California MCLE Podcast

The United States protects religious freedom in the first words of the Bill of Rights and protects children in every state's criminal code. When a parent's faith leads to refusing a blood transfusion, praying over a diabetic child instead of seeking care, or declining vaccination, the law must decide which commitment yields. Prof. Marci Hamilton, who argued City of Boerne v. Flores before the Supreme Court and is the author of God vs. the Gavel, joins TalksOnLaw to examine where the right to believe ends and the right to act on that belief begins.

Hamilton walks through religious exemptions from vaccination and medical-neglect laws, mature-minor rules that let a fourteen-year-old refuse treatment, the 2008 Texas raid on the FLDS Yearning for Zion Ranch, religious summer camps and conversion therapy, and how federal and state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts are raised as defenses in abuse and neglect cases. The conversation closes with the religious-exemption laws enacted after the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decision. This interview was recorded while Hamilton held the Paul R. Verkuil Chair at Cardozo; the TalksOnLaw course page includes an update on how the law has developed since.

How to Earn CLE Credit
MCLE certificates are eligible only for TalksOnLaw Premium or Podcast members. To earn credit, listen to the full program, note the verification code announced during the recording, then log in to your TalksOnLaw account to record attendance and download your certificate at www.TalksOnLaw.com/podcast.

Approved for 1 hr of participatory California MCLE credit in the General category at the time of publication. Please visit TalksOnLaw to check whether older courses remain active for MCLE reporting purposes.

Deepfakes, AI-generated documents, and machine-assisted analysis are arriving in courtrooms faster than the rules of evidence can adapt. Judge Paul Grimm joins TalksOnLaw to discuss how courts should authenticate and evaluate AI-generated evidence — and what judges and litigators can do now to prepare.

How to Earn CLE Credit
MCLE certificates are eligible only for TalksOnLaw Premium or Podcast members. To earn credit, listen to the full program, note the verification code announced during the recording, then log in to your TalksOnLaw account to record attendance and download your certificate at www.TalksOnLaw.com/podcast.

Approved for 1 hr of participatory California MCLE credit in the Technology category at the time of publication. Please visit TalksOnLaw to check whether older courses remain active for MCLE reporting purposes.

The criminal and civil cases surrounding Donald Trump have raised a remarkable range of professional responsibility questions — for prosecutors, defense counsel, and the lawyers who found themselves in the middle. Legal ethics professors Bruce Green and Rebecca Roiphe survey the ethical issues raised by the Trump trials and what they teach about the rules governing lawyers.

How to Earn CLE Credit
MCLE certificates are eligible only for TalksOnLaw Premium or Podcast members. To earn credit, listen to the full program, note the verification code announced during the recording, then log in to your TalksOnLaw account to record attendance and download your certificate at www.TalksOnLaw.com/podcast.

Approved for 1.5 hrs of participatory California MCLE credit in Legal Ethics at the time of publication. Please visit TalksOnLaw to check whether older courses remain active for MCLE reporting purposes.

The legal profession has long been defined as a high-performance environment characterized by competition and long hours. While dedication and hard work remain hallmarks of successful lawyers, there is a growing recognition of the tension between these professional demands and attorney mental health. Dean David Jaffe, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at American University, offers a unique perspective on this challenge, having co-piloted two national surveys on law student well-being.

How to Earn CLE Credit
MCLE certificates are eligible only for TalksOnLaw Premium or Podcast members. To earn credit, listen to the full program, note the verification code announced during the recording, then log in to your TalksOnLaw account to record attendance and download your certificate at www.TalksOnLaw.com/podcast.

Approved for 1 hr of participatory California MCLE credit in the Competence (Prevention and Detection of Substance Abuse/Mental Health).

For more than a decade, Brad Karp has led Paul, Weiss during a period of significant growth and change, including its emergence as one of the most profitable firms in BigLaw. In this episode, Karp describes how large law firms are built, governed, and sustained over time.

Karp discusses how Paul, Weiss evolved from a litigation-heavy firm into a more diversified platform spanning private equity, public M&A, restructuring, and regulatory defense; how major client relationships influenced firm strategy; and how consensus governance and partnership norms operate as firms grow in size and complexity. The conversation also addresses senior-level recruiting, practice-group development, geographic expansion, and the challenges of making long-term investments while maintaining institutional culture.

Executive Order Insights: The podcast concludes with a candid discussion of the impact and decision make in the wake of the executive actions directed at major firms such as Paul, Weiss, and what those events revealed about risk, resilience, and structures inside large partnerships.

This episode is part of New Law Order, a TalksOnLaw limited series and standalone podcast co-hosted by Joel Cohen and John Morley, whose scholarship focuses on the structure and economics of law firms.

How to Earn CLE Credit
MCLE certificates are eligible only for TalksOnLaw Premium or Podcast members. To earn credit, listen to the full program, note the verification code announced during the recording, then log in to your TalksOnLaw account to record attendance and download your certificate at www.TalksOnLaw.com/podcast. 

Approved for 1.0 hour of General California MCLE credit.