Practicing law isn’t just about filing that motion by that date, or getting that much in a settlement for that client. The Humble Jurist, a new podcast by the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, inspires attorneys everywhere to remember that important fact.
Tyler Snow, of Hatch Law (Salt Lake City), loves podcasts. They provide a way to detach from his busy practice and focus on something enlightening while he does dishes, mows the lawn, or just drives to and from work. One day while listening to a BYU podcast, he decided to see if the Law Society had a similar stream. He found nothing. He searched YouTube and found the annual Law Society firesides from the past 15 years or so. While it was great to see the annual firesides on YouTube, he thought, this isn’t the only format to reach Law Society members or potential members. With four children and a full-time law practice, his time for attending events or watching them afterward is limited. So, he asked the question: “Is there another way for those of us who can’t attend the events to experience the Law Society’s fellowship and stay connected to the Society’s mission?”
Snow decided to email Society leadership and broach the idea of a podcast. They responded with enthusiasm and together, created the Humble Jurist podcast. The podcast features roughly 30-minute clips from annual firesides in an effort to connect members, attract new membership, and elevate the vision of any attorney who listens.
Adam Balinski, founder and CEO of Crushendo and former Director of External Relations at BYU Law, headed up the project. “We brainstormed many names and ultimately settled on the Humble Jurist because we felt it would best attract listeners who don’t know about the Law Society yet.”
Snow says attorneys won’t find any other podcast quite like the Humble Jurist, and he should know; he’s listened to podcasts for a decade now. “There are podcasts that talk about lawyer skills or legal news. But this is a niche area where we can explore practicing life in the law, from a religious perspective that the Law Society brings.”
Balinski agrees, “Being inspired is a major part of why I’m in the Law Society. Attorneys talking about faith, or people of faith talking attorney stuff—I don’t know where else you can get it.”
Snow envisions a podcast that includes not only the annual firesides, but religious freedom keynotes, recordings of Law Society events from all over the world, as well as interviews with lawyers of faith. To attorneys of faith, the law is a “way for us to serve, to further our goal of becoming like Heavenly Father,” Snow says. It’s not just a means to an end—money and property. “There’s far more that we’re after as members of the Law Society.”
Balinski and Snow hope attorneys will listen to the podcast, review it, and share it. Those interactions will generate SEO (search engine optimization) traction and visibility for the Humble Jurist so other attorneys with religious conviction can find it more easily and be inspired.
“We get caught up in the daily grind,” Snow said. “In law school, you hear a lot about the ideal of practicing law and pursuing justice. Then you become a lawyer and you don’t hear that as much. We’re just focused on dealing with problems. It becomes a routine thing after a while. It’s good to remember the ideals and the principles.”
