Who Wrote That Up For You?

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Jessica Bednarz, Justice Entrepreneurs Project - Who Wrote That Up For You? Dec 22, 2022 Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Jessica Bednarz runs the Chicago Bar Foundation's Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP), an incubator for small and solo law firms providing greater access to justice in the Chicago metro area. Jessica discussed the requirements for firms joining the incubator, as well as the entrepreneurial training offered to them.

JEP is part of a law firm incubator movement aiming to improve the prospects for new small and solo firms while simultaneously addressing the lack of affordable legal services for middle-class households. JEP participants are required to offer alternative fee arrangements like fixed-fee pricing and limited-scope services. In return, firms are educated on ways to think like an entrepreneur and build a business around the practice of law. JEP celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2023.

– Connect with Jessica: https://twitter.com/JessicaBednarz and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabednarzlawyerchicago/
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/justice-entrepreneurs-project/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JEP_Chicago
– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jepchicago
– Visit the website: https://jepchicago.community.lawyer/

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.

Jazz Hampton, TurnSignl; Katherine Alteneder, SRLN - Who Wrote That Up For You? Dec 19, 2022 Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Jazz Hampton, CEO at TurnSignal, shared the frustration he felt at hearing of traffic stops that ended in the death of innocent motorists. His legal career in BigLaw gave him little opportunity to address these concerns, so he left to create an app that ensures the safety of both police and motorists during traffic stops. TurnSignl allows drivers to bring a local attorney into interactions with police and plans for nationwide availability in 2023.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazz-hampton/
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/turnsignl/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jazzhamptonESQ
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/turnSignl
– Visit the website: http://www.turnsignl.com/

Katherine Alteneder is the coordinator of the Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN), a group of lawyers, law professors, court administrators, and other professionals dedicated to improving outcomes for pro se litigants. She shared research on the public's trust and confidence in the courts, and ways to hold courts accountable for improving these metrics. She also discussed ways courts could partner with the justice tech community to make the courts work better for everyone.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-alteneder-5028a711/
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/srln/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kalteneder
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRLN15
– Visit the website: https://www.srln.org/

Ken Friedman, Divorce.com; Timothy M. Brown, Citizen HQ - Who Wrote That Up For You? Dec 16, 2022 Dec 17, 2022

Show notes

Ken Friedman is the general counsel and chief industry officer at Divorce.com, a low-cost online alternative to messy litigation for dissolving a marriage. He is a former vice president of legal at LegalZoom and is the founding chair of Courtroom5's advisory board. Ken first coined the term "justice tech" to distinguish consumer solutions from other forms of legal tech that more commonly serve the needs of law firms. The most important advice Ken offers to justice tech entrepreneurs is to simplify the law to make it accessible to laymen.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divorce-com/
– Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsovereasy/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/divorcedotcom
– Visit the website: https://divorce.com/
– Connect with Ken on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenfriedman/

Timothy M. Brown is CEO of Catch A Case, maker of the Citizen HQ app that offers simple legal information and access to vetted attorneys. Timothy expressed concern that democracy could not function properly without routine access to legal information and the courts. Citizen HQ is slated for public release in May 2023.

– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MYCitizenHQ
– Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mycitizenhq/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mycitizenhq
– Visit the website: https://www.mycitizenhq.com/
– Connect with Timothy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-brown-51007aa2/

Dan Culhane, Discovery Genie; Eric M. Bailey, Bailey Strategic Innovation Group - Who Wrote That Up For You? Dec 12, 2022 Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Dan Culhane, CEO of Discovery Genie, had difficulty responding to discovery requests as a new lawyer. He also had trouble understanding his cases without organizing his evidence first. Those experiences led him to create Discovery Genie, a document production technology tool that levels the playing field for small and solo law firms competing against larger firms.

– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discoverygenie
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/discovery-genie/
– Connect Twitter: https://twitter.com/discovery_genie
– Visit the website: https://www.discoverygenie.com/

Eric M. Bailey is an organizational psychologist who uses neuroscience to explain irrational behavior in humans. He is the author of "The Cure for Stupidity." The Bailey Strategic Innovation Group consults with organizations globally to help teams break through communications challenges and improve their operations, including police forces and courts working to reduce bias.

– Connect on Facebook: https://facebook.com/ericmbailey
– Connect on Instagram: https://instagram.com/eric_m_bailey
– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmbailey
– Connect Twitter: https://twitter.com/eric_m_bailey
– Visit the website: https://baileyinnovationgroup.com/

Melissa Franca & Emma Hawley, University of Wisconsin Law - Who Wrote That Up For You? Nov 18, 2022 Nov 19, 2022

Show notes

Melissa Franca and Emma Hawley are law students (3L and 2L, respectively) at the University of Wisconsin School of Law. They are currently enrolled in the school's Law & Entrepreneurship externship course, led by previous “Who Wrote That Up For You?” guest, Professor Charles Von Simson. The course pairs them with startup companies and entrepreneurs, and the two students have chosen to complete their externship this year with Courtroom5.

Melissa and Emma both shared their aspirations to help people as the motivating factor in joining the legal profession. The curriculum has helped them understand the complexity of the law and has driven their interest in using technology to increase access to the courts. At Courtroom5, they've learned a lot about the litigation process and ways to simplify rules and procedures so laypeople can understand and use them. They described their Courtroom5 project -- to help pro se litigants specify discrete unbundled services for lawyers -- as something that has improved their understanding of the practice of law.

