On this week’s episode, Lenny speaks with Matt McHenry and Thalia Sady on the drug decriminalization measures recently passed in the Oregon general election. Both Matt and Thalia share a passion for the Portland community where Thalia serves as an attorney with the Metropolitan Public Defender dealing in state matters, while Matt is a partner at the law firm of Levine & McHenry where he focuses on federal issues.

Blazing a Trail to Drug Decriminalization

Lenny sits down with Antonio Romanucci, founding partner of the Chicago-based firm Romanucci & Blandin. Mr. Romanucci was recently honored to represent the family of George Floyd in the civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis and four of its police officers alongside Lead Counsel Ben Crump. In today’s episode, Mr. Romanucci joins Lenny to explore discourse and the legislative process following the stalled negotiations between Senate Democrats and Republicans on the topic of police reform in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act with Tony Romanucci

In his inaugural episode, Andy sits down with Weekend JD 3L Arti Walker-Peddakotla to review and discuss Lawrence v. Texas, a landmark decision from the Supreme Court in 2003 that overturned a Texas anti-sodomy law, as well as overturned the decision of Bowers v. Hardwick. But instead of discussing the “briefness” of the case, Andy and Arti explore the intersectionality of systemic issues in America through the story of Lawrence. Please note, all opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the individual, and do not express the views or opinions of participants’ employers or Loyola University Chicago.

Law School’s Greatest Hits: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas

In her inaugural episode, Nneka sits down with Jackie Ross, staff attorney at Loyola University of Chicago’s Civitas ChildLaw Clinic. They are both former special education teachers with similar philosophies of learning. Their discussion centers on the role of legislation in dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline - specifically Illinois Senate Bill 100. Nneka and Jackie reflect on “full court press advocacy” as it relates to education law. In basketball, a full-court press takes a great deal of effort but can be an effective tactic. Often when teams are behind late in a game, they will apply full-court pressure to the entire length of the court. Nneka and Jackie reference the following two articles: ProPublica’s “The Price Kids Pay” and Eteng Ettah’s “Abbott Elementary and the Promise of Schools without Cops.”

From the Classroom to the Courtroom: Senate Bill 100 and the School-to-Prison Pipeline

In his inaugural episode, Marcus sits down with members of Loyola Chicago Law School's administration to discuss their path to the Deans' Suite. In Part 1, Marcus interviews Dean Walter, Assistant Dean of the Weekend JD Program; Dean Faught, Associate Dean for Administration; and Dean Rushin, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Listen to learn why the administrators went to law school and how they became members of the administration.

Path to the Dean’s Suite

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with the assistant dean of Loyola University Chicago’s Weekend JD program–one of only a handful of hybrid, part-time JD programs in the country. In their discussion, Andy and Kirk talk about Kirk’s entrance into the world of law, his passion for higher education, and what exactly makes the Weekend JD program so special. Please note, all opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the individual, and do not express the views or opinions of participants’ employers or Loyola University Chicago.

Everybody’s Working for the Weekend JD

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with compliance manager Ryan Stillion. Andy and Ryan explore how a JD can be used in a field outside of court rooms and general counsel positions. In their discussion, they walk through Ryan’s journey into law, some law experience, how he ended up in healthcare, and ways in which he still uses law skills he learned in school in his work each day. Please note, all opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the individual, and do not express the views or opinions of participants’ employers or Loyola University Chicago.

Law Adjacent: Working in Compliance

Casey is joined by Jack Saletta, a Loyola Chicago School of Law alum and current Equal Justice Works Fellow, to discuss the role of the Restorative Justice Community Courts within Cook County.

Restorative Justice Community Courts with Jack Saletta

This week Marisa dives into intentional privacy and privacy in the medical device space with Maggie Hanjani, Medtronic’s Data and Privacy Global Senior Advisor, Sr. Principal Legal Counsel and Privacy by Design Lead.

Exploring Privacy by Design

In this series, Marcus explores what Academic Freedom is through interviews with Dean Sacha Coupet, Associate Dean of Mission Innovation with the Loyola Chicago School of Law, and Zach Greenberg, Senior Program Manager for the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In Part 1, we speak with Dean Coupet. In Part 2, we speak with Mr. Greenberg.

