Listen While You Litigate: 3 Podcasts for Lawyers
Here's something new for your ear: podcasts for lawyers. If you're the type of attorney who likes to listen to talk radio while you put together motions or play Brahms while you brief, then lawyer podcasts can offer an enjoyable, educational addition to your playlist. Or, if you're less of a multitasker, podcasts can liven up your downtime, giving you something interesting to listen to on your commute or at the gym.
Legal-focused podcasts aren't just entertaining either. They're informative, inspiring, even instructional. Think of a blog, but without all that pesky reading. Check out our top three:
1. Serial
If you haven't listened to Serial, you've been missing out. This podcast, the first major podcast to gain widespread success without a more traditional media tie-in, focuses on the murder conviction of Adnan Syed. It works through the 15-year-old murder case bit by bit, interviewing attorneys, witnesses, friends, and family.
Though parts can be frustratingly naive, the series as a whole is a master class in effective, engrossing storytelling. You'll probably binge through the whole thing in a matter of days. If you've already heard it, you're in luck! Season two is scheduled to begin this fall.
2. Lawyer 2 Lawyer
Lawyer 2 Lawyer is the longest running legal podcast, focusing on legal topics, news, and pop culture. Podcasts are released around twice a month. The most recent is "Lawyers, Weed, and Money," which might also be Miley Cyrus's next single. Recent past podcasts covered reviews of the Supreme Court's past term, a look at jailhouse informants, and the role prescription drugs can play in DUIs. The podcast is also part of the Legal Talk Network, which offers plenty of other podcasts to keep you busy as well.
3. Amicus
You guessed it -- Amicus is a Supreme Court focused legal podcast. Slate's senior editor and court-watcher Dahlia Lithwick interviews legal scholars, practitioners, and experts on Supreme Court news, cases, and pop culture. There are pieces on the Justices, on important legal developments, and on Supreme Court history. Amicus podcasts cover everything from Guantanamo detainees to Sotomayor biographies. And unlike, say, a piece on NPR or The New York Times, Amicus knows what lawyers want to hear. You'll get a lot more substantive legal issues in an Amicus podcast than pretty much anywhere else.
Have any other favorite legal podcasts to recommend? Let us know via Twitter (@FindLawLP) or Facebook (FindLaw for Legal Professionals).
Related Resources:
- Adnan Syed: Document Casts Doubt on Case Against Serial Convict, Lawyer Says (The Guardian)
- Adam Carolla Won't Dismiss 'Patent Troll' Podcast Suit (FindLaw's Technologist)
- 5 Speech-to-Text Dictation Apps for the Dictator in You (FindLaw's Technologist)
- 3 Free Apps to Help Lawyers Manage Projects on the Go (FindLaw's Technologist)