State Bar Of Michigan: On Balance Podcast

Michigan attorneys Tom Rombach and Odey Meroueh discuss limited scope and access to justice initiatives in their state. From the NEXT Conference 2018, Rombach, a former State Bar of Michigan president, shares with host Robert Mathis about Michigan Supreme Court rules that provide guidance regarding limited scope representation. Meanwhile, Meroueh highlights efforts by the Detroit Bar Association to promote pro bono opportunities to its members, especially those in solo and small-firm category.

Experiencing a legal dispute is hard enough without going through a trial, but there are ways to settle these disputes outside of a courtroom. From the NEXT Conference 2018, hosts Robert Mathis and Laurin Thomas talk to Judge Wendy Baxter and Graham Ward about the benefits of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and how this form of practice is still evolving. They also discuss the different types of ADR and what a practitioner needs to know in order to do it effectively.

From the NEXT Conference 2018, hosts Samantha Meinke and Robert Mathis talk to Hon. Christopher Yates, Hon. Jon Hulsing, and Hon. Tim Hicks about the right way to present summary disposition motions. From organizing your documents to knowing every detail of your case, tune in for tips directly from these judges. In their discussion, they also underscore the importance of civility and respect in the courtroom.

No matter your age, if you've just passed the bar in Michigan, you’re now a member of the Young Lawyers Section. Host Rob Mathis talks with Kara Hart-Negrich, the incoming chair to the section, about upcoming plans and events for the next year. The variety of trainings, public interest events, and networking opportunities can be very valuable experiences for new lawyers in Michigan.

From the NEXT Conference 2018, hosts Samantha Meinke and Janet Welch talk to Jennifer Grieco and Donald Rockwell about the programs and initiatives that have meant the most to them as bar leaders. They discuss the limited scope representation issue, the Professionalism and Practice Summit, and what motivated them to serve in their leadership roles.

The Legal Trends Report collects legal industry data and uses it to determine how law firms can improve their business. From the NEXT Conference 2018, hosts Rob Mathis, Samantha Meinke, and Laurence Colletti talk to Clio CEO Jack Newton about 2018 Legal Trends Report and what it reflects about the legal industry. They discuss the data that’s included in the report and how attorneys can use this information to improve the business side of their practice.

There’s a lot more to running a lean law firm than just cutting costs. Hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Larry Port about what it means to be a lean law firm, addressing common misconceptions and the core ideas that make the system successful. These include constantly striving for perfection, measuring success, and removing bottlenecks, to name a few.

While both can benefit a practice, lawyers often get marketing and business development confused. Hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to John Reed about essential marketing strategies for lawyers and how marketing differs from business development. They discuss important marketing and business development activities that are important depending on your practice areas. Stay tuned for tips on using social media like Linkedin, building a blog, and whether or not TV commercials are a viable investment.

Lawyers are often seen as protectors, helping others recover and attain justice after trauma. But even protectors need help sometimes. Hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Shawn Healy about the prevalence of depression in the legal profession, why it’s so common, and how to address depression before it reaches a crisis point. They discuss overcoming the legal industry stigma that sees mental illness as weakness and the difference between sadness and clinical depression.

For lawyers managing their own firm, being successful involves more than ordering people around. Hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Andrew Elowitt about the qualities of a successful law firm manager such as handling employee frustration and communicating goals and expectations well. They also discuss the challenges involved in managing superstar employees and how this differs from other employees.

Hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Patrick Krill about anxiety and substance abuse within the legal profession including relevant studies and resources for both lawyers and employers that help cultivate wellbeing in the workplace. They also discuss the common issue of lawyers and law students being unwilling to ask for help and what the industry can do as a whole to address this issue.

JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Lea Ann Sterling about her experience starting a successful law firm before practice management tools became popular. She discusses the importance of getting advice from reliable experts about things like technology and bookkeeping and how to find such help. She also shares the tools she uses to maintain a successful practice, like surveys that measure customer satisfaction and marketing videos.

