You don't get to be one of the country's most prominent litigators without some focus. For James Brosnahan of Morrison & Foerster, his career goal was to go to trial—any trial and any subject. In this week's episode, Ross Todd speaks to Brosnahan about his memoir titled, "Justice at Trial: Courtroom Battles and Groundbreaking Cases."

Brosnahan discusses his distinguished career, including how McCarthyism led him to the legal profession. He also spoke to his divergent ambitions to be a trial lawyer representing all kinds of clients, a public agitator for political reforms and a private family man. How did he make it all work? The explanation, said Brosnahan, is his wife, retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Carol Brosnahan.