The Podvocate

What is Academic Freedom?

In today’s episode, Christy sits down with Professor Rushin to discuss what future 1Ls can expect in Criminal Law.

Criminal Law 101

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with compliance professional Vanessa Ross. In their discussion, they break down the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) guidance on the seven elements of an effective compliance program. Vanessa not only explains what each element means, but she also outlines how the elements show up in her compliance work each day.

The Seven Elements of an Effective Compliance Program: Healthcare Compliance

In this series, Marcus explores what Academic Freedom is through interviews with Dean Sacha Coupet, Associate Dean of Mission Innovation with the Loyola Chicago School of Law, and Zach Greenberg, Senior Program Manager for the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). 

In this Part, we speak with Mr. Greenberg. In Part 1, we spoke with Dean Coupet.

What is Academic Freedom? Pt 2.

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with Tim Love, the executive director of the Office of Equity and Compliance and Title IX coordinator for Loyola University Chicago. In their discussion, Tim and Andy talk about some of the more intricate and humanistic details of working in this position and how it fits into the overall world of post-JD and law studies.

Law Adjacent: Equity, Compliance, and Title IX

Casey sits down with Loyola alum, and current Loyola mock trial coach, Nat Cobbett to discuss how his participation in trial advocacy programs as a law student set him up for success as a trial attorney.

Trial Advocacy with Nat Cobbett

Yasmeen Khayr, a project coordinator at Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Urban Research and Learning, sits down with Casey to talk about her work as a researcher navigating the Domestic Violence Court in Cook County and evaluation of the Family Court Enhancement Project.

Research and the Courts with Yasmeen Khayr

In this week's episode, Andy gets together with Associate Editor Johannes Alvarez-Rivero. Together, the two talk about and break down some of the landmark cases that eventually brought the Supreme Court 2023's "Student's for Fair Admissions v. Harvard"--the case that rejected affirmative action and ruled that colleges and universities can no longer use race as a factor in admitting students.

Paving the Way to "Fair Admissions" - A Future Law School Hit

In this episode, Maris sits down with Cherie Mathews, a patent holder and entrepreneur who transformed a difficult experience with breast cancer into a patented product that has helped over 150,000 cancer patients. Cherie, among a disproportionately small number of female patent holders, candidly discusses the experiences that fueled her journey to patenting the garment – from being raised by a father who encouraged problem-solving to working on innovative projects at IBM. Maris and Cherie also discuss how intellectual property law can help solve societal issues, especially those that affect women and, ultimately, how we can begin to close the gender patent gap.

A Woman on a Mission to Close the Gender Patent Gap

Ben sits down with Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. to discuss his path to leadership within the Cook County Public Defenders’ office as well as his background and past experiences as both a public defender and a policy advocate in Chicago. During the course of their conversation, they discuss the offices’ goals and priorities, both past and present, as well as efforts the staff is taking to implement the Pretrial Fairness Act which effectively abolished the cash bail system in Illinois.

Defendering with Sharone Mitchell, Jr.

In this episode, Karan has a conversation with Loyola Professor Juan Perea, a Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice. Professor Perea has written extensively on topics ranging from racial inequality, the legal history of race relations in the United States, and the civil rights of Latinos. Professor Perea teaches courses about Constitutional Law and Race in the Law at Loyola. Karan and Professor Perea discuss Professor Perea’s article about the inequitable impacts of the GI Bill and how this contributed to the status quo of affirmative action policies. They also discuss the current affirmative action discourse, outlook going forwards, and both the short/long-term implications of the SFFA ruling.

Tracing the Roots of Affirmative Action

We speak with Anita Maddali, the Assistant Dean of Student Services and Weekend JD at Loyola University Chicago. We will explore her legal career and how she ended up in the Dean’s Suite. We also discuss how she plans on transforming her role and the community to meet the ever-changing needs of students.

Meet Dean Maddali

Following their discussion of historical litigation addressing affirmative action in education, Johannes and Andy continue the Greatest Hits series by discussing the landmark Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. They discuss the facts of the case and the Court’s majority opinion, while briefly addressing the separately filed concurring and dissenting opinions. Finally, they discuss the impact this will have on the education sector as well as in a larger employment context, specifically, on how this ruling will affect corporate hiring and diversity programs.

