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Sonya Mehta is a trial attorney and partner at a workers’ rights law firm, where she represents employees and labor unions in cases involving discrimination, retaliation, and workplace issues. She focuses on holding powerful employers accountable and advocating for fair treatment of workers. She has been practicing law for over a decade and has built her career in the same firm, eventually becoming a partner. Before becoming a lawyer, she spent years as a community organizer, which shaped how she approaches legal work and understands power and advocacy. She has handled major cases, including trials and large settlements, and has also taken on leadership roles in legal organizations and professional groups. In the episode, Sonya talks about how legal work connects with organizing and real-world change, and why many workplace issues are unfair but not always illegal. She also explains how she selects cases, what it takes to succeed in trial work, and how lawyers can stay grounded while dealing with difficult cases and losses. Tune in to hear a clear view of how law can be used to support workers and challenge powerful institutions, and hear practical advice on building a legal career, choosing the right cases, and staying resilient in a demanding field.

Siegel, Yee, Brunner & Mehta
https://siegelyee.com/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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In this special episode of Love Thy Lawyer, Louis shares a personal story instead of interviewing a guest. After nearly forty years as a private criminal defense attorney, Louis explains how he is returning to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney, the same office where he began his career decades ago. He reflects on his early days as a young prosecutor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the legal community in Alameda County was smaller and lawyers learned quickly by handling many different kinds of cases. Louis also talks about the mentors who shaped his thinking about the law, including prosecutors, a public defender, and Judge Bob Fairwell, whose kindness and respect for everyone in the courtroom left a lasting impression on him. The episode also explores the long path Louis took after leaving the District Attorney’s office, building a criminal defense practice, learning how to run a business, and eventually launching Love Thy Lawyer. He then shares how a conversation with Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson unexpectedly led to the opportunity to return to public service. This episode has the feeling of a full circle moment, as Louis reflects on the people and experiences that shaped his life in the law. Listeners will hear about career changes, mentorship, the realities of the criminal justice system, and the meaning of coming back to where everything began. Tune in to hear Louis tell this personal story and learn how decades of experience can lead someone back to the very place where their legal journey started. It is a thoughtful look at career, purpose, and the surprising ways life sometimes brings things back around.

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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Brian Ripley is a business attorney based in Oakland, California who works with small business owners, real estate investors, and licensed professionals. He often serves as outside general counsel, helping clients set up businesses and handle legal questions as their companies grow. He began his legal career in the early 1980s and spent many years working as a litigator, handling cases such as insurance defense and product liability. After decades in litigation, he started his own firm and later shifted his focus to business transactions after a major health crisis led him to reconsider the pace and stress of litigation work. Today he helps entrepreneurs build strong legal foundations for their businesses and advises them on contracts, structure, and risk. During the conversation, he talks about the importance of lawyers developing their own client base and understanding how to run a business. He also shares his views on mentorship, the challenges solo attorneys face, and why having a network of trusted professionals is important for long term success. Tune in to hear practical advice about building a legal career, managing clients, and thinking like a business owner. The discussion also offers useful lessons about professional relationships, career changes, and how lawyers can create sustainable practices.

Brian Ripley
https://www.brianripley.com/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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Arthur Bryant is a public interest lawyer based in Oakland, California, and the former chairman and executive director of Public Justice. He now runs his own firm, focusing on cases that aim to advance civil rights, consumer protection, workers’ rights, and equal access to justice. He has practiced law since 1979 and has spent more than three decades in nonprofit public interest work. Early in his career, he clerked for federal judge Gabrielle McDonald in Texas and later handled First Amendment cases for newspapers and magazines in Philadelphia. Over the years, he has led major Title IX cases across the country and has built a reputation for taking on large institutions on behalf of people who have been treated unfairly. In this episode, he talks about why he chose public interest law at a young age and why he believes lawyers should fight for what they believe in. He also discusses the current state of the Supreme Court, the fairness of the legal system, and his long history of Title IX litigation, including a recent case involving women’s sports at Stephen F. Austin University. Tune in to hear how one lawyer built a career around trying to make real change.

