The Garrulous Gavel

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Latest Episodes:

Crytocurrency, Golem Impressions, And Flexitarianism, with Daren Firestone Jun 07, 2022

In this episode, Jon chats with ex-actor and now-lawyer Daren Firestone about cryptocurrency. They discuss emerging legal issues around crypto and blockchain technology, the recent Terra not-so-stable coin debacle, and how whistleblowers can help uncover fraud in the crypto business. Then, Daren does his Golem impression. After Jon recovers from that, he gets garrulous with Daren about “flexitarianism.” As Daren explains, this is a form of ethical eating that is almost—but not quite—vegetarianism. Daren explains his three rules for when he’ll eat meat, one of which involve things that can only happen in Paris. Intrigued? Then, you should listen all the way to the end of this fun episode.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Daren Firestone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daren-firestone-95443964/ Daren Firestone’s website on cryptocurrency whistleblowing: https://cryptowhistleblower.com/

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com The Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel The Garrulous Gavel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrulousgavel Contact us: garrulousgavel@gmail.com More about Jon Tycko: https://www.fraudfighters.net/people/jonathan-tycko/

Lawyers For All Humans and the Legal Services Gap, with Susan Francis May 24, 2022

Meet Susan Francis, the Executive Director of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), a non-profit organization that provides legal help for low-income residents of Maryland in various types of civil matters, including family law, housing issues, tax disputes, estate planning, and criminal record expungement. Susan and Jon talk about the gap between the civil legal services needed by most people, and the lawyers available to provide those services at a cost people can actually afford. The gap is wide, and attorneys providing pro bono services through organizations like MVLS can make a dent but not close it all the way. So, do we need more lawyers? Or do we need fewer legal rules? Listen in as Susan and Jon debate this issue. Then, Jon gets garrulous with Susan about her love of the National Park Service. She’s been to over 300 national parks, historical sites, and other locations run by the NPS. And she tells us about her visit to one national park where she crossed paths, quite literally, with a particularly frightening alligator.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Susan Francis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susankfrancis/ Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service: https://mvlslaw.org/ The National Park Service park-finder: https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

The Triumphs And Challenges Of Women In The Law, with Bridget Bailey Lipscomb May 10, 2022

In this episode, our guest is Bridget Bailey Lipscomb, Assistant Director of the Environmental Torts Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, and President of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia. Listen in as Bridget describes her path, from growing up on the South Side of Chicago to working in the halls of power in Washington, D.C. We tackle the issue of women in the law, both marveling at how far things have come since the Women’s Bar Association was founded in 1917 (three years before women’s right to vote became a part of the Constitution), but also discussing the challenges women continue to face today in the legal world. Then, we get garrulous with Bridget about her college sorority, and how, just recently, she helped a young woman join that same sorority. It’s a fun story, and also emblematic of Bridget’s tireless efforts to mentor and be a role model for other women.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Bridge Bailey Lipscomb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-bailey-lipscomb-5b2b794a/

Bridget Bailey Lipscomb on Twitter: @BridgetLipscom9 The Environmental Tort Litigation Section, Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/civil/environmental-tort-litigation-section

The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia: https://wbadc.org/

Sports Law and Becoming a Sports Lawyer, with Christopher Deubert Mar 29, 2022

Listen in as Jon chats with Christopher Deubert about life as a sports lawyer. Chris worked for the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, before becoming the General Counsel for the D.C. United professional soccer team. Now in private practice, Chris represents players, clubs, and other participants in the sports industry. Chris talks with Jon about what sports lawyers do, and how a lawyer can get into the field. Chris then unpacks some of the more interesting recent intersections of sports and law, including the Major League Baseball lockout and new collective bargaining agreement, the Brian Flores v. NFL race discrimination lawsuit, and the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules that apply to college athletes. Then, Chris gets garrulous about one of his other passions: reading the biographies of American Presidents. So far Chris is up to President No. 32. Do you know which one that was? If you listen to this episode, you’ll find out, and you’ll also be surprised to hear which two Presidents are Chris’s favorites.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Christopher Deubert’s law firm bio: https://www.deubertlaw.com/about Christopher Deubert’s blog on sports law topics: https://www.deubertlaw.com/blog Christopher Deubert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-deubert-2a692721/

The Law And Political Economy Project, with Corinne Blalock Mar 08, 2022

This go-round, we chat with Corinne Blalock, who is the Executive Director of the Law and Political Economy Project. Law and political economy (LPE) is an intellectual movement within legal academia, and the LPE Project is an organization, housed at Yale Law School, that brings together the scholars working in the movement, and that promotes the ideas of the movement in various other ways. Corinne explains what LPE is, and gives us insight into what it’s like to be on the forefront of building infrastructure for a new intellectual movement.

