Legal Beagle Podcast

In the most "far out" podcast yet, Jonathan sits down with Gary Smith.  Gary is America's foremost authorities on psychedelic law.  Gary advises companies and organizations around the country on matters related to drug laws and treaties.  Gary has authored numerous books including, Psychedelica Lex and Psychedelic Arizona.   Gary co-founded Guidant Law in Phoenix, Arizona, is general counsel for the Peyote Way Church of God, and has an obsession with cinnamon.  Gary is currently working on the Uniform Plant and Fungi Medicine Act which will hopefully lay the groundwork for the legalization of psychedelics.   To reach Gary:  smith@guidant.law  or check out his podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychedelica-lex/id1566191928  To buy one of his books:  https://www.psychedelicalex.com/books/ To get your hands on Penzey Cinnamon:  https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/penzeys-cinnamon-ground/c-24/p-967/pd-s

My friends Chrissy Hagen and Kaitlin Nares recently opened Hagen Nares in Denver, Colorado.  Hagen Nares is a modern law firm that sprouted out of The Great Resignation.  Chrissy and Kaitlin both worked for a large law firm in Colorado, where they struggled to strike a good work-life balance.  They also looked 10 years into the future and realized that the legal profession was going to look entirely different than it does now.  Together they launched Hagen Nares, a women owned law firm focusing on personal injury and civil rights.  This is a great interview with two dynamic humans.  Enjoy. Website:  https://hntriallaw.com Contact:  https://hntriallaw.com/contact-us/ or 720-772-8513

In 2014, Cynthia Pigott made history by sitting on the longest civil trial ever held in Manhattan, NY.  In 2021 she published her vivid memoir, Diary of a Mad Juror:  An Inside Look at a Record-Breaking Wrongful-Death Trial that fell Short of the Truth.  Cynthia provides a firsthand look at the wrongful-death case that led to a whopping ninety-six-million–dollar verdict.  More telling is what Cynthia discovered after the civil trial had ended, what the criminal case revealed, and why the courtroom is not the place to look for the truth.   To purchase a copy of the book:  https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Mad-Juror-Breaking-Wrongful-Death-ebook/dp/B09CLQXG8M To reach Cynthia:  madjurordiary@gmail.com 

In the aftermath of unthinkable loss, shock, uncertainty, and anger set in. Few understand this more than nationally recognized lawyer Kyle Bachus. Kyle gained first-hand knowledge of his clients’ experiences when his own mother was struck and killed in a crosswalk. Now, in Unthinkable, Kyle provides a practical roadmap for navigating a path that no one chooses. He takes you through the process in chronological order, from what to expect in the police investigation to your rights as a victim and claiming victim’s compensation. You’ll gain the tools you need to handle numerous issues and unforeseen questions in the aftermath of tragedy, including insight into your options for holding those at fault accountable through the civil justice system. An invaluable asset for anyone struggling with next steps (or knows someone who is), Unthinkable is the guidance you need to control what you can, gain peace of mind, and focus on what truly counts. To purchase a copy of the book:   https://www.amazon.com/Unthinkable-Answers-Families-Confronting-Catastrophic/dp/1544527942 or https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unthinkable-j-kyle-bachus/1140874329?ean=9781544527956 To learn more about Kyle:  https://www.kylebachus.com/ To reach Kyle:  kyle@kylebachus.com

On February 7, 2022, trial attorney Grant Gehrmann sent out an email to a list of plaintiff attorneys. Dubbed “the post,” this email challenged traditional norms and offered a musing on the idea of mediation. Grant took the position that engaging in mediation can actually hurt your case. Grant’s email was met with a firestorm of responses from attorneys all over the country. I invited Grant onto the show to talk about mediations, his post and why unorthodox approaches should be embraced not shunned. Grant Gehrmann can be reached at: Grant A. Gehrmann grant@vancouverinjurylaw.com 203 SE Park Plaza Dr., #215 Vancouver, WA 98684 (360) 253-3667 - Telephone (360) 253-3135 - Facsimile

Wesley Thysse Msc. joins the show to discuss the Whitepaper that he authored in 2018 titled: The Decentralized Legal System.  In this paper, Wesley offers a construct of how to develop a legal framework within a decentralized ecosystem.  In a sense, this Whitepaper creates a bridge between cyberspace and the real world to allow for enforcement of dispute resolution.  More thought-provoking is the idea that this Whitepaper envisions a world governed by decentralized law.   Wesley can be reached at:  https://decentralizedlegalsystem.com or on Twitter at:  @Decentral_Law 

Professor Bryant Walker Smith is one of the world’s leading legal experts on transportation technologies, and his research focuses on issues of risk and trust in new technologies, especially automated driving systems and unmanned aerial systems. As automated vehicle technology move towards level 4 and 5 of automation, the idea of risk analysis is front and center. How do minimal risk conditions (MRC) factor into the future of this technology and should there be better standards regarding expected risk? More simply put, it might be time to rethink the relationship between the MRC and the automated driving system to allow for environmental consideration. Links: https://newlypossible.org/wiki/Home https://twitter.com/bwalkersmith?s=20 https://www.uber.com/us/en/elevate/ https://virginhyperloop.com

Nick Rowley, Courtney Rowley and Daniel Bidegaray join Jonathan to talk about Loss of Consortium. Loss of consortium is a standalone claim for damages brought by the spouse (and sometimes children) of an individual who been injured or killed as a result of a defendant's negligence. Think loss of love and affection from your spouse because they were injured. Nick and Courtney tried a case in Bakersfield back in September of 2021 and obtained a multi-million dollar verdict for Loss of Consortium. Nick goes as far as to do an actual role play of how you talk to potential jurors during Voir Dire (jury selection) about a Loss of Consortium claim.

