Stay ConnectedWe grabs drinks with prominent members of the legal community and talk about their career path to success. These conversations then become podcasts so listeners can soak up their wisdom and hear their varied journeys to professional accomplishment after law school.
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In this episode of Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar, Lee Bergstein and Cooper Knowlton sit down with Ira Leesfield, the founder and managing partner of Leesfield Scolaro, a personal injury firm with offices in Miami, Key West, South Beach and Central Florida. Mr. Leesfield is one of the most prominent personal injury attorneys in the country, who was nominated as "Lawyer of the Year" by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, after he obtained a $19.8 million verdict against Honda Corp., and selected as one of America’s Top Ten Trial Lawyers.
During this conversation, Mr. Leesfield talks about how an eviction notice set him on the path to becoming a lawyer, his time in the Army and Justice Department, and how a chance meeting on a flight led him to personal injury work. He also chats about his friendships with the likes of Jimmy Buffett and President Bill Clinton, and talks about his time working in the Clinton Administration, where he was part of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets.
Mr. Leesfield has led a fascinating life and we feel lucky to be able to share this conversation with all of you. We hope you give it a listen.
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In this episode of "Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar" Cooper Knowlton and Lee Bergstein chat with Shaun W. Pappas, a partner at Starr Associates LLP, who practices in the general real estate group with a focus on development and offering plans. During this conversation they chat about why Shaun decided to go to law school, why he started his career in litigation, and how he pivoted from litigation to real estate transactional work. Shaun also shares some valuable advice for aspiring law students, and for anyone interested in working in the world of New York real estate. It's a great conversation and we hope you give it a listen.
Mr. Pappas works with developers, lenders and investors in the acquisition, sale, and financing of complex commercial, mixed-use, and luxury residential properties in New York. Mr. Pappas assists clients in all aspects of project development, including the preparation of offering plans, drafting declarations, the condominium creation process, negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, and the closing of title. In addition, Mr. Pappas collaborates with the project’s development team, including sales and marketing, architects and engineers, managing agents, and other general counsel to expeditiously move projects from inception through approval and ultimately to the negotiation of purchase and sale agreements as well as closings.
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Tom Hanley is a partner at Glaser Weil in Los Angeles, where he leads a transactional real estate practice advising investors, joint venture partners, lenders and developers in all aspects of purchases, sales, financings, lease agreements and joint ventures. In this episode, he chats with Lee and Cooper about his path to law school, his early struggles with ADD, his transition from litigation to transactional work, and growing a real estate practice in Los Angeles. Tom also discusses how he ended up serving as a peace negotiator for the conflict in Bosnia, and negotiating one of the most successful cease-fires of the war, and shares how this experience affected his legal career and what it took to build back up a practice after a leave of absence. Tom is a fascinating individual and hope you take some time to hear his story!
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Lee Bergstein and Cooper Knowlton chat with election law attorney Jerry Goldfeder about the inflection points in his storied career. The conversation also serves as a history lesson for anyone interested in New York City politics, and a roadmap for any lawyers considering entering the field of election law. (You can also tune in for a rare story involving Representative Jerry Nadler without a shirt and tie.) It's a great talk, and we hope you give it a listen.
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Maria Sanez is an immigration attorney who represents clients throughout the United States in all types of immigration matters. During this call she discusses how her cases are being affected by the shutdowns and how she is advising clients during this time. Maria also discusses how she is managing to run her practice in the virtual world.
You can learn more about Maria and her practice here: https://www.mariasaenzlaw.com/
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New York based personal injury attorney Matthew Salimbene discusses what is happening in New York Civil Courts and discusses how his cases are being affected by the current state of the world.
To learn more about Matthew and his practice visit: https://www.salimbenelaw.com/.
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Lawyer, mediator, and educator Damali Peterman shares thoughts on how she is helping clients adapt during this time and discusses how she is being forced to adapt as a business owner herself.
You can learn more about Damali here: https://damalilaw.com/
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Joel Cohen is a former Skadden Arps attorney who founded TalksOnLaw, an online platform where legal experts share cutting edge ideas, and deliver CLEs through captivating and informative video content. During this conversation Joel discusses why he decided to get an LLM, what it was like starting his career at Skadden, and the moment he realized the world of big law was not for him. Joel also talks about the path that led him to TalksOnLaw, and shares some valuable insights for any lawyers out there who are interested in entrepreneurship.
