting this special podcast series throughout 2019 featuring Professor Miller with leading legal scholars and thought leaders as they explore the issues and challenges facing attorneys practicing before the federal judiciary.

The upcoming final episode of the series will feature a continuation of the discussion between Professor Miller and Justice Ginsburg including the Justice’s views on what makes for an effective argument before the Court, and how she feels about the recent RBG documentary on her life.


The Antonio Brown saga continues to spawn new revelations.  On the heels of the NFL initiating an investigation into allegations of sexual assault stemming from a civil lawsuit filed by Brown's former personal trainer, an attorney representing a painter commissioned by Brown  has asked the NFL to investigate allegations of additional sexual misconduct as well as threats and initimidation. 

The NFL and New England Patriots initially did not take any disciplinary action following these and other disclosures of allegations of personal misconduct and legal issues.  

Sports attorney Glen Rothstein discusses the case against Brown and the workings of the NFL's disciplinary policy.  

Direct download: NFL_vs._Antonio_Brown.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:13am EDT

The cases Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and Ashcroft v. Iqbal still reverberate through the Federal court system for setting new standards for specificity and "plausibility" in pleadings. Similarly, cases such as World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson are still much discussed and debated for their impact on personal jurisdiction.

Episode 3 of our special podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure discusses the current state of pleadings and personal jurisdiction as they apply to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as well as what potentially lies ahead.

Federal Practice & Procedure is one of the most respected and enduring legal treatises. The treatise has been cited by federal courts an astounding 90,000 times, according to Westlaw estimates, and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court every year since 1973.

In this third episode, Prof. Arthur Miller, founding author of the treatise, talks with Prof. Ben Spencer of the University of Virginia Law School and Prof. Adam Steinman of the University of Alabama Law School. They are co-authors of the volumes of Federal Practice & Procedure dealing with pleadings and personal jurisdiction, respectively,

Thomson Reuters is presenting this special podcast series throughout 2019 featuring Professor Miller with leading legal scholars and thought leaders as they explore the issues and challenges facing attorneys practicing before the federal judiciary.

Our upcoming episodes will feature a discussion between Prof. Arthur Miller and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, senior associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.


 

The Next Gen Leadership: Advancing Lawyers of Color white paper provides insights from attorneys on how legal employers can help create opportunities for lawyers of color across the industry.

The white paper involved interviews with 23 attorneys of color across generations, ethnicities, geographic locations, and segments of the industry.

During these discussions, attorneys of color shared their insights and experiences.

Gary Zhao is a partner in SmithAmundsen LLC’s commercial litigation group and was previously a co-chair of SmithAmundsen’s diversity committee. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), is a past president of the Chinese American Bar Association and is the incoming President of the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago.

Gary talks about his experience as an attorney of color, and shares best practices for legal employers drawn from his experience.

Direct download: Next_Gen_Leadership_-_Advancing_Lawyers_of_Color.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:10am EDT

Two legal software conferences were recently held on opposite coasts – in San Diego the 25th edition of the Elite VANTAGE Worldwide User Conference highlighted new software integrations, and in New York the Legal Geek conference showcased new applications of technology. At both conferences, Thomson Reuters shared their latest innovations and also enjoyed listening to customers describe what is needed from software in order to reach the next level of efficiency and productivity.

Brian Peccarelli, Thomson Reuters COO of customer markets and head of its Legal Professionals segment, Elizabet Hardy, Elite vice president, product management, and Irish McIntyre, lead of legal technology innovation discuss what they’re working on and trends they’re seeing in the industry.

Direct download: VANTAGE_2019_LegalGeek_Wrap-Ups.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:15pm EDT

Class action lawsuits have undergone many changes in recent years as a result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions and changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Episode 2 of our special podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure discusses those changes as well as the future of class action cases. 

Federal Practice & Procedure is one of the most respected and enduring legal treatises.  The treatise has been cited in federal court an astounding 90,000 times, according to Westlaw estimates, and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court every year since 1973.

