Original Jurisdiction

Cryptocurrency is at a critical point in its evolution. The existential questions have been answered —crypto is here to stay—and now the main issues relate to how it will be regulated (and by whom). Last year, Congress passed the GENIUS Act, landmark legislation governing a particular category of crypto called stablecoins. And when it returns from its August recess, the Senate will consider the CLARITY Act, a comprehensive market-structure bill covering the entire digital-asset ecosystem. So Molly Abraham, who became the new general counsel of Coinbase last month, assumes her new role at an exciting time for her company—the nation’s largest cryptocurrency exchange—and for the crypto industry more generally. After reviewing her impressive legal career (and reminiscing about Wachtell Lipton), we covered the CLARITY Act, how Coinbase’s legal team is using AI in innovative ways, and how Molly believes the raging litigation over prediction markets will be resolved. Thanks to Molly for joining me, and congratulations to her on becoming the GC of Coinbase. Show Notes: * Molly Abraham bio , Coinbase * Coinbase’s New GC Sees AI as Legal Department’s Biggest Opportunity and Risk , by Michael Gennaro for Law.com * Molly Abraham of Coinbase on Legal Leadership, Flying Cars, and The Art of Questioning Everything , by GC AI Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

For much of the time that I’ve been writing about the legal profession, the line between plaintiff- and defense-side litigation was clear, stable, and widely respected. Small, scrappy firms took plaintiffs’ work on contingency; large, prestigious firms defended corporations for hourly rates. That division has been eroding—slowly at first, then with increasing speed. Today, defense-oriented Biglaw firms are actively seeking plaintiff-side engagements for their corporate clients, competing with the plaintiffs’ bar for cases that they wouldn’t have looked at even a decade ago. On Wednesday, May 6, I had the pleasure of moderating an excellent panel discussion dedicated to exploring these developments. It featured three great experts: Eva Cole , co-chair of the antitrust and competition practice at Winston Taylor; Evan Meyerson , managing director at Burford Capital; and Avi Weitzman , co-chair of the complex litigation and arbitration practice at Paul Hastings. I’m now pleased to share our conversation with you as a special episode of the Original Jurisdiction podcast. Thanks to the panelists for the time and insight, and thanks to Burford Capital for organizing this great event. Show Notes: * Defense-Focused Biglaw Moves Into Plaintiff-Side Work , by David Lat for Original Jurisdiction * Turning In-House Legal Departments Into Revenue Generators , by David Lat for Original Jurisdiction * Survey of in-house counsel on commercial opt-out claims , by Burford Capital * Litigation economics: CFOs and GCs weigh in on best practices in optimizing legal department value , by Burford Capital Sponsored by: Burford Capital helps companies and law firms unlock the value of their legal assets. With a portfolio of over $7 billion and listings on the NYSE and LSE, Burford provides capital to finance high-value commercial litigation and arbitration—without adding cost or risk or giving up control. Clients include Fortune 500 companies and Am Law 100 firms, who turn to Burford to pursue strong claims, manage legal costs and accelerate recoveries. Learn more at burfordcapital.com . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Earlier this year, Benjamin Gruenstein left Cravath Swaine & Moore, his professional home for almost two decades, and founded his own boutique, Gruenstein Law. Ben and I first met around the time that he launched his firm, after we were introduced by a mutual friend (but not his brother, former Wachtell Lipton partner David Gruenstein , with whom I used to work). I greatly enjoyed my conversation with Ben and thought that I’d love to have him on the podcast at some point. And now, the time has come. In our conversation, Ben discussed three topics in the news: (1) his departure from Cravath, which has seen higher-than-usual partner turnover this year, and why he wanted to launch his own firm; (2) Fernandez v. United States , an interesting and important case that was recently decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which Ben argued before the justices; and (3) how AI is transforming the practice of law—and the role it played in Ben’s decision to leave Biglaw. Thanks to Ben for his insights—in our interview and more generally—and good luck to him and his colleagues at Gruenstein Law. Show Notes: * Benjamin Gruenstein bio , Gruenstein Law * Cravath Partner Gruenstein Launches Boutique Firm in New York , by Meghan Tribe for Bloomberg Law * Cravath Investigations Partner Launches His Own Boutique , by Ryan Harroff for Law.com * Cravath Partner Launches Corporate Investigations Boutique , by Daniel Connolly for Law360 Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Last Tuesday, June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its final opinions in argued cases for October Term 2025. So it’s an ideal time to review the Term that was—and to look ahead to what’s on the docket for OT 2026. I could think of no better guest for this project