Then, we get garrulous with Corinne about chickens. She lived in a house in Brooklyn, NY where chickens were raised in the front yard. Surprised that it’s both legal and feasible to raise chickens in New York City? She’ll explain how it’s done, and also why male chickens, a/k/a roosters, are worse than jackhammers and considered outlaws!

MORE FROM OUR GUEST

Corinne Blalock’s bio: https://lpeproject.org/our-team/corinne-blalock/

More about the Law and Political Economy Project: https://lpeproject.org/about/

Corinne Blalock on Twitter: @corinneblalock

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com

The Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel

The Garrulous Gavel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrulousgavel

More about Jon Tycko: https://www.fraudfighters.net/people/jonathan-tycko/

Legal Protections for the Press, and the Making of Bonaparte, with Anne Champion Feb 22, 2022

In this episode, Anne Champion walks us through legal protections for the press and publishers, including Anti-SLAPP statutes, and the “actual malice” standard adopted by the Supreme Court in the famous First Amendment case of New York Times v. Sullivan. Along the way, we hear about Anne’s representation of Mary Trump in two lawsuits, including one brought by former President Donald Trump, relating to Mary Trump’s book Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man. We also discuss the recent libel case brought by Sarah Palin against the New York Times.

Then, we get garrulous with Anne about something more personal. Twenty-five years ago, a high school friend of hers, Laura Van Wyhe, was found almost lifeless by the side of a road, apparently the victim of foul play. Laura died at a hospital soon thereafter, and the case has remained unsolved all these years. More recently, Anne has made it a personal mission to uncover new leads and solve the case. The intertwined stories of Laura’s death, and Anne’s pursuit of the truth, has recently been the subject of a gripping podcast called Bonaparte. We’ll talk to Anne about the making of that podcast, and her continued hunt for clues to the untimely death of her friend.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST

Anne Champion’s bio: https://www.gibsondunn.com/lawyer/champion-anne/

The Laura Van Wyhe case: https://championforlaura.com/

Bonaparte: https://podcasts.apple.com/gr/podcast/bonaparte/id1587714904

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com

The Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel

The Garrulous Gavel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrulousgavel

More about Jon Tycko: https://www.fraudfighters.net/people/jonathan-tycko/

Government Secrets and How to Unearth the Truth, with Mark Zaid Feb 08, 2022

This time, we talk with attorney Mark Zaid, one of the country’s foremost national security and government secrecy attorneys. Mark has built a fascinating practice around uncovering government secrets, and representing clients in the national security realm. We chat with Mark about the Freedom of Information Act, the pre-publication review process, and other legal tools relating to government classified information. He tells us about the FOIA case in which he sought revelation of the oldest classified documents still being kept secret by the U.S. government (you’ll have to listen to find out what they were!), and also about his numerous high-profile clients, who have included Alexander Vindman, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, actor John Cryder, and the national security whistleblower whose actions led to the first Trump impeachment proceeding. On a lighter note, we get garrulous with Mark about his passion for comic book collecting, and the controversy over “pressing” wrinkles out of old comic books. A very fun and educational conversation!

MORE FROM OUR GUEST

Mark Zaid’s website: https://markzaid.com/

Mark Zaid on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkSZaidEsq

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com

The Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel

The Garrulous Gavel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrulousgavel

Export Controls And Sanctions As A Tool In U.S.-China Relations, with Timothy O’Toole Jan 25, 2022

Our first episode of 2022 features Timothy O’Toole, and a discussion about U.S.-China relations, and the ways in which the U.S. uses trade—and in particular controls on exports—as a national security and foreign policy tool. Tim also is a great example of the wide variety of work that a lawyer can do over a career; he tells us about spending the first half of his career working as a public defender, focusing on the rights of criminal defendants, and then, 17 years after leaving law school, reinventing himself as a sought-after specialist in trade law. We’ll also get garrulous with Tim about his 1980s new wave band, The Birch Bark Canoes, and the glory days of college radio. And you can check out more of Tim on his own podcast, Embargoed!, which focuses on the law of exports.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Timothy O’Toole’s webpage: https://www.millerchevalier.com/professional/timothy-p-otoole The Embargoed! Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/embargoed/id1498136806 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3RuwFniVnhqib9BtbNXGv6-A3V0fsQza

