Sticky Lawyers

Hosted by John Reed

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Latest episode

Jan 2026

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About the show

As an attorney, how do you build trust so your clients stick to you? Do your unique practice areas, contributions to the community, what you do outside the law, or your background make you stand out? How do you channel your strengths and talents in ways that deliver powerful results and leave lasting impressions? Host John Reed talks with real lawyers and has them share the stories about how they got sticky and what they've done to set themselves apart from the competition.

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60 recent

January 22, 2026Episode 6447 min

Full Throttle: The Journeys of a Litigator and Race Car Driver

Send us Fan MailControlled speed requires split-second decision-making, a complete presence in the moment, and an intimate understanding of risk. Many attorneys experience that in the courtroom, but what if you sought it out every weekend, pushing high-performance machines to their limits on some of the country's most legendary race circuits? Meet Roman Lifson, an accomplished trial lawyer and champion race car driver.Roman has carved out a unique niche in motorsports law while competing wheel-to-wheel in amateur racing across the country. He's spent decades mastering two entirely different forms of competition, discovering along the way that the lessons from one world directly inform the other. From learning to trust fellow competitors inches away at high speed to understanding when fighting serves the client and when it doesn't, Roman has built a practice—and a life—around the intersection of speed, strategy, and human connection.In this episode, Roman talks with Sticky Lawyers host John Reed about his various journeys: his family’s realization of the American Dream, his progression as a driver, and his evolution as a lawyer from warrior to counselor and relationship-builder. Oh, and why he feels safer driving 160 mph on a racetrack than fighting traffic on I-95

January 8, 2026Episode 6353 min

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: Lives in Practice

Send us Fan MailWhat if you can’t separate the lawyer from their identity?This compilation features attorneys whose practices aren't just what they do—they're who they are. They didn't choose their niches through market analysis or strategic planning. Their practices chose them.The pattern is clear: authenticity creates the most sustainable practices. The conscientious orthopedic surgeon becomes a conscientious personal injury lawyer. The geneticist who brings science to law and law to science. The proud son of Polish World War II refugees who helped shape Poland's commercial law framework.The stories of these and eight other Sticky Lawyers prove that the most fulfilling legal careers emerge when lawyers bring their whole selves to their work—their backgrounds, their struggles, their victories, their identities. In this special compilation, host John Reed looks back at guests who show that for some Sticky Lawyers, you can’t separate the person from the practice.

December 31, 2025Episode 6247 min

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: The Architects & Builders

Send us Fan MailWhat separates lawyers who wait for opportunities from those who create them? Architects and builders don’t just succeed in their practices—they invent them. They see gaps in the legal landscape and fill them with innovation, creativity, and determination. These are lawyers who treated their practices as laboratories, testing business models before scaling them. They created infrastructure for career paths that didn't exist, transforming fringe concepts into recognized professions. They designed self-sustaining programs and constructed technological platforms to solve systemic problems.In this special compilation episode, Sticky Lawyers host John Reed looks back at guests who have rethought the practice of law, the solutions they offer, and ways to meet clients and their needs where they are.

December 29, 2025Episode 6147 min

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: The Multidimensionalists

Send us Fan MailMany great attorneys are hyper-focused on the law they practice. But other remarkable lawyers enhance their practice skills with disciplines outside the law. We call them multidimensionalists.Ultra-endurance racing. Stand-up comedy. Ballet and music. Emergency medical response. Even clown performance. More than hobbies or creative outlets, these parallel pursuits can be every bit as demanding—and rewarding—as a legal career.This special episode looks back at Sticky Lawyers who refuse to let the profession consume them entirely. No armchair quarterbacks or weekend warriors here; just eleven attorneys who prove that expansion—not reduction—is the path to both professional excellence and personal fulfillment.

December 23, 2025Episode 6054 min

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: The Crusaders

Send us Fan MailWhat drives a lawyer to fight legal battles that others won't, to challenge an unacceptable status quo, or course-correct alarming trends? They may not be lucrative or glamorous causes. So why do it? Because it's the right thing to do.This special compilation episode celebrates the crusaders—Sticky Lawyers who aren't practicing law for a paycheck. A greater mission drives them. These are lawyers who looked at injustices and troubling circumstances around them and said, "This is wrong, and I'm going to try and fix it."Listen in to hear from eleven crusaders fighting for civil rights, environmental protection, the rights of sexual assault survivors, election integrity, animal rights, indigenous sovereignty, rural access to justice, and more. Their individual efforts create transformation on a much larger scale. The work may never be done, and the rewards are a series of small wins on the way to lasting change.

