State Bar of Michigan: On Balance Podcast Legal Talk Network

The legal profession places an enormous premium on getting judicial clerkships, which usually offer both valuable learning experiences and a major boost to a young lawyer’s future prospects. But, are there potential downsides to clerkships? Some law clerks have a wonderful experience, but too many have had an experience marked by harassment and mistreatment at the hands of an abusive judge. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome Aliza Shatzman to talk about her personal story and her efforts to bring transparency and awareness about the full range of clerkship experiences to lift current stigmas and prevent future judiciary workplace mistreatment. 
Aliza Shatzman is the president and co-founder of the Legal Accountability Project.

Productivity practices are essential—even life-changing—in legal practice. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, that your time is not your own, hopelessly behind on technology, or that you just can’t seem to balance work and life, learning productivity strategies can help. JoAnn Hathaway and Molly Ranns talk with Dan Siegel and Allison Johs about their book, “How to Do More in Less Time: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Productivity and Improving Your Bottom Line, Second Edition.” Dan and Allison share the most recent updates to their book, including pertinent information addressing post-pandemic, tech-fueled changes facing the legal profession. 
The ABA has provided a 20% discount code for listeners! Enter HTDMILT23 at checkout for How to Do More in Less Time: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Productivity and Improving Your Bottom Line, Second Edition
Daniel J. Siegel is a nationally recognized authority on ethics, technology, data protection and business workflow management, and the principal of both the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC and Integrated Technology Services, LLC.
Allison C. Johs, Esq., is president of Legal Ease Consulting, which provides marketing, social media, business development, productivity, and practice management coaching and consulting for lawyers and law firms.

Mindfulness refers to our ability to maintain our present-moment awareness without drifting unhelpfully to the past or future. That might sound like a heady concept, but a focused, steady mind truly is helpful in life, and its applications in legal practice could lead to radical improvements for lawyers and their clients. So, how do we get there? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Dr. Nehal Patel about his article, Why Lawyers Fear Love: Mohandas Gandhi's Significance to the Mindfulness in Law Movement, where he highlights Gandhi’s teachings and explains how meditation and mindset shifts help legal professionals thrive in the practice of law. 
Nehal Patel is a licensed attorney and an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

In Biglaw, there is a natural inclination amongst attorneys to build a reputation for being the best, but too often this comes at the expense of mental health and overall wellness. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Anthony Sallah and Stacy Sampeck about their expertise and thought leadership in promoting well-being in large law firms and in-house legal teams. They discuss the traditional pressures of working in Biglaw and outline wellness strategies that can help attorneys thrive and do their best work. 
Anthony Sallah is a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP and serves as a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Lawyers and Judges Assistance Committee. 
Stacy Sampeck serves as Director, Assistant General Counsel at 3M and is a founding member of The Mind-Budget Connection, a volunteer group of attorneys and professionals focused on addressing burnout in the eDiscovery industry.

New rules effective in September 2023 will require Michigan attorneys to name a person with knowledge of their practice as well as an interim administrator in their succession plan. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome April Alleman and Alecia Chandler to discuss how these new requirements came to be and what past problems they aim to solve. They outline the process of naming individuals for these roles and explain the option of enrolling in the State Bar of Michigan’s Interim Administrator Program.
Learn more at the State Bar’s webpage explaining Mandatory Interim Administrator Planning or check out the Rule 21 FAQ.
April Alleman is Succession Planning Program Counsel at the State Bar of Michigan.
Alecia M. Chandler is Professional Responsibility Programs Director at the State Bar of Michigan.

Rapid new developments in AI and ChatGPT, especially, have given rise to many questions across the legal industry about how to use this technology both effectively and ethically. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway turn to Nicole Black for insights on the current landscape of AI and its uses in legal practice. Nicole addresses concerns about accuracy, bias, and confidentiality issues surrounding AI and ChatGPT and also shares how this technology could positively impact legal professionals as it continues to be developed and improved.
Nicole Black is an attorney and leads SME and External Education at MyCase.