The Lawyer Stories Podcast

Benjamin Gold

First founded on Instagram in July 2017, (@lawyer_stories,) the Lawyer Stories Podcast discusses lawyers and law students journeys to the practice of law.

  1. 2d ago

    Ep 288 | Ian Hardy | Taking Depositions Global: Litigation Support, AI & the Future of Court Reporting

    What does it take to conduct a deposition halfway around the world? On Episode 288 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast, we welcome Ian Hardy, Founder and CEO of Optima Juris, an international litigation support company helping legal teams coordinate depositions and proceedings across all 50 states and more than 90 countries. From his early days working as a videographer in Paris to building a global litigation support business, Ian shares his entrepreneurial journey and how technology continues to reshape the legal profession. We also discuss Optima Juris's role as a designated deposition and hearing services provider for the American Arbitration Association and its international division, the ICDR, along with the growing role of AI, court reporting, and the importance of maintaining human oversight in legal proceedings. Episode 288 is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube!

  2. Oct 9

    Ep 287 | Sheylla Aceves | From Lawyer Stories in 2017 to CEO of Tiger Concrete & Screed

    She earned her stripes. Now she's cementing the family legacy. Nine years ago, before she even went to law school, Sheylla Aceves shared her story with Lawyer Stories. Today, she's the CEO of Tiger Concrete & Screed, helping lead and grow the family construction business her father built from the ground up. On Episode 287 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast with Benny Gold, we reconnect with Sheylla to talk about her remarkable journey as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant who built a successful construction company through hard work, determination, and sacrifice. Sheylla didn't simply inherit a leadership position. She earned her stripes, obtaining her law degree, master's in construction management, and general contractor's license. She knew that earning street cred in the construction industry meant understanding the business from the ground up. We discuss family, leadership, earning respect, stepping into the CEO role, and what it means to burn the boats when you're fully committed to building something bigger than yourself. From a young woman sharing her aspirations with Lawyer Stories in 2017 to a CEO working to cement her family's legacy, Sheylla's journey is exactly why we started this platform. 🎙️ Episode 287 is available now! Listen and follow The Lawyer Stories Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This episode is presented by CallRail. Integrated into your case management system, CallRail helps law firms capture every call, even after hours, identify high-value leads, respond faster, and understand which marketing efforts are driving clients. Now integrated with Clio, CallRail helps firms connect marketing and intake with their existing workflows. Join over 3,000 law firms using CallRail to follow up faster, land bigger cases, and grow smarter. Start your free trial: https://www.callrail.com/legal-services?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=lawyer-stories

  3. Oct 1

    Ep 286 | Mark Milton | From Representing the IRS to Fighting for Taxpayers

    What happens when the lawyer who once represented the IRS switches sides? On Episode 286 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast with Benny Gold, we head to St. Louis, Missouri, for a conversation with Mark C. Milton, Founder and Managing Attorney of Milton Law Group - a tax attorney whose career has taken him from public accounting, to the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division, to BigLaw, and ultimately to building his own firm. Milton Law Group Mark began his legal career as a DOJ Tax Division Trial Attorney, where he represented the United States in collection matters, refund suits, and complex federal tax litigation across the country. He later practiced at an AmLaw 100 firm in St. Louis handling tax controversies, white-collar matters, investigations, and business litigation before launching Milton Law Group in 2017. Milton Law Group We talk about what Mark learned from being on the government's side of the table, why taxpayers shouldn't automatically assume the IRS is simply out to get them, and his perspective that the government generally wants taxpayers to get back into compliance and resolve their tax problems. We also get into Mark's entrepreneurial journey and the Summer Tax Summit, the St. Louis event he chairs that brings together tax controversy attorneys, IRS and IRS Criminal Investigation officials, federal judges, and other leaders in the tax world - with some uniquely St. Louis experiences mixed in. Milton Law Group From accounting to the DOJ, BigLaw, tax controversy, white-collar work, entrepreneurship, and building a nationally focused practice from St. Louis - Mark has one heck of a Lawyer Story. 🎙️ Episode 286 is available now! Listen and follow The Lawyer Stories Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This episode is presented by CallRail. Integrated into your case management system, CallRail helps law firms capture every call—even after hours, spot high-value leads instantly, respond faster, and get the insights needed to bring in bigger cases. Join over 3,000 law firms using CallRail to follow up faster, land bigger cases, and drive growth for your firm. Start your free trial: https://www.callrail.com/legal-services?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=lawyer-stories

