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.

Immigrants seeking visas to start U.S. companies need experienced counsel to navigate the process for themselves, their workers, and their families. Today's guest, Tahmina Watson, is just the attorney who can help them realize their dreams. She is a U.K.-trained attorney and immigrant of Bangladeshi descent who opened a successful immigration firm in Seattle in 2009. But her deep impact on the immigrant community doesn't end with business startups.

In this episode, Tahmina explains how she used pro bono work and a commitment to community-building to create a legal career that assists immigrants in starting U.S. businesses while also building crucial networks for immigrant legal representation amidst chaotic political agendas. She admits that "Tahmina can talk," but her volunteerism, radio show, podcasts, legal writing, and even her nature photography illustrate how grandly this sticky lawyer lives her American Dream.

An HIV-positive diagnosis can thankfully now be managed with antiretroviral drugs that keep infection levels nearly undetectable. However, the widespread fear and panic that accompanied the AIDS crisis in the 1980s created rampant panic and discrimination against HIV-positive people, especially gay men. And unfortunately, that discrimination still exists. Our guest today, Scott Schoettes, is an attorney and advocate for HIV-positive individuals, and he is also an HIV-positive gay man.

Scott's undergraduate studies led to a career in musical theater, including a national tour of “West Side Story.” But as he considered his second act in life, the death of Matthew Shepherd inspired his legal journey. Since then, Scott has advocated for HIV-positive individuals – especially those in the U.S. military — as Lambda Legal’s HIV project director, served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on HIV-AIDS, and continues his work in private practice.
Listen as this sticky lawyer describes the legal and legislative battles that have resulted in restoring rights to the HIV/AIDS community.

Jennifer Wagner’s legal path always included a desire to advance equality and civil rights. But her anthropology passion (and eventual Ph.D.) laser beamed her legal focus to the cellular level: genetics and the human genome.

As an assistant professor of Law, Policy, and Engineering and Anthropology at Penn State University, this sticky lawyer has created a legal career that links our most basic human rights and the most basic building blocks of human life. Listen as she explains the privacy implications of genetic data in medical research and digital technologies, and what we should know about how our personal data is used.

Growing up in North Carolina with parents in the home construction business, Forrest Merithew cut his teeth on construction sites, played in the dirt, and developed an early passion for outdoor adventures. Always game for new challenges, he pursued a law career and discovered how his deep experience in construction and his outdoor recreation pursuits could shape his law practice. And a sticky lawyer was born.

After successfully representing construction clients in complex commercial litigation for several years, Forrest pivoted to private practice representing outdoor recreation clients. Listen and learn how Forrest linked his personal passion (flannel shirt included) to a niche law practice that helps protect industry players and gives back to protect the great outdoors.

Alysen Bayles launched her legal career with an early interest in dispute resolution. Then after several years as in-house counsel and a law firm litigator, she found a mediation mentor and increasingly used alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and mediation in her private practice.

Appreciative of how ADR gives both sides a voice, Alysen is now director of a federal court-connected ADR program where she oversees civil cases, serves as a mediator, and facilitates ADR training. Along the way, she used her time spent waiting for verdicts to write children’s books. Now a published author, Alysen uses her heartwarming animal tales to encourage young readers to learn, live, love, and read. Hear how this sticky lawyer followed her bliss to two satisfying careers.