Fair Admissions v. Harvard part 2: A Future Law School Greatest Hit

In this week's episode, Maris and Karan sit down with fellow Loyola student and friend, Audrey La, to reflect on their experiences at the annual National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention. At the conference, the three attended a variety of workshops, including panels discussing the legal histories of AAPI folks that are often invisible in the legal curriculum and the importance of cross-cultural solidarity. Savoring the empowerment that comes with building community with thousands of AAPI attorneys at the convention, Maris, Karan, and Audrey discuss the importance of affinity spaces in the legal industry and the need to tell diverse stories in the legal classroom.

Reflections on Affinity Spaces in the Legal Industry

Ben sits down with Loyola Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dean Strang to discuss his role in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court Case United States v. Booker in 2005. In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Ben and Professor Strang focus on the specifics and do a deep dive into the facts, legal rules, holdings, and outcomes associated with U.S. v. Booker. In doing so, they discuss what led Professor Strang to this case in the first place as well as the implications of federal sentencing enhancements and district courts’ adherence to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines before and after the ruling.

Supreme Courting Pt. 1

Ben sits down with Loyola Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dean Strang to discuss his role in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court Case United States v. Booker in 2005. In Part 2 of this two-episode series, Ben and Professor Strang move away from the legal facts of the case and begin to discuss the experience of litigating in the Supreme Court. In doing so, they explore the preparation process, specific tips for appellate litigation, and lessons learned while litigating in the highest Court in the land.

Supreme Courting Part 2

Associate Editor Karan Kaushal and Co-Editor-in-Chief Nneka Ugwu invited Professor Neil Williams for a very unique and special episode of the Pod. In this storytelling forward format, Professor Williams leads listeners on a journey from Jim Crow South to Chicago big law. Listen and learn about how his upbringing informs his views on lawyering for racial justice (inspired by his legal idols Norman Amaker and Charles Hamilton Houston), the importance of mentorship, and advice he has for law students and young professionals.

The Arc Still Bends Toward Justice: A Career Retrospective with Professor Neil Williams

In this solo episode, Casey dives into the web of collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, and how both attorneys and judges can better inform people charged with crimes of the consequences beyond a sentence.

Collateral Consequences

In this episode, Maris chats with Jamie Cernek, a Legislative Aide at the Chicago City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight. Jamie is an attorney and organizer with years of experience in policy and advocacy, coalition-building, and campaign management. Even before law school, Jamie knew that policy was the path for her. In this episode, she reflects on this vision and how it carried her through her time at Georgetown Law. She also imparts wisdom for students exploring non-traditional legal paths and the role of policy experts in crafting tangible solutions for their communities.

Policy, Law, and Community Building

Ben sits down with Chief Defender of the Orleans Public Defenders Office (OPD), Danny Engelberg, to discuss the founding of the office as it is today as well as the events that led to the office’s remodeling after the destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina. In doing so, they discuss OPD’s commitment to a community-centered defense model and the offices’ wholistic approach to advocacy and representation in New Orleans.

Rebuilding

Podvocate Associate Editor, Johannes Alvarez-Rivero, sits down to give the listeners a primer on the field of antitrust within the United States of America. First, Johannes discusses what antitrust laws are and what they are meant to protect. Johannes briefly discusses the governmental regulatory bodies that enforce antitrust laws, then turns to discussing the history of antitrust laws in the nation, taking time to discuss some of the most seminal case rulings in this field's history. Finally, Johannes touches on the state of antitrust law today and some of the hot topic areas of interest being discussed by legal scholars pertaining to antitrust laws.

Antitrust For Dummies - Episode 1 - A Primer In American Antitrust

Professor Alan Raphael joins Jake and Richard to discuss his representation of John Wayne Gacy, one of America's most prolific serial killers.

Dialogue #26 | Professor Alan Raphael

Law students at Loyola University Chicago School of Law explore legal topics and engage in the intentional infliction of emotional discourse.

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