Lawyer 2 Lawyer

On October 30, 2017, federal charges were filed against President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and former Trump campaign official Rick Gates. Charges were filed in connection to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the 2016 Presidential campaign and the Russian government. On October 5, 2017, President Trump’s foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, plead guilty for giving false statements to the FBI. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, guest host Laurence Colletti joins attorney Mark Zaid, a Washington, D.C. based attorney specializing in national security, and attorney Douglas W. Kmiec, professor of constitutional law and Caruso Family Chair in constitutional law at Pepperdine Law and Ambassador of the United States (Ret.,) to discuss the recent charges in Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 Presidential campaign. They will take a look at the charges, the players involved, who will be the next to be charged, potential pardons, and whether President Trump will be charged by Mueller. Attorney Mark S. Zaid is a Washington, D.C. attorney who specializes in crisis management and complex administrative and litigation matters relating to national security, international law, and the Freedom of Information/Privacy Act. Attorney Douglas W. Kmiec is a professor of constitutional law and Caruso Family Chair in constitutional law at Pepperdine University and Ambassador of the United States (Ret.). Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

Last football season, the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, famously took a knee during the National Anthem as a silent protest against police violence against people of color. Many were outraged by Kaepernick’s stance and saw it as a sign of disrespect for the country,  flag, military, and police, where others applauded the movement, including fellow NFL players who supported Kaepernick's gesture of racial equality by also taking a knee in solidarity during the National Anthem. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Craig Williams joins attorney Alan Milstein from Sherman, Silverstein, Kohl, Rose & Podolsky, P.A and attorney Marc Randazza, the managing partner of Randazza Legal Group, as they discuss the controversy over #takeaknee, players’ rights, the First Amendment, President Trump reaction, and the NFL’s role in this controversy, as well as the potential impact on the NFL and other sports. Alan Milstein is an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Hampshire School of Law and Temple University as well as a shareholder and chairman of the litigation department at Sherman, Silverstein, Kohl, Rose & Podolsky, P.A. in Moorestown, New Jersey. Attorney Marc Randazza is the managing partner of Randazza Legal Group and is a nationally-known First Amendment and intellectual property attorney.

On the night of October 1, 2017, a shooter opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino onto a crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. This tragedy left 58 people dead and more than 500 wounded. With terrible tragedies like this one, victims and their families are left to pick up the pieces and face a host of very real legal issues, anywhere from probate and wills to benefits and insurance claims. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins attorney Tennille Pereira from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and attorney Kristin Tyler, founding partner with the law firm of Garman Turner Gordon LLP in Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss the legal issues stemming from the Las Vegas tragedy. Together they discuss how the surrounding legal community is assisting the victims and their families and the next steps lawyers are taking. Tennille Pereira is a staff attorney from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. Kristin M. Tyler is a founding partner with the law firm of Garman Turner Gordon LLP in Las Vegas, Nevada. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

The credit-reporting agency Equifax experienced a massive data breach, exposing the personal and financial data of 143 million U.S. consumers, including names, birthdates, addresses, and even social security numbers and license numbers. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join Attorney Drew Rossow, from the firm Gregory M. Gantt Co. LPA,  and attorney Ben Meiselas, from Geragos & Geragos, APC, to discuss the Equifax data breach, what went wrong, litigation, the potential impact, and what customers need to do if they discover that they are victims of this breach. Andrew Rossow is an associate attorney at Gregory M. Gantt Co. LPA where, in addition to their general practice, Drew’s passion lies in the areas of cyberspace law and technology law. Attorney Ben Meiselas is an associate at Geragos & Geragos, APC. His practice includes personal injury law, civil rights, class actions, and complex business disputes. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

After the recording of this podcast, President Trump mentioned that he would work with Democrats on DACA and immigration policy. As of today, a potential "DACA deal" with Democrats remains unclear.  Due to the developing nature of this issue, the information in this podcast may be incorrect or outdated though still relevant. Please keep this in mind upon listening. On September 5th of 2017, President Trump's administration said they would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Back in June of 2012, DACA was put in place by the Obama Administration to protect immigrants without legal status who came to the United States as children. President Trump’s call to end DACA now heads to Congress to find a solution for the population that was previously eligible under the policy. Just this week, the state of California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for its decision to rescind DACA. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow in the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies and immigration attorney Erin J. Lee, from the Law Offices of Erin J. Lee, as they take a look at DACA and the DREAM Act, the role of Congress, the reality of deportation and potential impact, future litigation, and what the future holds for DREAMers and their families. Hans von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow in the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. Erin J. Lee, from the Law Offices of Erin J. Lee is an immigration attorney out of San Diego, California. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

