Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Dennis and Tom continue their proud tradition of pondering the panorama of timely tech happenings and sharing personal resolutions for learning and development. But first, they both take a look at last year’s goals to gauge their progress (or, ahem, lack thereof). As for new resolutions—from investigative AI problem solving to streamlined tech tool usage to open-sourced writing to content creation, there’s lots to do in 2026!  Later, the guys are loath to make predictions in an unpredictable world, but decided to take a stab at it anyway! Listen in for their thoughts on the possible future and what technologies may become increasingly essential for lawyers.  As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends. Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions. Show Notes: Wispr Flow Speechify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

​​New Texas AI legislation will take effect January 1, 2026. What will this mean for your legal practice? The Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) aims to regulate the development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems in the state to address issues such as discrimination, intentional harm, illegal sexual content, and the use of biometric data. Rocky Dhir welcomes Chris Schwegmann to help us unpack the nuances of TRAIGA legislation and understand its implications for the practice of law. The discussion later shifts to the effective and ethical deployment of AI within legal practice. Chris highlights its capabilities by detailing his firm’s approach to AI tools. With proper use, AI has the potential to enhance your legal work and streamline processes to allow for greater attention to high-level tasks. Chris Schwegmann is managing partner at Lynn, Pinker, Hurst & Schwegmann in Dallas, Texas.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The idea that prisoners should be treated humanely was discussed by Enlightenment Era aristocrats, "but the idea that they are people who are peers is new," says Yale Law professor Judith Resnik. "As Democratic norms turned us all into equal citizens, equal persons in a jurisdiction, the question of government's relationships in courts, policing, schools and prisons changed over the last hundred years," says Resnik, author of Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Resnik walks host Lee Rawles through centuries of discussion about how punishments are deemed to be permissible, from a trial about whipping prisoners in Arkansas to the League of Nations' effort to develop minimum standards of treatment in prisons worldwide. "People who run prisons have a very challenging time, and there's a body of data growing that people who work in prisons, like people who live in them, have higher stress, heart attacks, blood pressure, suicide rates," Resnik tells Rawles. "These are terrible environments of concrete and metal and noise and often dirt and violence. In the United States, many people who are in detention have had mental health issues and behavioral issues of significant kinds. And when you take people with limited training, often with staffs that are too thin, interacting with overcrowded facilities of metal and concrete, with limited resources, you end up generating scary places for everybody. "So one of the kind of puzzles, if you step back, is how a thing called corrections, that promises safety, has generated institutions that are deeply unsafe for the people who live and work in them."   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When family lawyer and podcaster Lee Rosen talks about referrals, he doesn’t call them a network. He calls them friends. He explains why you only need about 20 trusted relationships to sustain a thriving practice, how genuine curiosity and consistency outperform traditional “networking,” and why lawyers make some of the most powerful referral partners across practice areas. Lee also shares how thoughtful gestures, not referral fees, build long-term goodwill and how social media can strengthen real-world connections when used with intention. Then, ALPS Insurance’s Rio Laine joins host Adriana Linares to cover the risk-management side of referrals, including documentation best practices, appropriate thank-you gifts, when to decline referrals, and why every solo should have a backup attorney and succession plan in place. Hear the original episode with Lee Rosen Learn more about ALPS Insurance.  Receive email notifications every time we release a new episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once you’ve landed your first job as a paralegal professional, what next? How do you build your career, advance into management, and leverage affiliations and activities within local and national associations as you pursue your goals?  Guest Angela King is a successful paralegal manager at the national law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. Over more than two decades, she has advanced from a law firm volunteer to a file clerk to legal assistant, then paralegal professional, and now paralegal manager at a national law firm overseeing dozens of paralegal professionals.  At each step, being active with paralegal associations helped her advance her skills and network. It starts with learning, and it extends to helping and mentoring. King explores how a conscious push to improve and learn at every stage built her career and how you can create your own path to professional success. Mentioned in This Episode: National Capital Area Paralegals Association National Federal of Paralegal Association IPMA, International Practice Management Association IPMA Conference and Expo Los Angeles Paralegal Association NALA, The Paralegal Association NALA Conference & Expo 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices