I tried my hand at being a YouTuber and Podcaster on current legal cases.
Here is my report.
Why I chose to do a Podcast on Current Legal Cases
I hardly ever watch law-related shows. Law dramas frustrate me.
But, like most people, I got roped into the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial for some reason.
I learned there were a bunch of attorneys who were running YouTube channels and podcasts about the Depp case and other cases. I took note because I previously ran a podcast about small business (called “Small Business Stories”). When I had my solo law practice, I had also toyed with the idea of podcasting about my own cases–though I ultimately decided against it due to attorney-client privilege concerns.
Now that I’m in-house, I thought doing a podcast on current cases might be fun. So I decided to give it a shot to see how I liked it.
The Idea and Concept
Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” A podcaster I used to follow said to apply that to podcasting as well—is there something you wish was out there that you can provide?
In this case, I often will see headlines about lawsuits that sound interesting. But then there is no coverage of the case afterward. Sometimes I want to know what happened! Even if there is coverage of the outcome, I’d be very curious to know how it got there.
I also know that most cases take a life of their own and can have interesting twists and turns along the way.
So my thought was, “I can be the guy who shares interesting cases, the twists and turns along the way, and the outcome.
I also figured there was demand for this because there are LawTubers who do it (it seems mostly on crimes though).
I gave it a shot.
I did it for about 3 months of dedicated work before I hit the pause button.
Rating of Law Podcasting
Using my Hobby Rater System, I came up with these results:
Creative Expression: How satisfying is this activity as a creative outlet? Score: 8
I really enjoyed creating the artwork and the show theme. (Here’s an episode where you can view it). I also enjoyed seeing my ideas pop up in the real world. For instance, seeing my work show up on Spotify as a real thing is very satisfying. In fact, I probably should have given this more than an 8. I think what holds me back is that the bulk of actual content is reviewing complex legal filings, which is not all that creative—although there are creative aspects to strategy and persuasion.
Cost of Participation: How satisfied are you with the costs of the hobby? Score: 8
I ran the podcast through Libsyn, which is only $7/mo for a basic account. Being on YouTube is free. I ran the show through this website, so I didn’t even have to set up different hosting. Even if I did, I have unlimited sites with my current hosting plan.
The only other cost was that I sometimes had to pay a fee to access court documents. I spent about $40 getting documents in the Disney v. DeSantis case.
I also had the equipment from my prior podcasting days.
So it was an inexpensive hobby to try–other than the years of law school required to learn all the legal stuff.
The thing that brings it down is that I was not particularly happy to pay for legal documents. I get that it’s part of the gig, but it’s just not that excited to buy a 120-page motion to dismiss.
Intellectually Interesting: Learning new things or stretching the mind. Score 10
This is one of my favorite parts of being in the law–there are so many things to learn. First, there is the actual merits of the case. The “merits of the case” means determining whether the case is valid based on the facts and the application of law. This requires developing skills in both factual investigation techniques and legal analysis.
Second, there is the civil procedure and strategy. While courts will all say that there is a strong preference to have cases determined on the merits, the reality is that many cases are concluded by application of procedure. Sometimes you can’t even get to the merits because the procedure doesn’t let you get there. For example, if you need to prove a vehicle has a defect, you will generally need to have an expert. If the defendant can kick the expert out based on procedural issues, you will lose the case because you can’t get to the merits.
Third, there are so many cases and issues to choose from. I considered following cases about banning TikTok, 2nd Amendment issues, food fraud, and a host of other interesting issues. The thing I like about following the cases is that you get to see the arguments being made on both sides.
Last, running a website, podcast, and YouTube channel also comes with a lot to learn. You have to learn about recording, sound editing, video editing, SEO, YouTube practices, etc. There is really no end to the amount of information out there on this aspect of the project alone.
Challenging/Learning Curve: Are you satisfied with the level of challenge this hobby brings? Score: 6
For all of the reasons stated above, this hobby is very challenging and maybe a little bit too challenging. I had to prepare for recording episodes. I can’t just pull up a 30-page brief and hit the record button. I need to digest it, think about it, and come to my own conclusions about what’s going on strategically and how the issue may play out.
I’m not an expert in all areas of law, so I often needed to do a primer on certain issues. For example, in the Disney Case, I spent a lot of time learning about Florida special districts. I also learned about all the parties, lawyers, and judges.
Then once I recorded, I had to edit and put everything together. It ends up having a relentless pace that can be challenging to keep up with.
Stress Level: Is this hobby adding or taking away stress? Score: 3
I started feeling a lot of pressure to be first. I wanted to keep up on the docket and be first to provide an analysis–particularly in the Disney case.
The problem is that I was never able to do it. Part of me said not to worry about that, but I did.
I also found myself getting invested in the arguments. I had my own ideas on who should win and what should happen.
I’ve always had a problem with getting extremely flustered if I can’t get a court to agree with me–because I always feel like I am obviously right. When it doesn’t happen, I take it more personally than I should.
For similar reasons, I felt stressed out about posting something online for everyone to see only to turn out to be wrong. “Then you will look like a big idiot!” my brain would say to myself.
This became even more stressful because every jurisdiction has different rules and I know I’m not an expert on all the different areas of law. So I know I’m going to be wrong about things. I ended up finding it stressful.
Plus, as I said, there’s a lot of work that goes into putting out a weekly podcast. It can feel relentless and it can be stressful to meet the deadlines.
Time Commitment: Are you satisfied with the time required for this hobby? Score 4
I could have given this a lower score because, like I said, running a podcast is relentless. It was easily 10+ hours a week. I’m more looking for a worthwhile hobby rather than a second job.
However, I’m keeping it at a 4 because I enjoyed the time for the most part. It is interesting to dig into these cases–at least once you get going.
But I ended up not being able to keep up. I was doing a lot of research and reading in the mornings while my kids were getting up and ready for school. On school days, we wake up by at least 5:30 am. When summer came, I got out of the habit of waking up that early and got out of the habit of working on research during the morning hours.
Fun: Are you having fun doing this hobby? Score 6
While covering these cases may be interesting and intellectually stimulating, I would not necessarily describe it as “fun.”
While I think it is fun to be online, interact with people, and see something you create go out it into the world, it is not fun to read legal briefings.
The stress and time requirements also make it less fun and make it feel more like a job.
I give it a 6 because I think overall it is more fun than not, even if it is just barely, so I bumped it above a 5.
Escapism/Recharge: Does this hobby help you recharge or escape so you feel more ready to take on life’s challenges? Score 2
Really, this hobby ended up feeling more like a second job than a hobby. Doing the study and research is basically the same thing I do in my day job. And that’s at least 50% of the hobby.
The other 50% is putting together the actual episode, editing, publishing, and trying to stay up to date.
And while I do enjoy certain aspects of this hobby, they happen to be quite similar to the aspects of my regular job that I enjoy.
This particular category is not too big of a deal for me, but doing a law-related program is not a form of recharging.
Part of me wants to keep going with it because I think it is worthwhile. But another part of me just wants to relax and not do more work. That other part is totally winning when it comes to this podcast.
Sociality: Are you happy with the amount of socialization that comes with the hobby? Score: 8
I consider myself to be a social introvert. I often recharge by taking time to be alone, but I definitely enjoy connecting with other people.
So I set out to create a space where I could address interesting and challenging issues in an even-handed way to promote civil dialogue. And I think I was doing that, at least about as well as you can do in an online world.
I was pretty happy with the interaction I was getting. I didn’t experience any trolling.
Payoff: When you are done with the hobby, do you step away admiring your accomplishment? Score: 7
I give this a 7 because it is very satisfying to see my podcast episodes pop up in the real world. I enjoy creating my space on the web.
But my presentation and editing are both very amateur. The part of me that is not happy with that brings the score down.
I can’t fully admire doing something in a space that is built upon disputes. It is inherently filled with emotion, politicking, and gamesmanship. I want to get away from that when I’m getting into a hobby or side project.
Overall Score for Law Podcast: 6.2
Here is how a 6.2 fits on the Hobby Rater scale:
1 – Terrible fit
2 – Not a good fit
3 – Probably not good for you
4 – It’s alright, I guess
5 – Very mixed feelings
6 – It’s pretty okay
7 – You like it!
8 – You really like it!
9 – You love this hobby!
10 – Bruh, you know this is the best hobby ever!
Based on this scale, running a law podcast scored “It’s pretty okay.” And that feels about right, which is why I stopped doing it as a hobby for the time being.
I do think about whether I should tweak things and give it another shot. For instance, the criteria that bring this hobby down for me are the stress, time commitment, and lack of escapism. Now that I’ve identified those issues as problem areas, I could make changes to address them. For instance, I can alleviate some of the stress by being okay with not being first. After all, I’m not running a news publication. I could also tweak the time commitment by providing episodes and updates every other week or once a month.
I may do that in the future, and it does cross my mind quite frequently, but we’ll see if I do it.
