Call Your Next Witness Wade Clark Mulcahy LLP

Don Gomez joined the United States Army in April 2001, and was in active training when the September 11, 2001 attacks took place.   His recounting of that day is probably a version you've never heard before.   Don has been deployed to the Middle East several times, and has become both a student and an instructor of Arabic.   He remains active in the United States Army, with his current role being a Psychological Operations Officer, and our discussion delves into problem solving techniques common to both legal and military tactics, and also, the value of "getting our of your bubble."   He's also my cousin, and a genuinely good guy. Please note, Don’s comments are his own and do not reflect the position or policies of the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States government.

On this episode of Call Your Next Witness, we welcome fellow attorney, Queens Native and Regis High School alum Matthew McCann.   Matt’s practice areas have varied greatly over the years, spanning white collar criminal defense, securities litigation,  land use, cannabis, Special Education, and appellate practice, now at Moss & Colella in Southfield, Michigan.   Matt’s career and practice areas have evolved and grown in ways he never would have predicted as a younger attorney.   And of course, we spent some time discussing Matt’s other “practice area” -- Battle Rap –both in NYC and Detroit.   This may be the first ever lawyer-centric battle rap podcast ever recorded.

 

Murray Singer has been a practicing criminal attorney for 40 years in New York City, including 13 years as an appellate and trial attorney with the Legal Aid Society, and in private practice since then.   Aside from being considered a mentor by many less experienced attorneys, it was refreshing to speak with Murray about what he has learned about the practice of law, how to interact with opposing counsel in an adversarial context, and about maintaining and cultivating your reputation.    Despite what most legally themed documentaries may suggest, defense attorneys and prosecutors tends to get along, largely because they'll have to work together on dozens if not hundreds of other cases.   Credibility is everything.   This is a great listen, particularly for younger attorneys interested in trial practice.   For more information about Murray and his practice, check out murraysinger.com/.

"No Comfortable Advice."   Such is the life of a cannabis attorney, trying to advise clients about the regulatory framework throughout the United States.  First, the federal farm bill has multiple iterations, marijuana is still illegal at the federal level as a Schedule 1 narcotic, but 37 states have legalized marijuana use either recreationally or medicinally.   In other words, regulations are consistently inconsistent.   

Alex Buscher entered into the world of cannabis for personal reasons a few years ago, and has since delved into this world head first.   And since that time, regulations have changed almost by the day.     Not to mention that marijuana and hemp have completely different regulatory frameworks.   Advising clients on what action they can take in this world is a challenge, and Alex's insight on how he navigates that challenge in collaboration with his clients is an instructive listen.  

https://www.buscherlaw.com/alex-buscher

The Cannabis Industry was taboo as recently as 10 years ago.  But now, not only is it a blossoming industry, but its becoming mainstream to the point where attorney and insurance conventions are including presentations specific to cannabis and how to insure that risk.

But how does one actually get into the commercial cannabis space, and what is the day-to-day like?  Ryan Eakes offers some great insight into those questions through his own journey.   With a background in construction and business development -- not in agriculture -- Ryan jumped on an opportunity to get into cannabis on the ground floor.   And as COO of Typhoon Farma (https://typhoonfarma.com), Ryan encounters challenges that are truly unique to the cannabis industry, especially given the ever-changing regulatory framework he has to navigate.   Think of this interview as "Cannabis for Dummies."  

What better topic to discuss during these hot Summer months than effective legal billing?    Georgia and Brian recently compiled our "15 Commandments of Billing," and with new associates starting at firms across the United States after Labor Day weekend, we opted to commit our 15 Commandments to the podcast.     The goal of this episode is to focus on the skill of billing -- and it is a skill -- in order to maximize the recovery on the work we do as attorneys.    Much like insurance, legal billing is a skill that law school ignores completely, but is an essential skill for the majority of attorneys to master.