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We trust the justice system to protect the innocent and prosecute the guilty, but what happens when it gets things catastrophically wrong? In 1981, 21-year-old William Michael Dillon became the focus of a murder investigation in Canova Beach, Florida. Though Dillon maintained his innocence, police coercion and unreliable witnesses rapidly steered the case toward what appeared to be a predetermined outcome. Dillon was arrested, convicted, and sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.

More than 27 years later, DNA testing finally proved his innocence and set him free. In this episode, Dillon explains how he was swept into the murder investigation, how coercive interrogations and untrustworthy testimony shaped the verdict—and how his love of music helped him survive the darkest years of his incarceration.

Be sure to read the full account of Dillon’s story in FRAMED, written by his wife, Ellen Moscovitz. And, listen to his album on YouTube: Black Robes and Lawyers.

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Mystic for hire! Conrad dusts off the ol’ prophetic orb for a look at what 2026 has in store for lawyers and legal marketers.

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We know you’re itching to hear those future fortunes, but hang on a second! First, Gyi and Conrad look back at their previous predictions to see how well they forecasted 2025. I mean, you want to know whether you can trust these guys, right? 

And, well, those results aside, the guys then gaze into the depths to pick out the important marketing trends to watch in 2026. More AI stuff, new law firm business structures, anybody who could do anything about fake reviews will do absolutely nothing about it… and more! Cheers to a New Year!

The News:

Quite the play, Google. - Official: Apple Intelligence & Siri To Be Powered By Google Gemini

Better pay attention to this one, folks. Commercial environments are changing, but watching this trajectory should help us wrap our heads around it: New tech and tools for retailers to succeed in an agentic shopping era.

And, Jay Ruane wrote a stellar book! - Analog Marketing in a Digital World: A Blueprint for Attorneys to Dominate Local Markets by Being Human

 

Suggested LHLM Episodes:


Conrad’s Crystal Ball IV | Lawyer Marketing Predictions for 2025 - Legal Talk Network 

 

 

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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

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​​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. 
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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."

 
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