In this special episode of Legally Bond, Kim and producer Kate Femia celebrate the podcast's third anniversary! They discuss how much Bond has changed since starting the podcast in March 2021 and what 2024 looks like for the firm - and the podcast.
In this special episode of Legally Bond, Kim and producer Kate Femia celebrate the podcast's third anniversary! They discuss how much Bond has changed since starting the podcast in March 2021 and what 2024 looks like for the firm - and the podcast.
Hello and welcome to Legally Bond, a podcast presented by the law firm Bonnechek and King. I'm your host, kim Wolf Price. Well, today's episode is the third year anniversary of Legally Bond. It's our celebration. So today is a conversation with producer Kate Femina and me. How are you, kate? Good, happy anniversary. Well, it's the anniversary I know we get to celebrate. I don't know what the third anniversary is. It's like paper or I don't remember. I think this is a big deal Three years. We were hoping we'd make it like through the summer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, especially since we kind of started with a rigorous weekly podcast for something that was brand new and we've kept it going, which is exciting.
Speaker 1:I think you probably shouldn't let two type A personalities run podcasts. Yeah, we can find someone We'll do another week. Absolutely. What was it? An excuse to get to talk to you, which I really appreciate, getting to spend time with you on the podcast.
Speaker 3:It's definitely not twisting my arm to hop on and have podcast planning meetings.
Speaker 1:It's very good. They're good and I think for both of us. We learn a lot about the firm through the whole thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I wouldn't know this much about being in the Buffalo office, knowing this much about people in Albany or in Long Island, or even our Florida office is Kansas City. I see them come through for social posts occasionally, but not on kind of the personal interactions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's great, it's a great way to think about it and we get to think a little bit strategically like, oh, if we had anyone from this practice area on or this office, and we get to think about the firm pretty holistically.
Speaker 3:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 1:Which is great. Well, all right. So three years. So like a little quick overview of some things that have happened over the past three years. Well, one, I mean obvious one, everyone knows because we're recording this sort of near that dreaded anniversary we made it through a pandemic, that's a big one. Made it through a pandemic during that time, started a podcast during the pandemic. I'm talking about it.
Speaker 1:It's still relevant, which is the crazy part I know that there are still regulations and things changing and ways people have to do business and frankly, I mean, I think, the way we all do business right, how Zoom happens people working remotely at points like it's changed.
Speaker 3:It's kind of weird to say I'm kind of thankful for it, because I feel like this podcast wouldn't have necessarily happened the way that it did had we not switched over to Zoom so much because this is breaking the fourth wall. We record this all on Zoom. This isn't something that I mean you kind of think podcasts originally. You think, oh, you had to be in person and that just wouldn't have worked out for us. We wouldn't have been able to kind of showcase all 16 of our offices across all these different states.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and everyone just got more comfortable with the format.
Speaker 3:People, by the time we started they'd had enough months of doing this because you actually started with the firm right in the middle of COVID, the week of yes, I was supposed to start the week that the watch chief for years, and then my start date got pushed back two weeks because we realized, oh, this isn't just a two week.
Speaker 1:Well, we all just closed our laptops and said, okay, we'll see you in a couple of weeks. And then a whole world changed. You're right, like that whole format, everything about it. The pandemic influenced the podcast in many ways, yes, and then other things that have influenced the podcast. The combination with two firms, also sort of during the pandemic. So we opened new offices as a firm. We've added a lot of new lawyers for this question.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to think. I think when I started we were in our numbers. For all of our marketing materials we were using a firm of over 250, and now we've had to switch it to 275, then 280, then 290. And now we're just going with them more than 300, which is awesome. It's exciting to see that kind of growth.
Speaker 1:It really is. It's controlled and intentional, but a lot in a short amount of time for the size of the firm. If you think about it, we were about 250-ish and to add over 50 lawyers in four years, that's a lot. We also had the largest summer class last summer of summer associates and we welcomed the largest fall class in the history of the firm last summer. They all both of those classes from a wide variety of backgrounds law schools, diverse backgrounds and so many different ways experiences, veterans, people who've worked before. That was pretty exciting with both of those new groups.
Speaker 3:Yes, and they're fun. I enjoy working with those new associates Because I think there's and this isn't to say anything about the attorneys here they're just so eager to be involved and do the podcast and see their info memos go out on social. They're sharing it out, that's just. It's fun to be around just anybody who's starting their career, especially for something that they've worked so hard for to get to this point.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I tell them summer law clerks and the fall associates these are some of our favorite days of the year because, their energy and their enthusiasm is there and we're excited to welcome them and help them grow.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, it's a great time to have all of them join us. We also changed chairs of the management committee. That was a recent change. So now Brian Peller. It was Kevin Bernstein when we started and got us going on all of this, and now Brian is supporting us and helping along the way. So that was. I don't think it's a huge change, but it's another change.