December 11, 2025Episode 5948 min

Sticky Lawyers Looks Back: The Niche Pioneers

Send us Fan MailWhat makes a lawyer irreplaceable? It's not credentials or years of experience. It's not how much money you make or the size of your firm. What makes you irreplaceable is being the answer to a specific question. When someone has a particular legal problem, there's only one name they think of. Yours.In this special compilation episode, John Reed celebrates the niche pioneers—Sticky Lawyers who saw unserved markets or entirely new legal questions and said, "I'm gonna own this." We’ll hear from lawyers who blazed trails for themselves and others in bicycle law, exploration law, paranormal law, and international war crimes. We’ll get insights from attorneys who counsel space companies, craft brewers, video game developers, outdoor recreation businesses, Amazon resellers, and graphic novelistsThese lawyers established a vision for their practice and then went to extraordinary lengths to make it happen.

November 19, 2025Episode 5848 min

From Law School to the Bankruptcy Courts to Clown University

Send us Fan MailJust in time for Thanksgiving, meet Charles "Chuck" Tatelbaum, an octogenarian attorney who has built an extraordinary 59-year legal career by recognizing opportunities and going all in.When Congress enacted the new Bankruptcy Code in 1978, Chuck was ready to take the new laws and rules and run with them. When the chance arose to help post-communist countries draft their first-ever business laws, he got on a plane. And when he sees ways to give back—to the profession, to his South Florida neighbors, and at a certain parade this time of year in New York City—he steps up. Listen in as Chuck talks about his remarkable legal career, misconceptions about bankruptcy law, notable cases, outreach efforts that took him abroad, and his commitment to pro bono work, public television, and the local immigrant community. It's not all serious, though; there's time for some clowning around, too.

November 13, 2025Episode 5746 min

A Voice for the Underdog: Championing Civil Rights at the EEOC, SCOTUS, and Beyond

Send us Fan MailWhat drives someone to dedicate their entire legal career to fighting for the little guy? For Karla Gilbride, it began early—a fierce intolerance for injustice, amplified by her own lived experience as a blind person in a world that often told her, "No, you can't."A path that started with mock trial competitions in high school led her to public interest advocacy at Public Justice and an unforgettable day when Karla stood before the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and literally changed minds. A year later, after a presidential appointment and a Senate confirmation, she took on the role of General Counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Now the deputy director of Litigation at Public Citizen, she continues her mission of standing up to power imbalances and helping underdogs speak their truth.Listen as Karla shares stories about how her lived experience informs her perspective, preparing for a Supreme Court argument, navigating a Senate hearing, and why representing migrant farm workers in a California courtroom ranks among her personally meaningful professional achievements.

October 30, 2025Episode 5633 min

Still Sticky: FAA Lawyer Chris Jennison Returns to Talk About the Government Shutdown

Send us Fan MailIn this bonus series, we’re catching up with previous guests to hear what makes them “Still Sticky.”We first met Chris Jennison a couple of dozen episodes ago when he told the story of his position as a government attorney with the Federal Aviation Administration, his role as an American Bar Association officer, and his side gig as a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. This man packs a lot into 24 hours.But unfortunately, Chris has had some extra time on his hands. As a federal employee, he has been furloughed since the latest government shutdown began on October 1, 2025. In a conversation with host John Reed on October 23, 2025, Chris shared his experience and frustrations as a furloughed government employee. He explained how the deferred resignation program (DRP) has decreased his department’s attorneys by half and doubled the work of those remaining. He also offered insights into how this reduced workforce may affect case handling and adjudication.If you’re expecting a political rant, you’ll be pleasantly disappointed. It’s just a Sticky Lawyer on the front lines in a new era of government discussing the current state of affairs.

October 23, 2025Episode 5549 min

An Employment Lawyer Who Brings Wit and Wisdom to the Workplace

Send us Fan MailEmployment law is serious business, but does it have to be? Not according to Leah Stiegler, who elementary school teachers advised "needs self-control" and was warned early in her legal career to stop being the "class clown."Don't get her wrong. Leah appreciates the gravity of many workplace issues and disputes, and she's at the top of her game representing employers in discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, and compliance matters. But she's discovered the power of humor and storytelling helps people retain information—especially when dealing with sensitive topics. Unconventional? Perhaps. Effective? Definitely.Join us as this self-proclaimed insubordinate attorney shares her journey from environmental activism to employment law, why she thinks employees and managers are worthy of second chances, and how being curious about clients' real problems—not just their legal questions—can transform workplace cultures and keep people out of trouble.