Lawyer 2 Lawyer

On March 16, 2017, President Trump unveiled his proposed federal budget. With this proposed budget came many federal budget cuts to federal agencies and programs like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, “Meals on Wheels,” and the Office of Violence Against Women.  Included in these cuts, was the Legal Services Corporation, an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. If President Trump’s current budget proposal is approved by Congress, this elimination of funding would directly impact those who seek legal representation. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins attorney Jim Sandman, president of the Legal Services Corporation, and attorney Linda Klein, president of the American Bar Association, to discuss President Trump’s budget proposal to zero out funding for the Legal Services Corporation. This discussion includes the state of legal services funding today and what cuts or elimination would mean for lower income Americans. Attorney James J. Sandman has been president of the Legal Services Corporation since 2011. Jim practiced law with Arnold & Porter LLP for 30 years and served as the firm’s managing partner for a decade. Attorney Linda Klein is president of the American Bar Association and the senior managing shareholder at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

In recent months, President Trump has been very vocal about his disdain for the press and labeling certain news outlets “fake news.”  In retaliation for contentious press relations, the White House blocked a number of news organizations including CNN, the New York Times, Politico, and the Los Angeles Times from attending an off-camera press briefing with Press Secretary, Sean Spicer on February 24th. So the question remains, how far will President Trump go with curtailing press participation and is that considered an infringement on the freedom of the press? On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join attorney David A. Schulz, co-director of the Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic and attorney Howard Cooper, a founding partner of Todd & Weld LLP, as they take a look at the First Amendment, discuss the Trump/press relationship, what constitutes “fake news,” the freedom of the press, and potential future litigation involving the press. Attorney David A. Schulz is a senior research scholar in law and Floyd Abrams clinical lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and co-director of the Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) Clinic. Attorney Howard Cooper is a founding partner of Todd & Weld LLP. Howard regularly handles significant civil rights and First Amendment matters, which are often of public significance. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litéra.

The Taft-Hartley Act, written in 1947, is one of the key laws governing labor relations in the United States today. Laws governing the workforce and employers have changed little, while the working world has changed dramatically. So are U.S. labor laws due for a major overhaul?  Also, in recent months, President Trump has nominated Alexander Acosta to fill the Secretary of Labor spot after his first pick, Andrew Puzder, withdrew his nomination. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join attorney Howard Wexler, an associate in the Labor and Employment group at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, and Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research and a senior lecturer at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, as they take a look at U.S. Federal Labor laws, reform, current legislation, and the impact a new Secretary of Labor under a Trump presidency will have on the U.S. workforce and employers. Attorney Howard Wexler is an associate in the Labor and Employment group in Seyfarth Shaw’s New York office. In this role, Mr. Wexler has extensive experience defending both single and multi-plaintiff discrimination/harassment cases, class and/or collective actions, as well as lawsuits initiated by the EEOC. Kate Bronfenbrenner is director of labor education research and a senior lecturer at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations where she teaches and does research on union and employer strategies in organizing and bargaining in the global economy. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litéra.

On January 31, 2017, President Trump announced that he had selected federal appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch as his nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Many praised Trump on his nomination, citing parallels to Justice Scalia, while others saw Judge Gorsuch’s documented conservatism as a possible threat to future Supreme Court rulings. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network and Michele Jawando, vice president for Legal Progress at American Progress, as they take a look at the nomination of Judge Gorsuch, his record on rulings, and his potential impact on the Supreme Court if confirmed. Carrie Severino is chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network. In that capacity, Carrie has testified before Congress on assorted constitutional issues and briefed Senators on judicial nominations. Attorney Michele Jawando is vice president for Legal Progress at American Progress. Previously, Michele served as general counsel and senior advisor to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), where she was responsible for a wide-ranging portfolio of policy issues pertaining to the federal judiciary and nominations. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litéra.  

The term “sanctuary city” has been widely used in the great debate over immigration policy and protections. Opponents of sanctuary cities claim that policy protects undocumented immigrants from criminal prosecution, where supporters believe these policies are needed to protect the rights of both citizens and undocumented immigrants. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins Matthew J. O’Brien, the director of research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and Jonathan Blazer, the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) advocacy and policy counsel, to discuss policy, current legislation, immigration reform, and the status of sanctuary cities under a Trump presidency. Matthew J. O’Brien is the director of research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).  Matt joined FAIR in 2016 and is responsible for managing FAIR’s research activities. Jonathan Blazer is the American Civil Liberty Union’s advocacy and policy counsel. As the ACLU’s advocacy and policy counsel, Jon tracks developments in state and local measures concerning immigrants as well as police practices and supports the legislative advocacy efforts of ACLU staff across the country. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litéra.

