Lawyer 2 Lawyer

Just days after the devastation of September 11, 2001, the federal government created the Victim Compensation Fund, a fund designed to help grieving families get through the tragedy. From this tragedy a documentary titled, Out of the Ashes: 9/11 was born. On Lawyer2Lawyer, attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes executive producer, writer and co-director of this documentary, Marilyn J. Berger from the Seattle University School of Law and Debra Brown Steinberg, partner with the firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, to get an in-depth look at the making of the incredibly compelling documentary. This documentary examines the legal, moral, and ethical ramifications of the Victim Compensation Fund and its impact on the civil justice system.

Recently a young woman, Mareena Silva, was mistakenly given the wrong medication intended for another customer, Maria Silva, at a Safeway pharmacy in Colorado. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Attorney Chad Cook, a member of the Mass Torts Section at Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C. and Dr. Shannon J. Johnson, a pharmacist with PharmDmand, a private pharmacy-consulting firm, to take a look at this incident and pharmacy errors. They talk about the legal issues pharmacies can face due to prescription errors and pharmacy misfills, get a pharmacist’s perspective and discuss how these errors can be prevented.

From roof collapse to slip and falls to property damage, the recent snowstorms across the country have created a variety of problems. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney David W. White, founding member of the law firm Breakstone, White & Gluck, PC and Attorney James T. Scamby, partner in the law firm of Tucker, Heifetz & Saltzman, LLP, to discuss the legal risks associated with snow and ice and who is responsible for slips, falls and injuries after a storm. They spotlight the Papadopoulos v. Target Corp case, the Massachusetts court ruling which raised the legal risk for property owners who don't shovel their snow and the responsibility of the property owner or manager.

The legal job market has been greatly impacted by the down economy, but has there been a turnaround? Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams welcomes Attorney Charles "Chad" Volkert, Executive Director of Robert Half Legal, to give an update on the legal job market. Attorney Volkert talks about the current job market for lawyers and recent law school graduates and offers advice for job seekers.

2010 was a big year for jury verdicts in courts across the nation. From tobacco litigation to asbestos to car roll-overs, plaintiffs were big winners in the courts. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Reni Gertner, News Editor of Lawyers USA and Attorney Kevin J. Dunne from the law office of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP, to discuss Lawyers USA’s "Top Ten Jury Verdicts of 2010". They take an in-depth look at these specific cases and get a defense attorney’s perspective.

The recent shootings in Tucson, Arizona rocked the nation and the world. Since this tragedy, a nationwide gun debate has raged on between gun rights supporters and gun control supporters. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome David B. Kopel, Research Director at the Independence Institute in Golden, Colorado and Adam Winkler, professor of constitutional law at UCLA School of Law and author of the soon-to-be released book, Gunfight, to discuss the gun debate. They a look at the law at the heart of this debate and new legislation prompted by the shootings.

A challenge to Massachusetts’ Universal Health Care law may reveal some insight into what may lie ahead for the Federal Health Care law. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Michael Merlina, a resident of Massachusetts who is representing himself in court after being fined $2,000 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for not having health insurance and Attorney David Harlow, a seasoned Health Care attorney, consultant and blogger, to talk about this case and the questions this case raises in our nationwide debate.

It is that time of year where we recover from the holiday madness, dig ourselves out of the snow and look ahead to a brand new year! Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome returning musical guest, Attorney Larry Savell from the law firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP, to talk about his new album, Yule Hear from Our Lawyers. Later in the show, Bob and Craig reflect on this past year with Lawyer2Lawyer’s Best of 2010!

Recently in an Oakland, California courtroom, a jury awarded Oracle Corp., a whopping $1.3 billion verdict against competitor, SAP AG, a market and technology leader in business management software, for damages due to copyright infringement by a now-defunct software maintenance unit called, TomorrowNow. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney Carol Smith, from Hiaring + Smith LLP and David H. Levitt, Partner at the firm, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, as they take a look at this complicated case that is sweeping the legal community. They discuss copyright infringement and stolen intellectual property, SAP’s admitted liability, the significance of the billion-dollar jury award and the impact of this case on future cases.

A major blow to the National Health Care Law! Just this week in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson determined a central provision of the national health care law, the Affordable Care Act, to be unconstitutional. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome health care law expert Professor Timothy S. Jost from the Washington and Lee University School of Law and Adam Winkler, a constitutional law specialist from UCLA Law School, to discuss this recent ruling, the constitutionality of this provision and the health care law and the impact of this ruling on other states and those in need of health care.