New York City Bar Association Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Social Well-Being in the Legal Profession Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Our episode today features Mindfulness and Well-Being in Law Committee members Robye Margolius (director of wellbeing at Arnold & Porter) and Jordana Confino (founder and CEO of JC Coaching and Consulting). They discuss social wellbeing as a powerful but overlooked dimension of lawyer wellbeing, defined as having meaningful, supportive relationships and a sense of connection and contribution. Robye and Jordana outline research linking social support to happiness, life satisfaction, reduced depression and anxiety, and improved physical health, and cite workplace findings that belonging boosts performance and retention. The conversation explores barriers in legal culture such as time pressure, transactional interactions, invulnerability norms, autonomy needs, and perfectionism, plus the effects of billable-hour incentives, hybrid work, phones, and AI on connection and mentorship. Robye and Jordana offer practical individual strategies (micro-connections, recurring touchpoints, presence, boundaries) and organizational actions (leadership modeling, rituals, mentorship, monitoring workload, recognition), and highlight City Bar committees, events, and the Lawyers Assistance Program as connection resources. Want to take a first step to improving your sense of social well-being? Join the Mindfulness and Well-Being in Law Committee on October 1 for a Japanese Tea Gathering. Go to nycbar.org/events to learn more and to register. 02:02 Defining Connection 04:30 Science of Flourishing 08:45 Why Connection Feels Hard 09:14 Sandcastle Trust Building 14:29 Billable Hour Reality 19:10 Culture and Perfectionism 25:30 Support Changes Perception 28:46 AI and Human Skills 32:47 Practical Connection Habits 35:27 Micro Moments and Weak Ties 38:14 Match Your Social Battery 39:10 Small Discomfort Wins 43:00 Low Hanging Outreach 44:25 Phone Free Presence 51:27 Boundaries and Capacity 54:06 Culture Change Levers 01:02:02 Managers Shape Safety 01:06:09 Bar Associations as Third Places 01:10:43 One Small Action

AI in Law Practice Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Lorraine McGowen brings us today’s podcast from the City Bar’s Presidential Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies. The discussion covers expanding legal use cases (research, drafting, due diligence, e-discovery, deposition and hearing prep, judicial chambers), ROI concerns due to verification burdens, and persistent hallucination risks. Panelists emphasize “trust nothing and verify everything,” including checking citations, quotations, and whether law remains good. We review ethics and court-rule developments (New York Part 161; proposed California SB 574), sanctions trends, confidentiality and privilege risks from public AI tools, client restrictions and protocol controls, record retention and supervision frameworks, international implications such as the EU AI Act’s risk categories and penalties, and the need for AI literacy and ongoing training. Lorraine McGowen is Co-Chair of City Bar’s Task Force and a Partner at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe. She is joined by these experts in the field: Maura Grossman – Research Professor, School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo David Keyko – Partner, Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman Sabina Ahmed Liconte – Head of Legal and Chief Compliance Officer, the Americas, ICBC Standard Bank Group Adele Hogan – Partner, Hogan Law Associates Ann Heo – Co-Chief of Discovery Compliance and Litigation Unit and Chief of the Prescription Drug Investigations Unit, Officer of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York Kristin Baylis – Senior Technology Counsel, Orrick 00:00 Why AI Matters Now 03:08 Meet the Expert Panel 05:56 AI Use Cases Explosion 08:36 ROI and Productivity Wins 10:23 Hallucinations and Prompting 12:16 Will Hallucinations Disappear 13:38 Training and Trial Sim Tools 15:07 Ethics Rules and Sanctions 23:03 Court Orders and Disclosures 25:34 International Impact EU AI Act 34:59 Client Disclosure and Engagements 37:43 Firm Protocols and Controls 43:08 Technical Guardrails for Clients 45:45 AI Disclosure Duties 46:47 Joint Defense Protocols 47:49 Public Tools Pitfalls 51:23 Enterprise Versus Public 53:44 Transactional Verification 01:03:39 Litigation AI Sensitivities 01:08:18 Confidentiality Guardrails 01:14:58 Agentic AI Vendor Risks 01:20:09 In House Versus Firms 01:27:24 Key Takeaways Closing

The Legal Response to 9/11 – 44th Street Podcast Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

The horrific attacks on September 11, 2001, left New York City in dire need of help. Families were searching for missing loved ones, and those who lost loved ones could not access support without a death certificate. Small businesses and street vendors in Lower Manhattan lost their livelihoods overnight. Immigrants were targeted and detained. The legal needs were tremendous, varied, and urgent, and the legal community stepped up. On this inaugural episode of the 44th Street Podcast, marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, host and City Bar President Matthew Diller reflects on the unprecedented volume of pro bono legal service that followed the attacks. He is joined by three lawyers — Anthony Crowell, Maria Imperial, and Janet Sabel — who helped lead the response. They share stories from that work, about the City Bar's role as a coordinating hub for volunteers and legal service providers across the city, the family assistance center at Pier 94, the triage system built at the Metropolitan Detention Center, and the innovative use of the internet to expand outreach. They also reflect on the emotional cost of the work and what it taught them about the profession's capacity to show up when needed.

