July 6, 2023
An Education About Shariah From an Islamic Law Expert
Growing up Muslim in America, Sumbul Ali-Kalamari was accustomed to explaining her religious culture to non-Muslims, especially in the Stanford University dorms. After becoming a corporate attorney and earning an LL.M. in Islamic Law, the cultural questions continued. She wrote her first book in 20…
June 22, 2023
A Proud Polish-American Consul (and Counsel)
For an attorney who once had political aspirations and started his career in public finance law, Richard Walawender’s deep Polish roots and serendipitous timing helped him create a fascinating law career that started in the 1980s Solidarity movement and continues today in his role as Honorary Consu…
Nov. 29, 2022
An Election Lawyer and Lobbyist Who Builds Relationships to Preserve Democracy
The 2022 midterms may be over, but who are the election lawyers behind the scenes? We found one – meet Katherine Knox.
Election law piqued Kate’s interest during a law school internship, and she hasn’t looked back. As one of the most highly regarded lobbying and election law attorneys in Maine,…
May 20, 2022
Painting a Picture of Art Law
From forgery schemes to Nazi-looted art to patrimony laws to sanctions on Russian oligarchs, Steven Schindler has seen it all. As the leader of Schindler, Cohen & Hochman’s art law group, he proves that one interesting client can propel you to a niche practice area that shapes the rest of your care…
April 26, 2022
Game On: A Video Game Lawyer Who Plays By His Own Rules
Zachary Strebeck has always loved games, whether on a board or a video screen. In law school, he took classes and participated in internships to gain the skills he knew he would need to represent clients in the games industry. And a niche law practice was born.
A digital nomad who works from a l…
Jan. 6, 2022
An Eco-Conscious Lawyer Who Makes Going Green an Attractive Business Option
Environmental warriors are often inspired by stories of ecological travesties or climate problems that speak to their souls, and Donald Simon is living proof. A National Geographic magazine article he read as a kid in Ohio sparked a lifelong passion for protecting the earth.
Although he began wo…
Dec. 20, 2021
A Celebrity and High-Wealth Divorce Lawyer Talks About Building His Practice
Christopher Melcher never dreamed about representing celebrities and wealthy clients in divorce court. Instead, as a young lawyer, he met an LA attorney with a high-end solo practice in divorce and family law who invited him to join the practice. He dove into the world of representing wealthy and c…
Dec. 6, 2021
Practice Local, Think Global
What do five-minute interviews, going broke on the first day of a fellowship in Nairobi, opening a high-end hosiery franchise, and being appointed to an international trade committee by the Obama administration have in common? They are all experiences that shaped the fascinating life and legal care…
Nov. 11, 2021
A Conversation With a Lawyer's Lawyer
We've talked to attorneys on this podcast who represent clients' needs in distinct, niche areas of the law. But what about lawyers? They're humans with needs and a few flaws, just like the rest of us. Who do they call when they need a lawyer to represent them?
If they're smart, they will hire t…
Oct. 6, 2021
A Music Lawyer Who Protects Artists, Songwriters, Their Songs, and Their Legacies
She loves Elvis Presley, classic rock, and Northern Soul, and has a successful legal career in the music industry. Meet Erin Jacobson.
With a private practice in L.A. that has grown exponentially since its inception in 2009, Erin helps Grammy and Emmy winning singers, musicians, songwriters, l…
Sept. 23, 2021
An Out-of-This-World Lawyer Making Good Use of Space
Thousands of kids have likely dreamed of working for NASA as an astronaut. But how many science fiction-loving youngsters dream of being a NASA lawyer when they grow up? Meet Laura Montgomery.
Although NASA didn’t end up on her CV, Laura spent more than two decades as a space lawyer with the FA…
Sept. 14, 2021
Stories From an Unsinkable Explorer Lawyer
Don’t discount the childhood pleasures that can shape your life. For David Concannon, hiking, exploring, and diving at summer camp fueled his lifelong passion for outdoor adventure – and a ridiculously cool legal niche along with a side business in exploration consulting.
