Legal Speak

Hosted by Charles Garnar

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

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 Senior Litigation Reporter of the Daily Report Cedra Mayfield and Senior Staff Writer for the American Lawyer Patrick Smith, Legal Speak offers straight talk from experts, plus an inside-the-newsroom perspective on market-shaping stories.

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60 recent

June 12, 2026Episode 53514 min

Family Court's Alternative Route: The Growing Appeal of Private Judging

In this week's episode, Legal Speak explores the growing use of private judging as an alternative to traditional family court proceedings. As a former Palm Beach County family court judge, James Martz opens up about launching a private judging practice at Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas in Boca Raton. In addition to explaining how private judging works, Martz identifies the types of family law matters best suited for the process. In Martz's one-on-one with discussion with Texas Lawyer and the Daily Business Review Regional Managing Editor Katie Hall, Martz also outlines the benefits and considerations parties should weigh when seeking a faster, more tailored path to resolving sensitive legal disputes outside the public court system. Hosts: Cedra Mayfield & Patrick Smith Reporter: Katie Hall Guest: James Martz Producer: Charles Garnar

June 4, 2026Episode 53432 min

Hinshaw & Culberson Insurance Partner Scott Seaman on his New Book, AI and ESG Under Trump 2.0

Daily Business Review and law.com reporter Annie Mayne had a chance to catch up with Scott Seaman and discuss his new book, which he co-authorized with two other Hinshaw partners: "America 250: The History of Insurance and Insurance Coverage Law and Litigation in the United States". Seaman also discussed how AI will alter the insurance litigation landscape and what, if anything, ESG means to the Trump administration. Hosts: Patrick Smith & Cedra Mayfield Reporter: Annie Mayne Guest: Scott Seaman Producer: Charles Garnar

May 29, 2026Episode 53346 min

Swipe, Scroll, Sue: Inside the Landmark Social Media Addiction Verdict

In this week's Legal Speak episode, litigator W. Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm discusses his landmark $6 million social media addiction verdict against Meta Platforms and Google as Zach Kinzler of BoodleBox explains how the collaborative AI platform aided in trial preparation. Hosts: Cedra Mayfield & Patrick Smith Reporter: Ross Todd Producer: Charles Garnar

May 21, 2026Episode 53231 min

Olympian by Ice, Trial Lawyer by Trade: Team USA Curler Talks Courtroom Competition

As Memorial Day weekend arrives far removed from winter sports season, Legal Speak is taking a moment to highlight a guest whose drive for excellence extends well beyond the curling sheet. In March, ALM Rapid Response Reporter Alex Anteau interviewed Rich Ruohonen, a member of Team USA's 2026 Olympic curling squad who made history as the oldest American athlete to compete at the Winter Games at age 54. However, Ruohonen's accomplishments are not limited to international competition. As a founding member of TSR Injury Law in Bloomington, Minnesota, Ruohonen has built a nationally respected plaintiffs' practice, secured multiple million-dollar jury verdicts, and previously served as president of the Minnesota Association for Justice. In this week's Legal Speak episode, Ruohonen discusses how he balances elite athletic competition with the demands of high-stakes litigation, and explains how preparation, teamwork, discipline, and mental toughness shape both his Olympic pursuits and his courtroom strategy. Hosts: Cedra Mayfield & Patrick Smith Reporter: Alex Anteau Guest: Rich Ruohonen Producer: Charles Garnar

May 1, 2026Episode 53112 min

Live from GCC MidWest with Susie Shin

Two Major ALM Conferences back-to-back … Two years in a row! There were skeptics. The proverbial "they" said it couldn't be done. Once again, Legal Speak believed it … and was there to see it for themselves. For over 20 years now, the General Counsel Conference Midwest has been the premier event in the industry. Delivering practical solutions and key insights that today's General Counsel need to successfully overcome a litigation crisis, manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, and do more with fewer resources. For the 3rd year, Legal Speak was there live to bring you interviews with interesting attendees as well as moderators and speakers from various panels from this year's event at the Chicago. In this episode, host Cedra Mayfield is joined by Susie Shin, a Managing Principal Attorney at Zulkie Partners. Host: Cedra Mayfield Guest: Susie Shin Producer: Charles Garnar