than my husband, Zachary Baron Shemtob. Zach is the executive editor of SCOTUSblog—a leading news outlet, if not the leading news outlet, about the Supreme Court. Before joining SCOTUSblog in May 2025, he practiced at two top law firms, clerked for the Second Circuit and Southern District of New York, and graduated from Georgetown Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the law review. Prior to his legal career, Zach was an assistant professor of criminology, where he focused on legal decision making. Thanks to Zach for joining me—and thanks to him and the entire team at SCOTUSblog for their excellent work. Show Notes: * Zachary Shemtob author page , SCOTUSblog * Zachary Baron Shemtob , personal website Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Defending some of the Trump administration’s most controversial policies in court, before frequently skeptical judges, can be difficult. But Abhishek “Abhi” Kambli, who recently stepped down as deputy associate attorney general, took on this challenge—repeatedly. During 15 months at the U.S. Department of Justice, he personally argued more than 20 consequential cases, involving subjects including the Biglaw executive orders, the Alien Enemies Act, and military service by transgender individuals. Earlier this month, Kambli joined Holtzman Vogel—a boutique known for its political-law practice, state attorneys general work, and government investigations expertise, as well as its high-level connections in Republican and conservative circles. Having completed his government service, Abhi is freer than before to speak his mind—and graciously agreed to sit down with me to talk about his time in the administration. Thanks to Abhi for a thoughtful conversation, which included fielding difficult questions, and congrats to him on his latest move. Show Notes: * Abhishek Kambli bio , Holtzman Vogel * Abhi Khambli , X (fka Twitter) * Ex-DOJ Lawyer Who Defended Trump’s Big Law Attacks Lands at Firm , by Tatyana Monnay for Bloomberg Law * DOJ’s Kambli Entrusted to Pull Off Win in Trump-Big Law Fight , by Justin Henry for Bloomberg Law Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

For longtime observers of the legal profession, here’s a headline we wouldn’t have expected a few years ago: “The Eight-Figure Talent Race for Supreme Court Lawyers.” According to Ryan Barber and Erin Mulvaney of The Wall Street Journal (gift link), superstar SCOTUS advocates—including former solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar, now at Cooley, and former acting SG Jeff Wall, who recently joined Gibson Dunn—are commanding pay packages previously unheard of for appellate practitioners. For such a small and elite group, the Supreme Court bar has seen a striking amount of movement in the past few weeks. In April, Wall led a four-partner group that decamped from Sullivan & Cromwell to Gibson. A few days later, another leading high-court litigator, Kannon Shanmugam, left Paul Weiss and joined Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he now heads the firm’s new Supreme Court and appellate practice group. What explains this flurry of movement in the SCOTUS space? Why are top firms investing so heavily in Supreme Court and appellate practices? And what broader trends might this reflect? I could think of no better guest to explore these topics than Kannon Shanmugam. Not only did he recently go through the recruiting process as a lateral partner, but he’s now going to be doing some hiring of his own, as he and Masha Hansford build out what Kannon hopes will be “the very best appellate practice in the country.” Thanks to Kannon for speaking with me, and congratulations to him and Masha on their move to Davis Polk. Show Notes: * Kannon Shanmugam bio , Davis Polk & Wardwell * Kannon K. Shanmugam profile , Chambers and Partners * Davis Polk Looks to Appellate Star Shanmugam to Elevate D.C. Build , by Meghan Tribe for Bloomberg Law Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

The trend of leading litigators launching their own boutiques continues. Last month, three Chambers-ranked trial lawyers—Jessie Liu, Justin Shur, and Jonathan Kravis—left their respective firms to found Liu Shur Kravis in Washington, D.C. What makes LSK particularly interesting is that it’s a “bipartisan boutique”—unusual in D.C., where boutiques tend to have a partisan valence. Liu was the Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney for D.C. in the first Trump administration, while Kravis worked in the White House Counsel’s Office in the Obama administration. To learn more about how LSK came together and what its launch might reflect about the evolving legal industry, I welcomed Jessie Liu to the podcast. We first discussed her journey as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants from a small town in Texas to the top of the legal profession—including her service at Main Justice, her tenure as U.S. attorney, and her years as a Biglaw partner, most recently at Skadden Arps. We then tackled events in the news—and Jessie shared her thoughts, as someone who served at a high level in the first Trump administration, on how the second Trump administration differs from the first. Thanks to Jessie for joining me, congratulations to her and her partners on the launch of LSK, and good luck to them in the years ahead. Show Notes: * Jessie K. Liu bio , Liu Shur Kravis LLP * Jessie K. Liu profile , Chambers and Partners * Jessie Liu bio , Wikipedia Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

