Legal Speak

Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what's happening in the legal industry. Each episode tackles a subject that's worthy of a deep dive—from law firm profit hacks to Supreme Court showdowns to the most promising plays in legal tech. Hosted by Law.com Editor-in-Chief Zack Needles and Newsroom Innovation Director Vanessa Blum, Legal Speak offers straight talk from experts, plus an inside-the-newsroom perspective on market-shaping stories.

Kent Zimmermann on Balancing Client Demands to Return to the Office With a War for Talent

Jul 30, 2021

In this week's episode, Law.com business of law reporter Patrick Smith spoke with Zeughauser Group's Kent Zimmermann about how client demands to return to the office could force law firms to choose between clients and talent—and how the COVID-19 Delta variant could foil their plans.

Haley Moss on Disability as a Diversity Issue and Why Remote Work Makes Her 'Incredibly Hopeful for the Future'

Jul 23, 2021

In this week's episode, Law.com business of law reporter Dylan Jackson talks with Haley Moss, an autistic attorney and neurodiversity advocate, about how attorneys with disabilities are viewed by the legal industry, why remote work must continue and the benefits of tapping into the talent pool of...

Why Higher Salaries Alone Don't Equal Happier—or More Diverse—Associates

Jul 16, 2021

This week's episode features a conversation with Caren Ulrich Stacy, founder and CEO of Diversity Lab, about the associate salary war’s impact on law firm diversity and young lawyer retention. Stacy explains why firms that don’t strain themselves to keep up with the competition on associate comp may actually have a...

ICYMI: The Overlooked Mental Toll of Law Firm Staff Cuts on Those Left Behind

Jul 2, 2021

This week, we're highlighting an interview from May that you might have missed on a topic that's only becoming more relevant as 2021 continues on and more firms look to make staffing reductions. Patrick Krill, principal and founder of Krill Strategies, a behavioral health consulting firm focused exclusively on the...

Here's What You're Doing Wrong in Your Legal Writing

Jun 25, 2021

This week’s episode is your chance to get some pointers on legal writing from a sitting judge without worrying about having your motion tossed out. Am Law Litigation Daily editor and columnist Ross Todd chats with 10th Circuit Judge Robert E. Bacharach, author of the recent book, “Legal Writing: A...