Arthur Bryant Law
https://www.arthurbryantlaw.com/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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This episode features Ursula Jones Dickson, the current District Attorney of Alameda County, and Emilie Raguso, a journalist who runs The Berkeley Scanner, an independent public safety news outlet covering Berkeley and the DA’s office. Both work closely with the criminal justice system from different sides, one inside government and one reporting on it. Ursula talks about leading a large District Attorney’s office after a period of instability, rebuilding staff, fixing budget problems, and clearing a major case backlog. Emilie shares her experience covering crime, courts, and prosecutors over many years, including how public attention on the DA’s office changed after a high-profile recall. Together, they reflect on how policy shifts, staffing changes, and public trust affect how justice is delivered day to day. The conversation covers how the DA’s office works in practice, victims’ rights in California, gun and violence related charging decisions, and the challenges of running a major public office under public and political pressure. Emilie also discusses the role of journalists in verifying claims, slowing down reporting, and explaining complex legal systems to the public. Tune in to hear an inside look at how a major prosecutor’s office is rebuilt, how journalists track accountability in real time, and what both sides see as the biggest challenges facing criminal justice right now. Plus, they offer a practical view of how law, media, and public trust intersect when decisions affect an entire community.

Ursula Jones Dickson for DA
https://www.ursulajonesdicksonforda.com/

The Berkeley Scanner
https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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Fatima Silva is a Bay Area criminal defense attorney who focuses exclusively on representing people accused of crimes. She runs her own practice and also collaborates with other defense attorneys in the region. She has spent over a decade working primarily in criminal law, after earlier experience handling a wider range of cases. She also reached a national audience as a featured attorney on the HBO series Reasonable Doubt, which examined claims of wrongful convictions. In this episode, she talks about the realities of criminal defense work, including the emotional toll of working with clients and their families. She also shares what it was like traveling across the country for Reasonable Doubt and seeing how differently the justice system operates from state to state. Fatima also offers insight into the justice system, the challenges of running a legal practice, and the resilience needed to stay in the work long term. Tune in for a clear and honest look at life as a criminal defense lawyer, both inside and outside the courtroom.

Silva Law
https://www.silvalawsf.com/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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Scott Kriens is a technology entrepreneur and investor best known for co-founding Juniper Networks, a company that builds the core systems that move data safely and quickly across the internet. Today, his work focuses on investing, philanthropy, and supporting projects that help people improve how they relate to themselves and others. He helped grow Juniper from an early startup into a major global company with billions in revenue and played a key role in shaping how large-scale internet traffic is handled. After stepping away from day-to-day executive roles, he shifted his time toward board work, long-term investing, and co-founding the 1440 Foundation, which supports mindfulness, presence, and relationship-focused initiatives. In the episode, he talks about building trust inside companies, the role of relationships in long-term success, and how technology, leadership, and artificial intelligence are changing what skills really matter. He also shares personal reflections on gratitude, listening, and being fully present in daily life. Tune in to hear a grounded take on success that goes beyond money and titles, and to learn why deep listening and strong relationships may matter more than technical skill alone.

1440 Multiversity
https://www.1440.org/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com

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Elizabeth Larrick is a trial lawyer who works as a plaintiff personal injury attorney and also helps other lawyers prepare cases for court, mediations, and depositions. She focuses on understanding how juries think and helping lawyers communicate more clearly and effectively. Over the course of her career, she has handled personal injury cases, gone to trial regularly, and built her own practice. She later expanded her work into consulting, teaching lawyers through focus groups, speaking events, and hands-on preparation for real courtroom situations. In this episode, she talks about how lawyers can use focus groups, witness prep, and visual tools to test ideas and strengthen cases before trial. She also shares honest insights about running a law practice, building a book of business, and learning skills that law school does not teach. Tune in to hear practical advice about trial strategy, communication, the business side of practicing law, and how to prepare cases and connect with juries and clients.

Elizabeth Larrick
https://larricklawfirm.com/

Louis Goodman
www.louisgoodman.com
https://www.lovethylawyer.com/
510.582.9090
Music: Joel Katz, Seaside Recording, Maui
Tech: Bryan Matheson, Skyline Studios, Oakland
Audiograms: Paul Robert

louis@lovethylawyer.com