Picture a highly aggressive, successful, and hardcore commercial litigator who also holds a second-degree black belt in Northern Chinese Kung Fu—a type of street fighting whose motto was to break bones, not boards. But what if that lawyer has an epiphany that, rather than a career of confrontation and disagreement, he would rather pursue a life of peacemaking and bridge-building? That’s Doug Noll.

After switching to Tai Chi and earning a master’s in peacekeeping and conflict studies, Doug pivoted, refocusing on mediation and dispute resolution for family businesses. That move led him to develop a system of de-escalation techniques and interest-based negotiations. He quite literally wrote the book. Then, his desire for a life of service led him to restorative justice principles and the founding of the Prison of Peace (POP) project with his colleague, Laurel Kaufer.

Since 2010, POP has trained and mentored incarcerated men and women throughout California to enhance opportunities for rehabilitation through conflict resolution practices. The result? Inmates have engaged with fellow inmates over 48,000 times in peacemaking and conflict resolution processes, and prison violence has markedly decreased. As other states and countries implement POP, Doug continues his mediation work, flies airplanes and helicopters, is a jazz violinist and folk fiddler, and fly fishes. Don’t miss this Sticky Lawyer’s story.

What do you get when you cross a litigator with a standup comedian? Our latest guest on Sticky Lawyers, Michael Currie. While he picked up standup comedy as a college undergrad who wanted to improve his public speaking skills, this Toronto courtroom lawyer still seeks the comedy club spotlight in his free time.

Michael claims he developed his unique sense of humor growing up on Prince Edward Island. But his appreciation for Seinfeld and belief that lots of on-your-feet experience will improve your standup comedy (and courtroom presence) has led to years of practicing jokes and organizing comedy fundraisers for charity.

Join us as we learn about Michael’s path to the law, a few comedy side jaunts (including a lunchtime set at a Pizza Hut), and the similarities he finds between litigation and standup. And if you happen to be a funny lawyer, Michael may have a gig for you.

We've met many intriguing Sticky Lawyers who turned positive life experiences into meaningful and rewarding legal careers. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, a negative or even traumatic experience can be the impetus, which speaks volumes about the character and strength of the individual

Samantha McCoy was a young college student when a law enforcement officer sexually assaulted her. Despite facing numerous indignities in the legal system after her attack – with no justice – she channeled her personal ordeal into a mission to change laws to extend the rights of survivors of sexual violence.

In this episode, Samantha discusses how she became an outspoken legislative advocate as a law student and has worked with state and federal officials to expand survivor protections. Now an appellate attorney by day, she uses her spare time to promote state, federal, and international policy, partner with non-profits, and educate law enforcement agencies on trauma-informed practices. Prepare to be inspired.