Speaker 3:Well, just going through the transition of it too, because everyone knows that it's a year that we're getting a new managing man. Like it's everyone the gearing up for it. It was a six month process of all of us talking about it and then now it's here and it's kind of fun and he's now going to be our go-to for a podcast on big firm and new events.
Speaker 1:So he was born. He was born, I think, maybe even on the podcast, but that would be happening. So they're different people, they approach it different ways, but it's fun, it's great to have. I think it's great that the firm actually does that, that they have the role term out so that we can get a new perspective and Kevin can go back to dealing in the environmental world and working in energy law all full time. But, to be fair, brian's still practices because he's getting ready for a trial. You can't see this blister when I'm pointing over my shoulder. He's getting ready for a trial. So it's a wild and crazy time for him, but really exciting. And then we've also done things like added second junior producer because your daughter joined us as a producer.
Speaker 3:Join us as we started. Yes, so she's heard your voice for literally her whole life.
Speaker 1:I don't need her whole life. I really hope she still likes me. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:And her older I guess the senior junior producer has popped up towards the end to say hi and press buttons on the computer.
Speaker 1:So he's getting very tech savvy.
Speaker 3:that way, I think it's gonna he'll be able to help you out more. And who knows, maybe in 18 years or so he'll be on the podcast, because we'll still be around, obviously.
Speaker 1:Obviously, I might be retired, but that's okay.
Speaker 3:No, no, we can't have that Kim.
Speaker 1:And then I also said to my oldest of the two boys off to college. Yes, so that was a transition, so yeah, we're it's.
Speaker 3:I feel like last year was a big transition year for us, with just exciting things at the firm with us. I think it was just. I'm very interested to see how this year goes. I think it'll be exciting.
Speaker 1:Me too. Me too. There's a lot going on Speaking of Kim.
Speaker 3:You got a title that I think we should. I think we should explain that your title grew from one thing to another. So yeah, all right.
Speaker 1:Sure, fair enough. So my position is new to the firm. When I started a little over 400 years ago I guess like four and a quarter or so it made it up title that we tried to figure out what it would be. And I was coming in under the lawyer side of the house because I'm a lawyer to report to the chair of the management committee, and so we're trying to make it different from what the COO has under the Opside. And we did and we came up with an Attorney, professional Development and Diversity Officer which gave me the longest title on business card, just such a long title.
Speaker 1:And so there was a lot of conversation with Kevin Bernstein, brian Donak, you the COO, and then Brian Baller who was coming in as the chair of the Management Committee, and they're like you just need a title that sounds more like what you do and that recognizes what you do. So that's where the Chief Strategy and Diversity Officer came in. The Diversity Officer has been steady to be part of what I do, but I think the strategy part was sort of combine all of the things without even to name them all, because the title would get a little bit unrelent.
Speaker 3:Yeah for the listeners. Kim is the go-to for everyone at the fur. You have a diversity question it's Kim. You have a people question it's Kim. You have a recruiter question.
Speaker 1:It's Kim. I love and I love talking to everyone about that stuff. You know, I oversee the Attorney Professional Development still, and I get to work with Aubrey who's the coordinator on that front, which is fantastic, and she also helps so much on the CLE part, which is continuing legal education, and then I chair the Wellbeing Committee and I chair the Attorney Professional Development Committee and I sit on a couple of other committees, including the AI Committee and a few other things. So it just seemed like the title sort of helped more and I hope and I think it's true, but I hope my role is to really advise and help the chair as much as I can but then to work with not only the lawyers but the whole team at Bond to make sure that we're all moving in the same direction for our clients, for practice, for our professional growth, because I think if people are doing that and they feel invested, it just is a better way to go to work every day.
Speaker 3:Oh, 100%, I think you're definitely achieving that. No one, when I say I think you should talk to Kim, is like oh, everyone is very like finally I get to call Kim, I get to have Kim, I have an excuse to not that anybody needs an excuse to talk to you, because you love talking to everyone and that's what makes it so fun to work with you. Oh, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much. Well, I hope people realize, but you know like I'm going to tell them the truth. So look at the real answer. It might not be the exact answer they're looking for, but we'll find a way to make it work.
