What if you can’t separate the lawyer from their identity? This compilation features attorneys whose practices aren't just what they do—they're who they are. They didn't choose their niches through market analysis or strategic planning. Their practices chose them. The pattern is clear: authenticity creates the most sustainable practices. The conscientious orthopedic surgeon becomes a conscientious personal injury lawyer. The geneticist who brings science to law and law to science. The proud son of Polish World War II refugees who helped shape Poland's commercial law framework. The stories of these and eight other Sticky Lawyers prove that the most fulfilling legal careers emerge when lawyers bring their whole selves to their work—their backgrounds, their struggles, their victories, their identities. In this special compilation, host John Reed looks back at guests who show that for some Sticky Lawyers, you can’t separate the person from the practice.

An HIV-positive diagnosis can thankfully now be managed with antiretroviral drugs that keep the viral load nearly undetectable. However, the widespread fear and panic that accompanied the AIDS crisis in the 1980s created rampant panic and discrimination against HIV-positive people, especially gay men. And unfortunately, that discrimination still exists. Our guest today, Scott Schoettes, is an attorney and advocate for HIV-positive individuals, and he is also a gay man living with HIV. Scott's undergraduate studies led to a career in musical theater, including a national tour of “West Side Story.” But as he considered his second act in life, the death of Matthew Shepard inspired his legal journey. Since then, Scott has advocated for HIV-positive individuals – especially those in the U.S. military — as Lambda Legal’s HIV project director, served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on HIV-AIDS, and continues his work in private practice. Listen as this sticky lawyer de…