For lawyers struggling with addiction, stigmas, lack of support, and the fear of consequences can make the situation seem hopeless. In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Brian Cuban about what you can do about addiction both as a lawyer and as an employer. He explains that it’s about handling the problem of addiction before you have to deal with its consequences. They also discuss how vital it is to have peer support when you’re struggling with wellness issues and how sometimes stigmas can get in the way of a full recovery. Brian Cuban the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, is a Dallas based attorney, author and addiction recovery advocate.

Your firm has finally invested in new technology but that’s only half the battle. In order to actually save time and energy, you need to train your firm's employees to use the technology correctly, whether it's Microsoft Office, Adobe, or even an internal software service. In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Casey Flaherty about why investing in proper training is an essential part of investing in new technology. Casey recalls his own experiences working with firms’ adoption and productivity problems and discusses what beneficial training actually looks like in practice. Casey Flaherty is well-known for creating the Legal Technology Audit (LTA), a test of basic technological proficiency for lawyers and in-house corporate departments.

In an effort to increase efficiency and improve the service of trial courts, technological advances are being implemented in the state of Michigan. One of these advances is the introduction of e-filing which will allow litigants to electronically file documents without having to travel to a courthouse. In this episode of On Balance, host Tish Vincent talks to Mary Roush and David Leasure about the statewide e-filing initiative that the state is working on with ImageSoft in order to bring e-filing to the Michigan Courts. Together, they discuss the benefits of e-filing, how they chose ImageSoft, and how the software works. Mary Roush is the project manager of the statewide e-filing initiative. David Leasure is the product owner of TrueFiling, a product of ImageSoft.

A majority of lawyers know what social media is and the basics of how to use the various platforms, but many don’t realize the potential these platforms have to communicate with potential clients and build community. In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Samantha Meinke about how and why lawyers should use social media for their practice. They discuss how to get started, how to maintain social media when you’re busy, and the definition and importance of responsive design. Samantha Meinke is the communications manager at the State Bar of Michigan. In this role, she creates and oversees communications, marketing, social media and media relations strategies.

Lawyers are notoriously slow at adopting technology. Despite this the use of social media in law is becoming more and more common. In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Justice McCormack about the benefits to judges using social media. Some of these benefits include communicating with other judges across the state and effectively sharing information with the public. They also explain how to get started with social media, taking proper precautions, and not oversharing personal information. Justice Bridget Mary McCormack joined the Michigan Supreme Court in January 2013 and is a law professor University of Michigan Law School.

What equips a lawyer to effectively argue in the Supreme Court? In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Justice Wilder about what it’s like to argue cases in the Supreme Court and the different skillsets involved. They discuss the difference between trial and appellate lawyers and how trial lawyers can learn more about appellate work, including using the Michigan Supreme Court YouTube channel as a resource. Justice Kurtis Wilder was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court by Governor Rick Snyder in May 2017.

In the retrial of Dennis Tomasik, the jury only deliberated for 19 minutes before acquitting Dennis, who had been wrongfully imprisoned for close to nine years. In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Takura Nyamfukudza, Mary Chartier, and Dennis and Kim Tomasik themselves about the details of the case. Dennis discusses his experience in prison and what helped him persevere, and the attorneys discuss the evidence, witnesses, and the Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act. Mary Chartier's advocacy skills are the result of years of experience litigating serious and complex criminal defense cases in federal and state courts around Michigan. Takura Nyamfukudza is an experienced criminal defense litigator who practices in state and federal courts throughout Michigan. Dennis Tomasik was acquitted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after wrongly imprisoned for close to nine years. Kim Tomasik is his wife who aided attorneys in gathering evidence for the case.

Dennis Tomasik was wrongfully imprisoned for close to nine years before his retrial and subsequent exoneration. In this episode of On Balance, hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Tish Vincent talk to Kris and Marty Tieber, the attorneys who helped reconstruct the Tomasik case and free Dennis. They discuss the importance of developing a story, their process of re-gathering the information, and the rewards for diligent legal work. Martin Tieber is a criminal defense attorney who specializes in criminal appeals, post conviction proceedings, and federal habeas litigation. Kristoffer Tieber also devotes most of his practice to criminal appeals, post conviction proceedings, and federal habeas litigation.