Mike Alder, the founder of AlderLaw, is one of the best trial attorneys in California.  Mike and his team have recovered more than $1.7 billion dollars for their clients.  Jonathan sat down with Mike to talk about how to ask juries for large verdicts.  In addition to sage advice on damages, Mike offers insights into the future of injury law, how helping others without an expectation in return will come back tenfold, and how creating positive habits along with an intentional purpose in stress reduction can lead to a happy and healthier life.

Jonathan chats with TurnSignl co-founder Jazz Hampton.  Jazz and his team developed the TurnSignl app to connect users with attorneys in real-time.  Minnesota-based TurnSignl is an on-demand service that provides 24/7 legal guidance from an attorney to drivers while their camera records the interaction. When drivers are stopped by law enforcement officers or involved in a car accident, they can access live video chat with an attorney at the press of a button or voice command. TurnSignl attorneys are vetted and trained to de-escalate interactions between police, drivers, and passengers.  Learn more about TurnSignl by going to:  www.turnsignl.com.

Jonathan is joined by nationally recognized jury consultant Harry Plotkin.  Harry has picked over 1,000 juries that have delivered over $500 million dollars in verdicts.  Harry talks about how to get a fair and impartial jury and even gives a tip or two on how to get out of jury duty.  To connect with Harry you can visit his website at:  yournextjury.com.

In this week's episode, Jonathan talks with, Robert Wood, the leading authority on the taxability of settlements. Robert is an expert on tax law and author of Taxation of Damage Awards & Settlement Payments. Robert has been featured in media outlets throughout the country

In this episode, Jonathan chats with the co-interim dean, Zachary Kramer, of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU.  Dean Kramer talks about how the law school navigated through the pandemic and the silver lining that emerged as a result.  Dean Kramer also discusses his book Outsiders:  Why Difference is the Future of Civil Rights and why he's got the best Twitter game in all of academia.

In this episode, Nick Rowley, one of the most well known trial attorneys America, discusses the Fairness Act.  The Fairness Act is a reform to MICRA.  In 1975, the state of California passed a law called the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA).  This law put a cap on damages for medical malpractice claims.  MICRA set a cap of $250,000 on medical malpractice claims.  This amount has NEVER been adjusted for inflation over the almost 50 years it has been in place.  The Fairness Act reforms MICRA to adjust for the increase in inflation so that the cap more accurately reflects today's dollars.   Nick tells the story of why changing this law is so important to him.  Nick also exposes the political corruption in California and why MICRA has never been changed.  Nick has offered to give up his license to practice law in California in exchange for a more fair and just system in California.  This podcast was re-purposed from the Nation State of Play podcast.   A special thank you to Bryan Miller, JC Polk and all of those at Neptune Ops and IVC Media for sharing this content with us.

When Keith Mitnik talks, you stop and listen.  Keith Mitnik is Senior Trial Counsel at Morgan & Morgan.  Keith has written the best-selling book Don't Eat the Bruises.  Keith is backing that up with his highly anticipated book:  Deeper Cuts.  Keith is one of the best trial attorneys in America.  He is also extremely generous with his time.  Keith is always willing to help other attorneys become better versions of themselves.  I am fortunate to call him a brother in arms and I'm grateful that I got to chat with him.  If you want to watch the video of this podcast, click here.  Do yourself a favor and press "play" on this podcast. 

Mary joins Jonathan to talk about the "invisible injury" that very few people actually understand.  More troubling is the fact that people won't talk about traumatic brain injuries.  Mary discusses the evolution of objecting testing on brain injuries and why you should be on the lookout for a TBI even if you didn't hit your head or lose consciousness.  Mary Finck is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at ESP Sports Medicine (https://espsportsmedicine.com) in Colorado.  Mary can be reached by email at mary@espsportsmedicine.com.

Matt Morstad is the Senior Vice President of Customer Operations at Axon.  Axon, formerly known as Taser International, is a global leader in smart weapons and cameras that are used by police agencies worldwide.  Jonathan and Matt discuss the BWC (body-worn cameras) that officers use when investigating auto crashes, what new emerging technologies Axon is working on, and how Axon stores more data than Netflix's entire catalog.

In this episode, Jonathan chats with Blaine Clooten.  Blaine is an attorney in Eastern Oregon and one of the few people speaking out publicly against the Oregon State Bar's recommendation that the State of Oregon should adopt two (2) alternative pathways to becoming an attorney.  Neither of these recommendations requires taking the bar exam and both of these alternatives seem to miss the mark of the intended goal of increasing accessibility and equity in the legal profession in Oregon.   Click on this link to read more and comment publicly:  https://taskforces.osbar.org/ate/  Blaine Clooten owns Clooten Law in Oregon.  Check out his website at:  https://oregonlegalfirm.com

In this episode, Jonathan interview 7-time Ironman Champion Ben Hoffman.  Ben has competed professionally for the last 15 years and has learned a thing or two along the way.  Ben, along with his wife (who works as his business manager), has negotiated his own sponsorship contracts.  There is a trend towards professional athletes negotiating their own deals without hiring an agency or law firm to assist them.  

In this episode, Jonathan interviews former ASU Sun Devil Gary Chambers.  Gary played at ASU for 4 years and then went onto the NFL.  Jonathan and Gary discuss the new NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) laws that have recently gone into effect.  These new laws allow student-athletes profit off of their name, image and likeness.  On paper it sounds like a great thing for student-athletes, however, their are a lot of challenges ahead and the exploitation that has occurred in college sports may have just shifted to big business.  Listen to hear more.