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Adam Safir is the head of Safir Intelligence & Security where he uses his diverse career experiences in law, finance, M&A, security, forensics and data management to help clients reduce, navigate and respond to a full spectrum of security and integrity risks. In this episode Adam shares stories about his early years at the University of Virginia, selling cars in Queens, working at the New York Stock Exchange, and his love of music. He also talks about starting his career at Sony, transiting to Wall Street, and ending up working for the family business.
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On this episode we chat with Tyler Reynolds a real estate developer at Singh Investors and the Vice President of Eyos Investors a Private Equity fund involved in the acquisition of properties in the hospitality industry. During our conversation Tyler discusses his experiences at Reed College, how he ended up working as an organizer for lobsterman in Maine, and the corruption trial that led him to apply to law school. We also discuss Tyler's path through law school to the New York Attorney General's Office and how he ended up getting back in the world of real estate development and private equity. Tyler also explains how NOT to do law school and shares some great career advice for anyone starting their first job.
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Steve Cohen is a partner with the Pollock | Cohen LLP law firm in New York, where he focuses primarily on handling whistleblower/qui tam claims, class actions and mass torts. Before entering the legal profession, Mr. Cohen led a successful career spanning more than 35 years in the publishing industry. He served as an executive at both Time and Scholastic, and he was the CEO of several internet-based start-ups. In this episode Steve talks to us about getting kicked out of the Navel Academy, his years in politics, writing ads for Ronald Reagan, serving on four juries, and visiting the Playboy Mansion. He also explains how he ended up in law school at the age of 58 and what it was like being "the old guy" in his law school class. We also chat about how his legal career began and the important work being done at Pollock | Cohen LLP.
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Aitan Goelman is a litigation partner at Zuckerman Spaeder in Washington, DC, where his practice focuses on white-collar crime and complex commercial litigation. He is the former Director of the Division of Enforcement at the CFTC and was the youngest member of the team prosecuting Oklahoma City bombing suspects Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. On this episode we discuss Aitan's years at Yale Law School, his experience clerking for Justice Aharon Barak on the Supreme Court of Israel, starting his career as part of the DOJ Attorney General’s Honors Program, and what it was like working on the Oklahoma City Bombing Task Force. Aitan also shares stories from his time as a prosecutor at the Southern District of New York, discusses his time at the CFTC, and talks about what it's like practicing at Zuckerman Spaeder.
You can learn more about Aitan here.
And to learn more about Cooper and Lee check out www.bfklawoffice.com.
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Paul Casteleiro is the Legal Director for Centurion, the first organization in the world dedicated to the vindication of the wrongly convicted. Prior to taking this position in October 2014, Paul was a sole practitioner with law offices in Hoboken, New Jersey where his specialty was criminal trial and appellate work. On this episode Paul shares stories about interning at the ACLU, working on the Chicago Seven trial, his time at the Hudson County Public Defender's Office, his first trial, and starting his own practice. Paul also talks about how to comport yourself in a courtroom and shares advice for anyone interested in doing work on wrongful convictions.
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Kenneth C. Holder is a justice of the Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term in the 11th Judicial District of New York. He was elected to this position in 2008 and his current term expires in 2021. On this episode Judge Holder discusses growing up overseas, his passion for photography, his experiences at the University of Toledo Law School, starting his career at the Queens District Attorney's Office, and rising the ranks in the Narcotics Bureau in that office. Judge Holder also shares some stories from his years at the District Attorney's Office and talks about starting the first Drug Court in Queens.
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David Shanies is a skilled litigator who started his own civil rights practice after spending ten years as an associate at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP. In this episode David discusses how he ended up at NYU Law School, his years at Hughes Hubbard, his experience clerking, and the pro bono case that changed his life. David also shares advice for anyone thinking about starting their own practice and gives some insight on how he finds clients.
You can learn more about David here.
And to learn more about Cooper and Lee visit www.bfklawoffice.com.
