Lawyer 2 Lawyer

In the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a Singapore-based cargo ship named the Dali, lost power and hit the bridge's pillar. According to officials, eight people were on the bridge that morning when it fell: two were rescued, two bodies were recovered, and four are presumed dead. Crew members on the Dali were all safe. In this episode, Craig is joined by LSU law professor and LSU President Emeritus, Tom Galligan, as they spotlight the Baltimore bridge collapse. Craig & Tom explore the incident through the lens of admiralty law, liability, litigation, impact, and how to prevent future disasters involving vessels.

In a ruling on Monday, March 25th, 2024,the New York appeals court gave Trump a major victory, cutting the bond needed in his civil fraud case from $464 million to $175 million, and also affording him an extra 10 days to find the money. In this episode, Craig is joined by Will Thomas, Assistant Professor of Business Law at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, as they discuss former president Trump's current legal and financial issues. Craig & Will take a look at this recent ruling on the $464 million judgment, specifics on the inability to secure a bond, and what next steps will be taken to retrieve payment from Trump.

March is Women’s History Month where we celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States throughout American history in a variety of fields. Charlotte E. Ray. Belva Lockwood. Sandra Day O’Connor. Ruth Bader Ginsberg. These are just some of the standout women who have shaped our legal history and fought for women and girls across the nation. Unfortunately, in recent years women’s rights have come under attack. With SCOTUS’ overturning of Roe v. Wade, and many other policy issues like equal pay, Title IX, childcare, taxes, and equity in education, women continue to fight for their individual rights. In this episode, Craig is joined by Amy Royce, Senior Counsel for Income Security for the National Women’s Law Center, as they will spotlight Women's History Month by discussing the current policy issues involving women, highlighting the intersection of gender justice and tax policy. We will also take a look back at women throughout history who have paved the way, and what women across the nation can do to rise up against legislation and fight for their rights.

On November 5th, 2024, people across the nation will head to the polls and cast their vote for president of the United States. It is looking more and more like another battle between President Joe Biden & former President Donald Trump with policy and rhetoric indicating an even more divided nation than in the prior election. With policy issues like immigration, abortion, IVF, guns, employment, and the economy taking center stage in this race, this election could once again be a controversial one. So, with a nation divided, can our democracy be saved? In this episode, Craig is joined by attorney David Pepper, as they discuss the upcoming presidential election, the state of democracy in the U.S., the current policy issues that could impact the election, and how we can save our democracy. Mentioned in this episode: Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines

For the past two episodes of Lawyer2Lawyer, we have covered SCOTUS cases that have included ballot access and immunity with former President Trump at the forefront of these cases. Trump has also been charged in four criminal cases. In this episode, Craig is joined by professor Tamara R. Lave, from the University of Miami, as they spotlight these upcoming criminal cases of Trump, whether these cases will go to trial before the presidential election, and possible punishment. Mentioned in this episode: Tracking the Trump Criminal Cases (Politico)

In our last episode, we discussed administrative law, abortion, guns, presidential immunity & ballot access— just some of the upcoming cases that will come before the High Court in 2024. In this episode, we continue our conversation with Professor Steven D. Schwinn and spotlight some of the remaining standout SCOTUS cases on the docket. Additionally, we discuss a developing conflict at the Texas border with Mexico, where the State is openly defying a recent SCOTUS ruling.

Administrative law, abortion, guns, presidential immunity, & ballot access. These are just some of the upcoming cases that will come before the High Court in 2024. How will the justices rule? And how could their rulings change the course of our legal system for years to come? In this episode, host Craig Williams joins returning guest Steven D. Schwinn from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, as they spotlight the standout SCOTUS cases of 2024 and the potential impact.

The first bar examination in the United States was administered in oral form in the Delaware Colony in 1783, and in 1885, Massachusetts became the first state to employ a written version of the bar exam. Over time, the bar examination process has become more standardized, but there's no one test. One example of a standardized test is the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), created back in 2011, and first administered that year by Missouri and North Dakota. So what is NEXT in standardized tests? According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website, the NextGen Bar Exam, set to debut in July 0f 2026, will “test a broad range of foundational lawyering skills, utilizing a focused set of clearly identified fundamental legal concepts and principles needed in today’s practice of law.” Will the transition from a standardized test like UBE to NextGen be an easy one? And what can law students & faculty expect? In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guest Dennis C. Prieto, an Associate Professor and Reference Librarian at ­Rutgers Law School, who served on the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ NextGen Content Scope Committee and is a member of the NextGen Tasks and Rubrics Advisory Committee. Craig & Dennis explore the specifics of the exam, how law students and faculty can transition to preparing for the new exam, and what students can expect from the exam in 2026. Mentioned in this episode: NextGen Bar Exam From My Perspective: Essays on the NextGen Bar Exam and Legal Education By Dennis C. Prieto, Susan Landrum, Timothy J. McFarlin, and Wanda M. Temm Correction: In the podcast, Professor Prieto mentioned 'NCBE member Beth Kennedy,' but the correct name is Beth Donohue. We apologize for any confusion and appreciate your understanding.