  4. Sep 25

    Ep 285 | William McCreight of BluShark Digital | SEO, AI Search & the Future of Legal Marketing

    How will clients find your law firm in the age of AI? On Episode 285 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast with Benny Gold, we sit down with William McCreight of BluShark Digital and host of the Legal Currents Podcast to discuss the rapidly changing world of legal marketing, SEO, and AI-powered search. William shares his journey into the legal marketing space, what law firms need to understand about building visibility online, and how platforms like Google and emerging AI tools are changing the way potential clients search for lawyers. We also discuss the evolution of SEO, the rise of AI-generated answers, how consumers are using AI to research legal issues, what firms should be doing now to prepare for the next generation of search, and where William sees legal marketing headed next. This episode is presented by Supio, an AI-first platform purpose-built for plaintiff law. Supio helps law firms leverage AI across the entire case lifecycle - from intake through litigation - giving attorneys more time to focus on their clients and their cases. Through its collaboration with Thomson Reuters' Westlaw, Supio is bringing trusted legal research together with AI-powered case intelligence. Learn more at supio.com/lawyerstories. 🎙️ Episode 285 is available now! Listen and subscribe to The Lawyer Stories Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Learn more about Supio: http://supio.com/lawyerstories

  5. Sep 18

    Ep 284 | Jason DeSouza | Building a Personal Injury Law Firm & Fighting for the Underserved

    When your client is going through the worst moment of their life, being their lawyer sometimes means doing more than practicing law. On Episode 284 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast with Benny Gold, we sit down with Jason DeSouza, Founder and Lead Trial Attorney at DeSouza Injury Lawyers in San Antonio, Texas, to talk about his journey from Toronto to Texas, discovering his calling in the courtroom, and building a personal injury firm from the ground up. Jason started his firm in 2015 with just himself and a paralegal. Today, he leads a team of roughly 30 representing people in serious injury, trucking, oilfield, and catastrophic injury cases throughout Texas. But Jason's story is really about people. His blue-collar upbringing shaped the way he represents clients and his commitment to communities that larger firms can sometimes overlook. At one point, that commitment even meant lending his own car to a client who needed help. We talk about scaling a law firm without losing the personal connection, becoming a better trial lawyer, standing up to corporations and insurance companies, leadership, and why Jason believes a person's life can never simply be reduced to a number on a spreadsheet. 🎙️ Episode 284 is available now! Listen and subscribe to The Lawyer Stories Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. 🗽 Lawyer Stories is headed to REVCON 2026! Join us September 29 in New York City for Morgan & Morgan's REVCON 2026: Operational Anatomy of a Record-Breaking Year, a one-day, CLE-accredited event featuring leaders in marketing, management, technology, litigation, and AI. 🎟️ Lawyer Stories listeners save 20% with code STORIES20. Register for REVCON 2026 This episode is presented by CallRail. Integrated into your case management system, CallRail helps law firms capture every call, respond faster, spot high-value leads instantly, and drive growth. Join over 3,000 law firms using CallRail to follow up faster, land bigger cases, and grow smarter. Start your free trial: https://www.callrail.com/legal-services?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=lawyer-stories

  6. Sep 10

    Ep 283 | Jennifer Chapkin | The Lawyer Who Saw a Gap in Estate Planning & Built Safe and Signed™

    She saw a problem in estate planning. So she built the solution. On the latest episode of The Lawyer Stories Podcast, Benny Gold sits down with Jennifer Chapkin, Esq., estate planning attorney and Co-Founder & CEO of Safe and Signed™, to talk about her Lawyer Story, entrepreneurship, and turning a problem she repeatedly encountered in her legal practice into a business. Jennifer loves being part of people's big moments - helping families and business owners make consequential decisions about their lives, property, businesses, and futures. But after years of practicing estate planning law, she kept seeing the same issue: after wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives and other important legal documents were signed, where would the originals actually go — and would the right people be able to find them years later when they were needed? That problem inspired Safe and Signed™, a professional custody service for signed original estate planning and other important legal documents. Originals are protected in an access-controlled, fire-safe, water-safe and climate-controlled facility, while authorized parties can securely access document information and scanned copies. Jennifer shares the moment the idea took hold, what it was like building a company in a category that didn't really exist, balancing entrepreneurship with practicing law, and what she has learned about taking an idea beyond the traditional law firm model. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe to The Lawyer Stories Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. This episode is presented by CallRail. CallRail helps law firms understand which marketing efforts are driving their best leads, capture every call, improve intake, and respond faster. And now, CallRail integrates with Clio, connecting marketing and intake insights with the tools firms already use to manage their clients and cases. Start your free trial with CallRail 🗽 Lawyer Stories is headed to REVCON 2026! Join us September 29 in New York City for Morgan & Morgan's REVCON 2026: Operational Anatomy of a Record-Breaking Year, a one-day, CLE-accredited event bringing together leaders in marketing, management, technology, AI, and litigation to help build the modern plaintiff law firm. Lawyer Stories listeners save 20% with code STORIES20. Register for REVCON 2026

