Dear listeners,
Ken is on vacation this week and next, braving the warmth of non-air conditioned England. Sitting in for Ken this week is David Lat, founder of the Above the Law blog and the man behind the Original Jurisdiction newsletter and podcast here on Substack.
David joins me for a conversation about the state of the legal industry under Donald Trump. Last year, when Trump declared war on the industry with his campaign of executive orders, there was a lot of speculation about the economic costs of fighting or folding: Would litigation clients decide firms that settled were too weak to fight for them? Would transactional clients decide they need a firm on Trump’s good side? As David notes, things have mostly worked out for firms that made either choice — the orders failed in court, it’s hard to identify that much lost business, and partners are making more money than ever.
Speaking of money: isn’t AI supposed to be upending the industry? Firms are eager to take up the new technology (and occasionally embarrassing themselves with hallucinations in briefs) but so far, it doesn’t appear to be causing declines in staffing, salaries, or billing rates. Instead, there are signs clients are finding more ways to use lawyers’ time — including responding to a growing raft of lawsuits that plaintiffs file pro se with the help of AI engines.
Plus: we look at the unusual breakdown in Thursday’s Supreme Court decision in the Monsanto case.
We hope you enjoy the episode and the holiday, and Ken and I will be back with more after July 4.
Best,
Josh
