LawTalk: Shannon Liss-Riordan of Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C

Note: Quotes have been edited for clarity and concision.

Episode Highlights

Fighting for the Underdog

I was one of those people who went to law school knowing that I was becoming a lawyer because I wanted to fight for the underdog. I wanted to try to use the law as a way to improve people’s lives.

Shannon Liss-Riordan

Turning Laws on Paper Into Real Protections

There are a lot of words that are on paper that are laws that are passed by legislatures, laws that have been passed by Congress, but on paper, they don’t do anyone any good. It’s out there in the real world that they make a difference. Lawyers can do that. We can bring cases. We can bring a human element to what these laws were passed for.

Shannon Liss-Riordan

Empowering Everyday Workers Through Class Actions

It’s been really, really heartwarming when I’ve gotten to know clients who didn’t think that they could take on a major corporation, but then they realize what power they have when they’re joining together with others. That’s what we do. We educate, we empower, we support. And while we’re at it, we try to make good law through the cases that we bring.

Shannon Liss-Riordan

Why Plaintiffs’ Law Matters

I would encourage you out there who are thinking about the law to think about plaintiffs’ law, because there’s a lot of room for creativity. There’s a lot of room for picking your own cases and deciding what areas you think need to be addressed—what laws are written on paper but haven’t come alive yet because they haven’t been fleshed out through a lawsuit and made into something real that can affect people.

Shannon Liss-Riordan

Using Your Voice—Even Before You’re a Lawyer

You don’t have to have gone to law school, you don’t need to have gotten to college, you don’t need to have finished high school to make your voice heard and to be an active voice in your community and speak out on things that matter to you. By you speaking out, you actually will carry a lot more weight than you might even realize.

Shannon Liss-Riordan