  7. Sep 2

    Ep 282 | Rob Martorana | AI, Litigation Intelligence & the Future of Legal Tech

    AI is changing litigation - but is the defense bar keeping pace? On Episode 282 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast, Benny Gold sits down with Rob Martorana, Head of Partnerships at Theo Ai, for a fascinating conversation about artificial intelligence, litigation intelligence, case strategy, and the future of legal technology. Rob brings a unique perspective to the conversation. His career has taken him from serving as an Assistant District Attorney and practicing law to years in litigation finance and now the rapidly evolving world of legal AI. We discuss the technology and investment gap between the plaintiff and defense bars, why defense litigation has historically been difficult to standardize, and how AI can help legal teams better understand massive amounts of litigation data. Rob also shares his perspective on case valuation, settlement benchmarking, litigation finance, risk and exposure analysis, and how technology may change the way lawyers evaluate and manage cases. 🎙️ Episode 282 is available now! Listen and subscribe to The Lawyer Stories Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Thank you to our partner CallRail, helping law firms understand which marketing efforts drive their best leads, improve intake, and turn more opportunities into clients. CallRail is now integrated with Clio, connecting marketing and intake insights with the tools firms use to manage their clients and cases.  Contact Benny for more info or start your free trial: https://www.callrail.com/legal-services?utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=lawyer-stories 🏙️ Lawyer Stories is headed to REVCON NYC! Join us September 29 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City for Morgan & Morgan's REVCON 2026, where Lawyer Stories will be on-site podcasting and capturing conversations with leaders across the legal industry. Use code STORIES20 to save 20% on your REVCON ticket.

  8. Aug 26

    Ep. 281 | Lawyer Stories LIVE from AAJ Chicago with Supio: Trial Lawyers, AI & the Future of Plaintiff Law

    🎙️ Eight conversations. One special episode. Lawyer Stories LIVE from AAJ in Chicago. For our first trip to the American Association for Justice (AAJ) Annual Convention, Lawyer Stories sat down with trial lawyers, legal leaders and innovators for conversations about the journeys that shaped them, advocacy, trial practice, building modern law firms, technology, AI and where the profession is headed. We love taking Lawyer Stories on the road. There's something special about sitting down face-to-face, meeting people where they are, and capturing these conversations in the middle of the energy of a major legal event. Featuring: ⚖️ Chad Mance — The Mance Law Firm ⚖️ Jamie Beck — Founder & CEO, Justice with Humanity ⚖️ Mo Hamoudi & Karen Koehler — Stritmatter Law ⚖️ Rilee Harrison — Maples Harrison Zeaman PLLC ⚖️ Niki Hall — Chief Market Officer, Supio ⚖️ Paul Miller — Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP ⚖️ Al Foeckler — Cannon & Dunphy, S.C. ⚖️ Bryan Pope — The Cochran Firm A huge thank you to Supio for partnering with Lawyer Stories to make our AAJ coverage possible. Supio is building agentic AI purpose-built for plaintiff law, supporting firms across the case lifecycle. Its collaboration with Thomson Reuters connects Supio's case intelligence with Westlaw Advantage, helping attorneys move from case facts to authoritative legal research and validation in a more connected workflow. Lawyer Stories LIVE from Chicago. 🎙️ 🎧 Episode 281 of The Lawyer Stories Podcast is out now. Listen on your favorite podcast platform.

See All (100)

5
out of 5
520 Ratings

About

First founded on Instagram in July 2017, (@lawyer_stories,) the Lawyer Stories Podcast discusses lawyers and law students journeys to the practice of law.

Information

You Might Also Like