Lawful Good Luke W Russell

My guest today is Danielle Mason.  Danielle is best known for her successful mass tort litigation over talcum powder for which she has secured nearly $1 billion in verdicts against Johnson & Johnson. She’s also known for her work in the current hair relaxer litigation as the founding and managing Partner, Bullock Ward Mason LLC. But her life has been so much more than that.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Danielle and her family attended Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, presided over by Martin Luther King, Jr.  Her grandmother was deeply involved in the civil rights issues of the 1960s, and Danielle says that she assumed those struggles were over.  But when she saw Rodney King beaten on live television and the subsequent acquittal of the officers responsible, she realized that there was still work to be done.
In this two-part interview, we'll talk about her early pregnancy that was supposed to be impossible, the tradeoffs of balancing motherhood with an exceptional career, and why she's so darn good at picking juries.

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My guest today is Danielle Mason.  Danielle is best known for her successful mass tort litigation over talcum powder for which she has secured nearly $1 billion in verdicts against Johnson & Johnson. She’s also known for her work in the current hair relaxer litigation as the founding and managing Partner, Bullock Ward Mason LLC. But her life has been so much more than that.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Danielle and her family attended Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, presided over by Martin Luther King, Jr.  Her grandmother was deeply involved in the civil rights issues of the 1960s, and Danielle says that she assumed those struggles were over.  But when she saw Rodney King beaten on live television and the subsequent acquittal of the officers responsible, she realized that there was still work to be done.
In this two-part interview, we'll talk about her early pregnancy that was supposed to be impossible, the tradeoffs of balancing motherhood with an exceptional career, and why she's so darn good at picking juries.

Check out our sponsors!
Hennessey Digital
Milestone Foundation
Trial School
7 Figure Cases
Looking for other great shows? Check out the Society of Women Trial Lawyers and Trusted Legal Partners podcasts.
Law Firm SEO by Jason HennesseyGet it on AmazonDownload on Audible
Support the show

In my recent interview with Regina Calcaterra she explained the drastic differences between children who are adopted from the foster care system and those who simply age out of the system.  Adopted children are 50% less likely to be arrested or become homeless, and 50% more likely to graduate college, among many other emotional and practical benefits.  In that interview, Regina recommended that anyone interested in becoming foster parents or forever parents contact an organization called You Gotta Believe.  The nonprofit helps foster children find families, provides certification and licensing for foster parents, and provides a framework for helping those parents learn to care for youth dealing with trauma and abandonment.
In this episode, I’m having a conversation with three people involved with You Gotta Believe — executive director Jennifer Pinder, director of the Nobody Ages Out Youth Movement Anni Keane, and advisory board member and returning Lawful Good guest, Regina Calcaterra.  Join us as we delve into the importance of the work the organization does, how it's making positive, long-term changes in the lives of foster kids, and how you can get involved.

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Milestone Foundation
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My guest today is Regina Calcaterra, co-founder of the Calcaterra Pollack law firm and author of the bestselling memoir Etched in Sand.  
Regina was one of five children, all of whom were emotionally and physically abused by their mother.  With their basic physical needs unmet, she and her siblings became each other's support system until they were taken into foster care and separated.
Regina had already overcome the odds when she graduated college, but she also went on to graduate law school at night while holding down a full time job.
Over the years, Regina's service to others has moved fluidly between the public and private spheres.  She lobbied for disabled veterans to help craft the Americans with Disabilities Act and eventually served as chief deputy for the same county where she grew up abused and starving.
In this episode, we discuss her traumatic childhood, why diversity is so important to her law firm, and why it was so meaningful when she was asked to be a "forever mom".
A note to listeners: Regina and I make reference to physical and sexual abuse in this episode. While we won't discuss graphic details, listener discretion is advised.

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Hennessey Digital
Milestone Foundation
Trial School
7 Figure Cases
Looking for other great shows? Check out the Society of Women Trial Lawyers and Trusted Legal Partners podcasts.
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Today, we’re taking a break from our usual programming to hear from my friend Andre Regard and friends during a bourbon tasting.
Andre is with Kentucky Senator Bourbon and is also an attorney out of Kentucky. This brand was originally distilled and bottled by Crigler and Crigler in Covington Kentucky, then by Double Springs Distillers, Inc. in Bardstown and now the revival is led by Andre Regard and Damon Thayer as they work to restore this vintage Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey to its glory days.
This episode takes place at an attorneys’ conference in Las Vegas where we decide to have a fun tasting as we hang out and have delightful conversations. 
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This the third episode of a 3-part series where our host, Luke, takes us behind the scenes to the inaugural Shades of Mass conference that took place in August. 

Shades of Mass is about building a truly equitable mass tort justice system. Communities of color are disproportionately hurt by corporate misconduct involving product defects, device malfunctions, and environmental hazards. 

Yet, very few Black and Brown lawyers are appointed to lead the key mass tort cases that directly affect millions of their own community members. It’s time to remedy this inequity. Listen in to what people were saying at the event.
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