Speaker 3:But that puts you in a good strategic mentor role is because we don't always need to hear exactly what we want at all times. Sometimes it's helpful but not Well.
Speaker 1:Thanks, kate. Thank you so much, yeah, and I mean I know you're doing more and more as well. You were just out at the AI summits, yes, so tell us a little bit some of that stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we actually I mean this is as of two weeks ago we now have an official new practice group for artificial intelligence. We just have been seeing more and more come through more questions from clients about what is AI, how does that affect me? And Jessica Copeland, who has been on the podcast several times, co-chair of the cybersecurity data privacy group, she is now chair of the AI practice group as well. She saw a need and we kind of did it and we did a summit in Buffalo and we had a lot of questions about can we do this in other markets? So we did two more summits in New York City and Long Island two weeks ago and it went over really well. I mean, it's just, it's such a ever-changing landscape. I mean every week something new comes out about AI. So it's kind of fun to be on the forefront of, for our clients to provide this information and to get our attorneys out there talking about it.
Speaker 1:And you're also planning like NCAA events because we're in New York state. Yes, I don't know Like you're and you're from Indiana, so these are both states that just love the basketball.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, oh yeah, it's a little bit less cutthroat here in New York. But yeah, the NCAA events, those we have them in. Obviously, buffalo, syracuse revived theirs last year and Albany does one as well and I don't know. Rochester used to do one. I don't think they're doing it this year, but potentially in the future they're going to be doing it as well. It is such a fun client event. Everyone loves to kind of come and do something a little bit different.
Speaker 3:As far as networking events go, you come, we do. It's next Thursday, on the 21st, the first week of the tournament, the first Thursday of games, and people just come have fun, talk, watch some basketball. We get some pretty intense cheering and so, yeah, it's, it's. That's a really fun, fun event that we host every year and we had most recently on the podcast we had some new school attorneys from Buffalo and Rochester, the six new attorneys that joined us, and we're hosting a school law event for them, an annual thing that they did, that we're continuing to do, which will be kind of great for their, their clients, to kind of see them and gain some valuable information. It makes the workplace our biggest labor programming that we do. And and then, right in the middle of that as well is the all attorneys meeting that you have a heavy hand in Well just bring everybody together for the first time since before the pandemic, so it's just a little thing.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, exactly If we're going to be talking about some of these topics, including AI right, which law firms have to and we've been working on AI. I'm on the AI committee, which Jess Copeland also chairs, and we've been working, for you know, for months now, doing trainings, looking at products and trying to find the ways to make sure we're serving our clients. That's my kind of part of it, right, making sure we're serving our clients right in the best way we can using AI. Yeah, and there's so much that's going on.
Speaker 3:I'm selfishly excited for the all attorneys meeting because while I get to see people on zoom and if I'm randomly in the office, I mean I don't I made it to the New York office to pick something up when I was there for the summit, but it's not like I got a chance to really kind of sit and talk to a lot of the attorneys. And I come to Syracuse, I'm in Rochester occasionally, so I don't get to see in person and meet face to face a lot of these attorneys. So this will be, this will be fun. I'm excited.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's going to be a great event. And of course, all along that there's, you know, the podcast will keep going every week. Absolutely, we'll keep doing it. Out episodes maybe We'll see if we can do our best to see if we can come, you know, have a little podcast episode from the all attorneys meeting to talk to people. Yeah, changed up a little bit, which I think will be really great. And then, you know, lots of folks at the firm have.
Speaker 1:There's so much going on on the social media side. People are winning awards, like Steve DiNato has a big award. He's going to be the first person from the Northern District of New York to be bankruptcy fellow and that's coming up soon. So many interesting things. And then I think I mentioned it last time, but the school attorneys conference for New York State, I think is really sort of like at the practice group meeting, because but I'm excited to be invited along to talk about diversity issues to them. And then a lot of training, speaking engagements, articles, so we just have constantly a lot turning. And that's everything that we know about, everything that we know about at this moment as of this recording.
Speaker 3:Everything that we've messed up, which makes us a fun job to have to, because there's always something new, always something different to talk about.
Speaker 1:And speaking about those kind of on the fly things- Exactly and, if you think about it, what we've covered I mean I can't even list it all, but everything from like litigation and when litigation had to shut down during the pandemic and what was happening with remote trials, which seemed so foreign to everyone at the time, and then things in the NCAA practice, like name, image likeness, which continues to evolve all the time, and then the higher ed or K-12 work, energy law, trust in the States.
Speaker 3:I'm looking at our website now, at our practice list, because I don't know either, because we've done 128 episodes, so that's Remember what all of them are. I don't think we have. I mean, we have over 30 practices and industry groups.
