Who Wrote That Up For You?

Ty Brown is the CEO of ZAF Legal, a personal injury law firm with zero attorney fees (or ZAF). He discussed the inherent conflicts in the practice of personal injury law, as well as the pushback he's receiving now from traditional personal injury law firms. Ty shared his company's experience in the Utah regulatory sandbox and the need for national change in the rules governing professional...

Nichelle ("Nikki") Perry is an associate professor of law and director of the law library at the North Carolina Central University School of Law. She discussed changes in the work of law librarians and the potential for integrating new justice technologies into the law school curriculum. – Visit the law school: https://law.nccu.edu/school-of-law-directory/nichelle-perry/ – Connect on Fac...

Joryn Jenkins, founder of Open Palm Law, is a Florida attorney, divorce mediator, and expert in collaborative law. She discussed the importance of mutual respect in dispute resolution, particularly for divorcing couples who also own businesses they wish to continue operating. – Visit the website: https://openpalmlaw.com/ – Connect on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openpalmlaw/ – Connect on Tw...

Lloyd Comiter of the Mediation Training Academy discussed the many reasons that parties in a dispute prefer mediation over litigation. He also described the certified training programs available in Florida that allow anyone to become an effective mediator. – Visit the website: https://mediationtrainingacademy.com/ – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mediationtrainingacademy – Connect o...

Ken Johnson, juvenile justice expert and certified Florida mediator, discussed the potential of restorative justice practices to mitigate the severe harm to young people caught up in the school-to-prison pipeline. With a new academic year starting, Ken wanted to the reasons behind the shocking statistic that 4 out of every 5 incarcerated adults started out in the juvenile justice system. According...

Wanda Butler, CEO of We Decide, discussed the financial analysis software the company makes to simplify the process of financial discovery in divorce. She gave several examples of the software easing negotiations and lowering the costs of dissolving a marriage. The software is available to individuals, couples, and legal teams assisting one or both parties. We Decide is also a member of the Justic...

Lara Amoroso, owner of Doing It Differently Divorce, discussed pre-suit divorce mediation for couples in court without a lawyer. Offering services in all Florida counties, Lara shared the many reasons to mediate a divorce rather than litigate. – Visit the website:  https://doingitdifferentlydivorce.com/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wh...

Joseph George, an arbitrator at George & George ADR, discussed the wide variety of options for settling cases out of court. He shared the work experience that led him to found the company with his sister and opportunities for innovative marketing for arbitration companies. Joseph gave examples of the types of cases his firm handles, which include construction and the beauty industry. He also d...

Mathew Kerbis is an Illinois attorney and founder of SubscriptionAttorney.com, an innovative model for delivering legal services to people who can't afford the traditional large retainer and billable hour. Mathew is an advocate for access to justice for the broader middle class. He focuses his practice and his company on serving the latent legal market and helping clients avoid litigation. The...

Ken Johnson is a licensed Florida mediator and expert in restorative juvenile justice. He shared the different kinds of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation, arbitration, ombuds, and other methods of settling legal matters out of court. Ken discussed mediation techniques and ethics, and the differences between the types of ADR. – Connect on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@K...

Pam Gwin Sheppard has been a certified court reporter for nearly 30 years. She currently serves as the designated court reporter for the Harris County, Texas misdemeanor criminal court. Pam discussed the role and importance of the court reporter in hearings and trials, as well as the process and cost of getting a copy of the record produced by a court reporter. Pam Gwin (Coder) Sheppard is the aut...

Joshua Schwadron, founder and CEO at Mighty.com, discussed his company's innovative model for helping injured people pursue personal injury claims through an affiliated law firm, Mighty Law. Mighty helps its clients manage the financial aspects of their lives -- car repairs, replacement wages, etc -- while their claims are being handled by the law firm. And the contingency fees are limited so that...

Kristin Henning is the Blume Professor of Law and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative at Georgetown Law. She is also the author of "Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth," which draws upon her twenty-five years of experience representing Black youth in Washington, D.C.'s juvenile court to detail the myriad ways police encounters are used to deny Black youth t...

