Podcast Episodes

Episode 179 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Retired U.S. Immigration Judge Richard (Rico) Bartolomei

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Rico has been a very close friend of mine who I have known since we were young U.S. Army JAG First Lieutenants at Fort Bliss, Texas. Beyond that, Rico introduced me to my wife of 36 years, Patty, as we all lived in the same apartment complex on the west side of El Paso. As I always describe to people, Rico is the closest individual to being a “Renaissance man” that I have ever met. Everything that he does, he does great!

Episode 178 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Madison County, AL Circuit Court Judge (Ret) Karen Hall

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Judge Karen Hall was the longest-serving judge in Madison County, Alabama history, when combined with her time on the bench as a District Court Judge followed by her long tenure as a Circuit Court judge, until her recent retirement. And when I say retired, I mean just retired as in this podcast was done on her first day off after working for a lifetime! Judge Hall was instrumental in starting and then continuing the long tradition of judges in Madison County who are smart, compassionate, and considerate of both lawyers and litigants in their courtrooms, which is just the type of judge anyone wants deciding his or her case.

Episode 177 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Heath Brooks

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Heath Brooks is a highly respected personal injury attorney with the Huntsville law firm of Timberlake, League and Brooks. You can also listen to previous podcast episodes with Heath’s law partners Michael Timberlake here, Will League here and William Messervy here. In addition, this law firm sponsors the popular LawCall show on WAAY/ABC 31 on Sunday nights at 10:30pm. As you’ll hear, Heath has been working at this same law firm for almost two decades, following a fortuitous concert featuring the Drive By Truckers.

Episode 175 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Tim Semelroth

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As I learned on this episode of the podcast, Attorney Tim Semelroth is an Iowa boy through and through! We talked a lot about wrestling because, if you grow up in Iowa, wrestling is pretty much in your blood. Tim has an interesting career arc and an impressive pedigree. He runs one of the largest personal injury practices in the state of Iowa.

Episode 173 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Brian White

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Attorney Brian White is a highly respected attorney located in Decatur, Alabama where he has been practicing law for many years. I have known Brian by reputation, but this is my first opportunity to get to speak with him. He works throughout North Alabama and concentrates his practice especially in the counties of Morgan, Lawrence, Limestone and Cullman.

Episode 172 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Lieutenant General (LTG Ret) Stuart Risch, 41st U.S. Army Judge Advocate General

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I have known LTG (Ret) Stuart Risch since we were both first lieutenants in the U.S. Army JAG Corps. We met as students in the 116th JAG Basic Course at the Army's law school in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is an understatement to say that Stu has had a spectacular career with his 40 years of uniformed service with the U.S. Army -- 36 of which were on active duty, while another 4 were spent in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Field Artillery officer -- rising to the pinnacle of the Army’s military law leadership as The Judge Advocate General.

Episode 171 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Rho Thomas

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Attorney Rho Thomas has an impressive pedigree which led her into practicing “big law” with a large law firm in Georgia after she received her law degree. After an introspective search by her and her husband, a practicing doctor, following the birth of their first child, the pair dove into learning about money and transformed their personal finances, paying off a significant amount of student loan debt. Later, Rho completely morphed and changed her career into helping lawyers deal with their finances and get out of debt just like she and her husband were able to do.

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