Law Practice Today

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Jun 2026

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This podcast is brought to you by the Law Practice Division of the American Bar Association.

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June 15, 2026Episode 3613 min

Avoiding AI Hallucinations in Legal Practice

This Law Practice Podcast fireside chat with Alan Klevan, Jennifer Ellis, and Steve Embry discusses recent court responses to lawyers filing AI-hallucinated or fabricated citations, focusing on the Oregon appeals decision in Williams. The panel explains that the court emphasized Rule 3.3’s duty of candor to both the court and opposing counsel, criticizing the lawyer not only for including fabricated authorities but also for attempting a “quiet correction” without acknowledging the problem. They discuss growing judicial frustration, the likelihood of sanctions and disciplinary referrals, and examples of suspensions. The speakers stress that generative AI hallucinations are inherent, so lawyers must verify every citation by checking links and reading cases, use appropriate research tools, learn effective prompting techniques, and promptly disclose and remedy any errors rather than conceal them.00:00 AI Hallucinations Intro01:08 Fireside Chat Setup02:42 Williams Case Breakdown03:24 Candor Rule And Quiet Fix05:21 Sanctions And Discipline07:45 Protecting Public Trust08:34 How To Prevent Hallucinations10:14 Verification And Tooling Tips11:57 Why AI Hallucinates12:59 Wrap Up And Resources

June 8, 2026Episode 357 min

How AI Is Changing Legal Billing and Client Value

In this Law Practice Podcast fireside chat on “Billing in the Age of AI,” host Jim Calloway is joined by Julie Bays, Director of the Management Assistance Program at the Oklahoma Bar Association, and Wendy Meadows, a family law attorney in Maryland and coaching consultant for small and solo law firms.Together, they discuss how AI is changing the way lawyers think about billing, value, and client communication.The conversation centers on the “efficiency paradox”: when AI helps lawyers complete certain tasks faster, how should that speed be reflected in the client’s bill? Wendy shares how her practice has shifted toward a hybrid billing model, using flat fees for document-based work like complaints and marital settlement agreements, while continuing to bill hourly for meetings, phone calls, and other client-facing work.Julie emphasizes that invoices should do more than request payment — they should help clients understand the value of the work performed. Even when AI makes legal work more efficient, lawyers still bring years of judgment, experience, and legal strategy to the final product.The panel also discusses the importance of clearly outlining billing structures in engagement agreements, continuing to track time even for flat-fee work, and setting limits when a matter exceeds the original scope. They also highlight the need for client disclosures around AI use, including warnings about placing attorney work product or confidential documents into public AI platforms.Finally, the conversation explores how AI-driven efficiency may help lawyers expand their ability to take on pro bono and low-bono work. Rather than viewing AI only as a billing challenge, the speakers frame it as an opportunity to improve access to justice, increase capacity, and encourage lawyers to adopt AI thoughtfully — one small step at a time.00:00 Welcome and Overview00:33 Show Disclaimer01:12 Billing in the Age of AI01:15 Meet the Panelists01:35 Invoices as Value Proof02:11 Hybrid Billing in Practice03:35 Engagement Terms and Time Caps04:24 AI Disclosures and Confidentiality05:23 Efficiency and Access to Justice06:22 Closing Takeaways07:05 Outro and Resources

June 1, 2026Episode 3418 min

The Lawyer’s Passport to AI, Cybersecurity, and Global Opportunity

On the Law Practice Today podcast, host Terrell speaks with Betania Allo, an Argentinian lawyer with graduate studies in international relations (Harvard) and an LLM (Syracuse) who is finishing a doctor of engineering in cybersecurity analytics at George Washington. Allo describes her work at the intersection of law, policy, international security, and emerging technologies, including roles at the UN in New York and in Saudi Arabia on the NEOM smart-city project leading cybersecurity culture and awareness for thousands of employees and contractors. Now head of TMT, AI governance, and privacy at Legaltracks in Riyadh, she discusses bridging regulators and innovators, the human factor in cybersecurity, differences in global regulatory priorities, and practical advice for lawyers seeking international opportunities through study, networking, and conferences.00:00 Networking Opens Doors00:21 Podcast Welcome Disclaimer01:00 Meet Betania Allo01:58 From Argentina to Cybersecurity04:27 Balancing PhD and Work05:39 Law Degree as Passport09:02 Cybersecurity Culture Worldwide10:47 Saudi Vision and AI Policy12:36 Finding Global Legal Roles13:37 Conferences and Speaking Gigs14:33 Bridging Lawyers and Engineers16:17 Build Your Network17:19 Where to Find Betania17:44 Final Thanks and Outro

