State Bar of Michigan: On Balance Podcast Legal Talk Network

Leveraging AI in your practice can help you create better client experiences and become a more efficient lawyer. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Mitch Jackson about ways to integrate AI into your practice to speed up legal service delivery. Mitch talks through current ethics of AI use and offers many examples of ways to use AI in your day-to-day tasks, including research, document analysis, templates, chatbots, and so much more. 
Mitch Jackson is the CEO of Jackson and Wilson, a California litigation law firm, and founder of Maneuver Mediation.

It is important to attorneys to build a rich career, but just as important is the time they put into life outside of legal practice. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Kevin McGoff about his recently published book, Find Your Landing Zone: Life Beyond the Bar. Kevin shares his personal experiences and discusses effective ways to manage transitions both during and at the close of a legal career. Kevin believes attorneys should commit to reflection and take charge of the many fulfilling opportunities retirement has in store.
 Kevin McGoff is an author, travel writer, speaker and lawyer.

Technology can help you solve problems in your law firm, connect with clients, save time and money, and so much more. But, how do you know what tech will work best for your practice? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Colin Levy about understanding and utilizing technology, common mistakes in choosing new tools, and ways to overcome tech-related fear and anxiety. 
Check out Colin’s book, The Legal Tech Ecosystem, to learn more! 
Colin S. Levy is director of legal at Malbek, a legal tech evangelist and speaker, and an attorney with more than a decade of experience in corporate transactional law.

The legal profession as a whole now has a heightened awareness of the fact that wellbeing is a critical piece in the life of a lawyer, but rates of addiction, depression, anxiety, and other mental health struggles are still high. How can we support fellow attorneys, judges, students, and ourselves when dealing with a crisis? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome Bree Buchanan to discuss her personal addiction and recovery story and learn about her work with the National Task Force on Lawyer wellbeing. Bree describes strategies and resources for reducing stigma and encouraging those who are struggling to seek the help they need. 
Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program - State Bar of Michigan
Bree Buchanan is co-founder of the National Task Force on Lawyer Wellbeing and co-author of its 2017 groundbreaking report that launched the Wellbeing in Law Movement.

Clio’s Legal Trends Report has given us a whole new perspective on many aspects of the profession since its inception in 2016, and the latest report has new insights in store. JoAnn Hathaway and Molly Ranns talk with Joshua Lenon about the 2023 findings and what they tell us about the current state of legal business and technology. They discuss rates and billing across different areas, tech features that improve legal businesses, notable findings in access to justice, AI tools in legal practice, and more. 
Peruse the report here: 2023 Legal Trends Report - Clio 
Joshua Lenon is Clio’s Lawyer in Residence, and has worked on the front lines of legal technology innovation for more than a decade.

In August of this year, the Michigan Task Force on Well-Being in the Law released a comprehensive report outlining current recommendations for supporting law student, lawyer, and judicial wellness. JoAnn Hathaway talks with co-chairs of the task force Molly Ranns and Justice Megan Cavanagh about their efforts to address common struggles in the profession, including high rates of depression, anxiety, and substance use. The task force also aims to form an ongoing Commission on Well-Being in the Law which would focus on promoting a healthier culture within all spheres of the profession. 
Read the full report here: MICHIGAN TASK FORCE ON WELL-BEING IN THE LAW
And find more information on the commission at: onecourtofjustice.org
Justice Megan K. Cavanagh is an Associate Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.