Pema Sherpa: On Making Mindfulness Practical for Lawyers Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Pema Sherpa is a mindfulness researcher and keynote speaker who helps organizations boost employee well-being and performance. Born and raised in Nepal, she studied the mind-body relationship at Harvard University and teaches mindfulness in a way that's both philosophically grounded and useful for people in demanding careers. She co-authored The Daily Buddhist with her husband, pairing short, daily teachings with practical, modern application. Presented by the City Bar's Mindfulness & Well-Being in Law Committee, Pema talks with committee members Katiuska Moure and Nancy Batterman about her upbringing, her path into mindfulness research, and some practical keys lawyers and law students can use to build healthier daily habits even before they're ready to meditate. Selected Links from the Episode: The Daily Buddhist (book): https://thedailybuddhist.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daily.buddhist/ 00:00 Introduction 02:02 Pema's Journey 06:28 Harvard and Career Pivot 08:54 Immigrant Law Student Challenges 12:38 Tools for Students 16:44 Bringing Resilience into Legal Practice 20:09 Body Basics and the Nervous System 24:30 "Work With What You Have" 30:21 Meditation Isn't the Entry Point 33:28 Daily Buddhist Resources 39:44 Closing Thoughts and Committee Resources

The Law School of Tomorrow: AI and the Future of Lawyer Training Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Katherine Hughes hosts the latest podcast from the City Bar’s Presidential Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies. She is joined by WashU Law Dean Stefanie Lindquist and AI Collaborative Co-Director Oliver Roberts to discuss how generative AI is reshaping law school teaching, assessment, and professional preparation.
Dean Lindquist describes her wake-up call about student AI use, making AI a central dean priority, forming an AI task force, partnering with Roberts, and hiring an LLM engineer to support experimentation and tool-building. Roberts traces early experiences with hallucinated citations and argues AI education must go beyond AI regulation to hands-on tool use across legal workflows, core terminology, tool selection, and explicit ethics (competence, confidentiality, supervision, and overreliance).
They discuss institutional guardrails such as eliminating take-home exams, using simulations, workflow-based pedagogy, and new assessment ideas like oral exams and quizzing students on submitted work. They also note scholarship and journal pressures and conclude that lawyers who can’t use AI will be replaced by those who can.
02:13 Why AI Became Institutional 03:50 Oliver’s AI Origin Story 05:34 Faculty Misconceptions 07:26 JD Learning Outcomes 09:58 Core AI Competencies 13:04 Schoolwide Guardrails 16:56 Teaching Ethics through Scenarios 21:19 Hidden Ethics Pitfalls 23:56 Rethinking Assessment 27:10 Drafting and Disclosure 32:05 Workflows In Practice 35:41 Handling Faculty Skepticism 38:08 AI In Clinics 40:10 Scholarship And Journals 43:05 Closing Advice

Noise in Nature and Law Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Environmental lawyer and Animal Law Committee member Robin Happel hosts a discussion on noise pollution and noise law with Jamie Banks of Quiet Communities and ocean noise researcher Vanessa ZoBell. Jamie explains how chronic leaf-blower and land-care noise led her to found Quiet Communities. She describes gaps in federal, state, and local noise regulation, focusing on the 1972 Noise Control Act, the rise and 1982 defunding of EPA’s Office of Noise Abatement and Control, and Quiet Communities’ lawsuit to reactivate the program. Vanessa outlines major ocean noise sources (commercial shipping and seismic air-gun surveys) and impacts on marine life, including stress, masking, behavioral changes, and examples such as post-9/11 stress hormone reductions in right whales and sonar-linked beaked whale strandings. They discuss challenges of relying on A-weighted averages, low-frequency noise, communication barriers, voluntary and incentive-based programs, electrification of equipment, vessel speed reduction benefits, and long-term California soundscape findings tied to economic events and marine heatwaves, plus vulnerable human populations and environmental justice concerns. 00:42 Jamie on Quiet Communities 04:17 Vanessa on Ocean Acoustics 06:19 Major Ocean Noise Sources 08:34 Noise Control Act History 13:30 How Noise Harms Marine Life 18:23 Ecological Impacts on Land 20:34 Rethinking Noise Metrics 27:14 Shipping Slowdown Success 33:48 Incentives and Federal Tools 40:31 Decadal Soundscape Study 46:29 Vulnerable Groups and Justice

