ABA Law Student Podcast

American Bar Association

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Presented by the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, the ABA Law Student Podcast covers issues that affect law students, law schools, and recent grads. From finals and graduation to the bar exam and finding a job, this show is your trusted resource for the next big step.

16/12/2024

From AI to Cryptocurrency: How Attorneys Influence Our Tech Future

As technology continues to impact our personal and professional lives in new and often exciting ways, the law plays a vital role in ensuring a proper balance between advancement and societal protection. As litigators, advocates, and even possibly legislators, law students are preparing to be in a position to help define the role technology plays in our society. Franklin Pierce School of Law Professor Daniel Pi joins host Manny Fernandez to discuss the intersection of law and technology and how law students can be ready to play their part in influencing our tech future. (00:00) - Opening (01:27) - Introduction of Topic and Guest (04:28) - The Role of Lawyers In Regulating Tech (06:29) - The Law as Creator of Incentives for Tech Innovation (07:58) - The Historical Influence of Lawyers Over Tech Innovation (10:49) - Finding the Balance Between Innovation and the Greater Good (12:45) - The Modern Challenges Of Keeping Pace with Tech (14:44) - Cryptocurrency Today Compared to the Internet of the Early 90s (16:24) - Autonomous Vehicles: Innovation vs Public Safety (21:01) - How Law Students can Prepare to Engage in the Law and Technology Intersection (24:36) - Reflections and Takeaways by the Hosts Click here to view the episode transcript.

39 min
18/11/2024

How Public Defenders Are Key to Fixing America's Criminal Justice System

In 1963, the US Supreme Court ruled that all criminal defendants were guaranteed a right to counsel under the 6th and 14th Amendments. Jonathan Rapping, a former public defender and professor at John Marshall Law School, co-founded Gideon’s Promise to address the inadequacies of our public defender system by empowering motivated, passionate public defenders to work across the United States and bridge the gap between the ideal of the 6th Amendment’s right to counsel and the inadequacies of our criminal defense system. Prof. Rapping explains why a quality public defender system is so important for marginalized communities and our country as a whole, what it takes to be a great public defender, and how public defenders are addressing changes in our legal landscape. (00:00) - Introduction (00:51) - Introducing Prof. Jonathan Rapping (03:19) - What it takes to be a public defender (04:29) - How law students can maintain their empathy and humanity (06:43) - Prof. Rapping’s personal journey (08:25) - The conflict of training lawyers in public defender offices (10:16) - The mission of Gideon’s Promise (12:19) - How Gideon’s Promise trains public defenders and why it matters (13:47) - The real challenges public defenders face (17:27) - YSL, OJ Simpson, and the public perception of criminal defense lawyers (22:42) - Why underfunding public defense fails the American ideal (24:37) - How public defenders are facing legal and social changes (28:55) - Host takeaways and discussion Click here to view the episode transcript.

40 min
21/10/2024

A Legal View of the 2024 Election: Insights from Harvard’s Election Law Expert

Harvard Law Professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a leading authority on gerrymandering and election law, explores the pivotal role that legal professionals play in safeguarding our democratic processes. Professor Stephanopoulos shares his insights on the current state of election law, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, and the ongoing challenges in campaign finance. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand why every election is crucial and how the legal community can uphold the integrity of our democracy.

39 min
23/09/2024

Tips To Build Your Legal Brand with Honor Williams

Each year in the US, more than thirty thousand new law school graduates enter a crowded marketplace, joining more than a million other attorneys in practice. It should come as no surprise that many find it difficult to stand out and be seen. Each attorney may take a different approach: spending a lot of time and money on websites and SEO; maybe lucking into a high profile case; or, I don’t know, perhaps… hosting a podcast. There’s no one simple path, but each approach offers its own invaluable lessons, and all necessitate deeply understanding your audience and successfully leveraging opportunities. In this episode, we highlight one attorney who has leveraged Instagram and other social media platforms to create opportunities for herself, and we explore how her experiences can help you build your own brand.

40 min
27/06/2024

What We’ve Learned and Where We're Heading

School’s out for the summer, and the ABA Law Student podcast is wrapping up for the season. Faculty host Todd Berger and student hosts Leah Haberman and Chay Rodriguez get together one last time to reflect on this year’s podcast and discuss the many possibilities that await both law students and recent graduates during the summer season. They discuss future plans, summer internships and classes, bar prep, employment opportunities, and much more. Stay cool, kids! We’ll be back before you know it. Subscribe to this podcast so you won’t miss a beat when we return this fall.

31 min
10/06/2024

What Are the Limits of Students’ First Amendment Rights on College Campuses?

Recent protests at universities across the country pushed the boundaries of free speech, and outcomes for protestors were varied, to say the least. The world of academia encourages the free exchange of ideas, but some protest actions prompted police involvement, disciplinary action by universities, student expulsions, and even the loss of career opportunities for graduates. As a law student, what do you need to understand about these events as interpreted through our existing legal frameworks? Professor Roy Gutterman joins Chay, Leah, and Professor Berger to offer his expertise on First Amendment rights and the interplay of civil protests and the law.

34 min
15/04/2024

Collaborative Impact: Working Together to Change the World

Many young law students begin their studies with high hopes of generating change by becoming a lawyer and advocate, but what does this lofty dream look like in the real world? Leah Haberman talks with Professor Dorothy Roberts about her career as a lawyer, professor, author, and activist. Professor Roberts shares how her unique skills led her to leverage her curiosity and passions to become an expert on racial interconnections and tensions in many legal issues, particularly those involving reproductive injustices and child welfare. She shares many tips for law students on how to bring focus to their strengths and interests, embrace collaboration, and make small but meaningful changes in the world; one day at a time. Dorothy Roberts is the 14th Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law & Sociology, and the Raymond Pace & Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights at University of Pennsylvania.

45 min
18/03/2024

Plan to Pivot: Embracing Change in Law School and Beyond

Many law students begin their studies thinking they have their legal ambitions all mapped out, only to realize later that their perfect plan is no longer what they want. Having this type of identity crisis in law school isn’t a bad thing, and if it happens to you, don’t panic! Law school and your early legal career should be a time for exploration and change. Chay Rodriguez talks with attorney Katie Winchenbach about her personal experiences and the strategies, resources, and connections that helped her pivot to new opportunities both as a student and a young lawyer. Katie Winchenbach is a corporate attorney at Motorola Solutions and program director for Ms. JD, a national nonprofit that supports aspiring and early-career women attorneys.

43 min

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Presented by the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division, the ABA Law Student Podcast covers issues that affect law students, law schools, and recent grads. From finals and graduation to the bar exam and finding a job, this show is your trusted resource for the next big step.