– Connect with Melissa Franca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-franca-63b091147/
– Connect with Emma Hawley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-hawley-142729115/
– Visit the Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic: https://law.wisc.edu/uwle/

Olivia Miller, Chad Barr Law; Brian Vukadinovich, Pro Se - Who Wrote That Up For You? Nov 17, 2022 Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Olivia Miller, a junior partner at the Chad Barr Law Firm in central Florida, described the pro se litigants she sees in small claims courts. In her experience, judicial assistants and clerks offer valuable information to help pro se litigants understand the process. Judges go the extra mile to ensure pro se litigants have time to express themselves and get a fair hearing. Still, most pro se litigants are disadvantaged because their opponents are represented by counsel, and lawyers know how to navigate those procedures at a higher level. Olivia advised pro se litigants to visit the court's website to find forms and basic instructions. She also recommended they spend time reviewing resources designed for lawyers, such as administrative orders and the preferences of their assigned judge.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-miller-762a0755/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/chadbarrlaw/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadBarrLaw
– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChadBarrLaw
– Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chadbarrlaw/
– Visit the website: https://chadbarrlaw.com/attorneys/olivia-hock-miller/

Brian Vudkadinovich, author of "Motion for Justice: I Rest My Case," made a surprise appearance on the show to help close the first season, which ends tomorrow. Brian praised Olivia's candor and advice. He also argued that lawyers shouldn't be allowed in small claims courts, but it's unavoidable because many states require governments and corporations to be represented by legal counsel. Given the choice between guaranteeing everyone a lawyer and simplifying court procedures to make it easier for laypeople to represent themselves, Brian chose the latter. Brian believes the courts should be available to everyone on an equal basis, whether they have a lawyer or not.

– Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Justice-Rest-My-Case/dp/1642148423
– Visit the website: http://www.brianvukadinovich.com/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/motion4justice
– Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motionforjustice

Samuel Tate, Tango Technology - Who Wrote That Up For You? Nov 16, 2022 Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

Samuel Tate worked as a court administrator for many years and witnessed the inefficiencies of court clerks and other staff answering the same questions from people with business in the courts. "What should I bring for jury duty?" and "Where do I park?" were among the daily questions that took time and resources away from other important duties and services, but people often used different words and phrases to ask these questions. Sam found a solution in conversational artificial intelligence (AI), a new technology that could be trained to perceive routine questions asked in different ways, something that could be delivered via chatbot.

Sam is a co-founder of Tango Legal, an app developer that helps courts and law firms serve their constituents and clients using conversational AI. They also provide a wider set of applications to the private sector at Tango Technology. Sam is on a mission to keep people from having to answer the same question twice.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tangotechnology/
– Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/talktotango
– Connect on Facebook: https://facebook.com/talktotango
– Connect on Instagram: https://instagram.com/talktotango
– Visit Tango Technology: https://www.tangotechnology.io/

Co-hosts Sonja and Debra Trash Sovereign Citizenship - Who Wrote That Up For You? Nov 15, 2022 Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

"Who Wrote That Up For You?" co-hosts Sonja Ebron and Debra Slone discuss cases in the news involving pro se criminal defendants. The case of Darrell Brooks, the man convicted of murder by driving a car through the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade, drew particular umbrage due to Brooks' pro se defense of sovereign citizenship, the notion that the court lacked jurisdiction over him because he had never consented to it and the court's spelling of his name was incorrect.

Sonja and Debra also discussed the case of Trevor Summers, the Florida man who kidnapped, raped, and attempted to murder his ex-wife, then fired defense counsel in the middle of his trial. His defense, despite a boatload of evidence to the contrary, was that his ex-wife consented and that no crimes had occurred. Both Brooks and Summers were quickly convicted by their respective juries and will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Pro se litigants - whether civil or criminal - were advised to use available legal counsel and to find legal support for the positions they take in court.

Read their Courtroom5 blog post on sovereign citizens: https://courtroom5.com/blog_content/sovereign-citizens-make-pro-se-litigants-look-silly

Delaney Edge, Aspiring Lawyer - Who Wrote That Up For You? Nov 14, 2022 Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Delaney Edge has wanted to be a lawyer for many years. She's a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a U.S. history major. In high school, Delaney shadowed a judge and a solo lawyer. In college, she interned with Courtroom5 and worked at the civil legal clinic on campus. She's now taking the LSAT and preparing applications for law school.

Delaney understands the role of lawyers in society better than most practicing lawyers. She's driven by a desire to help the legal profession shape the future of the U.S.

– Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delaneyke1545/

Bernice Smith, Pro Se; Charles Von Simson, UW-Madison Law - Who Wrote That Up For You? Nov 11, 2022 Nov 12, 2022

Show notes

Bernice Smith lost her daughter to a failed dialysis procedure. No lawyer would seek justice for her medical malpractice claim because her daughter's lengthy illness lowered expectations of a big payday. But Bernice wasn't interested in money. She was interested in finding out what had happened to her daughter and in making the people responsible acknowledge their mistakes. So she sued them on her own, and after a two-year fight, forced a favorable settlement. The experience of learning to navigate court procedures and collect the evidence needed to prove her case left Bernice inspired and happy that no lawyer had taken her case.

Charles Von Simpson is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Law. He serves as a supervising attorney in the Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic, which assigns law students to work with entrepreneurs and inventors to develop and protect products and their businesses. Charles is also an entrepreneur, most recently as the founder of Feehive.io, a legal pricing tool that lets lawyers and clients collaborate on specific legal tasks for fixed fees.

– Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-von-simson-2225424/
– Visit the faculty profile: https://secure.law.wisc.edu/profiles/cvonsimson@wisc.edu

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