Episode 180 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Chris Weston
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, December 8, 2025
Attorney Chris Weston is the managing partner of the long-established and well-respected law firm of Johnston, Moore and Weston in Huntsville, Alabama. As you’ll hear on this episode of the podcast, Chris was a nomad of sorts growing up, moving every three years or so.
Episode 179 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Retired U.S. Immigration Judge Richard (Rico) Bartolomei
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Tuesday, November 18, 2025
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
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Thursday, November 13, 2025
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
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, November 10, 2025
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 176 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Jack Duncan
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Attorney Jack Duncan is an exceptional creditors rights lawyer who is highly respected throughout the state of Alabama. Jack is a partner at the large regional firm of McCalla Raymer. As an aside, here is a previous podcast I did with another McCalla partner, Mike McComick.
Episode 175 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Tim Semelroth
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, September 8, 2025
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 174 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Ralph Hornsby, Jr.
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, August 25, 2025
Ralph Hornsby, Jr., is a highly respected attorney who has been practicing law in North Alabama for a long time. He comes from great stock and he has an impressive pedigree!
Episode 173 - Next Lawyer Up with Ron Sykstus featuring Brian White
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, August 11, 2025
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
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Wednesday, July 9, 2025
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
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Thursday, June 26, 2025
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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