May 18, 2026Episode 3315 min

Staying Irreplaceable in the Age of AI

On the Law Practice Podcast, Terrell and guest Rachel Clar discuss whether AI is “breaking” the legal industry and how it is compressing the timeline for lawyers, especially women in Big Law, to become irreplaceable and reach income or equity partnership. Rachel, an attorney and founder of Interconnected Us, argues that protecting career trajectory increasingly requires building a book of business, noting a Major, Lindsey & Africa study showing average rainmaking gaps (men $3.9M vs women $2.4M) that affect compensation. She shares her trademarked BNRI framework: Branding (self-awareness and a clear niche beyond practice area), Networking (identifying where target clients and decision-makers gather, using AI and LinkedIn research), Rainmaking/relational selling (making the ask and handling rejection), and Influence (amplifying value and building internal allies for partnership). She also offers resources via LinkedIn and interconnectedus.com, including a legal conference cheat sheet.00:00 AI Compresses Partnership00:34 Is AI Breaking the Law01:08 Meet Rachel Claire02:25 Women Leadership Pressure03:16 Origination Gap Numbers04:18 Timeline Before AI05:42 Dinner Party Advice07:17 BNRI Branding First08:50 Networking With AI10:15 Relational Selling Ask11:43 Influence Inside Firm13:10 How To Connect13:58 Free Conference Cheat Sheet14:39 Why This Work Matters16:50 Closing Thanks

May 11, 2026Episode 3217 min

Rethinking Business Development: Small Actions, Stronger Relationships

On the Law Practice podcast, host Terrell Turner welcomes back Deb Feder, a former big law and in-house lawyer turned consultant, to discuss practical business development and client relationship strategies for lawyers. Feder explains her approach to business development as three parts: growing your network, nurturing relationships, and sharing expertise, emphasizing that it’s often overcomplicated and can be done in small daily actions. She encourages simple, human connections (starting with “hello”), asking better client-focused questions, and avoiding assumptions, such as making AI the center of every client conversation; instead, lawyers should gauge clients’ interest and use AI tools thoughtfully without sacrificing trust. Feder advises building habits early and shares quick examples like check-ins, follow-ups after conferences, and keeping topic lists, along with a monthly calendar of five-minute tasks available on her website.00:00 Five Minute Business Development00:23 Podcast Welcome and Disclaimer01:01 Meet Deb Feder01:33 From Lawyer to Consultant03:11 Why Client Questions Matter05:00 Business Development Basics07:12 Stop Overcomplicating Networking10:29 AI in Client Conversations15:16 Build the Daily Habit16:38 Five Minute Task Ideas18:06 Resources and Wrap Up

May 4, 2026Episode 3116 min

Avoiding Burnout: Building a Sustainable Legal Career

On the Law Practice podcast, host Terrell interviews career coach and former attorney Dena Lefkowitz about navigating a legal career without burning out. Dena shares how, after over 20 years practicing law, she realized law school didn’t prepare lawyers for the business of law—networking, marketing, and sales—and that lawyers themselves must generate business. She describes feeling embarrassed after discovering that litigation was a poor fit for her personality and values, and warns against “doubling down” on past decisions when a role harms your health or life. Dena explains using values and the five-factor personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extroversion/introversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) to evaluate fit, and discusses finding outlets or pivots when misaligned. She recounts a back injury that prompted a change to in-house counsel work aligned with her values, and highlights her book, "Winning in Your Own Court."00:00 Lawyers Are Miserable00:12 Podcast Intro Disclaimer00:50 Meet Dena Lefkowitz01:33 Two Things Law School Missed02:23 Wrong Practice Area Realization04:20 Embarrassment And Sunk Costs06:17 Trapped By Lifestyle Choices07:50 Values Driven Career Pivot08:50 Big Five Personality Factors10:32 Misalignment And Mental Health13:00 Injury Forced A Change14:24 Book Title And Key Laws15:44 How To Contact Dena16:15 Final Thanks And Outro