Recently, prosecutors involved in a 2015 Arkansas murder case have included Amazon’s Echo as technology-based evidence.The Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice, connecting to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more. In this investigation, law enforcement discovered that the Amazon Echo could host important recordings and clues that are relevant to the murder case. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join Andrew Rossow, cyberspace and technology attorney, and Craig Ball, a trial attorney and expert in digital forensics, as they take a look at the legalities surrounding Amazon’s Echo, technology-based evidence, and the impact on future cases. Drew Rossow is a cyberspace and technology attorney in Dayton, Ohio. He recently wrote an article titled, “Amazon Echo May Be Sending Its Sound Waves into the Court Room as our First ‘Smart Witness.’” Craig Ball is a board certified trial attorney in Texas and an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law teaching electronic evidence and digital discovery. For nine years, he wrote the award winning column on computer forensics and e-discovery for American Lawyer Media called "Ball in your Court," and still pens a popular blog of the same name at ballinyourcourt.com. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litéra.

On December 7, 2016, President-elect Trump chose Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as his nominee to head the Environment Protection Agency, better known as the EPA. Some have said that Pruitt is a climate change denier and an advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda, while Trump himself has said, “Scott Pruitt will be a powerful advocate for that mission while promoting jobs, safety, and opportunity.” In this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins Jody Freeman, the Archibald Cox Professor of Law and the founding director of the Harvard Law School Environmental Law and Policy Program, and Representative Bob Inglis, executive director of republicEn, as they take a look at the future of the EPA under President-elect Trump's pick, Scott Pruitt, and how Pruitt will impact regulation and the mission of the EPA. Jody Freeman is the Archibald Cox Professor of Law and the founding director of the Harvard Law School Environmental Law and Policy Program. Professor Freeman served in the White House as Counselor for Energy and Climate Change in 2009-10, where she was the architect of the president’s historic agreement with the auto industry to double fuel efficiency standards, launching the administration’s greenhouse gas program under the Clean Air Act. Representative Bob Inglis is executive director of republicEn, an organization educating the country about free-enterprise solutions to climate change.  Bob was also the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 4th Congressional District from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2011. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

After a fight to the finish, Donald J. Trump has been elected President of the United States. With his presidency comes the role of appointing Justices to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has had its share of controversy. So who will Trump choose? Will he seek to appoint a conservative justice to the bench? Or will he play it safe and choose a middle of the road judge? Or better yet, surprise us all and fill Justice Scalia’s seat with a liberal judge? On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network and Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, as they take a look at a Supreme Court under the newly-elected Donald Trump. They will discuss his choice of Justices, the fate of specific cases, and the impact his choices will have on the law of the land. Carrie Severino is chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network. In that capacity, Carrie has testified before Congress on assorted constitutional issues and briefed Senators on judicial nominations. She has written and spoken on a wide range of judicial issues, particularly the constitutional limits on government, the federal nomination process, and state judicial selection. Nan Aron is president of the Alliance for Justice. Nan is nationally recognized for her vast expertise in public interest law, the federal judiciary and citizen participation in public policy. Prior to founding Alliance for Justice, Nan was a staff attorney for the ACLU’s National Prison Project, where she challenged conditions in state prison systems through lawsuits in federal and state courts. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

Since April, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, alongside other Native American tribes, have been protesting the construction of Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Pipeline. The tribe claims that this pipeline, which will stretch from North Dakota to Illinois by way of their land, will be a threat to their drinking water, sacred land and the future of their children. They also claim that they were not consulted before the approval of the project. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join Monte Mills, co-director of the Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana and attorney Jeffrey Haas, who is presently working with the Water Protector Legal Collective representing the water protectors at Standing Rock. They will take a look at the protesting of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock and discuss the legal issues, history of land and people, the protest, the history and impact of the pipeline, the recent re-routing news, and what the future holds.   Monte Mills is co-director of the Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana. He teaches a variety of Indian law courses and works with clinical students on a range of legal matters in the Indian Law Clinic. Prior to joining the faculty at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana, Monte was the Director of the Legal Department for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in Colorado. Jeffrey Haas is founding partner of the People's Law Office in Chicago and defended Mora County, New Mexico, which was sued by a subsidiary of Shell Oil for passing an ordinance banning fracking. Jeffrey recently wrote a piece for Truthout titled “Lawyer's View: Recent Days at Standing Rock.” He is presently member of the Camp's legal team, presently working with the Water Protector Legal Collective representing the water protectors at Standing Rock. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

On December 17, 2014, President Obama announced that he was rejecting “the failed, Cold War-era policy era of the past to chart a new course in Cuba.”  Since then, we have made great strides in rebuilding our relationship with Cuba by re-establishing diplomatic relations, empowering the Cuban people through regulation, and finally, facilitating travel to Cuba. For attorneys, some see this as a great opportunity to expand their business or even create strong, lasting relationships with Cuba. In this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join legal affairs writer Victor Li and Aliette DelPozo Rodz, partner in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, to discuss the legal issues in doing business with Cuba and the opportunities for law firms to expand into Cuba. Victor Li is a legal affairs writer who joined the ABA Journal staff in 2013. He is a former reporter for Law Technology News, the American Lawyer magazine and Litigation Daily (NYC). A former prosecutor in the Bronx, Victor recently wrote a piece for the ABA Journal titled, “A New Dawn for Cuba as it Opens for Business.” Aliette DelPozo Rodz is a partner in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where she is a member of the Business Litigation Group and Chair of the Cuba Task Force and the firm’s Diversity Committee. She is also co-chair of the firm’s Focus on Women Group. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.