Climate Change and the Law with Sean Donahue Dec 20, 2021

This time around, you’ll hear from one of the country’s top environmental law litigators, Sean Donahue, about various legal issues and challenges associated with climate change. Get the 60-minute version of the semester-long class on climate change law and policy that he teaches at Stanford Law School! Sean also talks about his time as a law clerk for both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens, and the role that law clerks play at the Supreme Court. And we get garrulous with Sean about his experience as a political spouse, creating crossword puzzles in support of his wife’s successful run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Sean Donahue’s law firm: https://donahuegoldberg.com/ The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Sixth Assessment Report: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/ The Discovery of Global Warming, by Spencer Weart: https://history.aip.org/climate/index.htm

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Contact us: garrulousgavel@gmail.com Visit our website: http://thegarrulousgavel.com Follow the Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garrulousgavel

Government Corruption and How To Fight It with Jessica Tillipman Dec 07, 2021

Listen in on a conversation with Jessica Tillipman, an Assistant Dean at the George Washington University Law School, where she specializes in government procurement, anti-corruption, and compliance. We explore the nature of government corruption, and why it matters. Dean Tillipman walks us through the key tools in U.S. law for fighting against corruption by government officials. We get garrulous about the Gov. Bob McDonnell case, the Fat Leonard Scandal, Trump International Hotel, and the Hunter Biden paintings! Then, Dean Tillipman shares some personal anecdotes—to which many of you will relate—about being both a law school dean and a parent of two small children working from home during the COVID pandemic.

MORE FROM OUR GUEST Dean Tillipman’s law school webpage: https://www.law.gwu.edu/jessica-tillipman

GW Law Government Procurement Law Program: https://blogs.gwu.edu/law-govpro/

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Contact us: garrulousgavel@gmail.com Visit our website: thegarrulousgavel.com Follow the Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: @garrulousgavel

How “Rule of Law” Foreign Aid Helps Big Business But Burns Consumers and Employees, with Jason Rathod Oct 26, 2021

In this episode, you’ll meet Jason Rathod. Jason is a practicing attorney, but he also likes to write lengthy law review articles. He’s written about how the United States uses foreign aid to impose our legal system on other countries, something we call “Rule of Law” aid. Jason argues that “Rule of Law” aid actually only exports half of our legal system: the part that is pro-business and pro-capitalism. What is missing are legal protections for consumers and employees, and in particular mechanisms, like class actions, that Jason calls aggregate litigation. In this interview, you’ll find out why he advocates for other countries to adopt aggregate litigation rules. You’ll also hear Jason’s very entertaining story about his unique destination wedding, which included him dancing on top of a horse-drawn carriage as part of a traditional Indian wedding processional through the streets of Cartagena, Columbia!

MORE FROM OUR GUEST

Migliaccio & Rathod LLP website. www.classlawdc.com

Jason Rathod on Twitter: @JasonRathod

Jason’s article titled Emerging Markets, Vanishing Accountability: How Populations in Poor Countries Can Use Aggregate Litigation to Vindicate Their Rights. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2483579

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

Visit our website: thegarrulousgavel.com

Follow the Garrulous Gavel on Twitter: @garrulousgavel

Trauma-Aware Lawyering with Margaret Gandy and Rena Paul Oct 12, 2021

This time around, we meet two former New York City prosecutors, Margaret Gandy and Rena Paul. Their many years in both the state and federal criminal justice systems led them to rethink how lawyers approach clients and witnesses who have been victimized by violent crimes or other traumatic events, and to develop what they call “trauma-aware lawyering,” an approach they are now implementing in their recently-formed law firm. We also get garrulous with our guests about the stresses and traumas that lawyers often encounter, and how law offices can promote attorney well-being.

And how do our guests care for their own well-being? Just what you’d expect from a couple of hard-boiled NYC prosecutors: meditative dancing and adult coloring books!