Cause of Action with Spencer Pahlke
A show about building a thriving legal career and practicing law that can change the world.
In law school, you often hear a standard narrative. You can go into Big Law. Or you can get a job in government or nonprofits. In other words, you can either make money or do good in the world. But not both. Cause of Action with Spencer Pahlke dispels this myth, showing law students that there’s a third path: working as a plaintiffs’ attorney. With plaintiffs’ law, you can make a good living while fighting for causes you care about, from civil rights to environmental protection to corporate fraud.
Each episode, San Francisco-based plaintiffs’ attorney and UC Berkeley Law instructor Spencer Pahlke sits down with one of the top attorneys in the country, exploring what they do, and how law students can find a job they’ll love.
Cause of Action with Spencer Pahlke
Latest Episodes
6 | When "We the People" Hire a Plaintiffs' Firm
Here’s something people don’t often mention: As a plaintiffs’ attorney, you can work side by side with government litigators, taking on some of the most important issues in the country. Case in point, today’s guest: June Pineda Hoidal. June is ...
5 | Three Law Students Walk into the Plaintiffs’ Bar
On today’s episode, Boston College 2L Marissa Lambert sits down with Angie Pati and Jonathan Koehler, law students at NYU and Rutgers. Angie and Jonathan discuss the ideals that brought them to law school, and how those values are leading them ...
4 | What It’s Like to Be an Associate at a Plaintiffs’ Firm
So far, we’ve been speaking with veteran attorneys—litigators who’ve spent decades taking on corporate giants. But today, we wanted to bring on someone who’s a little closer to law school. Someone who only recently went through the gauntlet of ...
3 | The Defense Attorney Who Exposed the Truth About Forever Chemicals
You often hear that summer jobs in law school can lay the foundation for your career. Which is kind of terrifying. It creates the impression that your decisions as a 1L can determine the entire course of your life. But here's the truth: your ca...
2 | Fighting for Workers' Rights
It’s no secret that companies are stealing from their workers. Wage theft is rampant in America, but plaintiffs’ attorneys like Shannon Liss-Riordan are fighting back. Shannon is one of the country’s top lawyers bringing employment class action...