Alienating Our Affections

Alienating Our Affections

Author: Legal Talk Network January 21, 2026 Duration: 30:13
Supreme Court hacking and the end of a Biglaw era. ------ The Biglaw world continues to watch single-tier partnerships slip away with Sullivan & Cromwell joining the income partner trend. Will the industry have any single-tier firms left by the end of the year? Also former Senator and current Hogan Lovells lawyer Kyrsten Sinema tagged with an alienation of affection tort from her former bodyguard's soon-to-be ex-wife. Come for the bad soap opera plot, stay for the MDMA-inspired psychedelic trip allegations. Finally, the Supreme Court got hacked, but federal law enforcement managed, a couple years after the fact, to track down the culprit whose social media handle was "ihackedthegovernment." Cracker jack work all around.

Ever wonder how a lawyer's mind dissects the everyday world? That's the territory explored in Above the Law-Thinking Like a Lawyer, hosted by Joe Patrice, Kathryn Rubino, and Chris Williams from the legal news site. This isn't a dry analysis of case law, but a lively conversation where the hosts take common experiences-from pop culture phenomena and business trends to workplace dilemmas and current events-and run them through a distinctly legal filter. You'll hear them untangle the underlying principles, ethical knots, and surprising precedents hidden within topics everyone discusses. The result is often illuminating, sometimes dizzying, but always engaging as they debate whether that framework reveals clarity or complexity. Produced by the Legal Talk Network, the podcast sits at a unique crossroads of news, business, and career insights, offering a pragmatic yet entertaining look at how legal thinking shapes our understanding of everything. It’s for anyone curious about the mechanics of argument, the structure of rules, or just a smarter take on the week’s headlines. Tune in for a regular dose of perspective that is as thought-provoking as it is accessible, proving that a legal lens can be applied to far more than just a courtroom.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer
Podcast Episodes
First Thing We Do, Let's Fire All The Lawyers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:00
Government lawyer purge creates chaos ----- Trump administration slashes jobs for young lawyers months before they officially start sparking a scramble for jobs. The Justice Department followed up that news by terminatin…
Tom Goldstein Should've Stuck With High Stakes Go Fish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:08
You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. ------ Supreme Court litigator Tom Goldstein, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, is on the wrong side of the law facing a multi-count indictment related to the alleged f…
Back To The Office Blues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:47
Attorneys yearn for the commute. ----- Sullivan & Cromwell are bringing attorneys back to the office five days a week. The stated reason is to mirror "normal business hours" which is a cruel joke in an abnormal business…
Ho, Ho, Ho-Cast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:33
A very jolly podcast. ----- It's a very special holiday episode of Thinking Like A Lawyer with three straight "Ho" stories. First, Hogan Lovells irks associates with a bonus announcement without matching the industry sta…
Lawyers Who Do Lunch [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:49
Bringing new meaning to the court's order. ----- Can lunch save professional civility? Almost assuredly not, but one judge is going to try. Partnership isn't what it used to be. Instead of long careers with equity owners…
Replacing Judges With AI And Other Stupid Ideas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:12
Elon's got some thoughts on the judicial system. ----- Elon Musk says his AI will be able to deliver judicial opinions as soon as he feeds it "all" the cases. It will not, but his impulse sheds some light on a disturbing…
Law School Thought Pregnant Women Not Like Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:51
Get it? Combining two of the stories into one relevant title? ----- A pregnant law student sought modest accommodations when finals came over her due date. The school rejected the request saying, "Motherhood is not for t…
Law Firm Confidentiality Can't Be Left To The Honor System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:04
'Hey, please don't open this' is not a policy. ----- A law firm left its confidential internal documents with juicy information unprotected and was shocked, SHOCKED to find out attorneys read them. Pam Bondi is next at b…
Judge Throws Temper Tantrum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:29
Also... Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is something we have to contemplate? ----- The Federalist Society conference included a tour de force in rhetorical fallacy from the Fifth Circuit's Judge Edith Jones, suggesting th…