Selected Work

Magazine Features:

• Sci-Fact: Futuristic films have gotten some things right about tech law challenges. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2023).
• Legal Sleaze: Are pop culture’s unethical, incompetent, crooked lawyers examples of art imitating life? (ABA Journal, August 1, 2022).
• Law & Order: Legacy.  The franchise’s prime-time formula shaped a generation’s understanding of the legal system. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2021).
• Reel Power: Documentaries are shaping public opinion and influencing cases. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2020).
• Lawyers, Songs and Money: Music that changed the law. (ABA Journal, July 1, 2019). FINALIST: Peter Lisagor Awards, Best Feature: Non-Daily Newspaper, Magazine or Newspaper Magazine.
• The Dangers of Digital Things: Self-driving cars steer proposed laws on robotics and automation. (ABA Journal, March 1, 2018).
• Civil Rights Lawyers From the 1960s Have Lessons for Today’s Social Activists. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2017). WINNER: American Society of Business Publication Editors, Azbee Awards of Excellence, Upper Midwest Region (GOLD – Group Profile)
• The 14th: A Civil War-Era Amendment Has Become a Mini-Constitution for Modern Times. (ABA Journal, May 1, 2017).
• Legal Advertising Blows Past $1 Billion and Goes Viral. (ABA Journal, April 1, 2017). WINNER: ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, Upper Midwest Region (SILVER, General Interest Feature). FINALIST: Peter Lisagor Awards, Best Business or Consumer Reporting, Specialty/Trade.
• 50-Year Story of the Miranda Warning has the Twists of a Cop Show. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2016).
• A New Dawn for Cuba as it Opens for Business. An abrupt departure from the status quo means Cuba is now open for business. (ABA Journal, June 1, 2016).
• Tech Trekkers. Some law firms travel outside law practice to avoid their “Kodak moment.” (ABA Journal, April 1, 2016).
• Metrics Can Tell the Tale of a Firm’s Fate (co-authored with Edwin Reeser). Are there stats that can predict when a law firm will succeed … or fail? (ABA Journal, January 1, 2016). FINALIST: Peter Lisagor Awards, Best Business or Consumer Reporting, Specialty/Trade.
• Have We Reached the End of the Partnership Model? Fundamental changes are turning firms from collegial to corporate. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2015).
• The Probers: Meet The Lawyers Behind High-Profile Investigations. (ABA Journal, May 1, 2015).
• Dewey’s Judgment Day: As the legal giant disintegrated, its leaders continued to sell how great things were. (ABA Journal, February 1, 2015).
• Looking Back on Zubulake, 10 Years Later. (ABA Journal, September, 2014).
• Who Owns the Law? Technology reignites the war over just how public documents should be. (ABA Journal, June 1, 2014).

Editor:

