{"id":309098,"date":"2026-07-29T20:25:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/309098\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T20:25:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T20:25:03","slug":"daniel-wiig-tinker-tailor-lawyer-podcaster-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/309098\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel Wiig: Tinker, tailor, lawyer podcaster in New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

After trial consultant Richard Gabriel, president of Decision Analysis, released a report called the \u201cTrust in Justice Project,\u201d showing trust eroding in the justice system<\/a>, Daniel Wiig felt it was worth paying attention.<\/p>\n

Wiig brought him on his podcast \u201cAmicus Curiae \u2013 Candidly Speaking\u201d for a conversation and then assembled an \u201call star\u201d panel at the New York County Lawyers Association<\/a>\u2019s Manhattan offices.<\/p>\n

The group included New York State Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, former New York State Attorney General Dennis Vacco, Staten Island DA Michael Mcmahon, Legal Aid Society President Twyla Carter, and bankruptcy court judge Elizabeth Stong.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the shows are done remotely via a recording platform, not in person,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cWe did this one live in January of 2025, and it made the cover of the New York Law Journal.\u201d<\/p>\n

While podcasts are nothing new, legal podcasts may be coming of age with Wiig\u2019s as an example. Produced by the New York County Lawyers Association, it launched in April 2021, streaming on iHeart radio, Apple, Spotify, and available on the New York County Lawyers Association website.<\/p>\n

The show, with nearly 100 40 to 60-minute episodes, has just been picked up by the Legal Broadcasting Company, seeking to build a kind of legal podcast hub.\n<\/p>\n

It had 40,000 downloads in June, in addition to streaming that Wiig said can\u2019t be measured, making the engagement larger.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has an instinctive feel for what makes a good interview,\u201d said Legal Broadcasting Company Executive Producer Evan Dicharry, noting he \u201cconnects legal issues to the world at large.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"manDaniel WiigPhoto courtesty Daniel Wiig<\/p>\n

Wiig picked the show name to be Amicus Curiae, \u201cfriend of the court\u201d in Latin, used when interested parties file an amicus brief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted the show to be friendly, comfortable conversations,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cThe show is designed to address complex legal issues in a conversational and casual tone and make it easily accessible for lawyers and non-lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Six degrees of preparation<\/p>\n

Wiig went to St. John\u2019s University undergrad, got his MBA from Fordham and got a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt that a law degree would put me into a lot of interesting things,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cLawyers have their hands on a lot of interesting things. I think that\u2019s been proven true.\u201d<\/p>\n

He worked at the Municipal Credit Union, as adjunct faculty at St. John\u2019s, for NYCHA for 1.5 years and has been at the City University of New York as associate general counsel for a little over five years.<\/p>\n

The podcast, like so many things, came out of the pandemic. Wiig had been involved in the New York County Lawyers Association for many years, including time on their Board.<\/p>\n

\u201cPodcasts were taking off,\u201d he said. \u201c They said, \u2018Why don\u2019t we do something like this. I said, \u2018Sure.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Continuing Education<\/p>\n

Wiig deals with intricate and basic questions, such as with former Manhattan DA Vinoo Varghese after Trump was indicted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first question I asked was, \u2018Can you explain to us, what\u2019s an indictment?\u201d Wiig said. \u201cThat may sound silly. But when I tell you the number of non-lawyers who commented on social media or emailed me, thanking for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

An indictment is when a grand jury says there\u2019s enough evidence for a trial, although some listeners thought it had more legal weight. \u201cThe word was thrown around without explanation,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re guilty. Just there\u2019s enough evidence to bring you to trial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wiig looks at many issues from the legal angle, last year examining the president\u2019s powers under Article 2 of the Constitution with a constitutional law scholar. \u201cIt was done in a neutral, non-partisan manner,\u201d Wiig said.<\/p>\n

Be my Guest<\/p>\n

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. has been a guest as has Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and Alan Dershowitz.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI reach out to people myself if I think it might be an interesting show,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cI go over what I want to talk about, but I don\u2019t feed them questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gloria Allred, who has represented women in sexual discrimination and harassment cases, talked about her life, \u201cwhat got her started, some of the cases she worked on,\u201d Wiig said.<\/p>\n

New York State Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson discussed his vision for running the court system, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johson discussed the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding affirmative action.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s popular not only with lawyers,\u201d Dicharry said, \u201cbut with anyone interested in how the law interacts with the broader world of news, politics, and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doing Requests<\/p>\n

Magistrate Gary Stein appeared on the show after writing a book about a corrupt federal judge in the 1930s. Chad Peace, who runs the Independent Voter Project, advocating for independent voters to vote in primaries, as in California, also appeared.<\/p>\n

Wiig last October on the 30th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson trial hosted a panel discussion, and did a show about Hong Kong political prisoner Jimmy Lai, focusing on freedom of speech and religion.<\/p>\n

Most but not all guests are lawyers such as HR consultant Lauren McDonald, who discussed finding jobs.\n<\/p>\n

Carol Swain, a woman of color who opposes DEI, talked about why she believes DEI is wrong.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a lot of pushback on that. I got compliments on the way I questioned her,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cPeople who support DEI did not want to hear a different point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. talked about regulating AI and entertainment lawyer Simon Pulman talked about the use of AI in Hollywood.\n<\/p>\n

After Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court, he interviewed a federal judge, appointed by President Reagan, for whom she clerked. \u201cHe gave his insight about her and why he supported her,\u201d Wiig said.<\/p>\n

The next show to be released, this Friday, is with John Barrett, a St. John\u2019s Law School professor, talking about the 1973 War Powers Act and lack of war declarations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time Congress declared war was during Worl War II,\u201d he said regarding Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania approved by Congress in 1942 after declarations against Germany, Italy and Japan.<\/p>\n

They have \u201cever-greenish\u201d episodes ready to roll along with plans for new ones. \u201cOccasionally, a guest may want to listen to the raw audio before we drop it,\u201d Wiig said. \u201cThey may want to make edits. They don\u2019t like the way they said something. We would accommodate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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