Law Practice Today

On the Law Practice Today podcast, host Terrell speaks with Charity Anastasio, director of practice innovation and professionalism at the American Immigration Lawyers Association and former private-practice lawyer, about why every law firm needs an AI use policy. They discuss the risks of “shadow AI,” where staff use easily accessible tools like ChatGPT without oversight, potentially exposing confidential client data and creating unreliable work through hallucinations in legal research. Charity outlines core policy elements: approved and prohibited products, permitted uses, key risks, mandatory training with different levels for basic tasks versus legal research, and a formal process for proposing and approving new AI tools. They note AI is changing hiring and legal work by shifting lawyers toward higher-level tasks, while adoption is growing faster than past technologies despite low rates of enforced policies and training.00:00 AI Changes Legal Work00:21 Podcast Welcome Disclaimer01:00 Why Firms Need AI Policy01:34 Guest Background03:21 Shadow AI Explained05:07 What to Include in Policy06:02 Training and Tool Approval07:04 Staff Adoption and Culture10:06 Leadership Responsibility12:44 Hiring and Future of Practice13:28 Adoption Stats Policy Gap14:38 Where to Find Charity15:22 Closing and Subscribe

On the Law Practice Today podcast, host Terrell speaks with Marguerita Dolatly, Director of Business Development at Katten and a former corporate/M&A and private equity lawyer, about business development and strengthening client relationships through “unreasonable hospitality.” Dolatly explains how personalized, memorable touches can elevate standard service, deepen trust, and differentiate firms—especially in high-stress matters like deals and cases. She describes mapping a deal’s trajectory to identify moments to infuse optimal client service, including clearer communication, setting expectations, and providing roadmaps that reduce client anxiety. She also shares interpersonal examples of paying attention to client interests to create thoughtful touchpoints, while emphasizing the need to be strategic and selective. Dolatly notes that as AI improves access to market insights, the personal touch and trusted judgment will become even more important.00:00 Hospitality Turns to Color00:26 Podcast Welcome and Disclaimer01:04 Meet Marguerita Dolatly02:36 Keeping the Personal Touch After Acquisition04:42 AI and Trust in Client Service05:33 From Lawyer to Business Development06:42 Why Unreasonable Hospitality Works09:12 Practical Examples for Lawyers12:45 Predictability Calms Clients14:49 Where to Find Margarita15:15 Final Thanks and Sign Off

In this episode of the Law Practice Podcast, Terrell sits down with Chris Fortier, author of “The Lawyer’s Guide to Office Automation,” to discuss why the legal profession is slow to adopt automation and AI despite significant opportunities. Fortier shares his background building practical tools like Google Forms and shared drives to reduce friction in bar association workflows, then explains how intake forms, client orientation videos, and automated status emails can improve client experience and reduce unnecessary work. He notes increased access to practice software for small firms, highlights concerns about generative AI accuracy and hallucinations, and argues that success depends on documenting workflows and decision trees. Fortier distinguishes rule-based automation from AI’s predictive and expanded search capabilities and emphasizes designing processes, prompts, and human fallback points for responsible AI use.00:00 Lawyers And AI Fears00:26 Podcast Welcome And Guest01:11 Chris Fortier Background01:47 Early Automation Wins03:56 Online Intake Forms04:49 Client Experience Benefits07:20 Simple Automations Examples08:40 Tools And Time Tracking09:44 Adoption And Horror Stories10:58 Workflow Decision Trees13:30 Automation Versus AI15:11 AI Search Use Case17:55 Book Feedback And Buying20:00 Designing AI Processes21:10 Wrap Up And Book Title

On the ABA Law Practice Today podcast, host Terrell Turner talks with Daya Naef, a law firm consultant and small-firm practitioner focused on legal AI and efficiency, about how firms can still train and develop lawyers as AI automates repetitive junior-level work. Daya describes using technology, outsourcing, and automation to free time for more relational client service and more consistent client updates. They discuss how law schools and firms are split between restricting AI (blue books, no laptops) and embracing it with policies, and how generational shifts create new expectations from AI-native lawyers. They also address clients increasingly using free AI tools to challenge legal strategy, raising the importance of judgment training, potential new training models, and the disconnect of firms banning AI while trying to recruit associates, plus resources including an upcoming ABA CLE and related Law Practice Today articles.00:00 AI Replaces Junior Work00:32 Podcast Welcome Disclaimer01:11 Meet Daya Naef03:06 AI As Opportunity05:06 Automation For Client Care07:20 Training Gap In Firms10:46 Law Schools React To AI12:38 AI Native Generations14:02 Clients Using AI Too15:57 Rethinking Skills Training16:57 Firms Banning AI17:46 Where To Find Daya18:19 CLE And Articles18:55 Final Thanks Wrap-up