• Business of Law: Front-of-the-book department in the ABA Journal magazine that focuses on a wide variety of topics, including: legal technology, practice management, lateral partner movement, legal education, work-life balance, and law firm business (2017-present).
  • WINNER: 2023 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Bronze, Regular Department) and Regional (Gold, Regular Department).
  • WINNER: 2022 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Bronze, Regular Department) and Regional (Silver, Regular Department). 
• Legal Rebels. An annual look at lawyers and legal professionals that are changing the industry. (2018-present).
  • 2024: Game Changing. 
  • 2023: Charging Forward.
  • 2022: No Turning Back. WINNER: 2023 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Silver, All Content – Group Profile) and Regional (Silver, All Content- Group Profile) and Regional (Silver, Online – Web Microsite).
  • 2021: Courting Change. WINNER: 2022 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Bronze, Group Profile) and Regional (Silver, Group Profile), National (Bronze, Web Microsite/Special Section).
  • 2020: It Takes a Team. WINNER: 2021 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Gold, Group Profile) Upper Midwest Region (Gold, Group Profile), Upper Midwest Region (Silver, Online – Web Microsite/Special Section).
  • 2020: WINNER: Upper Midwest Region (Silver, Online – Web Microsite/Special Section).
  • 2019: Ten Years of Legal Rebels (And Still Going!).
  • 2018: Knocking Down the Barriers of Convention and Building the Profession Anew. WINNER: 2019 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Honorable Mention, Best Cross-Platform Package of the Year).
• Coverage of ABA Techshow (2018-present). WINNER: 2021 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, Upper Midwest Region (Silver, Trade Show/Conference Coverage).
• Digital Dangers. A special year-long look at cybersecurity and how attorneys can better guard their confidential data (2018). WINNER: 2019 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (GOLD, Print – Feature Series) and Upper Midwest Region (GOLD, Print – Feature Series).
• State of the Legal Profession: A data-driven look inside the legal profession (2019-present).
  • 2022 Package: Slow Going: Despite diversity gains, some law firm leaders bemoan lack of progress. WINNER: 2023 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, Regional (Bronze, All Content – Case History; Bronze, All Content – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).
  • 2021 Package: View from the Top: Confounding gloomy predictions, Big Law proved to be most resilient to COVID-19. WINNER: 2022 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Silver, State of the Industry) and Regional (Gold, State of the Industry). 
  • 2020 Package: Dreams Deferred: Law School Debt is Delaying Plans for Recent Grads. WINNER: 2021 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Bronze, Best Data Journalism), Upper Midwest Region (Gold, Best Data Journalism).
  • 2019 Package: Inside the Legal Profession: What the Industry Looks Like in 2019, What Lawyers Earn in 2019, The Best Places to Practice in 2019. WINNER: 2020 ASBPE Azbee Awards of Excellence, National (Gold, Best Data Journalism) and Upper Midwest Region (Gold, Best Data Journalism).
• Mind Your Business: Contributed columns providing practical advice for attorneys on how to run their practices, insight into the latest in legal technology and thoughtful strategies for building a successful legal business (2020-present).
• Practical Tips for Lawyers: A compendium of crowdsourced suggestions, life hacks, nuggets of wisdom and other bits of interesting information that lawyers might find helpful (2020-present).
  • 25 Things I Wish I Had Learned in Law School (2023). 
  • 40 Wellness Tips to Help Lawyers Cope with Job Pressure (2022). 
  • 50 Startup Tips to Get Your Practice Off the Ground (2021).
  • 50 Ways to Market Your Practice (2020).
• Defending Justice. A series of essays emphasizing the importance of judicial independence and the rule of law (2018).

Web Pieces:

• Swift Justice: Students learn about the law through Taylor Swift cases. Do you have a “Blank Space” on your class schedule? Learn all about “The 1” and only Taylor Swift! (ABA Journal, February 14, 2024).
• Pardon Me? A Look at the Broad, Yet Somewhat-Murky Clemency Powers of a President. (ABA Journal, December 17, 2020).
• Lawyers Who Investigated Clinton and Nixon See Important Differences with Trump’s Impeachment Inquiry. (ABA Journal, November 25, 2019).
• Trump and GOP Seem Poised to Usher in Sweeping Changes in Immigration Policy. (ABA Journal. January 23, 2017).
• Repealing and Replacing Obamacare Might Not be as Simple as Republicans Thought. (ABA Journal. December 22, 2016).
• NBA Owner Donald Sterling Suspended for Life, and Experts Say His Legal Options are Limited. (ABA Journal, April 29, 2014).

Magazine Stories:

• The Rise of Uber and Lyft Inspires a Liability Practice. (ABA Journal, August 1, 2017)
• Software Helps Assemble Social Media Posts From a Specific Event or Point in Time. (ABA Journal, February 1, 2017)
• First in Fighting for Facts: Newspaper Counsel Takes on New Jersey Governor Personally. (ABA Journal, July 1, 2014)

Podcasts Host/Co-Host:

