How do you find a good criminal lawyer? Should you blow into a breathalyzer? Should you talk to the police? Should a criminal defendant testify at trial?

 

What if your client is guilty? These area some of the most common questions that criminal lawyers receive – almost daily.

 

Our guest on this episode answers these and many more. Kevin O’Brien is the founding partner of O’Brien & Eggleston, a criminal defense firm in Albany, New York.

 

Kevin is a well-respected defense lawyer and fellow Albany Law School alumni. This was a very enjoyable conversation between two lawyers who have been in the trenches for nearly twenty years.

 

Kevin is a straight shooter, who doesn’t hold back about his thoughts about the criminal justice system. Please enjoy Scott’s discussion with Kevin O’Brien. If you have questions please follow and message us on Instagram.

Giovanna and Scott are back discussing legal issues in the news this week.

 

Among them: a $10million jury verdict in a reverse race discrimination lawsuit in North Carolina; legal charges arising out of a terrible accident involving a NYS Police pursuit gone wrong, and a potential settlement of some of the claims arising out of the fallout following the helicopter accident that killed Kobe Bryant and others. 

 

If you’re enjoying the show please subscribe, leave a review and follow us on Instagram at TalkLexPodcast.

 

Message us there with any questions. *Attorney advertising – not intended as legal advice.

In this week’s episode Scott and Giovanna discuss legal news of the week, including the “Misleading Headline of the Week” regarding the Alex Jones case, as well as a massive jury verdict against Tesla, the Texas Abortion law and more.

 

Questions? Message us on Instagram @talklexpodcast. *Not intended as advise.

 

Attorney Advertising*

Vaccine mandates are here.

 

In this episode Giovanna and Scott discuss the legal implications of vaccines in the workplace, and the rights of those employees who are hesitant.

 

For more information visit www.doraziopeterson.com or follow the show on Instagram @talklexpodcast. *This information is not intended to constitute legal advice.

 

Attorney advertising.

The legal profession is broad.

 

There are many options for attorneys when they graduate law school, from practicing law to working in a number of different areas.

 

It’s often the case that an attorney will spend most or all of a career without any exposure to certain practice areas. 

 

This is the case with us and adoption law.

 

The area is foreign to us in that we have never been involved with an adoption.

 

That changed when good friends of ours adopted twin boys.

Seeing their experience, and the joy that the adoption brought to their family, the world of adoption suddenly became much more real. On this episode Scott talks with Mary Walsh Snyder, an attorney who devotes her entire practice to adoptions.

 

Mary is incredibly knowledgable about the world of adoption, and in this wide ranging conversation we talk about “open” adoptions, the best age to tell the child, some common concerns from parents involved in the process, and a good bit about parenting in the world of social media.

 

This was a very enlightening discussion, and Mary is clearly an attorney who has found her passion.

Legal stories tend to dominate the news.

 

This is particularly true in recent weeks with the trial and conviction of Derek Chauvin.

 

In some cases the headlines are justified, in others the public seems to take an outsized interest in certain legal cases. Our guest on this episode is Paul DerOhannesian. Paul is a lawyer who has been involved in numerous high profile cases throughout the past 30+ years, and has in our opinion handled them the right way. Paul Derohannesian has practiced law for more than 35 years and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Association for Justice, New York State Bar Association, New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and Albany County Bar Association. He has received the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell for the highest quality demonstration of legal abilities and adherence to ethical standards, and the coveted Lecturer of Merit Award by the National College of District Attorneys in recognition of his teaching. Paul was also recently named to the City & State 2021 Upstate Power 100 List. Paul’s firm can be found online at www.derolaw.com. On this episode Paul and Scott discuss what it’s like on the inside of high profile cases, as well as how often the media gets things right, and where they tend to go wrong. We discuss the impact of the internet and social media on the idea of a “fair trial”, and go on to discuss the more recent trends of podcasts and television true crime stories and their impact on those who are actually involved in the case. This was a very interesting discussion, and we hope you enjoy hearing some inside baseball from one of the best. **A quick note that this podcast was recorded prior to the conviction of Derek Chauvin.