Did former President Trump’s rhetoric lead to an insurrection on January 6th, 2021? A court in Colorado has said it did. So, what constitutes rhetoric? And how powerful are words? In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guest Dr. Pete Simi, Professor of Sociology at Chapman University, to discuss the impact of rhetoric. Craig & Pete take a look at former President Trump's history of violent rhetoric, free speech and hate speech, and how extreme rhetoric can lead to political violence. Mentioned in this Episode: Out of Hiding (Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy) 1st Edition Former President Trump 14th Amendment Hearing in Colorado

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released a report on U.S. life expectancy. Keren Landman, senior reporter from Vox, wrote an excellent piece on this report, detailing the takeaways including the impact of COVID 19, the rise of infant mortality, and how the States compared to other countries on life expectancy. In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guest Michael Ulrich, Assistant Professor of Health Law, Ethics, & Human Rights at Boston University’s School of Public Health and School of Law, to discuss the recent CDC Report on U.S. life expectancy. Craig & Michael explore the possible legal implications of this report, and the political, environmental, and social influence on U.S. life expectancy. Mentioned in this Episode: Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates for 2022 US Life Expectancy No Longer Catastrophic, Now Merely Bad By Keren Landman

As we near the end of our environmental law series, we turn to our beloved oceans. The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 also known as MPRSA, is one of several key environmental laws passed by the US Congress in 1972. The Act regulates the disposition of any material into ocean waters, unless expressly excluded under the MPRSA. In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by Professor Robin Craig, the Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law from USC Gould School of Law, as they discuss MPRSA, its origin & history, purpose, and impact.

According to the Georgetown Law Library, Art Law can be defined as “the body of law, involving numerous disciplines, that protects, regulates and facilitates the creation, use and marketing of art. Those involved in the practice of art law look to a variety of disciplines, such as intellectual property, contract, constitutional, tort, tax, commercial and international law to protect the interests of their clients.” In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guests, attorneys Gabrielle C. Wilson & Yaél M. Weitz from Kaye Spiegler, as they spotlight art law. They will discuss the emerging trend of colonial art restitution, stolen and misappropriated art, and how AI has impacted art and copyright law.

In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by Professor Jody Freeman, the Archibald Cox Professor at Harvard Law School and a leading expert on administrative law and environmental law. Jody & Craig spotlight SCOTUS' Sackett v. EPA ruling, and its impact on the EPA's powers, Clean Water Act protections, and the regulation of wetlands. Mentioned in this Episode: CleanLaw Podcast

In a recent incident in Columbus, Ohio, an 11 year old girl was manipulated into sending explicit photos to an adult. After law enforcement was called by the girl’s father, a police officer told the father his daughter could face child porn charges for her actions. So how do we protect our children who are victims of these kinds of crimes? And what needs to change within our laws? In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guest attorney Riya Saha Shah, Senior Managing Director of Juvenile Law Center, to explore the misuse of sexual exploitation laws against child victims, advocating for children's rights, and what needs to change within our legal system and inside our police departments.

In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is once again joined by Alisha M. Winterswyk, an attorney from Best Best & Krieger, LLP, as they continue their discussion on NEPA & CEQA. The conversation moves into the specifics of how courts deal with decisions by city councils that dealing with environmental consequences, and on the other side, how citizens deal with this whole process by filing lawsuits.

With primaries set to start in spring of 2024, an upcoming presidential election, and a number of federal & state indictments against former President Trump, including the January 6th indictment, section 3 of the 14th amendment has taken center stage. It reads "no person who has taken an oath as an officer of the United States can hold office if they “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof”. So, will Section 3 of the 14th Amendment actually impact the presidential election and eliminate Donald Trump from the running? In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guest Ron Fein, the Legal Director for Free Speech For People. as they spotlight Section 3 and what this could mean for the upcoming presidential election. Mentioned in this Episode: The Sweep and Force of Section 3 by William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again by J. Michael Luttig and Laurence H. Tribe Conservative Case Emerges to Disqualify Trump for Role on Jan. 6 by Adam Liptak The 14Point3 Campaign Trump is Disqualified

While Craig is away on a well-deserved vacation, we wanted to do things a little bit differently, and share with you one of our favorite episodes from the Chicago Bar Association’s @the Bar podcast. This episode is Defending Against Domestic Violent Extremism: A Discussion with Brian Michael Jenkins. We hope you enjoy it! ----- In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio speaks with one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and the man famously known for predicting 9/11, Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation. They discuss Mr. Jenkins’ historical work as an advisor to many U.S. Presidents and governments on terrorism, as well as the current state of domestic political violence and terrorism in America. In this riveting discussion, Mr. Jenkins shares his advice for how we can develop a pragmatic strategy to combat the rising tide of violence in today’s tumultuous world.

In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by Alisha M. Winterswyk, an attorney from Best Best & Krieger, LLP, as they spotlight NEPA and CEQA, their impact, and purpose.

As SCOTUS wrapped in leadup to its annual summer recess, three controversial rulings, all with a 6-3 vote, created quite the stir: Biden v. Nebraska, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, and 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis. So what sort of impact will these rulings have on society? In this episode, host Craig Williams is joined by guest Professor Steven D. Schwinn from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, as they spotlight the recent SCOTUS rulings regarding loan relief, affirmative action, & the website designer/first amendment ruling. Craig and Steve discuss SCOTUS, these rulings, and long-term impact of these decisions.

The Clean Air Act also known as (CAA) is a comprehensive Federal law that regulates all sources of air emissions. The 1970 CAA authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and the environment. In this episode of our Environmental Law series, host Craig Williams is joined by Trish McCubbin, a retired Professor of Environmental Law at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, as they spotlight CAA, its impact, progress, and how we as a society can reduce air pollution.