In this Law Practice Today podcast episode, the host discusses careers in animal law with professor and author Yolanda Eisenstein, who explains that modern animal law is largely animal protection law and has expanded significantly through increased legal education, clinics, and new legislation such as pet trusts. Eisenstein describes her path into the field, her teaching experience at SMU and the University of New Mexico, and how animal law spans companion animals, wildlife, farmed animals, federal and local practice, and even international work. She notes that companion animals generally receive the greatest legal protection and emphasizes that practitioners can integrate animal issues into many legal specialties. Eisenstein previews her updated second edition of Careers in Animal Law, advising prospective students to assess whether they truly want to be lawyers and can handle topics like cruelty and compassion fatigue, and predicts the field will keep growing amid biodiversity loss, climate change, and illegal wildlife trafficking.  00:00 Wildlife Trafficking Stakes00:28 Podcast Intro and Disclaimer01:07 Why Animal Law Careers01:53 Origins and Expansion04:37 Teaching and Practice Paths06:01 Species and Legal Protections08:15 Career Options and Locations09:15 Staying Current in the Field10:23 Book Advice and Self Fit12:55 Future of Animal Law13:54 Where to Find Yolanda14:36 Closing Remarks

On the Law Practice Today podcast, host Terrell sits down with psychologists Larry and D'Arcy, authors of Thin Skinned, to discuss research on how lawyers differ from the general public and how those differences affect both practice and personal life. Larry describes decades of data collection—first via a nationwide Myers-Briggs study of 3,000+ lawyers and later through 30 years using the Caliper Profile, now totaling nearly 10,000 lawyer assessments—showing seven atypical trait outliers, including high skepticism and notably low resilience and empathy. They explain that some traits are present before law school, while skepticism, resilience, and empathy are largely learned and can shift with time in law-office environments. The episode highlights practical, research-backed ways to build resilience, including reducing cognitive distortions, increasing positive emotions, and strengthening relationships, plus leadership strategies for creating resilience-friendly firm cultures.00:00 Lawyers Get Thin Skinned00:20 Podcast Intro Disclaimer00:58 Meet the Authors01:44 Larry's Path to Psychology02:28 D'Arcy Joins the Project04:15 30 Years of Lawyer Data06:36 Seven Traits That Stand Out09:29 Why Lawyers Differ10:30 Skepticism Lowers Resilience18:19 Nature, Nurture, and Selection19:56 Four Buckets of Solutions20:47 Bucket One Fix Negative Thinking24:38 Bucket Two Build Positive Emotions30:01 Bucket Three Relationships Matter34:17 Where to Learn More35:05 Final Thanks and Wrap Up

In this Law Practice Today podcast episode, Greg Siskind discusses an ABA book he co-wrote with Jason Susser and Josh Waddell, focused on practical ways lawyers can adopt generative AI in their firms, including how to prioritize projects, find “low-hanging fruit,” decide what to DIY versus hire out, and avoid ethical or operational trouble. Siskind draws parallels to the early days of law firm websites, recounting building one of the first lawyer websites in 1994 and the skepticism and compliance questions that followed. He describes his firm’s earlier AI work starting in 2015 with no-code expert systems and a later pivot in 2022 after an early look at OpenAI through Casetext’s CoCounsel, leading to an immigration-focused generative AI research prototype. The conversation highlights strong use cases like summarization, translation, inbox workflows, marketing tasks, and prompt “recipes,” emphasizing prompts as effective delegation.00:00 Why Invest in AI00:31 Podcast Intro and Disclaimer01:09 Meet Greg Siskind01:52 Writing a Practical AI Book03:44 Lessons From 1994 Websites07:06 Early Web Marketing Advantage08:50 Law Firm AI Experiments 201511:11 First Look at Generative AI13:55 Practical Use Cases and Prompts16:09 Prompting Is Delegation17:16 Where to Find Greg17:48 Final Thanks and Outro