April 30, 2026Episode 53011 min

Live from GCC MidWest with Jennifer Hastings

Two Major ALM Conferences back-to-back … Two years in a row! There were skeptics. The proverbial "they" said it couldn't be done. Once again, Legal Speak believed it … and was there to see it for themselves. For over 20 years now, the General Counsel Conference Midwest has been the premier event in the industry. Delivering practical solutions and key insights that today's General Counsel need to successfully overcome a litigation crisis, manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, and do more with fewer resources. For the 3rd year, Legal Speak was there live to bring you interviews with interesting attendees as well as moderators and speakers from various panels from this year's event at the Chicago. In this episode, host Patrick Smith is joined by Jennifer Hastings, the Founder of Outsource Counsel. Host: Patrick Smith Guest: Jennifer Hastings Producer: Charles Garnar

April 29, 2026Episode 52911 min

Live from GCC MidWest with Meghan Riley

Two Major ALM Conferences back-to-back … Two years in a row! There were skeptics. The proverbial "they" said it couldn't be done. Once again, Legal Speak believed it … and was there to see it for themselves. For over 20 years now, the General Counsel Conference Midwest has been the premier event in the industry. Delivering practical solutions and key insights that today's General Counsel need to successfully overcome a litigation crisis, manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, and do more with fewer resources. For the 3rd year, Legal Speak was there live to bring you interviews with interesting attendees as well as moderators and speakers from various panels from this year's event at the Chicago. In this episode, host Cedra Mayfield is joined by Meghan Riley, a Managing Associate General Counsel at Verizon Host: Cedra Mayfled Guest: Meghan Riley Producer: Charles Garnar

April 28, 2026Episode 52810 min

Live from the GCC MidWest with Kwame Christian

Two Major ALM Conferences back-to-back … Two years in a row! There were skeptics. The proverbial "they" said it couldn't be done. Once again, Legal Speak believed it … and was there to see it for themselves. For over 20 years now, the General Counsel Conference Midwest has been the premier event in the industry. Delivering practical solutions and key insights that today's General Counsel need to successfully overcome a litigation crisis, manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, and do more with fewer resources. For the 3rd year, Legal Speak was there live to bring you interviews with interesting attendees as well as moderators and speakers from various panels from this year's event at the Chicago. In this episode, host Cedra Mayfield is joined by Kwame Christian, Founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute Host: Cedra Mayfield Guest: Kwame Christian Esq., M.A. Producer: Charles Garnar

April 27, 2026Episode 52718 min

Live from the GCC MidWest with Harshita Ganesh

Two Major ALM Conferences back-to-back … Two years in a row! There were skeptics. The proverbial "they" said it couldn't be done. Once again, Legal Speak believed it … and was there to see it for themselves. For over 20 years now, the General Counsel Conference Midwest has been the premier event in the industry. Delivering practical solutions and key insights that today's General Counsel need to successfully overcome a litigation crisis, manage and better leverage C-Suite relationships, and do more with fewer resources. For the 3rd year, Legal Speak was there live to bring you interviews with interesting attendees as well as moderators and speakers from various panels from this year's event at the Chicago. In this episode, host Patrick is joined by Harshita Ganesh, an Associate at CMBG3 Law. Host: Patrick Smith Guest: Harshita Ganesh Producer: Charles Garnar

April 23, 2026Episode 52529 min

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader CEO Miguel Zaldivar on Orchestrating a $4 Billion Big Law Merger

In this episode, Legal Speak co-host Patrick Smith speaks with Miguel Zaldivar, the CEO of the soon-to-be Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, about the genesis of the merger with Cadwalader, the process he and the firm went through to secure the partnership vote, and what comes next. Hosts: Patrick Smith & Cedra Mayfield Guest: Miguel Zaldivar, Producer: Charles Garnar