I Am The Law

Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds are a staple of retirement accounts, and federal law tightly controls how they operate. Abigail Hemnes, a partner at a large firm, advises these funds and the companies that manage them. In this episode, she explains how a fund with no employees gets work done and how her role differs from that of the portfolio managers who decide what to buy. She discusses rules written in 1940, shifting SEC priorities across administrations, and how she works with associates to answer client questions. Abigail also reflects on the steady pace that drew her to the practice and why the line between partners who bring in clients and those who serve them blurs when clients stay with a firm for years. Abigail Hemnes is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.This episode is hosted by Kyle McEntee.Mentioned in this episode:Access LawHub today!

Allan Carlsen is fresh out of law school and just over a year into practice as a patent litigator at an elite boutique law firm. Unlike our typical episodes, the conversation with Allan focuses on how he found his job and decided on his firm, how school and practice differ, and how he navigates new situations. He talks about his experiences with the on-campus interview process, the Loyola Patent Fair, and the important difference between producing the right work product and producing a perfect work product. Allan is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law.This episode is hosted by Katya Valasek.Mentioned in this episode:Access LawHub today!

When the Navy’s research and development arm needs to buy equipment or services, Marta Rajchel helps decide how. As a procurement lawyer for the Department of Defense, she works with contracting staff and the scientists and engineers who define what the government needs. In this episode, Marta walks through a purchase from start to finish: choosing a contract structure, reviewing solicitations for ambiguity, checking bid evaluations, and representing the agency when a losing bidder files a protest. She explains why ending a contract with a poorly performing contractor can still mean paying them, and how she contracts with smaller companies outside the standard federal rules. Marta also discusses learning a dense body of regulations and how federal culture compares to private practice.Marta is a graduate of Wayne State University Law School. This episode is hosted by Kyle McEntee.Mentioned in this episode:Access LawHub today!

When thousands of people sue a company over a harmful product, the company may create a new entity, load it with that liability, and file for bankruptcy, pausing the lawsuits and taking them away from juries. Adam Silverstein, a partner at a midsize New York firm, represents plaintiffs’ lawyers trying to get these cases thrown out of bankruptcy court. In this episode, Adam explains how he learned a new area of law after Johnson & Johnson’s first talc bankruptcy filing and what the early weeks demanded, from emergency hearings without depositions to forensic work tracing the company’s path to North Carolina. He also discusses why circuit law shapes venue fights, coordinating with co-counsel, and working opposite former allies. Adam is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.This episode is hosted by Katya Valasek.Mentioned in this episode:Access LawHub today!

Big Law recruiting now starts earlier than ever, often during the first semester of law school and increasingly outside traditional campus interviews. That leaves law students making consequential career decisions before they’ve had much time to understand what working at a large law firm entails. In this special episode, Kyle and Katya draw on a dozen conversations with Big Law lawyers to show what the work looks like from the inside.Guests describe how they found their firms and specialties, how deal and litigation teams fit together, and how junior lawyers learn through first drafts, feedback, supervision, and early opportunities to take on responsibility. They also speak candidly about one of the central tradeoffs of the work: high compensation alongside long hours and schedules driven by supervisors, clients, courts, and opposing counsel.The episode also looks at what it takes to make that intensity sustainable, including setting boundaries, reducing hours, and finding senior lawyers who will advocate for you. Kyle and Katya examine the difference between mentors and sponsors, the path toward partnership, and why some lawyers ultimately decide to stay, cut back, or leave for something that fits their lives better.Along the way, they use NALP and law school employment data to put Big Law in context: how recruiting timelines have accelerated, how access to large firms varies dramatically by school, and how many law graduates take this path. Check out NALP's class of 2025 research and the Law School Transparency tools on LawHub.Featured voices:Rachel Frank, Episode 131, Understanding the Appeal: Supreme Litigation from First Draft to Oral ArgumentJuan Dawson, Episode 108, Adapting to Biglaw: Getting Plugged into the Energy SectorStorm Lineberger, Episode 158, Fine Print, Big Money: Making Insurers Pay UpEric Lauria-Banta, Episode 64, Inside the Deal Room: Unpacking M&A, VC Financing, and Work-Life BalanceAudi Syarief, Episode 129, Trading in Gray Areas: How Sanctions Shape International BusinessAlexis Taitel, Episode 121, From Clerkship to Private Practice: Research, Writing, and Challenging AssumptionsBola Adeniran, Episode 96, Courtroom Theater: Early-Career Complex Litigation at a Large FirmEd Winkofsky, Episode 77, The Legal Side of the Casino Floor: Navigating the Regulatory MazeStephanie Hurst, Episode 116, Moonlighting into M&A: Tradeoffs in PracticeSamm Tillotson, Episode 115, Biglaw Class Action LitigationKiran Vakamudi, Episode 94, Corporate Restructuring: Dealmaking and Litigation to Avoid Financial CollapseLana Kuchinski, Episode 99, Partners by Law: Building a Life and Career in LawMentioned in this episode:Access LawHub today!