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Silvia L. Serpe is a seasoned litigator and criminal and government enforcement defense lawyer at Serpe Ryan LLP. In this episode Silvia chats about spending seven years at Cornell, starting her career at Davis Polk, clerking in the Southern District of New York, serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division, the transition back to private practice, and starting her own firm. Silvia also shares her thoughts on being a woman in the law, the importance of being honest and asking for what you want, and advice for anyone thinking of starting their own practice.
You can learn more about Silvia here
And to learn more about Cooper and Lee visit www.bfklawoffice.com
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Brian Cuban is a Dallas-based attorney, author, and addiction recovery advocate. His best-selling book, "The Addicted Lawyer, Tales of the Bar, Booze, Blow, and Redemption," is a look back at how addiction to alcohol and drugs as well as other mental health issues destroyed his career as a once successful lawyer. In this episode Cuban talks about his struggles with an eating disorder, how alcohol abuse affected his law school experience, and how he developed a cocaine addiction while practicing law in Dallas. Cuban also discusses why drug and alcohol abuse is so prevalent in the legal community and shares some resources for law students struggling with addiction.
To learn more about Brian check out his website here.
And to learn more about Cooper and Lee check out: www.bfklawoffice.com
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Christopher Renfroe, from Renfroe Driscoll & Foster, LLP, is a seasoned criminal defense attorney with over thirty years of experience. He is often sought after for the most difficult cases, including the defense of the first death penalty case tried in Queens County. In this episode Chris shares stories about selling suits to pay for college, his first murder trial, and his early years working at the Legal Aid Society. He also talks about how he deals with the emotional toll of doing criminal defense work, the importance of having mentors, living life with no regrets, and always doing the right thing.
You can learn more about Chris here.
And if you want to learn more about Cooper and Lee check out: www.bfklawoffice.com.
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Christian Lang is a former associate at Davis Polk and the founder of Blacklines and Billables, a blog, forum, and podcast dedicated to sharing practical tips and tricks for success among law firm associates and starting conversations around other important aspects of associate life, such as the state of legal technology.
On this episode Christian shares stories about leading Segway tours through Paris, spending hundreds of hours on his law school personal statement, why he chose NYU Law School, choosing corporate law over litigation, clerking in Tampa, Florida, and his years at Davis Polk. Christian also shares some tips for achieving success as a corporate associate and his thoughts on the future of legal tech.
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Damali Peterman is the CEO of Damali Law LLC and is a skilled corporate attorney, negotiator, mediator, and educator with experience working with clients throughout the world, across a wide array of industries. On this episode we discuss Damali's love for learning languages, the value in taking time off between undergrad and law school, attending law school at Howard University School of Law, working as a corporate associate in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, the experience of being a woman of color in big law, and why she decided to start her own practice. Demali also doles out some great advice about not being afraid to ask for what you want in your career and living life with no regrets.
See Damali's full bio here
For more on Cooper and Lee visit www.bfklawoffice.com
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Michael J. Grudberg is a partner in the White Collar and Government Investigations Practice at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP. On this episode we discuss Michael's path to Yale Law School, his clerkship experience on the Second Circuit, why he decided to practice at a small firm, and his career as a white collar criminal defense attorney.
See Michael's full bio here
And for more on Cooper and Lee visit www.bfklawoffice.com
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Steve Feldman works at Murphy & McGonigle where his practice focuses on white collar criminal litigation and securities enforcement matters. On this episode we discuss Steve's early years working on political campaigns, his clerkship experience, why he started out a small litigation boutique, his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and his path back to private practice.
See Steven's full Bio here
And for more on Cooper and Lee visit www.bfklawoffice.com
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Welcome to the "Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar" podcast.
Are you a law student, a young lawyer or a seasoned vet looking to make a career change? Have you or a loved one been injured in a car accident? If the answer to the first is yes and the answer to the second is no (and please stop calling me), then this is the podcast for you.
Every week the "Two Lawyers Walk into a Bar" podcast brings you a conversation with a prominent legal professional. During these conversations we’ll work to understand what made them successful, by examining the early years of their careers. We will also dole out advice on topics like surviving law school, preparing for job interviews, and creating a career (and maybe even a life) of meaning.
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