Who Wrote That Up For You?

Latest Episodes:

Ana Julieta Kowalski Solis, Licensed Court Interpreter - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 23, 2023 Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Ana Julieta Kowalski Solis is the owner of Interpretation and Translation Services by Licensed Court Interpreters, operating in and around Brownsville, Texas. Ana shared the tremendous demand for court interpreters in border communities like Brownsville, as well as the struggles to help court personnel understand the value court interpreters bring to judicial fairness. The company provides a variety of translation services to companies and individuals in addition to its court interpretation services.

– Connect by telephone: (956) 465-5000

For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Alyssa S. Wesley, Freelance Paralegal Services - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 20, 2023 Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

Alyssa S. Wesley is the owner of Freelance Paralegal Services, an agency offering legal research and document assembly services to pro se civil litigants. Freelance Paralegal Services serves clients in all 50 states handling a wide variety of claims, but they specialize in family law matters from divorce to child support and custody. Alyssa expressed confidence in her clients and has seen many of them become successful pro se litigants.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-s-wesley-m-jur-a1961232/
– Visit the website: https://freelanceparalegalservices.net/

Ted Edwards, Banks Law Firm - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 18, 2023 Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Ted Edwards is a principal at the Banks Law Firm, the largest minority-owned law firm in the Carolinas. Founded in 1994 by Sherrod Banks in Durham, NC, the firm specializes in affordable housing and community development, representing housing authorities and community-oriented nonprofit organizations.

Ted discussed the challenges for young Black lawyers entering the profession and shared the power of mentoring that led to his success. He also described the firm's fundraising activities on behalf of local nonprofits, including the Triangle Golf Challenge, an annual celebrity golf tournament, and the firm's high-profile Christmas celebration.

– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BanksLawFirm
– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBanksLawFirm/
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-banks-law-firm-p-a-/
– Connect with Ted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tededwards/
– Visit the website: https://bankslawfirm.com/

Scott Dodson, UC Law San Francisco - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 16, 2023 Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Scott Dodson is a distinguished professor of law at UC Law San Francisco. He's an expert in civil procedure and the director of the Center for Litigation and the Courts at UC Law SF. Scott shared several benefits of our civil justice system that we rarely consider. For instance, it provides a method of compensating for harm caused and deters future harm. It shifts the burden of managing harm from government agencies to private plaintiffs, which allows for smaller government. Civil litigation also has an equalizing and democratic nature, and the process of litigation forces disclosures and transparency in ways no other institution can.

But a justice gap exists between those who can afford legal representation and those who cannot. Scott discussed whether the benefits of our justice system outweigh its costs, which are significant for both plaintiffs and defendants. Certainly one of the costs, according to Scott, is the lack of democratic accountability, but the system is workable overall.

– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProfDodson
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-dodson-422733b5/
– Visit the faculty profile: https://www.uchastings.edu/people/scott-dodson/

Bonita Torres, ICU Investigations - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 13, 2023 Jan 14, 2023

Show notes

Bonita Torres is a licensed private investigator and owner of ICU Investigations in the Houston, Texas metro area. Bonita shared her background in human resources and the job loss that put her on an unconventional path to a career in private investigations. While her agency specializes in surveillance and fraud investigations, she has served a wide variety of clients and cases. Bonita expressed concern for the rights of undocumented persons, who may fail to seek protection or assert their rights when needed due to fear of arrest and deportation.

– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICUTexas
– Visit the website: https://icuinvestigations.org/

Robert Songer, L and S Investigations - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 11, 2023 Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Robert Songer is a private investigator with L and S Investigations, serving the east Tennessee metro area. He described his law enforcement background and the types of services his agency works on, from computer forensics to process serving. Robert emphasized the need for private investigators to prioritize ethical behavior, and he shared his efforts at time management to minimize costs for his clients.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-songer-a40bb947/
– Connect on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/l-and-s-investigations-knoxville
– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landsinvestigations/
– Visit the website: https://www.landsinvestigations.com/

Daniel Medwed, Northeastern University School of Law - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 9, 2023 Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Daniel Medwed is a distinguished professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University School of Law and the author of "Barred: Why the Innocent Can't Get Out of Prison." He shared the procedural hurdles faced by the wrongfully convicted in getting new trials, even when they have proven their actual innocence. The criminal justice system values the finality of criminal trials over all else, including the liberty of innocent people. Daniel argued that problems are found in both the trial process, where poor defendants and their public defenders are unable to match the resources available to state prosecutors, as well as in the post-conviction rules that apply when seeking review of trial procedures.

Professor Medwed is a founding member of the Innocence Network, a global consortium of innocence projects working to free the wrongfully convicted. He also serves on the board of the New England Innocence Project. He described the three-phase process used by innocence projects in deciding which cases to pursue and working to free prisoners in the cases they take on. He also stressed the need for concise facts and simplicity in applications for assistance from Innocence Projects.

– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/danielmedwed
– Visit the faculty profile: https://law.northeastern.edu/faculty/medwed/

Wanda Singleton, FYI Private Investigations - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 5, 2023 Jan 06, 2023

Show notes

Wanda Singleton is the lead private investigator and owner of FYI Private Investigations in the Atlanta (GA) metro area. Wanda shared her experience as a correctional officer in California and the process of becoming a licensed private investigator. In Georgia, she also became a certified process server. She has additional certifications as a criminal defense researcher, which is a specialty area for FYI Private Investigations.

Wanda discussed the need to ensure the due process rights of criminal defendants were respected by state prosecutors. She also expressed concerns for indigent criminal defendants who were unable to afford the investigative services performed by agencies like hers, and her efforts to provide those services pro bono.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wanda-singleton-39654348/
– Visit the website: https://www.fyiprivateinvestigations.com/

Frank Patka IV, Changing Patterns - Who Wrote That Up For You? Jan 2, 2023 Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Frank Patka IV is a founder of Changing Patterns, providing education, mentoring, and resources for citizens returning from incarceration. He credits the mentoring he received while incarcerated on an armed robbery conviction many years ago. Frank witnessed many of those who'd been released with him fail at re-entry, and he realized they'd been denied the knowledge on re-entry that he'd learned. Changing Patterns aims to change that.

Frank discussed the numerous challenges facing returning citizens related to employment, housing, and family reunification. He also shared the strongest factor in successful re-entry -- mindset. No matter the resources available, he said, change requires a personal commitment.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/changing-patterns-inc/
– Connect with Frank on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-patka-iv-583a1010b/
– Visit the website: https://changingpatternsinc.org/

Eric Peterson, Peterson Investigations - Who Wrote That Up For You? Dec 30, 2022 Dec 31, 2022

Show notes

Eric Peterson at Peterson Investigations shared his background as an LAPD detective and his evolution to a private investigator. He discussed the need for private investigations in collecting and authenticating evidence for a wide variety of civil claims. While his agency is usually retained by a law firm, some pro se litigants have used him to catch cheating spouses or prove that certain environments were potentially harmful to children.

Eric had good advice for anyone handling a civil case - understand the types of evidence that will be persuasive to a judge or jury, and make sure you have it before deciding you have a case. He is able to counsel pro se litigants on these issues without providing legal advice.

– Connect with Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericpeterson1209/
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peterson-investigations/
– Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peterson_investigations/
– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petersoninvestigations
– Visit the website: https://petersoninvestigations.com/

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