State attorneys general have been playing an increasingly important role in American law and politics in recent years, as I discussed in my recent podcast interview of former New Jersey attorney general Matthew Platkin . Continuing the conversation on this interesting evolution, last week I interviewed Rob Bonta, the 34th attorney general of our nation’s largest state, California.We began by discussing Rob’s early life, including how he immigrated to California with his family as an infant, and his legal career, including his service in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office and the California State Assembly. We then turned to current events, including the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais ; the 67 lawsuits his office has filed against the Trump administration since January 2025, including election-related cases; and Rob’s own future plans, including whether he might run someday for the U.S. Senate or governor of California. I’ve known Rob for decades, ever since we were members of an informal (and very small) group of Filipino-American students at Yale Law School. Rob is now the first person of Filipino descent to serve as California’s AG—making him an especially fitting guest for May, which is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Thanks to Rob for reconnecting with me and for sharing his thoughts on a wide range of timely topics. Show Notes: * Rob Bonta bio , Office of the Attorney General of the State of California * Rob Bonta bio , Wikipedia Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Artificial intelligence is transforming the practice of law in countless ways, as I’ve explored in this podcast and newsletter. Thus far, I’ve focused mainly on AI’s implications for lawyers and law firms. But how is AI affecting clients, what they expect from their firms, and the attorney-client relationship? Sabastian Niles, the president and chief legal officer of Salesforce, tackled these topics in an open letter he published last month, “How Law Firms Can Lead the Agentic AI Era—And What Clients Now Expect.” After reading his letter, I thought he’d be the perfect guest to help me explore these critical subjects. We began our conversation by covering Sabastian’s path from mock trial champion to Wachtell Lipton M&A partner to CLO of one of the world’s leading technology companies. We then turned to AI in legal—discussing what “agentic AI” actually means, how Salesforce evaluates outside counsel on AI adoption, and why Sabastian believes that trust and innovation, far from being in tension, go hand in hand. Thanks to Sabastian for speaking with me—and for his invaluable insights into the future of law and the legal profession in the age of agentic AI. Show Notes: * Sabastian Niles bio , Salesforce * How Law Firms Can Lead the Agentic AI Era—And What Clients Now Expect , by Sabastian Niles for Salesforce Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Sarah Isgur is one of the busiest people in legal media. She hosts the delightful Advisory Opinions podcast (on which I sometimes appear); serves as an editor of SCOTUSblog, the leading online outlet covering the Supreme Court; and appears regularly on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. And now, as of yesterday, she’s a first-time author. The thesis of Sarah’s new book— Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court —is deceptively simple: almost everything the media tells you about SCOTUS is wrong. The conventional 6-3 framing obscures far more than it reveals. And compared to Congress and the presidency, the Court is genuinely trying to do its job. In our wide-ranging conversation, we covered Sarah's unconventional path to legal media (she was inspired by Legally Blonde to apply to Harvard Law School, and was fired from the DOJ and CNN before reinventing herself at The Dispatch); her book’s core argument, which will be controversial in some quarters; Justice Sotomayor’s recent, pointed criticism of Justice Kavanaugh; and possible picks for the next Supreme Court justice and attorney general. Thanks to Sarah for joining me, and congratulations to her on the publication of Last Branch Standing —a must-read for anyone interested in the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

My latest guest is an acclaimed appellate and Supreme Court advocate, Jennifer Bennett of Gupta Wessler. To introduce her, I’m going to turn over the floor to a former podcast guest: Judge Vince Chhabria (N.D. Cal.), for whom Bennett clerked. When I mentioned to Judge Chhabria that I was going to be interviewing Jennifer, he immediately moved into testimonial mode: "Funny, I was going to email you to suggest that you interview her! She is truly one of one. She recently won her fourth Supreme Court case, GEO Group v. Menocal . Despite representing workers in all four of her cases (the first three on arbitration), she has won all four of them, and each one of them has been unanimous. In other words, this lawyer for working people has never lost a vote in her four cases on behalf of working people at the current Supreme Court! She also just