Speaker 1:I don't think we've missed anything which is cool, like that's exciting, like how fun that we get to talk to so many diverse people about all these different practices and what they do, and that's exciting, exactly, and I mean you know like we're both, if you don't mind my saying, we're both nerds in different ways for sure, and I think I'm even proclaimed on the podcast that I am definitely a law nerd. There's so much coming up this upcoming year in New York State. There's an ERA on the ballot and you know I did a Tuesday webinar to clients about that, which we still have our Tuesday webinar series. We didn't even touch on that in all the things we've mentioned. And then the Supreme Court cases always sort of shake things up administrative agencies and state and federal level, different regulations coming out all the time and of course we've talked about it on the podcast.
Speaker 1:But Micron in central New York, huge economic influx, changed so much. We'll be talking about the semiconductor corridor in central and western New York. That's just a few of the things I mean. In the Naples office it's like is it season and how much is everything selling for now? You know what's the other work that they're doing in our Long Island offices and the municipal practices could be interesting here. Non-sub-series of things happening.
Speaker 3:I'm excited and I'm looking forward to continuing to bring in outside guests to talk about various very specific niche topics, which is, I think, it's fun to also get those outside perspectives and how they influence us in the legal community.
Speaker 1:I think so as well. I mean, we've talked to folks about bias, well-being, women in the law, and I think, yeah, may is going to be well-being in law week. Maybe we might bring some people back, I think we should do that and have more conversations.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of interesting things happening and you know listeners, I say at the end and that's sign off, but we mean it. If there's a topic that you're interested in, whether you're a bond listener or elsewhere you know that is a female We'd love to hear what you might be interested in learning more about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like seeing those emails come through. It makes me feel like we've made it. I've been fielding a lot of sales emails but it's one of those. I think we've made it as a podcast now that we're getting sales emails about sponsoring and having different ads, which we're not doing, but I know.
Speaker 1:I have thought that too. I was like is this really an email that someone wants to sponsor the podcast?
Speaker 3:Absolutely, we have 128 episodes and how many downloads now? First, 75,000, which is, I mean, for a legal podcast. I mean, I think that's really exciting. I was very proud of that milestone for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's really fantastic, considering most of us don't even download when we listen. So that's really great. Someone wants to take us on a run or something. That's great. I do know, and I should shout out, pete Jones. I know he takes us on runs with him.
Speaker 3:Yes. That's what he listens a lot Maybe there's like some good cadence in your voice. That kind of leads to what you have to ask him what kind of, how many minute miles he running to your Next time he's on.
Speaker 1:I think that's going to be a good question. So, yeah, it's been great to talk to so many people and bring them back and really, most of all, to get to work with you on this fun project where I think we're both learning and really getting to sort of expand our professional development as we do this.
Speaker 3:Yep, and I think it's just. It's always been fun. I always look forward to these recordings and even the editing, which can be tedious because you know very type A and nerd when it comes to this kind of stuff. So but it's. It's one of my favorite parts of my job, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd say the same. It's really great. It's great to be able to like be out there for the firm and to talk to people and hopefully, you know, educate some folks, get people interested in some topics, make them realize they should, you know, follow up on something or that they are interested in. Hey, if you're a law student out there listening, you're going to be fine during finals Everything, yes.
Speaker 3:We are both testament that you will be fine during finals.
Speaker 1:We both made it. We both made it. It's all good. We both got that JD. Everything's good so well. Thanks again, kate, for all of your work on the back end, and I do think we need to have that conversation with Karen Balliak from the Rochester office about getting swag. The office manager and Rochester.
Speaker 3:Actually, we have emails going around about that. So stay tuned for legally bond branded items coming your way in 2024.
Speaker 1:It may just be sweatshirts for Kevin Kate, but that's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 3:And stickers, I think that would be a good thing.
Speaker 1:Find them plastered all over my house if the junior producers get their hands on, and it's really true and you'll maybe, at my house will find people being like oh mom, thank you so much, Kate, Thanks again. Happy third anniversary Happy third anniversary.
Speaker 3:Thank you, let's keep going. We legally bond. Thank you for doing this with me. It's very fun.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you so much. Thank you so much for all your work. We'll talk again soon. Thank you for tuning into this episode of legally bond. If you're listening and have any questions for me, want to hear from someone at the firm or have a suggestion for a future topic, please email us at legally bond at BSKcom. Also, don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to legally bond wherever podcasts are downloaded. Until our next talk, be well.
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