• What generative AI means for the future of predictive analytics. Thanks to generative artificial intelligence, predictive analytics tools are easier to use and deploy, giving lawyers even more of an incentive to use them.
• What does the future hold for licensed paraprofessionals? Much has been made of the gigantic access-to-justice gap in this country. One possible way to help bridge the gap is to expand the pool of people eligible to practice law. Of course, that raises age-old concerns about unauthorized practice of law.
• How generative AI can help you market your legal practice. How can generative AI help lawyers generate business, market themselves more effectively, and make more money?
• The future of DEI programs in the legal industry. The legal professional lacks diversity. In other news, the sun is hot, law school is expensive and junk food is bad for you.
• Could automated transcription tools replace human court reporters? Transcription technology has existed for a while now, but its accuracy has never been that high. Now, artificial intelligence could make automated transcription even more accurate. 
• How GPT and other large language models could change e-discovery. Large language models such as ChatGPT are all the rage these days. But this isn’t the first time that a promising piece of legal technology upended the legal industry.
• What Could AI Regulation in the US Look Like? In the United States, there has been very little movement toward establishing a regulatory framework at the federal level for artificial intelligence. Why is that?
• What the Silicon Valley Bank Failure Means for our Financial Institutions. A partner at the Am Law 100 law firm Ballard Spahr talks to the ABA Journal about the Silicon Valley Bank failure and what it means for the larger financial sector.
• How Casetext Utilized the Latest GPT Technology to Create an AI Legal Assistant. The CEO and co-founder of Casetext talks about its AI legal assistant CoCounsel, as well as the potential of advanced chatbots to change the legal industry.
• Should Lawyers Embrace or Fear ChatGPT? Released Nov. 30, ChatGPT, a chatbot created by OpenAI, has made waves in a short amount of time for how responsive, sophisticated and realistic it is.
• Why this BigLaw Firm Recently Started a Legal Ops Division. Shearman & Sterling’s global director of legal operations discusses his group’s objectives, goals, current and future projects and uniqueness in the law firm world.
• It’s a Long Road Ahead for Driverless Cars, says Fastcase Executive. Four years ago, Damien Riehl, like many others, was quite bullish about the future of autonomous vehicles. Today? Not as much…
• Legal Chatbots: What Can and Can’t They Do? Legal Rebel alum Tom Martin talks about the potential of legal chatbots to bridge the access to justice gap and dispels some myths about whether or not they can become sentient.
• How Technology Can Improve Immigration Policy and Practice. Attorney and app developer Greg Siskind talks about the tech he’d use if he were starting a practice now, and if he were to suddenly become in charge of our nation’s complex and inefficient immigration system.
• TurnSignl App Seeks to Provide Real-Time Legal Assistance and De-escalation of Tension During Traffic Stops. Jazz Hampton, CEO of TurnSignl, talks about how it works; the benefits of using the app for users, lawyers and police officers; and his plans for the future.
• How 2 Texas Lawyers are Marketing Their Practice Through Song. Texas lawyers Will Hutson and Chris Harris combined their love of music and knowledge of the law to create songs educating people about the law. This program contains a live musical performance, which is something I’ve long wanted to do on a podcast.
• ABA Annual Meeting 2018: State Attorneys General and Federalism in the Obama/Trump Eras. An interesting podcast consisting of legal heavyweights Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, former Virginia Solicitor General William Hurd, Wisconsin Solicitor General Misha Tseytlin and Northwestern Law School dean Dan Rodriguez. And me.
• How the Radical Movements of the 1960s Changed the Law and Challenged the Status Quo. Attorney and activist Paul Harris talks about his work stretching back to the 1960s, including defending high-profile clients like Huey Newton. (Legal Talk Network, July 2017).

Web Pieces:

