Cause of Action with Spencer Pahlke

Spencer recently joined the ABA Law Student Podcast for an in-depth conversation with University of Buffalo College of Law 3L Eve Albert. We’re bringing you that episode today. Spencer shares an overview of the field of plaintiffs’ practice, what inspires him, and his tips on how to make the most out of law school. Spencer and Eve also tackle the issue of pay transparency, and how the things you do outside of the courtroom can help build your practice.

Suggestions for topics? Questions for our guests? Email the show at [email protected].

Earlier this year, today’s guest, Rahul Ravipudi, served as co-counsel in a landmark victory against social media giants Meta and YouTube for designing products that are knowingly addictive to kids. It’s just one example of how Rahul, and his firm Panish | Shea | Ravipudi are fighting for their clients and having a big impact. Rahul shares what it was like to help lead that case, the mission that motivates him, and how he landed his first job out of law school. Later, law students Lucy Roberts-Widdison and Kira Eng join to share their experience working with Michigan’s Plaint...

One crucial thing that often gets left out of conversations about legal cases is the appeal process. The corporate defense side has a long tradition of attorneys who specialize in appeals. But there are also plaintiff-side appellate attorneys. One of the very best is today’s guest, Deepak Gupta. Deepak and his firm, Gupta Wessler, have one of the highest win rates arguing appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court. He’ll share what the job of an appellate attorney is like day-to-day, how the work can have a big impact, and what it takes to win in today’s Supr...

Alexandra Walsh worked for two decades on the corporate defense side before starting her own plaintiffs’ firm and eventually joining Anapol Weiss. On today’s episode, she’ll discuss her class action litigation against Roblox and other online platform whose policies have enabled a culture of online grooming and the sexual abuse of children. Later, Penn Carey Law 3L Jan Rotich joins to share her perspective as NPLA Co-President.

Suggestions for topics? Questions for our guests? Email the show at [email protected].

Learn more about plaintiffs’ law from the Nati...

Michael Cowen is one of the most successful and prolific personal injury attorneys around. He’s tried more than 120 jury trials alone, and has made a career holding big companies accountable for how their products and practices endanger the safety of the average person. He also never planned to be a plaintiffs’ attorney. In fact, Michael’s first job out of law school was at one of the oldest corporate defense firms in the country. On today’s episode, Michael shares why he made the journey across the aisle, the challenges he faced starting his firm, Cowen Law, and feeling...

Some law students know right out the gates that practicing law is their calling. Today’s guest, Lori Andrus, started her career on Capitol Hill, and went to law school with every intention of staying in politics. Her goal was to use her knowledge of the law to shape policy. But along the way, Lori fell in love with litigation. She now has her own plaintiffs’ firm, Andrus Anderson, and tackles some of the same issues she imagined herself fighting for in Washington. Lori shares her journey to the plaintiffs’ side, her landmark equal pay victory against Disney, and how to...

Here’s something people don’t often mention: As a plaintiffs’ attorney, you can work side by side with government litigators, taking on some of the most important issues in the country. Case in point, today’s guest: June Pineda Hoidal. June is a managing partner of Zimmerman Reed. The Minneapolis-based firm collaborates with public entities, and has fought back against the opioid epidemic, major polluters, and the Trump administration, just to name a few. June unpacks what it’s like to bring government cases from within a private firm. Later, Spencer sits down with 2L Marissa Lambert for a check-in...

On today’s episode, Boston College 2L Marissa Lambert sits down with Angie Pati and Jonathan Koehler, law students at NYU and Rutgers. Angie and Jonathan discuss the ideals that brought them to law school, and how those values are leading them to careers on the plaintiff side. They detail the networking strategies that helped them find jobs, and Jonathan shares his secret for how to study for law school while you’re asleep.

Suggestions for topics? Questions for our guests? Email the show at [email protected].

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So far, we’ve been speaking with veteran attorneys—litigators who’ve spent decades taking on corporate giants. But today, we wanted to bring on someone who’s a little closer to law school. Someone who only recently went through the gauntlet of school, summer jobs, and studying for the bar – and who’s currently working as an associate at a plaintiffs’ firm. Jenna Forster is a fourth-year associate at Motley Rice. In just a short time, she’s already worked on cases taking on opioid manufacturers, vape companies, and social media platforms. Jenna joins Spencer to discuss her path into plaint...

You often hear that summer jobs in law school can lay the foundation for your career. Which is kind of terrifying. It creates the impression that your decisions as a 1L can determine the entire course of your life. But here's the truth: your career is not going to be a straight line. Just ask today’s guest, Rob Bilott. Rob started as a defense attorney. But he’s gone on to bring major environmental class actions against chemical companies, and helped expose the truth about toxic "forever chemicals." Rob’s book Exposure chronicles the fight. Hollywood even made a movi...

It’s no secret that companies are stealing from their workers. Wage theft is rampant in America, but plaintiffs’ attorneys like Shannon Liss-Riordan are fighting back. Shannon is one of the country’s top lawyers bringing employment class actions, and in today’s episode, she and Spencer discuss Shannon’s cases against companies like Uber and FedEx. Later, Boston College law student Marissa Lambert joins Spencer to unpack President Trump’s attacks on America’s law firms.

To learn more about upcoming plaintiffs’ law fellowship opportunities at Shannon’s firm, visit www.llrlaw.com or email: fellowsh...

Welcome to Cause of Action! On today’s inaugural episode, Spencer is joined by veteran plaintiffs’ attorney and Stanford Law lecturer Shanin Specter. They’ll discuss how law students can land the dream job—one that makes them happy, makes the world better, and  pays off those student loans (and then some). Later, Boston College Law student Marissa Lambert shares why she’s building a career in plaintiffs’ law.  

Suggestions for topics? Questions for our guests? Email the show at [email protected].

Learn more about plaintiffs’ law from the National Pla...

Welcome to Cause of Action with Spencer Pahlke, a new podcast about building a thriving legal career and practicing law that can change the world.