California MCLE Podcast

A Lawyer's Addiction with Brian Cuban Jan 19, 2025

The legal profession faces alarmingly high rates of substance abuse and mental health challenges. In this conversation, Brian Cuban, attorney, author, and addiction recovery advocate, explores the systemic and cultural factors contributing to addiction among lawyers and provides actionable strategies for prevention and recovery.

Cuban shares his deeply personal journey of battling addiction and rebuilding his life, offering valuable insights into how stigma, stress, and the “work hard, play hard” culture exacerbate the problem. He discusses the role of Lawyers’ Assistance Programs (LAPs), the importance of creating supportive environments within law firms, and the ethical obligations attorneys must navigate when facing addiction.

Throughout the discussion, Cuban examines the legal structures that protect confidentiality and promote recovery, as well as innovative approaches to fostering well-being in the profession and provides tools to help lawyers recognize, address, and prevent substance abuse while maintaining competence and ethical integrity.

(Credits: 1.5hrs Competence (Prevention and Detection) | MCLE available to TalksOnLaw “Premium” or “Podcast” members. Visit www.talksonlaw.com to learn more.)

Regulating AI as a Natural Monopoly Jan 10, 2025

As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly expensive and resource dependant to develop, a question arises: Are we witnessing the emergence of AI as a natural monopoly? In this conversation, Berkeley Law Professor Tejas Narechania explores how the market forces driving AI consolidation create both efficiency and significant legal risks.

Professor Narechania explains the structural conditions under which a natural monopoly can form—where the high costs of developing foundational AI models and the competitive advantages of massive datasets create significant barriers to entry. He discusses how antitrust principles, network effects, and accountability risks must be considered when regulating AI market power.

Throughout the discussion, Professor Narechania draws on historical parallels in telecommunications law and explores potential legal tools, including interoperability requirements, national security concerns, and public infrastructure models to improve outcomes without stifling innovation.

(Credits: General 1hr | MCLE available to TalksOnLaw “Premium” or “Podcast” members. Visit www.talksonlaw.com to learn more.)

Autonomous Weapons of War Nov 29, 2024

Autonomous lethal weapons, often sensationalized as “killer robots,” are no longer confined to science fiction—they are a rapidly advancing reality in modern warfare. In this conversation, Georgetown Law Professor Mitt Regan, an expert on the laws of war and international law, delves into the profound ethical and legal implications of AI-enabled weapon systems for both current conflicts and the future of warfare. Central to the conversation are the legal frameworks governing AI-enabled weapons under international humanitarian law. Professor Regan examines principles such as distinction, proportionality, and precaution, showing how these are tested by systems that use AI to identify and engage targets. Significant gaps in legal frameworks persist, including the absence of a unified international agreement specifically addressing autonomous weaponry.

Mitt Regan is a professor of law at Georgetown Law and an expert on both national security and international humanitarian law.

(Credits: General 1hr | MCLE available to TalksOnLaw "Premium" or "Podcast" members. Visit www.talksonlaw.com to learn more.)

AI Models & Copyright Battles Sep 30, 2024

Large language models (LLMs) are trained on vast, nearly unfathomable amounts of data—data that is now reshaping the very fields from which it was sourced, including literature, journalism, music, and photography. As a result, these models have sparked high-stakes litigation and raised novel legal questions about ownership and intellectual property, both in the AI training process and the output they produce. In this conversation, we explore the intersection of AI training and copyright law with Professor Shyamkrishna (Shyam) Balganesh of Columbia Law School, a prominent legal scholar who has been closely examining these emerging issues.

(Credits: General 1.5 | MCLE available to TalksOnLaw "Premium" or "Podcast" members. Visit www.talksonlaw.com to learn more.)

Lawyers + LLMs: AI Ethics Sep 23, 2024

AI is changing how lawyers do their work and raising questions about how lawyers can harness artificial intelligence consistent with their professional responsibilities. Georgetown Law Professor Tanina Rostain answers questions about the transformative impact of AI on the legal profession and how the rules of professional conduct apply to the new ways that attorneys use AI to conduct research, draft documents, and interact with clients.

(Credits: Technology 1.0 | MCLE available to TalksOnLaw "Premium" or "Podcast" members. Visit www.talksonlaw.com to learn more.)

Gun Rights under Rahimi & Cargill Jun 28, 2024

Professor Joseph Blocher (Second Amendment scholar and co-director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law) explains two significant recent Supreme Court cases: United States v. Rahimi and Garland v. Cargill. This discussion provides an in-depth analysis of the legal reasoning behind these decisions and their broader implications for gun regulation and gun rights in the United States.