California MCLE Podcast

As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly expensive and resource dependant to develop, a question arises: Are we witnessing the emergence of AI as a natural monopoly? In this conversation, Berkeley Law Professor Tejas Narechania explores how the market forces driving AI consolidation create both efficiency and significant legal risks.Professor Narechania explains the structural conditions under which a natural monopoly can form—where the high costs of developing foundational AI models and the competitive advantages of massive datasets create significant barriers to entry. He discusses how antitrust principles, network effects, and accountability risks must be considered when regulating AI market power.Throughout the discussion, Professor Narechania draws on historical parallels in telecommunications law and explores potential legal tools, including interoperability requirements, national security concerns, and public infrastructure models to improve outcomes without stifling innovation.How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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.

Large language models (LLMs) are trained on vast, nearly unfathomable amounts of data—data that is now reshaping the very fields from which it was sourced, including literature, journalism, music, and photography. As a result, these models have sparked high-stakes litigation and raised novel legal questions about ownership and intellectual property, both in the AI training process and the output they produce. In this conversation, we explore the intersection of AI training and copyright law with Professor Shyamkrishna (Shyam) Balganesh of Columbia Law School, a prominent legal scholar who has been closely examining these emerging issues.How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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 hours of General California MCLE credit.

Professor Joseph Blocher (Second Amendment scholar and co-director of the Duke Center for Firearms Law) explains two significant recent Supreme Court cases: United States v. Rahimi and Garland v. Cargill. This discussion provides an in-depth analysis of the legal reasoning behind these decisions and their broader implications for gun regulation and gun rights in the United States.How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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 0.5 hours of General California MCLE credit.

The power of prosecutors extends far beyond the courtroom, shaping the trajectory of countless lives through their decisions. Legal experts Bruce Green and Rebecca Roiphe delve into this immense authority in an insightful interview, exploring the nuances of prosecutorial discretion and its profound impact on the justice system. Their discussion sheds light on the ethical and constitutional standards that guide prosecutorial conduct, emphasizing the balance between power and responsibility.How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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 Legal Ethics California MCLE credit.

Forensic science, when applied rigorously, has the power to catch and convict criminals, but when mishandled, can lead to tragic miscarriages of justice. In this eye-opening interview with Professor Brandon Garrett (Duke Law School) and Dr. Peter Stout (Houston Forensic Science Center), explore high-profile exoneration cases like those of Josiah Sutton and George Rodriguez and the systemic issues plaguing crime labs across the country. How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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.

The legal profession is known for its high-stakes, high-stress lifestyle. The dangers of stress to mind and body are similarly well known. However, as one endocrinologist famously put it, “It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” In a time of heightened stress, we explore one potentially powerful strategy that lawyers can use to more effectively combat stress and improve their professionalism–mindfulness. As attorney and mindfulness teacher Jon Krop explains, mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment and a practical tool to help better manage stress. Krop describes some of the unique characteristics of the legal profession that may make lawyers more prone to stress and makes the case for incorporating mindfulness and meditation to improve job performance and the health of the profession overall. This interview explores both the scientific underpinnings and benefits of mindfulness and concrete tips to incorporate mindfulness into a busy lawyer’s daily life.How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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 Wellness Competence California MCLE credit.

Like all attorneys, Asian-American lawyers generally strive for legal excellence by honing their expertise and delivering quality client service. Yet, they can confront a myriad of stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions from colleagues and even clients. In this interview, Prof. Peter Huang of Colorado Law delves into the unique challenges and biases Asian-American lawyers face.Prof. Huang discusses how many view Asian-American lawyers through the lens of the "model minority" myth. This stereotype paints Asian-Americans as a monolithic group, emphasizing traits such as studiousness, diligence, and obedience, and overlooking their diverse individual qualities. Such perceptions can have detrimental effects. Aspiring Asian-American leaders or law partners may find themselves pigeonholed as effective but potentially lacking creativity or vision, consequently limiting their ascent to senior roles.Prof. Huang emphasizes that today's Asian-American lawyers often wrestle with subtle, unspoken or subconscious biases. He further enriches the discussion by introducing concepts like the “perpetual foreigner syndrome” or the minority “cloak of invisibility” shedding light on multifaceted challenges Asian-American professionals encounter.How to Earn CLE CreditMCLE 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 0.5 hours of Implicit Bias & Bias Reducing Strategies California MCLE credit.