Dave Maxfield is a consumer protection lawyer in Columbia, South Carolina. He shared the types of cases he pursues on behalf of consumers deluged by debt collection calls or cheated out of benefits. He also shared tips to help consumers think more like lawyers in their day-to-day activities.   Dave is also co-author of "The Lean Law Firm," the first graphic novel ever published by the America...

Renee Vara is the founder of Vara Arts, which provides appraiser and advisory services for creatives. She discussed the use of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) to protect artists whose works are threatened by traditional property rights, including a famous case where a commercial property development sought to destroy several murals in New York City. Renee advised artists in these situations t...

Natalie Knowlton is the founder of A2J Ventures, a consulting agency for startup ventures and established businesses working to increase access to justice and the courts. Natalie shared her background as a lawyer who never wanted to practice but always saw an opportunity to help change the industry. She also shared her thoughts on the meaning of access to justice and what it means when societies l...

Tahmina Watson of Watson Immigration Law is an immigration lawyer licensed in both Washington and New York. Her law firm serves international startup founders and tech employees working and doing business in the United States. She is the creative voice behind the Startup Visa podcast and Tahmina Talks Immigration podcast.   Tahmina discussed the evolution of U.S. immigration law and the diffe...

Diego Acosta is a licensed court interpreter in the Houston, TX metro area. He discussed the role of interpreters in ensuring fair court proceedings. He described the process for a person with limited English proficiency to get an interpreter for a hearing or trial. Diego shared issues of etiquette that sometimes arise when dealing with judges and lawyers representing opposing parties, along with...

Tiffany Graves is the first pro bono counsel at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP, the largest law firm in the southeast U.S., with over 600 attorneys serving the banking, construction, energy, and healthcare industries. ("Pro bono" means "for the good" or free of charge.) Each attorney at the firm provides a minimum of 50 hours of free legal services annually to people who cannot afford an attorn...

Ada Crenshaw is the owner of Nfinite Legacy Mobile Notary, a notary public service based in McKinney, Texas. Ada's journey to the profession began when she lost her job with a large defense contractor. She quickly found herself grateful for the opportunity to become her own boss. The agency has expanded to international signings and wedding officiant services.    Ada is excited to see th...

Ana Julieta Kowalski Solis is the owner of Interpretation and Translation Services by Licensed Court Interpreters, operating in and around Brownsville, Texas. Ana shared the tremendous demand for court interpreters in border communities like Brownsville, as well as the struggles to help court personnel understand the value court interpreters bring to judicial fairness. The company provides a varie...

Alyssa S. Wesley is the owner of Freelance Paralegal Services, an agency offering legal research and document assembly services to pro se civil litigants. Freelance Paralegal Services serves clients in all 50 states handling a wide variety of claims, but they specialize in family law matters from divorce to child support and custody.  Alyssa expressed confidence in her clients and has seen ma...

Ted Edwards is a principal at the Banks Law Firm, the largest minority-owned law firm in the Carolinas. Founded in 1994 by Sherrod Banks in Durham, NC, the firm specializes in affordable housing and community development, representing housing authorities and community-oriented nonprofit organizations. Ted discussed the challenges for young Black lawyers entering the profession and shared the power...

Scott Dodson is a distinguished professor of law at UC Law San Francisco. He's an expert in civil procedure and the director of the Center for Litigation and the Courts at UC Law SF. Scott shared several benefits of our civil justice system that we rarely consider. For instance, it provides a method of compensating for harm caused and deters future harm. It shifts the burden of managing harm from...

Bonita Torres is a licensed private investigator and owner of ICU Investigations in the Houston, Texas metro area. Bonita shared her background in human resources and the job loss that put her on an unconventional path to a career in private investigations. While her agency specializes in surveillance and fraud investigations, she has served a wide variety of clients and cases. Bonita expressed co...