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Legal Rebels Podcast

What happened at Weil Gotshal? Could tech help other firms avoid that fate?

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The Modern Law Library

What today’s rainmakers do differently

Matthew Dixon, co-founder of DCM Insights, is a researcher who's spent the bulk of his career looking into the shared characteristics and behaviors of successful B2B salespeople. In 2011, he released a study called "The Challenger Sale." When giving a keynote on his findings at an annual partner retreat, an audience member stood up and challenged him.

Legal Rebels Podcast

To buy or not to buy? For Cleary Gottlieb, acquiring an AI company was a no-brainer

Law firms acquire or merge with one another all the time. But when it comes to technology companies, firms usually keep it in-house or enter into a partnership with an outside vendor. They rarely go ahead and just buy a tech company.

The Modern Law Library

Perplexed about AI? Richard Susskind wants to help

For nearly 30 years, Richard Susskind has written books asking lawyers to envision the future of the law and the legal profession in ways that stretch the imagination. Susskind has been one of the foremost proponents of the transformative potential of technology in legal services. Now, he's asking us to imagine larger transformation still: a world in which artificial intelligence reigns and humanity faces being sidelined.

The Modern Law Library

‘Secrets of the Killing State’ exposes realities of lethal injection

Execution by lethal injection is seen by many Americans as a less barbaric alternative than older methods, such as hanging, firing squads and electrocution. It is easy to assume that the process must resemble euthanasia procedures for terminally ill people or pets. The reality is very different, says Corinna Barrett Lain, a law professor and a death-penalty expert.

Legal Rebels Podcast

Generative AI can help overworked immigration lawyers navigate these tumultuous times

"May you live in interesting times." For immigration lawyers, that old proverb is now a reality. Ever since the start of the second Trump administration, immigration lawyers have been busier than ever.

The Modern Law Library

‘Patenting Life’ shares tales from a career on the cutting edge of science and the law

Jorge Goldstein entered the fields of science and law at a time of immense change for them both.

The Modern Law Library

How thinking like an athlete can make you a better lawyer

Peak performance in high-stress environments. It's the goal for the basketball players taking the court during March Madness but just as much for players on a different kind of court. Lawyers can and should learn a lot from elite athletes, says Amy Wood.

Legal Rebels Podcast

This year’s historic ABA Techshow will be bigger than ever

It’s that time of year again. This year’s ABA Techshow 2025 will be a historic one for a couple of reasons.

The Modern Law Library

This Harvard Law prof thinks constitutional theory is a terrible way to pick a judge

What if we are asking the wrong questions when selecting American judges? Mark Tushnet thinks our current criteria might be off.

The Modern Law Library

‘The Licensing Racket’ takes aim at professional licensing system in America

Should you need a license for that? For law professor and antitrust expert Rebecca Haw Allensworth, there are huge problems with professional licensing in America—and her solutions might not make anyone completely happy.

Legal Rebels Podcast

Should we expect new regulations on data privacy and consumer protection?

It’s a well-worn saying that the law always lags behind technology. It makes sense. We all remember the old song about how a bill becomes a law and how long the whole process can take. By the time you get to the verse about a president signing something into law, technology has either evolved into something even more cutting edge or become obsolete—replaced by a newer, shinier toy.

The Modern Law Library

Former Watergate prosecutor and friends reflect on life in ‘Legal Briefs’

For some people, retirement is an opportunity to kick back and finally relax. But for Roger M. Witten, it was a chance to finally tackle that book that he'd been thinking about writing. With a little help from longtime friends and colleagues, Legal Briefs: The Ups and Downs of Life in the Law was born.

Legal Rebels Podcast

What’s the forecast for generative AI in 2025?

Welcome to 2025! The ABA Journal's Legal Rebels Podcast is not usually in the business of making prognostications. Let’s face it: If we were, we’d be playing the lottery or putting bets on sports games and the stock market and not doing this. But it seems like a safe prediction to say generative artificial intelligence will dominate 2025—just like it did in 2024.

The Modern Law Library

When should life sentences be overturned? Judge shares how he decides

A federal judge's new book is giving readers a rare inside glimpse at how a judge determines which prisoners deserve to have their sentences overturned.

Year in Review

Tune in to our favorite podcasts of 2024

The ABA Journal staff have conversations with fascinating lawyers every day. But in our podcasts, you get to listen in on some of those discussions.

Year in Review: The Modern Law Library

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2024

It's the time of year when The Modern Law Library likes to look back on the media that we've enjoyed: our annual pop culture picks episode.

Year in Review: Legal Rebels Podcast

2024 in Review: Generative AI dominated legal tech

The year 2024 has been a momentous year for legal technology. Generative artificial intelligence continues to gain traction in an industry not known for adopting tech quickly or efficiently.

The Modern Law Library

Horse-loving lawyer left the law to help run a Colorado ranch

Ami Cullen grew up loving horses and competing in hunter/jumper events. But when it came to her career, she decided that law would be her calling. She graduated from law school and began work with a law firm in Maryland working on medical-malpractice cases. Then a visit to a Colorado dude ranch changed everything.

The Modern Law Library

What went wrong—and right—with 10 famous trials

J. Craig Williams believes empathy is an important quality to be a trial lawyer. It's served him in his profession, and it's a tool that he has also been using as an author trying to get into the minds of people from past eras.

Legal Rebels Podcast

What generative AI means for the future of predictive analytics

Lawyers, especially litigators, like to say they never ask a question that they don’t already know the answer to. But there’s plenty of unknowns out there—especially when it comes to how a case might turn out or how much it will cost. Predictive judicial and law firm analytics take some of that guesswork out of the equation.

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