April 27, 2026Episode 3015 min

A Practical Guide for Lawyers When Choosing the Right Legal Tech

Live at the ABA TECHSHOW, host Terrell interviews Jay McAllister of Paragon Tech about how law firms should evaluate legal technology, especially AI, with a skeptical, results-driven approach. Jay explains that marketing hype often overstates capabilities, using software “integrations” as an example, where firms must check whether syncing is unidirectional or bidirectional. He ties vendor due diligence to lawyers’ duty of competence, urging firms to understand the benefits and risks of new tech and to ask what large language model powers a tool and, more importantly, what primary legal data sources it uses to reduce hallucinations. Jay describes Paragon’s “Leverage AI” framework, starting with identifying a firm’s limiting operational constraint, and shares a case where a custom GPT cut discovery chronology work from over an hour to five minutes with human verification.00:00 Live From TECHSHOW00:20 Meet Jay And Paragon00:58 Why Stay Skeptical01:24 Integration Claims Explained02:57 Vendor Due Diligence03:35 Ai Model Hype Check05:59 Ask About Data Sources08:45 Leverage AI Framework09:14 Case Study Discovery Timeline10:49 Human In The Loop11:51 Pick The Right Tool12:50 Show Floor Wrap Up13:36 Closing Thanks

April 20, 2026Episode 2910 min

Disaster Planning for Law Firms

In this episode of the Law Practice Podcast, the host interviews Shawn L. Holahan about disaster planning for law firms, drawing on her experience as a New Orleans litigator displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Holahan explains how a simple laminated wallet card with key phone numbers helped him reconnect with her firm when power and communications failed, underscoring that low-tech tools can be critical when “the power’s out.” She outlines a practical disaster recovery approach centered on a low-tech critical information binder containing family and staff contact details, bank account information, and password references listed in a non-identifying way, plus guidance on posting calm, redundant client-facing messages with updated contact information. Holahan emphasizes that lawyers’ ethical obligations to clients are not suspended during disasters, and encourages broadening the definition of “disaster” beyond hurricanes.00:00 Low Tech After Disaster00:20 Meet Shawn L. Holahan00:39 Katrina Changed Everything01:34 The Laminated Card Lesson03:20 Critical Info Binder Basics04:26 Ethics Don't Pause06:53 Client Communication Playbook08:12 Why Attend TECHSHOW09:37 Closing Thanks

April 13, 2026Episode 2813 min

How to Write an ABA Book: Collaboration, Deadlines, and the Editing Process

In this episode of the Law Practice podcast, Terrell interviews Catherine Sanders Reach, a co-author of an ABA book on design thinking, about what it’s like to write and publish with the ABA. Catherine explains how the project began at ABA TECHSHOW, became a collaborative effort with multiple authors, and was assembled into a practical guide featuring real attorney stories and worksheets. She shares her writing workflow—outlining and research first, removing distractions by turning off email and phone, using music to focus, and relying on deadlines for motivation—plus tips on choosing the best time of day to work. Catherine describes the iterative editing process, including peer review, handling critical feedback, and refining organization to match how readers learn. She outlines a typical timeline of about a year and discusses her recent 900-page managing editor project and interest in a future book on project management for lawyers.00:00 Focus Rituals00:17 Podcast Intro Disclaimer00:56 Meet Catherine Sanders Reach01:15 Design Thinking Book Origin02:44 Writing Workflow04:03 Music For Focus04:49 Editing And Peer Review06:20 Feedback And Structure09:00 Book Timeline And Delays10:17 Future Book Ideas11:19 Wrap Up And Publishing Tips12:24 Outro And Subscribe

April 6, 2026Episode 2721 min

ABA TECHSHOW 2026 Highlights: AI and the Future of Legal Practice

Live from ABA TECHSHOW 2026, the Law Practice podcast shares three perspectives on Jordan Furlong’s day-one keynote. Alan Klevan calls the talk motivating and terrifying, emphasizing that AI can act like a “3L” but cannot replace courtroom advocacy or the counselor role, and he urges firm-wide AI policies plus a residency-style training model for new lawyers amid emerging privilege and work-product questions. Ruby Powers highlights Furlong’s framework of civic, proficient, and human lawyers, connecting the civic role to community work and the rule-of-law theme, and raising concerns about law school graduates’ readiness and future needed proficiencies. Julie Bayes focuses on rapid AI-driven change, debates about apprenticeships, law school relevance, and eliminating the bar exam, and notes ongoing real-world ethics problems like hallucinated citations and sanctions, while encouraging lawyers to learn practical AI use and attend TECHSHOW 2027.00:00 Keynote Recap Setup00:24 Podcast Welcome Disclaimer01:03 Alan First Reactions04:19 Residency Model Idea05:05 AI Policies And Privilege07:19 TECHSHOW Community Wrap08:00 Meet Ruby Powers09:19 Civic Human Proficient Lawyer11:05 Law School Readiness Gap12:14 Why Attend Next Year13:16 Meet Julie Bays14:11 Rethinking Law School Bar16:23 AI Adoption Ethics Reality19:36 Conference Highlights Closing20:24 Final Sign Off