For the past year, the First Amendment, censorship, and hate speech have been at the forefront of the news cycle. From President Trump blocking users on Twitter, to violence at rallies or on college campuses, protections of our First Amendment have been tested. Also, with the rise in popularity of social media, it has become complicated when deciphering what is actually a First Amendment right and what is not. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join First Amendment attorney Robert Bertsche, partner with the firm Prince Lobel Tye, LLP, and Eugene Volokh, founder and co-author of the popular blog, The Volokh Conspiracy, as they define First Amendment, and how it relates to censorship and hate speech. Together, they differentiate and clarify government censorship versus public/private censorship, explore censorship policies on social media platforms, and discuss recent news items related to this topic. Attorney Robert A. Bertsche is partner with the firm, Prince Lobel Tye, LLP. Rob is devoted to protecting and strengthening his clients’ ability to communicate their content on a wide variety of platforms, including digital, interactive, print, electronic, and social media. Professor Eugene Volokh teaches free speech law, tort law, religious freedom law, church-state relations law, and a First Amendment amicus brief clinic at UCLA School of Law, where he has also often taught copyright law, criminal law, and a seminar on firearms regulation policy. He is also founder and co-author of the popular blog, The Volokh Conspiracy. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

According to Article II, Section 2, of the United States Constitution, the president "shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” With the recent investigation into President Trump’s possible collusion with Russia by special counsel Robert Mueller, talk of presidential pardon power has surfaced. So the question remains: if President Trump were to be ever found guilty of a federal crime, could he pardon himself? On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins guests Brian C. Kalt, professor of law and the Harold Norris Faculty Scholar at Michigan State University College of Law, and Robert L. Deitz, professor of Public Policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, as they take an inside look at presidential pardon power. They discuss limits, take a look back at history, look ahead to see how this all will unfold, and get a deeper look into a possible presidential self-pardon and repercussions. Brian C. Kalt is professor of law and the Harold Norris Faculty Scholar at Michigan State University College of Law. Robert L. Deitz is professor of Public Policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

After recording the most recent episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer about President Trump’s proposed ban of transgender people in the military, Bob Ambrogi, Craig Williams, Kris Poppe, and Brynn Tannehill continued their discussion on the topic. We recorded their candid conversation and wanted to share it with our listeners. If you were a fan of last week’s episode, check out this bonus content from the show.

In a series of tweets on July 26th, 2017, President Trump announced that “after consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” Transgender service members have been allowed to openly serve since 2016 when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban. According to a Rand Corporation study, it is estimated that there are between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender personnel serving in the active component and between 830 and 4,160 in the Selected Reserve. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join attorney Kris Poppe from the Richardson law firm and Brynn Tannehill, director of Advocacy and founding member of the LGBT military organization SPART*A, as they discuss President’s Trump announcement, reaction by the military and transgender community, legislation, and potential litigation. Attorney Kris Poppe is from the Richardson law firm. He joined the Richardson Firm in 2016 after nearly 35 years of military service, including over 20 years as an Army Judge Advocate. Kris served as an NCO in the U.S. Marine Corps and as an Army infantry officer before becoming an attorney. Brynn Tannehill is director of Advocacy and founding member of the LGBT military organization SPART*A.  Over the past 20 years she has held positions of leadership over diverse teams of people as a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the United States Navy, and as a senior research scientist and project manager at the RAND Corporation and others in private industry. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

The Supreme Court ended its term on Monday, June 27, 2017. Decisions were handed down in a variety of cases including cases involving big corporations, church and state, voting rights, and most notably, the controversial travel ban, put forth by President Trump. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins attorney and constitutional scholar, David J. Shestokas, author of the book, Creating the Declaration of Independence and Carolyn Shapiro, associate professor of law and co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States at Chicago-Kent College of Law, as they discuss the Supreme Court’s end of term, landmark cases and decisions, the addition of Gorsuch to the high court, and look ahead to upcoming cases on the docket. Attorney and constitutional scholar David J. Shestokas is author of the new book, Creating the Declaration of Independence, which takes you through the thoughts of the men and the political climate of the day as they forged the bold and barrier breaking document embracing the ‘law of nature and nature’s god’, as a foundation for self-government. Carolyn Shapiro is an associate professor of law and co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States at Chicago-Kent College of Law. From 2014 through mid-2016, Professor Shapiro took a leave of absence from Chicago-Kent to serve as Illinois solicitor general. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.