Clarissa Lindsey, Partner at Eldridge Crandell, joins The Advocate Next Door to share what it really looks like to advocate for clients when the stakes are high. A seasoned criminal defense attorney with more than 100 cases taken to verdict, she walks through her path into criminal defense and personal injury and how early experiences, from paralegal training to time in the courtroom, shaped her approach.

Clarissa breaks down how she advocates for her clients both strategically and compassionately. She also opens up about balancing empathy with boundaries, navigating the realities of criminal practice, and building a career rooted in both resilience and care for her clients and herself.

STORY

00:00 Mic Check Banter

01:37 Special Guest

02:48 Maryland Roots

03:33 Choosing Law

04:43 The Community College Advantage

06:22 Court Internships Early

08:07 Why Criminal Defense

09:33 "District Court" Wins

12:14 Exploring Other Law Paths

14:04 Emotional Boundaries Therapy

16:49 Client Boundaries

18:00 Finding Clients

19:14 Choosing the Right Lawyer

20:03 Payments

21:24 Public Defender Options

22:04 When Clients Go Silent

23:13 Managing Client Family Boundaries

25:19 Women in Criminal Defense

27:10 Personal Injury Evolution

29:03 Personal Injury Explained

29:42 Fostering Dogs and Empathy

32:53 TikTok and Professionalism

35:33 Advice for Future Lawyers

36:39 Unwinding After Court

38:10 How to Reach

BIOGRAPHY

Clarissa Lindsey, Partner at Eldridge Crandell, is a trial attorney based in Annapolis, Maryland, with a dynamic practice spanning criminal defense, complex civil litigation, and estate planning. Known for her tenacious yet compassionate approach, she has taken more than 100 cases to verdict and represents clients across a wide range of matters—from traffic offenses and serious felonies to high-stakes tort and premises liability cases. Clarissa is recognized for her strategic advocacy, meticulous preparation, and ability to navigate even the most challenging, liability-contested cases with precision and purpose.

Her commitment to justice is rooted in early experience as a student attorney with the Innocence Project, where she represented wrongfully convicted individuals, and further shaped by a judicial clerkship with the Honorable William C. Mulford II.

LINKS

Website: https://www.mymdlegal.com/clarissa-lindsey/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissa-lindsey-esq-68076a169/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyer.lindsey/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notyouraveragelawyer

Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS): https://www.barcs.org

Veronica Ramirez, founder of Curator Counsel PLLC, joins the podcast to break down what “content” really means and the legal risks creators often overlook. She walks through copyright vs. trademark, how trademarks protect your brand, and what to do about content theft, AI deepfakes, and rights of publicity. Veronica also unpacks FTC disclosure rules, brand deals flags, and shares how she built a law firm for influencers while showing up as both a lawyer and a creative in the creator economy.

STORY

00:00 Soundcheck

01:13 Show Intro and Disclaimer

02:28 Meet Veronica Ramirez, Content Creator Attorney

03:37 What Counts as Content

04:40 Music Licensing Risks

06:53 Copyright

08:12 Copyright vs Trademark Basics

11:11 Protecting Your Brand

12:14 Trademark Search and Strategy

14:43 Picking Classes and Fees

17:09 AI Deepfakes

19:47 Why She Built This Practice

21:19 From Traditional Law to Influencer

24:07 Miami Roots and Early Career

25:59 Working Through College Experience

27:08 Starting Her Own Firm

28:21 Social Media Breakthrough

30:27 FTC Disclosure Basics

35:51 Enforcement and Penalties

37:39 FTC Reach Worldwide

39:13 Decoding Brand Offers

42:59 Platform Terms And Rights

44:31 Conflicts And Ethics Risks

46:05 Editing Tools Licensing

51:08 Morals Clauses And Exclusivity

54:37 Final Takeaways

BIOGRAPHY

Veronica Ramirez is a New York–based attorney and founder of Curator Counsel PLLC, a law firm dedicated to supporting influencers, content creators, and digital entrepreneurs. With a background in commercial litigation, she helps clients navigate contracts, protect their intellectual property, and structure brand partnerships with confidence. Beyond her legal practice, Veronica is an active voice in the creator economy, producing educational content, writing about industry trends and FTC regulations, and blending her legal expertise with a creative, creator-first perspective.

LINKS

Website: https://curatorcounsel.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-ramirez-54733840/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curator_counsel/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@curator_counsel

Professional Links: https://msha.ke/curatorcounsel

Adriana Campos-Korn, an international trade attorney and content creator, joins The Advocate Next Door to explore her unconventional career at the intersection of law, fashion, and global culture.

Born in El Salvador and raised in Miami, Adriana reflects on how her multicultural background and passion for fashion shaped both her personal identity and professional path. She shares her journey through top-tier legal roles, including her work in Big Law and the U.S. International Trade Commission, while breaking down the fundamentals of international trade law, from anti-dumping and countervailing duties to the roles of key institutions like the Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Court of International Trade.

Adriana also offers insight into the real-world impact of trade compliance, import regulations, and global policy. Now blending her legal expertise with creative storytelling, Adriana discusses her transition into content creation in the world of Formula 1 and fashion, highlighting the value of taking risks and building a multidimensional career. She closes with advice for aspiring professionals on staying curious, embracing non-linear paths, and finding ways to merge passion with purpose.

STORY

00:00 Mic Check

01:46 Introduction

02:43 Fashion Journey

03:52 Workwear Post Pandemic

06:19 Latin America Fashion Talk

08:00 Identity and Trade Law Path

12:14 Starting With Law Versus Fashion

14:14 Hustling Through Law School

17:08 Trade Career and Tariffs

17:59 What is the ITC?

19:03 Inside ITC Proceedings

19:20 Anti-Dumping Explained

21:44 Trade Deals vs Tariffs

23:37 Can the WTO Stop Tariffs?

25:42 Where Trade Cases Appeal

27:48 Who Trade Lawyers Help

29:59 Merging Law and Passions

31:23 Formula One

32:43 What to Wear

34:45 Staying Open to New Paths

36:47 Advice for Future Lawyers

39:33 Unwinding

BIOGRAPHY

***at the time of this recording, Adriana had recently left Skadden. She is now Corporate Counsel for the Global Trade Legal Group at Amazon

Adriana Campos-Korn is an international trade and customs attorney with a dynamic career spanning both government service and private practice. She is a former associate at Skadden, where she worked in the firm’s National Security practice group, advising on complex international trade and customs matters. Adriana previously served in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. International Trade Commission, where she contributed to Title VII import injury investigations. She brings over five years of private practice experience, counseling clients on tariff classification, customs valuation, country of origin determinations, marking requirements, and forced labor compliance, as well as representing clients before U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Commerce, the International Trade Commission, and the Court of International Trade.

Earlier in her career, Adriana gained valuable experience through legal clerkships and internships at several federal agencies, including the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She is admitted to practice in both the Florida Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.

LINKS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acamposkorn/