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S o, your law firm is ready to add a podcast to its media lineup. A couple of partners have stepped forward to champion the idea and serve as hosts. You have potential topic suggestions pouring in from every corner of your firm. Now it's up to your lawyers and your communications and technology teams to actually make it happen, and there's a lot more to the endeavor than first meets the eye . . . or ear. With season one of WilmerHale's first podcast, In the Public Interest, now successfully wrapped up and season two in the works, Marketing and Communications Director Chris Postizzi and Information Services Business Relationship Manager Tom Day share lessons learned in the making of the series, which launched in December 2020. Know Thyself: Choose a Theme that's Right for Your Firm At the outset, we knew we'd need a theme that would provide an overarching logic for the podcast series. The project launched early in the pandemic, so our initial idea was for the podcast to spin off from the firm's popular series of web-based COVID updates. But we soon realized there would be tremendous value in looking more broadly at other instances where the firm's work intersects with issues at the forefront of the national conversation. With our lawyers working on police reform, cybersecurity, voting rights and many other timely issues, we realized the firm had the insight and the credibility to sustain a series covering many topics that were both in the public interest and of interest to the public. In fact, our involvement in these kinds of consequential issues is central to WilmerHale's identity. So, In the Public Interest made sense as a series title. Find the Best Talent: A Podcast is Only as Good as its Hosts Choosing the right host is a make-or-break issue. We're incredibly fortunate that the two lead partners on the podcast, John Walsh and Brendan McGuire—who actually suggested the podcast title—have not only been willing to dedicate significant time and attention to making the series happen, they're also talented hosts with a great on-air presence and complementary styles. John was previously a Colorado US Attorney and Brendan was an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York so, as talented litigators, they have their fingers on the pulse and great presentation skills. They're truly committed to the finished product. Stay Topical: Planning the Right Mix of Subjects and Guests is Key Our core podcast team of 12, which includes lawyers, and Information Services and Client Development staff, began planning for the first season by brainstorming several dozen potential topics. The challenge was in choosing a shortlist that would have the greatest resonance for listeners. We focused on the most current legal, political, social and cultural issues in which the firm has played a role in important recent cases. We were lucky to have access to interesting and high-profile prospective guests, but scheduling was tricky. As it turned out, in our very first episode we had to take our chances and defy conventional wisdom. We'd been told by a veteran podcaster that, above all else, we should start slow, and not host a major guest until we'd had a few test runs and ironed out the wrinkles. Well, we'd been working on scheduling Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for later in the season, to discuss policing reform. Suddenly she had an available window and we had to jump on it, so she ended up being our first guest! 37 I L T A N E T . O R G 1 2 3

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