Brief Encounters

The D.C. Bar Communities Office
  • 4.8 (4)
  • Education
  • Biweekly

Listen in for exclusive interviews and conversations with D.C. Bar members and guests about hot topics! To learn more about D.C. Bar Communities, join a community, and/or register for upcoming programs, visit www.dcbar.org/communities Presented by the D.C. Bar Communities Podcast Network. Other network channels include "The Tea on International Arbitration" with the D.C. Bar International Law Community and "Let's Brief It" with the D.C. Bar Law Student Community. Theme Music: "If" by Broke for Free

  1. 6d ago

    Creativity and Career Reinvention: Where New Ideas Come From and How Lawyers Can Learn to Tell Better Stories

    Where do great ideas really come from—and can creativity be learned? In this episode, Cameron Powell and Gary Shuster explore creativity as a practical professional method rather than an inborn talent. Drawing from their experiences in litigation, invention, technology, and entrepreneurship, they discuss how lawyers can connect seemingly unrelated fields, tell compelling stories, and reinvent their careers. They also examine how attorneys can use AI to expand creative thinking without compromising confidentiality, trade secrets, authorship, inventorship, or client rights. Speaker Bios: Cameron Powell, co-founder of DeepLaw LLP and Inventiply, Inc., is a lawyer, tech entrepreneur, writer, and startup whisperer for leaders in AI, IP, and innovation. Inventiply blends human expertise and AI to reveal for IP owners their infringers and potential licensees and increase the value of their inventions, while providing investors with assessments of the valuation and strength of target companies’ IP portfolios. After Harvard Law School, Cameron mastered high-stakes federal litigation at the Department of Justice and intellectual property at a major law firm before embarking on a 23-year crash course in tech startups. He speaks regularly on human-centered AI law, policy, and ethics. Gary S. Shuster graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1992, where he spent five semesters with the Harvard Program on Negotiation and wrote his third-year paper under Roger Fisher, co-author of Getting to Yes. He spent the following decade in complex litigation in Los Angeles: insurance coverage, patent, environmental, and white-collar matters at Howrey & Simon; securities, commodities, and fraud litigation at Hennigan, Mercer & Bennett, including the representation of Orange County during its bankruptcy; and Fortune 500 defense work at Dewey Ballantine for clients including Texaco and Disney. Along the way he tried and won four jury trials as a volunteer prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and sat as a judge pro tem in Los Angeles County. In 1998 he moved in-house as general counsel and chief technology officer of Infonent.com, a web hosting company with more than a million customers, where he ran both the legal department and the engineering effort and managed the legal team for the $25 million sale of the hosting unit to theglobe.com. Since 2001 he has been president of Ideaflood, Inc. and has maintained a private litigation and advisory practice serving internet-services companies. He is the named inventor on over 260 issued U.S. patents and personally supervises the portfolio's prosecution, licensing, and enforcement — experience that lets him work with, and evaluate, IP counsel from an unusually informed position on both sides of the table.

  2. Oct 21

    Securities Regulation and Enforcement Series: The SEC's Rulemaking Wave: Key Updates

    In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm's Securities Regulation and Litigation practice, and William Nelson, Senior Counsel at Eversheds Sutherland, break down the latest wave of SEC rulemaking proposals - the Atkins Avalanche - and also discuss the SEC's new Examination Handbook. First, Valerie and William discuss proposed changes to the political contribution rules and their impact on adviser compliance programs, and what the Commission's crypto asset proposals could mean for firms that hold, trade, or advise on digital assets. They also cover how custody rule amendments may change day-to-day operations for advisers, and what opening private markets to retail investors could mean for product development, distribution, and investor protection obligations. Beyond rulemaking, Valerie addressed the SEC's new examination handbook and recent enforcement developments. Whether you are an adviser, compliance officer, or in-house counsel, tune in to hear what these developments mean for your firm and to sharpen your compliance radar. Listen to recent past episodes of this series on the Brief Encounters channel, or see the whole series in one place on the show's ⁠PLAYLIST⁠. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

  3. Oct 14

    Give Us the Whole Phone? Judge Facciola on Chatrie and Civil Discovery

    U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola (Ret.) joins Kevin M. Clark to explain why the general warrant, the abuse that gave rise to the Fourth Amendment, is back at the center of digital privacy law. Drawing on his years reviewing search warrant applications and his work in eDiscovery, Judge Facciola traces the line from United States v. Jones to the Supreme Court's decision in Chatrie v. United States. He challenges the terms of service consent theory in United States v. Blocker and takes Chatrie into civil practice, covering privacy in Rule 26 proportionality, BYOD devices, and when a court should order a forensic image of a phone. The conversation closes with a look at AI in document review and the competence obligations every litigator now faces. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

  4. Sep 16

    Securities Regulation and Enforcement Series: Placing Your Bets: Navigating the Rise of Prediction Markets

    In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm's Securities Regulation and Litigation practice, and William Nelson, Senior Counsel at Eversheds Sutherland, are joined by Peter Chan, Partner at Baker McKenzie and former Assistant Regional Director at the SEC, for a deep dive into prediction markets. Peter draws on his expertise to break down how these markets work, key compliance considerations for in-house counsel and compliance professionals, and the evolving regulatory landscape at both the agency and congressional levels. Tune in for a timely overview of the regulatory, compliance, and investor protection issues that financial services professionals should have on their radar. Listen to recent past episodes of this series on the Brief Encounters channel, or see the whole series in one place on the show's PLAYLIST. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

