About Jessica Glynn

Jessica Glynn Articles written 79

Jessica Centers Glynn is a writer and teacher in Denver, Colorado. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and her award-winning reporting has also appeared in The Anniston Star and Westword.

Articles written by Jessica Glynn

‘Me Against the World’

Antitrust litigator Joseph Saveri pushes defendants to the brink

In June 2022, months before the release of ChatGPT and the explosion of generative AI, San Francisco antitrust lawyer Joseph Saveri read a blog post describing potential copyright violations with the Microsoft AI tool GitHub Copilot. Titled “This CoPilot is Stupid and Wants to Kill Me,” the post was written by Matthew Butterick, a lawyer, designer, programmer and author of the book Typography for Lawyers—which Saveri had made required reading for his staff when he opened his firm in 2012. …

‘Strive Mightily’

Laura Phillips carries the torch of a long family tradition while creating her own legacy

It’s impossible to tell the story of Laura Phillips’ career without first talking about her dad, the legendary defense-turned-plaintiff’s attorney William “Denny” Phillips. She did, after all, start working at his Washington-based law office when she was in middle school, and they later spent years trying cases side-by-side. He died last year at age 86, the same year he stopped practicing. Phillips speaks of his legacy and example through a mix of tears and laughter. “I learned …

What Are My Rights When Stopped by the Police?

If the police stop you, you have rights guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Knowing your rights will prepare you for a police encounter and help avoid escalating the situation or jeopardizing your freedom. You should also know what information to document about police encounters to help prove your case if officers violate your civil rights. If you have questions about your rights during a police stop, talk to a civil rights attorney for legal advice. Understanding the …

In the Weeds

Whether she’s judge, mom or lawyer, Cathy Kennedy always sets a high bar

When Cathy Kennedy graduated fifth in her University of South Carolina School of Law class in 1981 with an 18-month-old baby in tow, she went looking for a job in the area that most interested her—probate law—but couldn’t find anything with manageable hours. “Law firms said, ‘We don’t do 9-to-5. When you want to be a real lawyer, you can come back and talk to us,’” she recalls. So she found her own way to break in: first as an in-house counsel, then by getting elected as the …

A Kind of a Beacon

David Mercer has made it his mission to help other attorneys fight alcoholism

In the early 1980s, David S. Mercer was on the fast track. A partner at an Alexandria real estate law firm with eight offices and its own jet, he appeared—or so he thought—to have it all together. But he also couldn’t go a day without drinking. When people voiced concerns, he brushed them off with excuses about how hard he worked, how entitled he was to celebrate.  “Look at me, I’m a successful partner in a very successful law firm,” he remembers thinking. “I drive a big, …

Strategies for Negotiating Tax Debt Options When You Owe the IRS

Denver tax lawyer Steven Anderson often hears from people with tax debt who think they can call up the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and offer 40 cents on the dollar and be done with it—usually because they’ve heard a misleading ad on the radio. “There are a lot of quasi-professionals claiming to get you out for pennies on the dollar,” says Anderson, of Anderson & Jahde. “Oftentimes, they’ll take $5,000 to $10,000, and nothing happens. We’ve had countless clients over the …

Canney’s Gambit

Analytical chess master Randy Canney taps into the human side of criminal defense

A few years ago, Iraq War veteran Thomas Labosky was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, second-degree assault, menacing and kidnapping for what the Chaffee County sheriff called an “unprovoked attack” on an unsuspecting victim on the Midland Trail outside of Buena Vista. Criminal defense lawyer Randy Canney heard a more nuanced story. Labosky told him he was out for a day of biking and climbing when he heard gunfire at the intersection of five bike trails. He spotted a …

A Parent's Guide to Birth Injury Law

New moms often second-guess themselves, says Dawn Pinnisi, a medical malpractice attorney who handles birth injury lawsuits. Her advice: Trust your instincts. “I’ve had many times where the mom will say, ‘I knew something was wrong,’” says Pinnisi, with Varcadipane & Pinnisi in New York City. “Most of the time, the mom is right. If something doesn’t sit right, go with your instinct.” That starts with asking a lot of questions, especially if you’re told there’s been an …

Coin Flip

David Affeld’s bitcoin case was a contract case

“Who here has heard of bitcoin currency?” David Affeld was conducting voir dire for a case in which his client, bitcoin strategist Michael Ho, was suing Marathon Digital Holdings, the biggest publicly traded bitcoin mining company in the world, for breach of contract. Affeld asked for a show of hands. Most went up. He then followed with something more pertinent: “Some people think it’s the wave of the future, some people think it’s scammy. Can I see a show of hands? Who here thinks …

Who Controls the Driver?

How the attorneys at Fried Goldberg held Amazon responsible

In 2022, on a cul-de-sac in the back of a Fayette County subdivision, an 8-year-old boy was riding an electric bike in front of his home when he was run over by an Amazon delivery van and dragged 21 feet. The boy, Gabriel, suffered a broken pelvis and severe degloving to his leg—meaning the skin and tissue beneath was ripped away, requiring multiple surgeries and skin grafts. His family was referred to Fried Goldberg, an Atlanta firm specializing in truck accident cases. When Michael Goldberg …

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