argued her fifth case at the Court, Flowers Foods, Inc. v. Brock —the arbitration case about ‘last-mile’ drivers. It seems like she might win that one, too. Jenn was my very first law clerk—I refer to her as Chhabria Clerk Zero. For around three months, before the other law clerks started, it was just me and her in chambers, sifting through our new cases and figuring out how to handle them. Steve Berzon came to my informal swearing-in, I was lamenting not having immediate law clerk help, and he mentioned that this person who clerked for [Judges] Marsha [Berzon] and Jesse [Furman] had about six months to kill before starting a fellowship at Public Justice and might be interested. I was so lucky to have Jenn. Given how amazing she is and given her experience in Jesse’s chambers, she was able to get me up and running in a way that would have been impossible otherwise. She played a big role in teaching me how to be a good district judge." Thanks to Judge Chhabria for the intro, and thanks to Jenn for joining me. Show Notes: * Jennifer Bennett bio , Gupta Wessler LLP * High Court Bar’s Future: Gupta Wessler’s Jennifer Bennett , by Jeff Overley for Law360 * US Supreme Court weighs bid to narrow worker arbitration exemption , by Daniel Wiessner for Reuters Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve interviewed many law firm leaders on this podcast, usually from one of two extremes: brand-new boutiques or long-established Biglaw institutions. But the most interesting moment in a firm’s history may be the middle—when the early bets have paid off, but the long-term trajectory is still unfolding. That’s where Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes is today. Founded in February 2021, in the depths of the pandemic, the firm is now one of the nation’s leading boutiques—and recently marked its fifth anniversary with a celebration at The Pool, a fabulous venue inside the landmark Seagram Building. I was there at the invitation of my longtime friend Jed Bergman —a former Wachtell Lipton colleague and co-founder of Glenn Agre, where he recently became the chair of litigation. After catching up at the party, I invited Jed to join me on the podcast to talk about what it’s like to be five years into building a firm. Five years is a revealing moment: long enough to have learned lessons, but early enough that the future remains wide open. Jed and I discussed why he and his partners launched Glenn Agre, what he knows now that he didn’t then, where the firm is headed—and why he thinks AI could give boutiques a competitive edge over Biglaw. Congratulations to Jed and his partners on the milestone—and best of luck in the years ahead. Show Notes: * Jed I. Bergman bio , Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP * Jed Bergman profile , Legal 500 * Jed I. Bergman Appointed Chair of Litigation Department at Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP , PR Newswire Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Over the three decades that I’ve been in and around the legal profession, one of the most interesting developments has been the rise of what I’d call “The Modern Attorney General.” Years ago, the typical state attorney general had a fairly sleepy role. Much of the job was reactive—enforcing criminal laws or defending state statutes in court—and focused on in-state developments. Today, the office looks very different. State attorneys general have harnessed their powers to pursue aggressive affirmative agendas, from policing entire industries to serving as a check on the federal government. Many AGs are now national figures who play a major role in shaping law and policy—whether it’s red-state AGs suing the Biden administration or blue-state AGs suing the Trump administration. As a proud resident of the Garden State, I’m especially interested in the New Jersey Attorney General’s office—one of the most powerful in the country. So I was delighted to interview Matthew Platkin , New Jersey’s 62nd attorney general. During his four years in office, which ended in January, Matt handled dozens of high-profile cases, including multiple matters that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Last month, Matt returned to the private sector and launched Platkin LLP , a mission-driven firm he co-founded with former colleagues from the New Jersey AG’s office. In Matt’s words, the firm will “hold the world’s most powerful corporations and institutions accountable when they break the law and harm the public.” Thanks to Matt for his service as New Jersey AG—not without controversies, some of which we discussed—and for joining me on the podcast. Show Notes: * Matt Platkin bio , Platkin LLP * Platkin: ‘I said from day one that I was going to pursue justice,’ by Briana Vannozzi for NJ Spotlight News * Former New Jersey attorney general launches new law firm , by David Thomas for Reuters Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