In this second episode, Professor Arthur Miller, founding author of the treatise, talks with Professor Mary Kay Kane, Emerita Dean and Chancellor and Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California-Hastings.  Prof. Kane is also co-author of fourteen volumes of Federal Practice & Procedure, including those that cover class actions.

Professors Miller and Kane discuss the evolution of class action lawsuits and the challenges facing the class action system as it tries address new problems such as the opioid crisis. 

Thomson Reuters is presenting this special podcast series throughout 2019 featuring Prof. Miller with leading legal scholars and thought leaders as they explore the issues and challenges facing attorneys practicing before the federal judiciary.


The Elite VANTAGE 2019 Worldwide User Conference is underway in San Diego.  Thousands of elite cusomters are there to network, share learnings and hear about the latest developments at Elite

Eric Sugden, Elite chief technology officer, and Elizabet Hardy, Elite vice president, product management, talk about some of the exciting developments at Elite

Direct download: 2019_VANTAGE_Keynote.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:36pm EDT

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Wright & Miller’s Federal Practice & Procedure, one of the most respected and enduring legal treatises. The treatise has been cited in federal court an astounding 90,000 times, according to Westlaw estimates, and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court every year since 1973.

Thomson Reuters presents a special podcast series throughout 2019 to mark the occasion. Professor Arthur Miller, founding author of the treatise, will sit down with leading legal scholars and thought leaders to explore the issues and challenges facing attorneys practicing before the federal judiciary.

In this first episode, we start off the series with a conversation between Prof. Miller and Jean Maess, vice president of editorial operations at Thomson Reuters, about how the duo of Professors Wright & Miller developed Federal Practice & Procedure.


Know how to bust some sweet dance moves?  You might want to find a good attorney.

Epic Games, maker of Fortnite and NBA 2K has put the Carlton Dance into some of its video games, and the actor who portrayed Carlton on The Fresh Prince, Alfonso Ribeiro, is suing, saying Epic Games is unfairly profiting off of his signature move.

Who’s going to win this dance off between Carlton and Epic Games?  Fabio Marino is vice chair of the IP department at Polsinelli and joins us today. 

Direct download: Carlton_Dance.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:00am EDT

It’s a story almost too incredible to believe.  Ron Stallworth was the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department.  In 1978, he answered a classified ad and infiltrated the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.

His book, Black Klansman, race, hate and the undercover investigation of a lifetime is an incredible read, and was recently made into a movie directed by Spike Lee that recently won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

Mr. Stallworth recently gave a Town Hall talk at Thomson Reuters and we were privileged to speak with Mr. Stallworth during his visit.

Direct download: The_Real_Black_Klansman_-_Ron_Stallworth.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:22pm EDT

Law firms are under pressure from many quarters these days – from clients to demonstrate greater value and cost efficiency, from competitors such as legal process outsourcing, as well as from other law firms.

Trevor Faure, head of Smarter Law Solutions and former head of global legal services at EY, says lawyers need to take into consideration everything from emotional intelligence to artificial intelligence as they transform their firms as both legal practices and business entities.

Faure’s new book, Smarter Law: transforming busy lawyers into business leaders, can drive greater law firm performance.

Faure will be speaking on a global Smarter Law tour of New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, London, Paris & Singapore during April-June 2019. Events include dedicated workshops and annual events of ACC and National Bar Association. Full details at smarterlawsolutions.com/news  

Direct download: Smarter_Law.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:48am EDT

Technology is often touted as a game changer, a field-leveler, a way for firms to gain a competitive edge over other firms.

Marketing hype aside, is that really the case? 

The Legal Executive Institute’s Dynamic-Static Law Firm Report looked at Peer Monitor law firm data to see if use of technology helped firms perform better.

Bill Josten, the author of the report, discusses the findings. 

Direct download: Dynamic_static_-_technology.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:51pm EDT

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