Lawyer 2 Lawyer

On May 9th, 2017, President Trump fired James Comey, the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Although the accounts are in dispute, it was reported that days before his dismissal, Comey had requested more resources for an FBI probe into the alleged meddling of Russia in the presidential election. The Justice Department has since denied those allegations.  Many were stunned by the dismissal of Comey and are questioning the reasons behind it. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Craig Williams joins Ronald Kessler, author of “The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency”, and Asha Rangappa, associate dean at Yale Law School and former special agent for the FBI, as they take an inside look at the FBI, the dismissal of Comey, the legalities triggered by dismissals, and the Russia connection. Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of 20 non-fiction books. For Kessler's eighth book, “The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency”, the FBI gave Kessler unprecedented access to the bureau. Asha Rangappa is associate dean at Yale Law School. Prior to her current position, Asha served as a special agent in the New York office of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

The regulatory body that oversees the legal profession in England and Wales, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), has enacted a major overhaul of legal training and solicitor licensure. This will take effect in 2020. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join attorney Mark A. Cohen, CEO of Legal Mosaic and Julie Brannan, Director of Education and Training for the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as they discuss how the U.K. is eliminating the requirement of attending law school in favor of a skills exam. They talk about that exam, its potential impact on law students and the legal community, and whether or not the United States will adopt a similar practice. Mark Cohen, the CEO of Legal Mosaic, is a Distinguished Lecturer in Law at Georgetown Law School and writes a weekly column on the global legal marketplace for Forbes. Mark recently wrote a piece for Forbes titled, “A British Reboot of Legal Education-- Law School Optional.” Julie Brannan is the director of education and training for the Solicitors Regulation Authority better known as the SRA out of the U.K. She joined the SRA in October 2013, and since then has been leading the Training for Tomorrow review of legal education and training. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

On April 18th 2017, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court dismissed more than 21,000 low-level drug cases connected to the drug lab scandal that involved Annie Dookhan, a former chemist of a Massachusetts crime lab who admitted to falsifying evidence. After an investigation into Annie Dookhan and her work at the Hinton State Laboratory Institute, Dookhan admitted to altering and faking test results over a period of 8 years. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join Carl Williams, staff attorney for the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Sandra Guerra Thompson, the director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center, to take a look at this drug lab scandal in Massachusetts and its impact on drug cases, attorneys, defendants, as well as take an inside look at what goes on inside a crime lab. Carl Williams is a staff attorney for the ACLU of Massachusetts. Carl was previously a criminal defense attorney with the Roxbury Defenders Unit of the Committee for Public Counsel Services. Sandra Guerra Thompson is the director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center. In 2015, Sandra wrote a book entitled “Cops in Lab Coats: Curbing Wrongful Convictions with Independent Forensic Laboratories."

On April 3rd, 2017, President Trump signed into law a controversial measure repealing online privacy protections, which were established by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama Administration and would go into effect at the end of 2017.  This legislation allows internet providers or ISPs to sell customer data without consent. Supporters of this legislation believe that keeping browsing information private would stop innovation, where opponents voice their concerns over the privacy protections of customers. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join Ernesto Falcon, legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Alden F. Abbott, deputy director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation, as they take a look at the passing of this legislation involving internet service providers and web-surfing data. They discuss this controversial legislation, the privacy issues, and the potential impact on customers. Ernesto Falcon is legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation with a primary focus on intellectual property and open Internet issues. Prior to joining EFF, Ernesto worked as a legislative staffer for two Members of Congress (2004-2010). Alden F. Abbott is the Rumpel senior legal fellow and deputy director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Alden previously served as director of patent and antitrust strategy for BlackBerry, and in a variety of senior government positions. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and Litera.

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.