ABA Journal Podcasts - Legal Talk Network

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ABA Journal: Legal Rebels : Could 80 percent of cases be resolved through online dispute resolution? Oct 17, 2018

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Perhaps in five to seven years, as Colin Rule sees it, half of U.S. citizens who file court cases will have access to online dispute resolution software walking them step by step through their matters, resolving up to 80 percent of cases. Rule, a nonlawyer mediator, is vice president for online dispute resolution at Tyler Technologies. In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels Podcast, Rule speaks with Angela Morris about the possibilities–and pitfalls–for this technology.

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ABA Journal: Modern Law Library : We need to talk about abortion, says author of 'Scarlet A' Oct 10, 2018

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Three in 10 American women who are 45 or older have had an abortion, Katie Watson, author of “Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law & Politics of Ordinary Abortion,” tells the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles. For women 44 and younger, one in four are projected to have an abortion in their lifetime. Yet for all the fiery rhetoric about the legality of abortion, Watson–who teaches bioethics, medical humanities and constitutional law at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine–has found a reluctance by people to discuss their own personal experiences with abortion, or even the nuances of their views on its ethics. While the overwhelming majority of people feel comfortable claiming the labels of either “pro-life” or “pro-choice,” when she polls people about the legality and the morality of abortion at different stages of development, there’s a lot more nuance than those binary labels suggest. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Watson talks about ways to have productive discussions about abortion; the emerging areas of contention which could be coming before the Supreme Court; and why she thinks that doctors have been shouldering a disproportionate burden in advocating for reproductive rights and abortion access.

ABA Journal: Asked and Answered : Election Protection: How lawyers can help uphold voters’ rights this November Sep 24, 2018

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Want to protect democracy and ensure voters’ rights? If you are looking to ways to volunteer during the midterm elections, there are opportunities available, especially for attorneys. In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Asked & Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Marsha Johnson-Blanco, co-director of the Voting Rights Project for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, about how attorneys can help on Nov. 6. Lawyers are needed to answer hotline calls in a variety of cities, answering questions at polling places and filing emergency motions. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is hoping to have about 4,000 volunteers for the midterm elections, which are expected to be incredibly hard fought. Training can be done online or in person, and volunteer work the day of the election usually takes as little as three hours. There is still time to sign up as a volunteer and complete the training program at: https://lawyerscommittee.org/election-protection-volunteer/

ABA Journal: Modern Law Library : How to be (sort of) happy in law school Sep 19, 2018

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Law school can be a lonely, stressful time, and it’s easy to feel like you're failing to fit the model of the perfect law student. But there’s no one right way to go to law school, says Professor Kathryne M. Young, author of How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School; you can craft your own experience. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Young talks with the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles about tackling imposter syndrome; advice that alumni wish they could give their younger selves; and techniques for getting along with your fellow students. Young uses lessons from her own law school experience and a sociological study she conducted to give practical tips for keeping a mental balance; choosing which courses and activities to pursue; managing the practical aspects of your household and budget; forming relationships with mentors and peers–and even deciding when if it's time to leave law school altogether. Young’s book offers a holistic approach to surviving–and thriving–under the social, academic and economic pressures of law school.

ABA Journal: Legal Rebels : Legal writing pro is helping teach AI to draft contracts Sep 12, 2018

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Ken Adams has brought his contract expertise to LegalSifter, a Pittsburgh artificial intelligence startup. The 2009 Legal Rebel and author of “A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting” sat down to discuss his new venture with the ABA Journal’s Jason Taschea. Adams says LegalSifter is a system built with human expertise to address the fact that many customers are doing the same tasks when dealing with contracts. It’s a system that will excel at flagging issues that keep coming up, and he thinks the technology will be sophisticated enough to flag the issues for any one user.

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ABA Journal: Asked and Answered : Halting the Hover: Dealing with helicopter parents in law school Aug 27, 2018

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As an associate dean of the University of Houston Law Center, Sondra Tennessee has witnessed her share of helicopter parents. She’s seen parents ask law schools to switch their child’s professor, because they didn’t think he or she was a good fit. She’s seen them try to get an extended finals date, without their child knowing that they contacted the school. She’s also heard of parents contacting potential employers for law students to get more detail about offered benefits packages. As the academic year begins, Tennessee shares her advice with the ABA Journal’s Asked and Answered on how students, parents and school administrators can halt the hover and foster students’ independence and success.

ABA Journal: Modern Law Library : Can you become a better lawyer in 5 minutes a day? This author thinks so Aug 22, 2018

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Many people promote a daily practice of meditation, spiritual contemplation and mindfulness as a way to improve your personal life and wellbeing. Attorney Jeremy Richter argues that creating a similar daily ritual to focus on developing your professional skills can be just as helpful to your clients, career and your law practice. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles speaks with Richter, author of the new book “Building a Better Law Practice: Become a Better Lawyer in Five Minutes a Day.” The book is structured to provide a daily reading on personal and professional development over a seven-week time period. Richter discusses why he decided to channel energy into blogging during the early years of his practice as an insurance litigator, and shares some lessons from that time that became inspirations for the book.

ABA Journal: Legal Rebels : Legal services innovator moves on to app development Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

It’s too easy for attorneys to be aware that something isn’t perfect in their practices and accept the situation instead of pushing back. So says longtime legal innovator Nicole Bradick. “What it’s all about is identifying something not working as well as it should be and thinking of possible solutions,” says Bradick, who in January launched a legal technology company, Theory and Principle, that aims to do just that: “Ask why is this happening, and are there any changes we can make to fix the problem?”

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ABA Journal: Asked and Answered : Mounting a defense: Security expert shares tips on avoiding violence Jul 30, 2018

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One of many lawyers’ worst fears is that a client, opposing party or even a random stranger may try to physically hurt them, often for nothing more than the attorney doing his or her job. In this episode of the ABA Journal's Asked and Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Ty Smith, a retired Navy SEAL who founded Vigilance Risk Solutions Inc., a security consulting business that focuses on workplace violence prevention.

ABA Journal: Modern Law Library : What would it mean to impeach a president? Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

The authority to impeach and remove a U.S. president is one of the legislative branch's most powerful weapons. But in the country's history, despite many periods of open hostility between Congress and the executive branch, no president has been removed from office through the impeachment procedure. Why is that? In this episode of the Modern Law Library, constitutional litigator Joshua Matz discusses "To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment," a book he co-wrote with Laurence Tribe. Matz explains the debates the founders had over including impeachment in the Constitution; some of the lesser-known 19th-century impeachment controversies; and why he believes that the partisan use of impeachment rhetoric over the past 40 years has not been positive for U.S. democracy.

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