In this weekly review episode, Giovanna and Scott discuss the most recent shooting in Minnesota, and consider a question about the alleged confusion between a gun and taser.

 

We go on to discuss the defense asserted by the attorney Sidney Powell in a lawsuit against her following statements made about voting machines after the 2020 Presidential election.

 

Finally, we discuss the most recent changes in the lawsuits involving Deshaun Watson, the quarterback for the Houston Texans.

With very few exceptions, most of us are either employees or employers. Whether we own a small business, work for one, or work for a large company, we fall into the category of employer or employee. Needless to say, the last year has been challenging on many levels, among those the workplace. The rules have been changing rapidly, often leaving employers and employees guessing what they can and cannot do. Our guest on this episode is Joanmarie Dowling. Joanmarie is a former big law firm attorney, and is currently the owner of Dowling law, a law firm that advises and represents for-profit and not-for-profit employers of all sizes in a variety of labor and employment matters, including screening and hiring, discrimination and harassment, reasonable accommodations, leave management, unionization and labor relations, wage and hour, and discipline and discharge. On this episode we try to break down the changing landscape of the workplace during COVID. We talk about leave, unemployment, remote work and, of course, vaccinations, and we discuss both how things are going, and how they might improve. This was a very interesting conversation for Giovanna and I. Our employment law practice mostly consists of representing employees in litigation after severe harassment or unlawful activity. The conversation with Joan Marie offered a good perspective from the other side – that of the employer, and she offered some good insight and some good suggestions for employees. Whether you’re a small business owner, management level employer or employee, I think you’ll find this episode very informative. Just a quick reminder and disclaimer that the conversations on this podcast do not constitute legal advice. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe, leave us a favorable review, or share with your friends. And finally, if you’ve got questions, you can always message us on Instagram at TalkLex podcast. Please enjoy our interview with Joanmarie Dowling.

In this episode Giovanna and Scott discuss the implications of wide spread vaccines in the workplace, and the rights of employers to require vaccination.

 

We also discuss New York’s movement toward legalization of recreational marijuana and what it means for employees.

 

In light of the Derek Chauvin criminal trial, we look at the settlements in cases involving George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner, and discuss some elements that you may not have heard about.

 

Finally, in light of a report that President Biden’s dog, Major, had bit someone for the second time, we discuss the real risk of owning a dog that bites and injures someone (often seriously).

In the legal profession words matter. Cases and legacies are often decided based upon the meaning of words.

 

Attorneys like precision when it comes to language. The food industry is much more ambiguous. Language is used to encourage consumers to buy certain foods, but what that language actually means isn’t clear, and it is often quite misleading. My guest on this episode is Eric Lovenduski. Eric is the owner of Slate River Farms, a growing family regenerative farm in Greenwich, NY that he and his wife Nellie own and run with some help from his father and his two children. Eric, who is also a full time geologist, is one of the hardest working people I know. He’s a fourth generation farmer, who has taken what he learned as a child and translated it into a modern, sustainable, farm. In this episode we start by talking about the importance of generational planning in family owned businesses, and go on to discuss some of the most common misconceptions around the food that we eat, and how that impacts the consumer. We also talk about the future of farming, the benefits of regenerative farming and its environmental impact. I really enjoyed talking with Eric, and my hope is that this episode provides a bit of clarity for our listeners about the food that we eat and the often misleading language around it. You can find Slate River Farms at www.slateriverfarmsny.com or on Instagram @slateriverfarms

On this episode Giovanna and Scott discuss the flurry of sexual harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo, what those allegations mean, and whether the Governor will hold on. We also discuss the use of confidentiality agreements, or “gag orders” in sexual harassment cases in New York.