Talk Justice An LSC Podcast

Guests from Kansas and Tennessee discuss the growth of medical debt lawsuits, their impact on patients, and efforts to mitigate these suits on Talk Justice. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on this issue in Kansas in an article, “In This Kansas Courtroom, the Hospital Dominates the Docket.” A hospital sued 400 of the 9,000 people living in Pratt County over a period of less than a year. Meanwhile, a Tennessee pilot program gives patients a better option through online dispute resolution.

Legal aid leaders from Florida and Illinois reflect on four years of remote court and consider the benefits and limits of virtual appearances, as well as the inconsistent policies surrounding them on Talk Justice.

United States Senator Ben Cardin joins LSC President Ron Flagg to discuss his perspective on access to justice as a legislator and lawyer on Talk Justice. The Maryland Senator shared about his time in the state’s general assembly chairing Maryland Legal Services Corporation, as well as the “Cardin Requirement” at the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law and his thoughts on the justice gap.

Miriam Kim, a partner at Munger Tolls & Olson and fellow at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, joins Colleen Chien, a law professor and co-director at Berkeley Law School, to discuss their groundbreaking research on generative AI for legal aid. They unveil key findings from their paper, revealing how AI can bridge access to justice gaps. The duo delves into the ethical implications, the importance of community support, and how collaboration can enhance legal service delivery, ultimately transforming the landscape of pro bono work.

Guests from a successful St. Louis collaboration discuss Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s (LSEM) Neighborhood Advocacy Program on Talk Justice. There are 24,000 vacancies and abandoned properties in St. Louis. LSEM was inspired by Legal Aid of Western Missouri’s Adopt-a-Neighborhood program in Kansas City to start their own revitalization project. In 2018, they launched the Neighborhood Advocacy Program to start tackling the legal problems that create lingering neighborhood blight.  

Legal tech experts discuss their research and experiments with generative artificial intelligence (AI) for legal services on Talk Justice. Executive Director of the Legal Design Lab Margaret Hagan talks about her research into whether AI is worth the hype for access to justice. Lawyer and NYU professor Sateesh Nori shares his experience with utilizing AI for housing legal services.

Bestselling author and lawyer John Grisham joins LSC Board Member Robert Grey for a conversation on how his journey from small-town lawyer to big-time author influenced his philanthropic priorities and made him an advocate for access to justice. Grey, who serves as president of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, interviewed Grisham at a D.C. forum for LSC’s 50th anniversary on April 9.

Guests from the online bankruptcy service Upsolve and Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) discuss a new, free web resource for people struggling with student debt on Talk Justice. PLA received funding from a 2023 LSC Technology Initiative Grant for the project and brought on Upsolve to develop the tools. Their goal is to raise awareness of available debt relief programs and provide guided assistance for qualified borrowers to pursue student debt elimination.

Former legal aid program directors discuss their lessons learned and current concerns on Talk Justice. Jon Asher, former executive director of Colorado Legal Services with 51 years in civil legal aid work, hosts the conversation with guests Marilyn Harp, former Kansas Legal Services executive director for 17 years, Steve Gottlieb, former Atlanta Legal Aid executive director for 42 years, and José Padilla, former California Rural Legal Services executive director for 38 years.

Experts discuss the vast funding gap in legal tech. LSC President Ron Flagg hosts the conversation with guests Bob Ambrogi, lawyer and award-winning legal tech journalist, and Cat Moon, director of innovation design for the Program on Law and Innovation at Vanderbilt Law School. Inspired by Ambrogi’s recent LawSites article, they discuss how tech companies, big law firms and corporate law departments could step up to help close the justice gap.