The Server Test and Substantial Similarity: Assessing the Second and Ninth Circuit’s Divergent Approaches to Copyright Law Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, a panel of legal experts discusses the different approaches taken by the Second and Ninth Circuits on two key areas of copyright law: substantial similarity and the Server Test. Presented by the New York City Bar Association’s Copyright & Literary Property and Entertainment Law Committees, the panel explores recent and emerging case law and the Second and Ninth Circuits’ divergent approaches to analyzing substantial similarity, a key element of copyright infringement, as well as the ongoing debate surrounding the Server Test, which addresses whether the posting of online content constitutes a “display” within the meaning of the Copyright Act. Moderated by Dwayne Amos, Associate at Kasowitz LLP, the episode features a panel of leading copyright litigators and experts, including: • Barry Werbin, Counsel, Herrick Feinstein LLP • Aaron Moss, Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP and author of the Copyright Lately blog • Marc Lebowitz, Principal, Lebowitz Law Office • James Bartolomei, Of Counsel, Duncan Firm The wide-ranging discussion covers the practical implications of these divergent approaches for copyright owners, litigators, content creators, online platforms, forum selection, free speech, and the application of copyright law nationwide. This episode was produced by Jose Landivar, Senior Associate at Coates IP LLP, with contributions from Philippa Loengard, Executive Director, Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts and Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, and support from the New York City Bar Association Communications Team. Copyright Lately: Creative Law for Curious People – www.copyrightlately.com

The Genius Act and Payment Stablecoins: A Regulatory Deep Dive Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Tiffany Smith (WilmerHale) speaks with Beth Haddock (Warburton Advisers) and Boaz Goldwater (Davis Polk) about Treasury’s notice of proposed rulemaking implementing the Genius Act’s framework for regulating payment stablecoins, focusing on guidance for state regimes to qualify as “substantially similar” to the federal approach. This podcast episode from the City Bar’s Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies compares the dual federal/state structure to banking and securities regulation, and describes “uniform” requirements versus areas with limited state calibration (e.g., capital, liquidity, supervisory procedures). We discuss the inter-agency stablecoin certification review committee’s discretion, challenges from evolving OCC standards, and the ten billion outstanding issuance threshold that triggers transition to OCC supervision while retaining state oversight, with possible waivers for certain pre-existing state regimes. We highlight key ambiguities for issuers, including moving federal benchmarks, supervisory capacity, and unresolved capital/liquidity measurement issues. 01:38 Genius Act Rulemaking Overview 03:08 Dual Federal State Framework 04:17 Why a State Pathway 09:31 State Discretion in Practice 11:31 Managing Moving Goalposts 13:34 Certification Review Committee 15:56 Reserve Capital Liquidity Rules 19:05 Crossing the 10 Billion Threshold 23:42 Supervision and Enforcement Capacity 25:33 Choosing State vs Federal Oversight 28:20 Open Questions and Comment Priorities

Richard Tuske's 50 Years in the City Bar Law Library Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, beloved City Bar figure Richard Tuske reflects on his remarkable 50-year journey with the City Bar Law Library, from starting as a page in 1972 to serving today as Senior Director of Library Operations on the eve of retirement. Along the way, he shares vivid stories with Legal History Committee Chair Abigail Nitka on the library’s transformation into one of the most prominent legal libraries in the world—from towering stacks to the dawn of digital research and early Westlaw and Lexis—along with behind-the-scenes anecdotes on the history of City Bar membership, unusual research requests, the auction of a remarkable rare-books collection, a failed merger attempt, and the library’s technological evolution. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:03 Early Page Years 07:30 From Stacks To Screens 14:53 Computer Revolution Begins 19:05 Unusual Research Request 25:24 Famous City Bar Members Spotlight 30:18 Salt Mines Preservation 33:36 What Remains Today 36:59 Computers Transform Research 41:08 Library Merger Attempt 43:52 Rare Books Collection & Auction 51:30 Future Library After Retirement 58:29 Legacy and Farewell

President Trump's Cyber Strategy Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

The City Bar’s Presidential Task Force on AI and Digital Technologies dives deep into the six pillars of President Trump’s March 2026 Cyber Strategy for America: Shape Adversary Behavior; Promote Common Sense Regulation; Modernize and Secure Federal Government Networks; Secure Critical Infrastructure; Sustain Superiority in Critical and Emerging Technologies; and Build Talent and Capacity. Task Force co-chair Jerome Walker joins Sabeena Ahmed Liconte (Head of Legal & Chief Compliance Officer, Americas at ICBC Standard Bank Group) and Alex Southwell (Partner, McDermott Will & Schulte) to discuss the “aspirational” strategy in its totality, including its offensive, defensive, and future-minded qualities, as well as its challenges and the surrounding requirements for the strategy to be successful and ensure global compliance. If you are interested in learning more about emerging AI developments and policy, join us for the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Conference on June 18 to hear from industry experts and connect with leading legal professionals across the field. 00:00 Welcome and Cyber Strategy Overview 02:07 Meet the Panelists 04:44 Big Picture Reactions 12:30 Pillar One - Shape Adversary Behavior 28:28 Pillar Two - Promote Common Sense Regulation 42:19 Pillar Three - Modernize and Secure Federal Government Networks 52:22 Pillars Four & Five - Secure Critical Infrastructure & Sustain Superiority in Critical and Emerging Technologies 01:01:23 Pillar Six - Build Talent and Capacity 01:06:11 Closing Thoughts

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