Episodes

  • Counseling the Counsel: The Emotional Reality of Legal Work

    Counseling the Counsel: The Emotional Reality of Legal Work
    Jul 3 2025
    Lawyers often face relentless exposure to stress and trauma, whether navigating emotionally charged areas of the law, handling high-stakes matters, or confronting a host of other pressures inherent to the profession. On top of this, they must also address the emotional toll legal issues may take on their clients. Few attorneys are equipped with the tools to manage this alone, but there are counselors, support programs, and resources available to help. Rocky Dhir talks with Alicia Freeman of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) about navigating emotional distress (both for attorneys and clients) and accessing needed support. They discuss how to appropriately engage with clients’ emotional needs, set healthy boundaries, and provide necessary resources. Contact TLAP: 1-800-343-8527 tlaphelps.org Alicia Freeman is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and a bachelor’s in political science. She is a TLAP Clinical Professional for Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program at the State Bar of Texas, the owner of Freeman Counseling and Consulting LLC, and co-host for the “My Therapist Needs a Therapist” podcast.
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    37 mins
  • Inside the State Bar: A Presidential Perspective

    Inside the State Bar: A Presidential Perspective
    Jun 5 2025
    What exactly does your state bar president do, anyway? A very presidential trio joins Rocky Dhir for today’s conversation examining this leadership role and its many responsibilities. Rocky welcomes Past-President Cindy Tisdale, current President Steve Benesh, and President-Elect Santos Vargas to learn more about their efforts for fellow lawyers and their desire to address unmet needs in the profession throughout the state. Later, they dig into the history of the State Bar of Texas, explain the current structure and operation of the organization as a whole, and share how Texas legal professionals can get more involved in Bar programs.
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    44 mins
  • Revisiting Texas' Mental Health Court Programs

    Revisiting Texas' Mental Health Court Programs
    May 15 2025
    In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're revisiting this powerful conversation about how Texas courts are addressing mental health challenges through reform and rehabilitation. Should our criminal courts exist to punish or reform those who have broken the law? Rocky Dhir talks with Judge Brent Carr about his years of service in the Tarrant County Mental Health Court and the broader efforts across Texas to support people with mental illness in the justice system. They explore programs tackling issues from sex trafficking to drug offenses, veterans’ cases, and more.
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    35 mins
  • Cleared for Takeoff: Navigating Aviation Law in 2025

    Cleared for Takeoff: Navigating Aviation Law in 2025
    Apr 3 2025
    The skies above us have a legal framework all their own, but many attorneys have limited knowledge of this expansive area of the law. Can your neighbor fly his drone into your yard? What’s the difference in legal responsibilities between private aviators and commercial airlines? How is AI impacting flight and flight training? Rocky Dhir welcomes Kent Krause to discuss the basics of aviation law and dig into its evolving issues and changes. Later, 2025 began with a succession of tragic and unsettling airline incidents. Should we be concerned about this disproportionately large number of accidents in air travel? Rocky and Kent discuss the details of these events and examine the laws, safety frameworks, and failures that came into play. Kent Krause is a partner at Craddock Davis & Krause, LLP, in Dallas, TX.
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    45 mins
  • Why Your Legal Arguments Fail (And How to Fix Them) with Jefferson Fisher

    Why Your Legal Arguments Fail (And How to Fix Them) with Jefferson Fisher
    Mar 6 2025
    We can probably all think of a moment (or many) when we struggled with natural, constructive communication with those around us. But, how do we learn from those difficult and/or awkward moments and successfully convey our views? Rocky Dhir talks with Jefferson Fisher about his tips for becoming a more effective verbal communicator. Jefferson shares advice for legal professionals to help them foster authentic relationships with both peers and clients. Later, they discuss communication techniques for handling yourself well in the midst of arguments or other stressful situations. Jefferson Fisher is a Texas board certified trial lawyer, author, keynote speaker, and argument expert. You may pre-order Jefferson’s new book: The Next Conversation here.
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    39 mins
  • Revisit the Top 10 Appellate Mistakes in Trial Courts

    Revisit the Top 10 Appellate Mistakes in Trial Courts
    Feb 6 2025
    Familiarize yourself with the most common errors that can jeopardize an appeal. In this special rebroadcast, Rocky Dhir sits down with Elana Einhorn and Melissa Lorber, authors of the article Help Us Help You: Top 10 Appellate Mistakes in the Trial Courts. Elana and Melissa offer a breakdown of the article and provide insight on their top tips for success in trial court. Elana Einhorn practices appellate law at Butler Snow. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law and a former Supreme Court of Texas staff attorney. Melissa Lorber practices appellate law at Butler Snow. She is board certified in civil appellate law and represents businesses in both trial and appellate litigation across state and federal courts.
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    37 mins
  • Breaking Barriers: The 100-Year Legacy of Women on the Texas Supreme Court

    Breaking Barriers: The 100-Year Legacy of Women on the Texas Supreme Court
    Jan 9 2025
    Texas can be proud to say that it was the first state to have an all-woman high court in the United States, but how exactly did this moment in history come about? Rocky Dhir welcomes Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod and Sharon Sandle to learn about this period in Texas history and the surprising series of events that led to the appointment of female judges. They go into detail about the challenges faced by these legal trailblazers—Nellie Robertson of Granbury, Edith Wilmans of Dallas, and Hortense Sparks Ward of Houston—and also discuss notable women’s issues of the era and highlight several other female legal pioneers. Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod is Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with Chambers in Houston, Texas. Sharon Sandle is Executive Director of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society and Director of the Law Practice Resources Division at the State Bar of Texas.
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    37 mins
  • A Justice’s Legacy: A Conversation with Chief Justice Nathan Hecht

    A Justice’s Legacy: A Conversation with Chief Justice Nathan Hecht
    Dec 5 2024
    Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht is the longest serving member in the history of the Supreme Court of Texas and the longest tenured Texas judge in active service. As he nears his well-deserved retirement, Rocky Dhir welcomes Chief Justice Hecht to the podcast to learn about his many years in service to the Texas legal system. They discuss his career path, the behind-the-scenes work judges do within courts, his efforts to improve access to justice, his advice for lawyers, and much more. Nathan L. Hecht is the 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He has been elected to the Court seven times, first in 1988 as a Justice and then in 2014 and 2020 as Chief Justice.
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    31 mins