Inspired by his grandfa…
Sept. 8, 2021
Holy Terms and Conditions! It’s a Comic Book Lawyer!
Many comic book heroes use superpowers to defeat their evil foes and save the world. But their creators still need lawyers to negotiate their contracts. Who would have ever thought that “comic book lawyer” was an actual legal niche? We know a former professional dancer who spun into it by chance.
…
Aug. 26, 2021
Belly Up to the Bar (Exam)
John Szymankiewicz always knew he wanted to be a lawyer. He also developed a life-long passion for beer – brewing it, drinking it, and after a slight detour into chemical engineering, building a law career around it.
Now, John is one of an elite group of Sticky Lawyers dedicated to counseling …
Aug. 4, 2021
Close Encounters of the Legal Kind
Michael Hall developed an interest in UFOs and Bigfoot in the 1970s. And although he didn’t have grand plans to become The Paranormal Lawyer, he earned that moniker after decades of blending his side passion with his general law practice.
As a paranormal field researcher who investigated UFO si…
July 1, 2021
An Ocean Warrior Unafraid to Make Waves
When the Smithsonian dubs you “an ocean hero” and the New York Times calls you a “coastal warrior,” you aren’t just hoping the oceans and coastlines can be protected now and in the future. You’re championing the cause to make it happen. You’re Mark Massara.
Growing up in Santa Barbara, Mark fell…
June 24, 2021
Medical Doctor, Juris Doctor: Give Me the News
Dr. John Naranja has devoted his life to the service of others, something that is very apparent in the different roles he’s held along a career path that includes medicine, the military, and the law.
Raised by physician parents, he, too, became a doctor. After establishing a successful orthoped…
June 16, 2021
Put Some Giddy-Up in Your Niche Practice
As a child, Julie Fershtman loved horses. And she managed to cultivate that passion into a niche equine law practice – in Michigan, of all places. How did she do it?
Through lots of research, outreach, and the discipline to listen to the needs of influencers in and around the equine community. …
June 8, 2021
A Corporate Attorney Driven to Expand Food Insecurity Awareness
There is no shortage of social causes that need support. But how deeply do we understand the social issues that affect our neighbors and us, and how do we determine which feet-on-the-ground organizations to support when we do?
When it comes to food insecurity, corporate counsel Tyrone Thomas in…
May 26, 2021
A Passion for Fashion (and Law)
Ever wondered what an attorney in the fashion industry does? In our ongoing pursuit to spotlight Sticky Lawyers, we found a fashion lawyer who has created a fascinating niche for herself, beginning in law school when she was busting blue jean counterfeiters in LA’s Santee Alley.
Meet Jenny Wu, t…
May 17, 2021
Do Lawyers Live Up to the Stereotype? Kinda.
What do you call the smiling, courteous person at a bar association event? The caterer.
Ah, lawyer jokes. They may be good for a chuckle, but often that underlying (sometimes truthful) snark is what gives lawyers a bad reputation. That’s where today’s guest, attorney and author Melody Kramer, c…
May 10, 2021
Serving Up Law Practice Success
Preparing meals in the basement for the family catering business as a small child may not sound like the path to a successful career in employment law. How about announcing the new “Mr. and Mrs.” at hundreds of weddings in the family banquet hall?
At Sticky Lawyers, we’ve seen some winding road…
May 4, 2021
How to Make a Personal Injury Practice "Personal"
Morris ("Mo") Lilienthal is not just a successful trial lawyer in Huntsville, Alabama. He's also a dad, husband, and volunteer who has cultivated a large social media following.
But Mo doesn't fill his social feeds with car crash statistics and lawspeak. His Facebook and Instagram videos and po…
April 26, 2021
Pick Up the Ball and Run With It
Some might say Jill McBride Baxter was born to be a sports agent and a leader in sports law. Her dad was a Hall of Fame football coach, so she was raised on athletic fields and developed a love of the game long before she entered law school. Now, nearly 25 years later, she has a thriving sports law…