Higher Callings
Interviews of lawyers and others dedicated to serving the common good. The host of Higher Callings® is Donald Frederico, a Boston lawyer and past President of the Boston Bar Association with several decades of experience representing clients and leading nonprofit organizations. In those roles, Don has met many people who have found ways to serve their communities and the broader public and help people in need. We hope that, by shining a light on their good works, Higher Callings will inspire others to find their own paths towards making the world a better place.
Higher Callings
"Your Lovable Lawyer": Danny Karon's Higher Calling
When you hear the word “lawyer,” what adjectives come to mind? Obnoxious? Over-priced? Untrustworthy? Or maybe skillful? Smart? Respectable? How often when you think of lawyers do you think “loveable?”
Danny Karon is a Cleveland-based lawyer who has branded himself as “Your Loveable Lawyer.” To know Danny is to know that that description works. More familiar to some of us as an accomplished class action lawyer who for years ably led the American Bar Association’s national institute on class actions, Danny has also been teaching class actions and complex litigation to the next generation of lawyers at some of the country’s finest law schools and serving as a television news commentator discussing high profile legal cases.
As “Your Loveable Lawyer,” Danny Karon arms consumers with the knowledge they need to navigate the confusing web of laws that can affect their everyday lives, what Danny calls their “legal wellness.” He does so by packaging complex and often tedious material into short video vignettes that are both accessible and entertaining. And he is working on a book that will draw from his real-life experiences to inform and educate consumers about the same types of issues that are the subject of his helpful videos. What could be more loveable than that?
In this episode of Higher Callings, I talk with Danny about his career as a lawyer, his leadership of the National Institute on Class Actions, his experience as a law school professor, his foray into news commentary, and his “Higher Calling” as “Your Loveable Lawyer.” We also share some thoughts about the practice of law and Danny offers his advice to law students and young lawyers. As always, Danny’s insights reflect his wisdom and his sparkling personality.
Danny's law practice website can be found here, and his "Lovable Lawyer" website can be found here.
As a bonus, here is a link to a live version of "Emotional Weather Report" by Tom Waits, mentioned early in the episode.
If you have enjoyed the Higher Callings podcast, you might also enjoy Don's Substack Newsletter, Reflections of a Boston Lawyer, which you can find here: https://donaldfrederico.substack.com/