This special roundup episode of the Law Practice Today podcast brings together three conversations from the first half of 2026 focused on helping law firms build stronger, more resilient, and better-run practices.First, Stephanie Everett joins Terrell A. Turner in "Building a Healthy and Profitable Law Firm.” She explains why law firm leaders need to understand their numbers, create systems that allow the business to operate without depending on the owner at every moment, and revisit strategy regularly through quarterly planning, annual reviews, and longer-term vision setting.Next, Shawn Holahan discusses "Disaster Planning for Law Firms.” She emphasizes that professional and ethical responsibilities do not stop during an emergency. From natural disasters and cyber incidents to technology failures and employee disruptions, firms need a clear plan for maintaining operations and communicating with clients when something goes wrong.Finally, Alexander Paykin joins Terrell for "Picking the Right Legal Tech Tools.” He encourages law firms to look beyond polished demos and technology hype by evaluating tools against their actual workflows, practice-specific needs, security requirements, and expected return on investment. The goal is not simply to adopt more technology, but to choose tools that genuinely save time, improve operations, and support the firm.Together, these conversations highlight three important parts of running a stronger law firm: building a sustainable business, preparing for disruption, and making smarter operational and technology decisions.Listen to the Full Conversations:Building a Healthy and Profitable Law Firm — Stephanie EverettDisaster Planning for Law Firms — Shawn HolahanPicking the Right Legal Tech Tools — Alexander PaykinEpisode Chapters00:00 Special Episode Preview00:46 Podcast Intro & Disclaimer01:22 Building a More Resilient Law Firm02:20 Stephanie Everett: Building a Healthy and Profitable Practice03:24 Numbers, Systems & Strategy05:53 Shawn Holahan: Why Disaster Planning Matters07:07 Ethics and Professional Responsibilities During Disasters09:07 Building a Reliable Client Communication Plan10:23 Alexander Paykin: Cutting Through Legal Tech Hype11:54 How to Stress-Test AI & Technology Tools13:27 Evaluating the Real ROI of Automation14:19 Wrap-Up & Full Episode Links

This special roundup episode of the Law Practice Today podcast revisits three conversations from the first half of 2026 focused on helping lawyers strengthen their visibility, relationships, and professional brand.First, Jason Hennessey joins Terrell A. Turner for “Mastering Law Firm SEO in the Era of AI,” exploring how AI-driven search is reshaping SEO for law firms, why traditional authority signals still matter, and how brand reputation and sentiment are becoming increasingly important as search behavior evolves.Next, Deb Feder shares a practical approach to business development in “Rethinking Business Development: Small Actions, Stronger Relationships.” She explains how lawyers can make networking and relationship-building more manageable by dedicating just a few minutes each day to simple actions, thoughtful follow-up, and staying consistently connected with the people in their network.Finally, Marianne Talbot brings a different perspective to professional branding in “Embracing the Punk Rock Principle in Law.” Her approach encourages lawyers to embrace authenticity, experiment with small acts that challenge the expected professional mold, and let go of some of the pressure to appear perfect—creating more room for individuality, energy, and enjoyment in their careers.Listen to the full conversations:Mastering Law Firm SEO in the Era of AI — Jason HennesseyRethinking Business Development: Small Actions, Stronger Relationships — Deb FederEmbracing the Punk Rock Principle in Law — Marianne TalbotEpisode Chapters00:00 Special Roundup Preview01:07 Podcast Intro & Disclaimer01:43 Jason Hennessey: How AI Is Changing Search and SEO02:32 Authority Signals, Links & Brand Sentiment04:47 Quick SEO Strategies for Law Firms05:26 Deb Feder: The Five-Minute Business Development Habit07:52 Simple Daily Networking Actions09:08 Marianne Talbot: The Punk Rock Branding Mindset11:07 Letting Go of Perfection to Stand Out12:42 How Small Acts of Rebellion Build Energy13:52 Wrap-Up & Full Episode Links

This episode of the Law Practice Today podcast features Terrell A. Turner, CPA's interview with Carol Greenwald, chair of the Law Practice Division Publication Board, about what it really takes to write and publish a book with the ABA. Greenwald shares her background transitioning from academia to law firm consulting focused on communication, and explains that lawyers are trained in law but not always in clear communication with clients and teams. She discusses why people write books (reputation and expertise), how the division selects topics across business, finance, management, marketing, and technology, and why “evergreen” subjects differ from fast-changing topics like AI. Greenwald outlines appropriate and inappropriate uses of AI in writing, the challenges of completing a nonfiction book on deadline, and how to pitch a book idea to the Pub Board via a questionnaire process.00:00 Writing Sounds Like You00:34 Podcast Intro Disclaimer01:13 Why Write With ABA01:53 Carol Greenwald Background04:27 Lawyer Communication Gaps06:06 How People Remember07:51 Why Books Build Credibility09:06 Evergreen Versus AI Topics09:30 Choosing ABA Book Topics11:51 Clients Getting Tougher14:04 AI And Copyright Limits14:34 Using AI The Right Way17:29 What Makes Books Valuable20:30 Writing For Different Learners22:11 Guiding Readers With Breadcrumbs23:37 Publishing Goals And Deadlines25:23 Finishing A Book Is Hard28:32 How To Pitch The Pub Board29:31 Wrap Up And Thanks