Lawyer 2 Lawyer - Law News And Legal Topics

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 join

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 th

There is a great fight over the release of two chimpanzees, Tommy the chimpanzee, caged in a warehouse in Gloversville, New York, and Kiko, caged in a storefront at the Primary Sanctuary in Niagara Falls, New York. In a recent legal ruling by a New York appeals court, the court struck down the habeas appeal by the Nonhuman Rights Project. According to a Nonhuman Rights project press release, “the court held that the NhRP did not have the right to seek second writs of habeas corpus on behalf of Tommy and Kiko then gave certain non-binding opinions about granting legal personhood to nonhuman animals. The NhRP intends to seek appeal of this decision to New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.” The Nonhuman Rights Project vows to continue to argue that the chimps’ capabilities require that they have the same fundamental rights as humans. Others have disagreed that this is not a “personhood issue” but rather a human responsibility issue. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and Craig Williams join guests,

Comedian, actor, and America’s TV dad  Bill Cosby has been on trial for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand. Ms. Constand accused Cosby of sexually assaulting her and drugging her in 2004 at Cosby’s Philadelphia mansion. After a six day trial and the jury being “hopelessly deadlocked” after 52 hours of deliberating, the judge finally declared a mistrial on June 17th. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi joins attorney Letitia Quinones from the firm Quinones & Associates and attorney and professor Barbara Lynn Ashcroft from the Beasley School of Law at Temple University to discuss this case, the allegations, the prosecution strategy, the defense strategy, what lead to the mistrial, and what happens next. Attorney Letitia Quinones is from the firm Quinones & Associates out of Houston, Texas.  Attorney Quinones brings over 18 years of criminal law experience to her clients in Houston, throughout the state of Texas and across the nation. Attorney and professor Barbara Lynn Ashcroft is from the Beasley

On June 1st 2017, President Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. This accord was negotiated in 2015 to limit and reduce global warming.  Environmental organizations voiced their outrage over the decision citing a denial of climate change and a threat to our environment, whereas supporters of the withdrawal praised President Trump’s decision claiming it would create domestic energy production and jobs stateside. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi joins environmental attorney Jeffrey B. Gracer from the firm Sive, Paget & Riesel and Nicolas Loris, an economist from The Heritage Foundation, as they take a look at the Paris Agreement on climate change, President Trump’s withdrawal from the accord, climate change, the impact on international law and relations, and the long-term implications for the economy and the environment. Attorney Jeffrey B. Gracer is from the firm Sive, Paget & Riesel. Jeff has a vibrant domestic and international environmental law p

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

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 tra

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 Coun

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 legisl

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 Am

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 re

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 Seyfa

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

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

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

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

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 cons

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-routin

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, Vict

With a string of recent incidents involving shootings of civilians by police, the question remains as to whether our police officers should be equipped with body cameras to capture police pursuits. Some believe body cameras will improve police and civilian behavior, while others believe that body cameras will hinder a police officer’s privacy, health, and safety. On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join Professor Eugene O’Donnell from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Dr. Tod Burke, professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Radford University, as they talk about the pros and cons of body cameras in law enforcement. We will take a look at recent events, transparency and accountability, and the impact body cameras will have on policing. Eugene O’Donnell is a professor from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is a nationally recognized expert on policing issues, including the use of force, and has been quoted in hundreds of media stories. Dr. Tod Burke is a professo