Last month, Michael Gerstenzang concluded a nine-year run as managing partner of Cleary Gottlieb, one of the world’s leading law firms. During his tenure, he guided the firm through the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical turbulence, and the early stages of the AI transformation—an area where Cleary has emerged as an industry leader, reflected in its development of ClearyX and acquisition of Springbok AI. In this episode, Michael shares insights on firm leadership, the increasingly active lateral market, and how AI is already transforming—and will continue to transform—the hiring, training, and day-to-day work of lawyers. I learned a tremendous amount from our conversation, and I’m grateful to Michael for his thoughtful perspectives. Show Notes: * Michael A. Gerstenzang bio , Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP * Thoughts on Managing the AI Transformation , by Michael A. Gerstenzang for Cleary Gottlieb * Cleary Makes Generative AI Play With Springbok Legal Tech Buy , by Roy Strom for Bloomberg Law Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com If you’re my age, you’ll recall the story of Bernhard Goetz. On a New York City subway car on December 22, 1984, Goetz shot four Black teenagers from the Bronx at point-blank range. Accused of attempted murder, Goetz went to trial—and was acquitted on the most serious charges, after claiming he acted in self-defense. Goetz became internationally famous—or infamous, as the case may be—and folks who were around in the ‘80s will surely be interested in looking back on his case, seeing where he is now, and the like. But even if you’re not familiar with Bernie Goetz, the issues his actions raised remain very relevant to our current moment. If you’re interested in exploring these important subjects, I have a reading recommendation for you: Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ‘80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation , by Elliot Williams. A former prosecutor turned CNN legal analyst, Williams is perfectly positioned to delve into the Goetz case—and connect it to current controversies. Thanks to Elliot for writing Five Bullets . And thanks to him for joining me—for a wide-ranging discussion covering his fascinating career as a lawyer turned journalist, his compelling new book, the Goetz case, and what’s going on right now in Minnesota (Elliot is a former senior official at ICE)—on the Original Jurisdiction podcast. Show Notes: * Elliot Williams bio , Penguin Random House * Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ‘80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation , Amazon * The Subway Vigilante Who Never Left Is Back (gift link), by David Segal for The New York Times Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com How would you react if you saw Jack Smith, the former special counsel who prosecuted Donald Trump, at Costco? It might just happen. Last week, Jack Smith launched his own litigation boutique, along with three other former federal prosecutors: Timothy Heaphy, David Harbach, and Thomas Windom. A new law firm is like a startup, where the founders have to do many things themselves—so on Tuesday of last week, Tim Heaphy and two of his partners went to Costco to buy paper towels. Jack Smith didn’t join them—he was busy preparing for his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, taking place tomorrow—but according to Heaphy, Smith’s on deck for the next Costco run. This was one of several fun tidbits that Tim Heaphy (pronounced HAY-fee) shared with me in the latest episode of the OJ podcast. We covered a number of interesting subjects, including Heaphy’s service as both a U.S. attorney (W.D. Va.) and as chief investigative counsel to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack; what Heaphy, a former partner at Willkie Farr, thought about the firm’s settlement with the Trump administration; and what the mysterious Jack Smith is like as a person. This is an episode you won’t want to miss—especially if you’re interested in the intersection of law and politics during the second Trump administration. Show Notes: * Timothy J. Heaphy bio , Heaphy, Smith, Harbach & Windom LLP​ * Jack Smith’s New Venture Shuns Label as Anti-Trump Attack Dog , by Justin Henry for Bloomberg Law * Jack Smith’s New Law Firm Opens Its Doors , by Abigail Adcox for Law.com Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com Welcome to the first Original Jurisdiction podcast episode of the new year, an opportune time to both reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026. To kick things off, I decided I wanted to interview a Biglaw leader, to get a sense of both the challenges and opportunities facing large law firms today. I was delighted to be joined by Jon Van Gorp, who has served as the chair of Mayer Brown since 2021. A member of both the Am Law 100 and the Vault 100, Mayer Brown has around 2,000 lawyers, $2 billion in revenue, and 150 years of history. As for Jon, he’s a Chambers-ranked, leading practitioner in structured finance—and we began our conversation by discussing his distinguished career in practice. We then moved on to discuss his leadership of Mayer Brown, which Jon views as a way of giving back to an institution that has given so much to him. We covered his approach to leadership, the firm’s strategic plan, and its approach to AI adoption. But Jon was also willing to tackle topics that other Biglaw leaders have been avoiding, such as partner pay and the (rather fraught) relationship between the Trump administration and large law firms. Thanks to Jon for his time, insight, and willingness to discuss delicate—but incredibly important—issues. Show Notes: * Jon D. Van Gorp