  5. Sep 2

    Building a Criminal Defense Career on the D.C. Superior Court's Criminal Justice Act ("CJA") Panel

    Join the D.C. Bar Public Interest and the Courts Community for a discussion on breaking into criminal defense work through the D.C. Superior Court's Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel. Panelists include Steering Committee member and former prosecutor Farhad Aspy Fatakia, D.C. Superior Court Associate Judge Rainey Brandt, and Todd Baldwin, current president of the CJA Panel. Together, they'll cover how new and experienced attorneys alike can gain trial experience immediately upon joining the panel — including the application process, training and mentorship resources, compensation and caseload expectations, and the professional rewards of representing indigent defendants in D.C. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

  6. Aug 19

    Women on the Front Lines of a Movement for Environmental and Social Justice: The Tiger Widows of West Bengal, India

    Join the leadership of the Human Rights and Immigration Subcommittee of the D.C. Bar’s International Law Community as it examines the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities, in particular, already-vulnerable women whose livelihoods depend upon increasingly threatened habitats. During the past five decades, Royal Bengal tigers have killed at least 3,000 men and women who live in the Sundarbans in India.  These deaths have had particularly serious consequences for so-called “Tiger Widows” whose husbands were killed by tigers while venturing into the forest to hunt or fish.  We will learn about these women’s remarkable resilience along with a recent landmark court victory that recognizes their rights under Indian law.  Additionally, we will discuss how documentary films may serve as a catalyst for social and legal change.    Speakers:   Shalini Iyengar, a lawyer specializing in environmental law and human rights and currently a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Yale, and Kaustuv Mukherjee, an award-winning filmmaker whose first feature-length documentary, The Tiger Widows, centers the stories of a community of women, largely widows, who live in the Sundarbans in West Bengal, India. The world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest, the Sundarbans forest is located in a delta region that spans India and Bangladesh.   Additional background on the speakers: Shalini Iyengar is a lawyer and doctoral candidate in Anthropology at Yale University. Her research interests include the political ecology of law-making, fisheries, citizenship, and social movements. Shalini's dissertation explores the history of legal activism among fishers in India since the colonial era. She earned her law degree from the National Law School of India University and advanced degrees in human rights and law and society from Oxford University and Stanford Law School.   Kaustuv Mukherjee is an award-winning independent filmmaker who has written, directed, and produced 12 short films. His work has received critical recognition and numerous awards at various film festivals. His last film, "REVERSE," was selected for 14 festivals (including two Academy Award-Qualifying Festivals: the Tasveer Film Festival and the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival) and won one best short animation award. Kaustuv’s stories center marginalized people seeking social justice.    Additional links:Film Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1208146038/7473c6c163?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci Website: The Tiger Widows - One Paper Boat Films Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

  7. Aug 14

    Securities Regulation and Enforcement Series: Regulatory Recap – Fraud Prevention, Rulemaking Priorities and Industry News

    In this Season 3 episode, co-hosts A. Valerie Mirko, Partner at Armstrong Teasdale LLP and leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice, and William Nelson, Senior Counsel at Eversheds Sutherland, break down the latest developments shaping the financial services regulatory landscape. They discuss the House Financial Services Committee's report on financial fraud and scams, including key findings and potential policy implications for firms, investors, and regulators. Valerie and William also review the 2026 RegFlex agenda, with a focus on the SEC's proposed e-Delivery framework, exploring how the proposal could modernize investor communications while raising important implementation considerations for firms. Additionally, they discussed the SEC's Retail Fraud Working Group and its focus on combating emerging threats to retail investors, before closing with insights from FINRA's latest enforcement report, highlighting notable trends, enforcement priorities, and practical compliance takeaways. Tune in for a timely overview of the regulatory, compliance, and investor protection issues that financial services professionals should have on their radar. Recent Past Episodes of this Series: Spotlight on CFP Board - Innovation, Investor Protection, and the Fight Against Financial Fraud (7/22/26) ⁠Key Developments in SEC Enforcement, Exams, and Rulemaking⁠ (6/17/2026) ⁠⁠Redefining Retirement: New Rules, New Opportunities⁠⁠ (5/20/2026) ⁠⁠⁠A New Enforcement Era and the Potential Coming Wave of SEC Rulemaking⁠⁠⁠ (4/22/2026) ⁠⁠⁠⁠Congress Puts the SROs Under the Microscope: SEC Oversight, Transparency, and Reform⁠⁠⁠⁠ (3/18/2026) Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

  8. Aug 5

    Clearing the Air - A Conversation with EPA’s former Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe

    Host Jivan Ramesh sat down with former Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe to discuss the endangerment finding, the Clean Air Act, and changes in the EPA. The Deputy Administrator provided a forward-looking insight into how environmental law has changed, how it's likely to change in the future, and what this may affect. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

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About

Listen in for exclusive interviews and conversations with D.C. Bar members and guests about hot topics! To learn more about D.C. Bar Communities, join a community, and/or register for upcoming programs, visit www.dcbar.org/communities Presented by the D.C. Bar Communities Podcast Network. Other network channels include "The Tea on International Arbitration" with the D.C. Bar International Law Community and "Let's Brief It" with the D.C. Bar Law Student Community. Theme Music: "If" by Broke for Free

Information

  • Creator
    The D.C. Bar Communities Office
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The D.C. Bar Communities Office
  • Show Website
    Brief Encounters

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