In Loco Parent(i)s

Karen and Steve are back, albeit not necessarily better than ever (Steve's in the midst of a pretty nasty cold). After a brief recounting of recent events in their lives, they turn to a wide-ranging interview with superstar CNN anchor and correspondent Pamela Brown, who talks about what it was like to cover the Trump White House (and to do it while pregnant and then with little kids); how the media has been doing with the Russia/Ukraine war; and her really cool side-hustle in the Master of Studies in Law program at George Washington University Law School in D.C.

The fifth episode of season 2 features a fascinating interview with Elon Law Professor Tiffany Atkins, who reflects on transitioning from legal aid to the legal academy; the challenges of raising three children of with a sizeable age gap; and how the legal profession and the legal academy, more specifically, can make access to the professoriate more inclusive and egalitarian. Before that, Karen and Steve reflect a bit on the news of the day — Justice Stephen Breyer's apparent impending retirement from the Supreme Court — and Steve's predictions for how things are likely to unfold from here.

In their latest episode, Karen and Steve sit down with Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to chat about the life of a federal prosecutor; the upsides (and downsides) of having three *older* children; what he's been doing since President Trump fired him; and his forthcoming children's book, "Justice is..."
Before that, though, Karen and Steve recap what's been a pretty difficult week on the home front, with Steve testing positive for COVID and quarantining, and Karen having to handle all of the parenting with an ... inconsistent ... school situation. It's a tough conversation, but one that more and more parents are having to undertake.

Karen and Steve celebrate their kids' (potentially short-lived) return to preschool and school by recording a new episode, including updates on life with Omicron; how we survived winter break; and thoughts about how early-career lawyers can try to balance the obligations of firm jobs with the obligations of parenting young children (spoiler: help will be needed). They then sit down with Paul Weiss partner Alexia Korberg to chat about how they balance a high-profile commercial litigation practice with constitutional impact work; what advice they have for up-and-coming lawyers with similar aspirations; and what it's like to be one of the only partners at a major law firm who is openly trans and gender non-conforming.

Is this on? Karen and Steve Vladeck introduce their new podcast with a little bit of background, including a short history of their relationship, a brief introduction to their family situation (and their two daughters), the impetus for the podcast (including the unique challenges of working high-stress jobs while parenting during COVID); and the first of their regular weekly discussions of "Work Wins" and "Parenting Fails."