bio , Mayer Brown LLP * Beyond cold hard cash, warm fuzzies are the way to a lawyer’s heart, firm chair says , by Jenna Greene for Reuters * Mayer Brown Chair On Why Law Leaders Need To Listen More , by Kevin Penton for Law360 Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com Every time you ask a question of your AI assistant, it gets sent to a data center, where the response is generated before getting sent back to you. These data centers are critical to the AI revolution. The biggest data-center campuses occupy dozens of acres, span millions of square feet, and cost billions of dollars. And they wouldn’t exist without the work of lawyers. For insight into the complex transactions that bring these data centers into existence, I interviewed Steven Messina, a longtime partner at Skadden Arps and global head of the firm’s banking group (soon to be renamed the finance group, reflecting the evolution of the sector beyond commercial banks). In our conversation, Steve and I discussed how these billion-dollar data centers get financed. But we covered a number of other topics as well, including the evolution of both the finance industry and Biglaw over the past three decades. If you’re interested in technology, business, or law, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Show Notes: * Steven Messina bio , Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP * Hyperscaler Data Centers: Financing Solutions for Large-Scale Projects , by Steven Messina, Aryan Moniri, David L. Nagler, and Jared S. Dub Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com During the three-plus years that I’ve been hosting this podcast, I’ve welcomed a diverse range of guests. They’ve exhibited demographic diversity, of course, but also other forms of diversity—including diversity of opinion and experience. So I was embarrassed when I recently noticed that although I’ve interviewed more than a dozen current and former judges, only two have sat on state courts (and by the time I interviewed them, those judges— Rolando Acosta and Debra Wong Yang —had left the bench). Put another way, I have not, until today, hosted a sitting state-court judge—a considerable omission, considering the significance of state courts. As noted by the National Center for State Courts , “State courts play a critical role in our democracy, handling about 96 percent of all legal cases in the United States.” I set out to remedy this gap—and was delighted when Justice David Wecht, a longtime friend, agreed to join me. He’s a timely guest: last month, he and two of his colleagues were reelected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, for which I named them Judges of the Week . Why? Their court is one of the most important state courts in the country—for reasons I discussed with Justice Wecht on the episode. In our conversation, we also covered the justice’s interesting path to the Pennsylvania high court; why he believes young (and not-so-young) lawyers should get involved with their communities; certain unique features of the Pennsylvania Constitution, as well as its relationship to the U.S. Constitution; and, of course, his recent reelection to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Congratulations to Justice Wecht on his reelection—and thanks to him for joining me. Show Notes: * Justice David N. Wecht bio , The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania * Approach The Bench: Justice Wecht On Judicial Campaigns , by Cara Bayles and Steven Trader for Law360 * Law Day Shabbat: Address by Justice David Wecht , Temple Israel, Wilkes-Barre Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidlat.substack.com Welcome to Original Jurisdiction , the latest legal publication by me, David Lat . You can learn more about Original Jurisdiction by reading its About page , and you can email me at davidlat@substack.com. This is a reader-supported publication; you can subscribe by clicking here . How are the federal courts faring during these tumultuous times? I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss this important subject with a former federal judge: someone who understands the judicial role well but could speak more freely than a sitting judge, liberated from the strictures of the bench. Meet Judge Nancy Gertner (Ret.), who served as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Massachusetts from 1994 until 2011. I knew that Judge Gertner would be a lively and insightful interviewee—based not only on her extensive commentary on recent events, reflected in media interviews and op-eds, but on my personal experience. During law school, I took a year-long course on federal sentencing with her, and she was one of my favorite professors. When I was her student, we disagreed on a lot: I was severely conservative back then, and Judge Gertner was, well, not. But I always appreciated and enjoyed hearing her views—so it was a pleasure hearing them once again, some 25 years later, in what turned out to be an excellent conversation. Show Notes: * Nancy Gertner , author website * Nancy Gertner bio , Harvard Law School * In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate , Amazon Prefer reading to listening? For paid subscribers, a transcript of the entire episode appears below. Sponsored by: NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com.