Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession

A Chief Legal Officer on Timeless Principles in a Changing World

Lucy Lopez, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Spencer Stuart, shares her experiences managing a global legal team amidst economic uncertainty and mounting legal and business complexities. Lucy describes her approach to supporting the professional development of her legal team in a rapidly shaping world, and offers her personal techniques for maintaining balance and leadership efficiency, highlighting the importance of continuous learning and reflection.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world.  PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes.

How AI Might Reshape Alternative Dispute Resolution

Arbitrator and mediator Stacy Guillon, co-founder of Decisioncraft, discusses how AI is transforming alternative dispute resolution (ADR) through streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency, while emphasizing that human empathy and judgment remain essential in binding decision-making. She predicts the emergence of AI arbitrators in low-stakes cases, while maintaining that human arbitrators must evolve to demonstrate their unique value.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world.  PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. 
Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes.

An Appellate Litigator’s Thoughts on GenAI

Adam Unikowsky, a partner in the appellate litigation practice at Jenner & Block, draws from his background in physics, engineering, and law to explore the potential impact of AI in the legal field. He discusses how lawyers might leverage AI and how AI can have a role in improving access to justice, and shares a bold prediction about how AI will reshape the industry.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world.  PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

An Athlete’s Mindset for Lawyers

Jess Sargus, former litigator and founder of The Legal Athlete, discusses the intersection of elite athletic performance and trial law. She shares how applying the performance, resilience, and wellness strategies she learned as a professional mixed martial artist and coach can help trial lawyers manage stress and avoid burnout. Sargus also introduces the concept of “glimmers” — small moments of joy that rewire the brain for positivity.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world.  PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

Changing Law Firm Business Models

Professor Richard Jolly of Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management explores evolving challenges in the legal profession, particularly within law firms, including structural and psychological barriers to change such as the traditional partnership model, short-term profit focus, and resistance to innovation. The conversation touches on generational shifts and the need for law firms to adapt to successfully navigate the future.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world.  PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

AI and the Courts

Judge Scott Schlegel, a technology-forward judge from Louisiana’s Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, discusses the role of AI and digital tools in modernizing the justice system. He offers simple tech solutions that benefit legal professionals, covers the risks presented by AI-generated evidence and deepfakes to fairness in court proceedings, and presents his predictions for coming industry trends.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world.  PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

Law Firm Leadership During Challenging Times

Legal industry leaders Brad S. Karp, Chair of Paul, Weiss, and Jami McKeon, Chair of Morgan Lewis, share insights from their impressive careers as long-time leaders of their respective firms and in the broader profession. From making tough decisions on controversial topics of the day to assessing how Generative AI will impact the industry's future, our guests peel back the curtain to reveal how leaders of successful firms build on their strengths to shape the future of practice.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world. PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. 
Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

The Future of Regulatory Reform and Lawyer Licensure

Structural barriers to change may represent the biggest enemy to innovation, access to justice, and a coherent system of lawyer formation. From regulations that define what constitutes the unauthorized practice of law to the often-undervalued role state supreme courts play in reimagining the future of lawyer licensure, our guests Jordan Furlong of Law21 and James J. Sandman of Penn Carey Law have been at the forefront of these discussions, and share their insightful and inspiring vision for the future. Hear from these experts about how to better align legal education with lawyer regulation, how other countries’ approaches to legal services offer inspiration for the American legal services industry, and why they are optimistic about the future of law.
Related CLE Content: Visit PLI’s hub for law school students to learn more about our engaging and informative programs in a variety of formats to supplement the law school experience and prepare students for healthy and rewarding legal careers.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world. PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. 
Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

Shaping the Law Firm Associate of the Future

The history of lawyer formation has given rise to an educational structure that intentionally separates learning from practice, making it challenging to adapt to the modern pace of changing conditions. The arrival of next-generation technologies begs the question: How do we rapidly reimagine the future of associate development to ensure that legal educators and legal employers co-design a scaffolded and coherent approach to setting new lawyers up to succeed while delivering value to clients?
Our guests, Alice Armitage of UC Law SF and Heidi K. Brown of New York Law School, have spent their careers infusing law school curricula with the mindsets and skills a rapidly changing world requires and law students and new lawyers deserve, and are uniquely skilled in matters ranging from design thinking to prompt engineering.
Related CLE Content: Visit PLI’s hub for law school students to learn more about our engaging and informative programs in a variety of formats to supplement the law school experience and prepare students for healthy and rewarding legal careers.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world, from AI to DEI – and everything in between. PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts.
Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.

The Future of DEI in Legal

The legal landscape around diversity, equity, and inclusion has shifted significantly in the wake of several significant judicial opinions. While the legal profession has been notoriously slow to make progress in its efforts to nurture more inclusive practice environments, our guests share their unwavering optimism about the advancement of inclusion in the profession. They delve into the data that demonstrate the importance of equity to various stakeholders in the corporate legal services market, and also discuss why mentorship is so essential in driving change from within.
Join guests Shelley Smith of Archer & Greiner, P.C., and Caren Stacy of Diversity Lab as we push past the headlines and explore the roles of creativity, innovation, and relentless advocacy in shaping a more equitable future for law.
PLI’s Fast-Tracked: Emergent Issues in the Legal Profession podcast, brings you conversations with thought leaders, delving into the most dynamic trends shaping the legal world, from AI to DEI – and everything in between. PLI is proud to keep you ever current with timely programs, publications, and podcasts. Visit pli.edu/ftpod for more episodes. 
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and host, and not necessarily those of PLI.