• Duane Morris Creates Litigation Analytics Tool. The Am Law firm has created a litigation analytics tool, called DNA, designed to control and predict the firm’s litigation costs. (Law Technology News, November 19, 2013) (subscription required).
• Smartphone Kill Switch Campaign Gathers Momentum. New York Attorney General argues that disabling phones will cut crimes. Will it help lawyers as well? (Law Technology News, October 21, 2013).
• Putting Windows on Macs. Apple products are popular with users but Microsoft dominates office tech. What to do? (Law Technology News, October 18, 2013).
• On Cue. Apple acquires personal assistance app. (Law Technology News, October 4, 2013).
• Scheindlin Not Charmed When Revisiting Spoliation a Third Time. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin has weighed in on e-discovery spoliation for a third time and she was not charmed by plaintiffs deletion of emails. (Law Technology News, August 16, 2013) (subscription required).
• ObamaCare Technology Security is Months Behind Schedule. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is behind in testing the security of the data hub that links state health care exchanges to the federal government. (Law Technology News, August 7, 2013).
• Oakland Approves Funds for High Tech Surveillance. High-tech surveillance center will use video cameras, license plate readers, gunshot detection microphones and Twitter to address crime and terrorist activity. (Law Technology News, August 6, 2013).
• Washington State Turns Up the Privacy for Social Media. The new law bans employers from asking workers for user names and passwords for their personal social media accounts. (Law Technology News, July 30, 2013).
• Judge Refuses to Disqualify EDD Vendor for Playing Both Sides.  Kaleida Health isn’t taking a decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Foschio lying down. Foscho refused to disqualify e-discovery vendor D4 Discovery and now the matter goes before the district judge. (Law Technology News, July 16, 2013) (subscription required).
• From Permanent Resident to Citizen, There’s an App for That. New app guides green card holders through the often complicated and convoluted immigration process. (Law Technology News, July 12, 2013).

Magazine Features:

• Am Law 200 Overview. “Betting on Bulk.” Second Hundred firms are on a hiring binge. What’s not certain is when—or whether—it’ll pay off. (American Lawyer Magazine, June 2013).
• Canada Market Report. “If You Build It, They Will Come.” Preparing for the 2015 Pan American Games, Toronto is relying on a distinctively Canadian deal form: the public-private partnership. (American Lawyer Magazine, November 2012)
• “Romney’s Lawyer.” Ropes & Gray chairman R. Bradford Malt and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney have a two-decades-long friendship that has benefited both men. (American Lawyer Magazine, June 2012)
• Lateral Report Overview. “This Time It’s Personal.” Lateral partner movement was up significantly in 2011, but it wasn’t because of a thriving economy. Instead, law firms got desperate. (American Lawyer Magazine, February 2012).
• Midlevel Associates Feature. “Under Pressure.” It’s good news and bad news for midlevel associates. There’s more work, but hiring is still slow. At least wages are going up again. (American Lawyer Magazine, September 2011).
• Intellectual Property Report: “Open for Business.” Some smaller specialty shops have closed their doors in recent years, but others are very much alive. (American Lawyer Magazine IP Supplement, September 2010).

Newspaper Stories:

• “Judge Narrows Challenge on Ban on Ultimate Fighting.” A federal judge trimmed a lawsuit brought by mixed martial artists in New York arguing that the state ban on MMA events is unconstitutional. (New York Law Journal, August 2012).
• “Suit Challenges Ban on Mixed Martial Arts.” The Ultimate Fighting Championship turns to litigation in hopes of lifting ban on MMA events in New York. (New York Law Journal, November 2011).
• “New Challenges to DOMA Filed in Connecticut and New York.” Paul Weiss, Sullivan & Worcester, Jenner & Block and GLAD team up in hopes of striking down section 3 of DOMA. (New York Law Journal, November 2010).

Web Pieces:

Magazine Stories:

• “A Friendly Breakup.” Hughes Hubbard and Luskin, Stern & Eisler push the reset button on their merger. (American Lawyer Magazine, July 2012).
• “With Strings Attached.” Are Regulators Blocking More Deals, or Does it Just Seem that Way? (American Lawyer Magazine, April 2012).
• “The Electronic Eye.” Will Computers Replace Humans in Document Review? (American Lawyer Magazine Litigation Supplement, November 2011).
• “Howrey: Surviving the Shipwreck.” What to do when your firm goes under? (American Lawyer Magazine, April 2011).
• “Challenging a Student Lender Head On.” New York lawyer Josh Fensterstock takes on student lenders. (American Lawyer Magazine Student Edition, October 2010).
• “Mixed Reviews for Zubulake II.” Two judges differ on how to penalize flawed e-discovery efforts. (American Lawyer Magazine Litigation Supplement, September 2010).

Charticles/Listicles:

I came up with lots of ideas for graphics, charts, and charticles for the front-of-the-book section. Here are some of my favorites. (NOTE: I did NOT do the artwork – only the written parts).

• Starting at the Top: In March, Paul Weiss partner Roberta Kaplan made her U.S. Supreme Court debut when she argued on behalf of an octogenarian widow challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Kaplan joins the ranks of other Am Law lawyers who have made their maiden arguments before the high court on landmark cases. (The American Lawyer, May 2013).
• Ex Post Facto: In late January, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia invalidated President Barack Obama’s controversial recess appointments in 2012 which filled three vacancies on the National labor relations Board. The court defined “recess” narrowly – to the point that most recess appointments made in modern times would have failed the test. Here are notable recess appointments featuring Am Law lawyers. (The American Lawyer, April 2013).
• Tour de Force: A selection of quotes from Lance Armstrong’s lawyers defending the biker, over the years, from doping allegations. (The American Lawyer, March 2013).
• Golden Parachute: Am Law firms have been a nice landing spot for defeated Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominees. (The American Lawyer, October 2012).
• Rogue’s Gallery: Chadbourne & Parke partner Abbe Lowell has represented a “who’s who” of Washington’s elite. (The American Lawyer, May 2012).
• … And in This Corner: A lawyer and his nemesis jump back in the ring. A look at the ongoing war of words between WWE’s top outside counsel Jerry McDevitt of K&L Gates and journalist Irv Muchnick. (The American Lawyer, February 2011).

• “Hit the Boss Button.” Ever wanted to watch the Final Four or the World Cup at your office computer without getting in trouble with your boss? Never fear because the “boss button” is here! (April 28, 2010)

• “Some Fighting to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in NY.” Inside the UFC’s efforts to legalize professional MMA events in the state of New York. (May 1, 2010).

• “Leaning Left? The AMA at a Crossroads.” The American Medical Association has helped kill several health care reform efforts over the past 80 years. That changed with ObamaCare. Has this bastion of conservatism moved to the left? (January 13, 2010)

• “Nine-Year-Old Girl Wins Spelling Bee.” For 9-year-old Shivani Angappan, “poinsettia” spelled v-i-c-t-o-r-y. Luckily for her, she didn’t actually spell it that way. (Oct. 4, 2009)

• Class of 2000 Notes (Summer 2015) (subscription required)
• Class of 2000 Notes (Fall 2014) (subscription required)
• Class of 2000 Notes (Spring 2013) (subscription required)
• Class of 2000 Notes (Fall 2012) (subscription required)
• Class of 2000 Notes (Spring 2012) (subscription required)
• Class of 2000 Notes (Fall 2010) (subscription required)

[Note: Sportslens (f/k/a Soccerlens) has replaced my byline with someone else’s and kept the content the same, claiming this helps them with SEO. Read more here. The following links are from Internet Archive.]

Listicles:

• Cheating in Soccer. If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying. From handballs to doping to diving to match-fixing, here are some of the most well-known examples of cheating in soccer. (Jan. 6, 2009).
• The Worst Teams of All Time. There are bad teams and then there are the ones on this list. (Jan. 30, 2009)
• Legends of Soccer. We know Pele and Maradona. Who are some of the other all-time greats? (Mar. 8, 2009)

Live Match Reports:

• Live Blog: Netherlands v. France, Euro 2008. A clash of titans featuring two star-studded sides. (June 13, 2008)
• Live Blog: Russia v. Spain, Euro 2008. Spain takes the first step towards an unprecedented era of dominance. (June 26, 2008)
• Live Blog: Manchester United v. Chelsea, English Premier League. A must-win situation for two teams expected to contend for multiple trophies. (Jan. 11, 2009)
• Live Blog: Liverpool v. Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League, Leg #2. Real Madrid’s poor season gets worse, as Los Blancos meekly surrender in the competition they once owned. (March 10, 2009)
• Live Blog: Manchester United v. Aston Villa, English Premier League. Manchester United stages a comeback for the ages capped by one of the most memorable debut goals in league history. (Apr. 5, 2009)
• Live Blog: Real Madrid v. Barcelona, Spanish Primera Liga. Barcelona routs Real Madrid in one of the most one-sided El Clásicos in recent memory. (May 2, 2009)
• Live Blog: Barcelona v. Manchester United, UEFA Champions League Final. Manchester United’s dream of back-to-back Champions League titles comes to an end (May 27, 2009)