Lawyer 2 Lawyer

Famed legal writer John Grisham calls them Rainmakers. We've celebrated their legendary victories in cinematic works such as "A Civil Action" and "Erin Brockovich." In Hollywood, these plaintiffs attorneys are often portrayed as Davids to their opposing Goliaths of corrupt industry. But who are they in real life? In this special edition of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams i...

Worker groups around the country are demonstrating for the purpose of increasing the minimum wage while experts and policy makers debate the effect of such change. Proponents say a higher minimum wage helps low-skilled workers and boosts the economy. Opponents say increasing the minimum wage decreases employment and raises the cost of living. In this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi a...

In recent news, there have been several instances of demonstrations and riots resulting from allegations of police brutality. In cities like New York and Ferguson, there are many accounts and view points but there is still much to debate about the facts. On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi interviews Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! and Sgt. Delroy Burton from DC Police Union. Toge...

The Eighth Amendment protects people from cruel and unusual punishments in the United States but what does that mean? In the last 38 years, Americans used hangings, gas chambers, lethal injections, electrocutions, and firing squads to execute convicted murderers. Given the recent reports of botched lethal injections, some experts are calling for the return of the firing squad as the most humane fo...

Although still illegal everywhere in the United States under federal law, Colorado and Washington have decided not to prosecute marijuana use or production at the state level. Despite this lack of enforcement, women who use marijuana during their pregnancies are being charged with child abuse shortly after giving birth. On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams in...

On July 1st a new law took effect in Tennessee that allows prosecutors to pursue criminal assault charges if the mother uses illegal drugs during pregnancy. Although it had widespread bipartisan support and is designed to fight Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, some believe it to be an unconstitutional infraction on privacy, equal protection, and due process. On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host J...

The Supreme Court's recent decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby invokes passionate debates and fiery discourse. At the spearhead of exchange are questions about reproductive, First Amendment, and healthcare rights. On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi brings light to these issues along with Emily Martin from the National Women's Law Center and Elizabeth Slattery from the Heritage Fou...

Since 2009, the number of unaccompanied minors apprehended crossing the U.S. border has sharply increased. The journey for these children is long, expensive, and dangerous. What is the cause of this sudden influx of young immigrants? On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams interview Alex Nowrasteh from the Cato Institute and Elizabeth Dallam from Kids in Need of...

Imagine a computer thousands of miles away recognizing you in a camera at an intersection. Furthermore, consider being tracked and monitored from your home to your place of work every day. Facial recognition technology makes this type of identification possible and it is being rapidly developed for country defense and law enforcement purposes. On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host J. Craig Will...

May 17th, 2014 marked the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court Decision that held state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students as unconstitutional because they violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Today, some six decades later, many parents and teachers are still worried that America's children are not rec...

On May 5th 2014, the Supreme Court decided Greece v. Galloway, a landmark case about the right of prayer in government assemblies. Both sides of the argument invoked the First Amendment to make their case, but who is right and why? On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi brings this issue to the forefront with opposing counsels Douglas Laycock, for the respondents, and David Cortman,...

Due out this week is the 10th edition of Black's Law Dictionary. With 16,000 new definitions, 900 new maxims, and terms dated back to their first English usage, Black's Law Dictionary 10th Edition is touted to be the most comprehensive and relevant collection of legal terminology to date. But what goes into making this legal reference and how does it stay relevant in today's world? On this episode...

In its landmark 1963 decision Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court mandated the right to counsel in federal and state criminal proceedings. Fifty-one years after that unanimous decision, some question whether Gideon's promise has been fulfilled, as public defenders struggle against heavy caseloads, limited resources and low pay. On this episode of Lawyer2Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig W...

Six states have passed laws to address revenge porn, but critics say those laws may infringe upon First Amendment rights and subject people to needless criminal prosecution. Critics of anti-revenge porn laws believe the laws as drafted are overly broad, fail to exempt acceptable behavior, and create a chilling effect on otherwise legal expression. On this follow up episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host...

The non-consensual posting of nude or sexual media by one person of another is known as Revenge Porn. Many victims report that this practice has had detrimental effects on their lives. Of those surveyed, 90 percent are women and 49 percent say they've been stalked or harassed. Despite the growing number of reports, most states' laws do not address the issue. On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hos...

Attorney-Client Privilege predates US history and is a fixture of Western Law. Pro advocates of its proliferation declare its necessity to a fair and adequate defense. According to many legal experts, NSA monitoring of privileged attorney-client communications stands in direct violation to the United States Bill of Rights and yet others disagree. In this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambro...

Federal law bans marijuana nationwide and yet some states have decided to license its trade. So, where does this leave citizens, local government, and attorneys who work in the cannabis industry? On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams interview Brian Vicente, Dan Riffle and Kathy Haddock to discuss the challenges and liabilities that persist in the void between...

In an emergency, seconds count. What if you couldn't call 911 because you couldn't reach an outside line? On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host J. Craig Williams interviews Henry "Hank" Hunt, the man petitioning for Kari's Law, and FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai. Together they discuss the importance of uniform dialing for 911. Henry Hunt's nine year old granddaughter, through no fault of her own, co...

Are Bar Exams really necessary? The Iowa State Bar Association isn't so sure. In this episode of Lawyer2Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams interview Iowa State Bar Association President Guy Cook and Clinical Professor of Law John Whiston to learn why Iowa could soon offer Diploma Privilege for its law graduates. Cook is the current president of the Iowa State Bar Association. He is an...

If you had bought $1,000 worth of Bitcoins in 2010, you would have $2.4 million dollars today. The anonymous, Internet-based currency has seen an exponential rise in value and popularity since its inception in 2009. This raises legal questions regarding the legitimacy, the legalities, and what lawyers need to know about this new currency. In this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J....

In this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams invite Allen Pusey and Molly McDonough of the ABA Journal to recap the past year’s legal news. Consider this a crash course on news stories such as Edward Snowden, gun control, and Obamacare. The discussion will not only cover the top stories of the year but also find the common themes in this year’s news and foretell what t...

News of Amazon’s plans to use delivery drones surprised many, but the fact is that a number of companies are developing drones for commercial uses. However, before any of these commercial drones can take flight, they need to clear a series of legal hurdles, from winning FAA approval to sorting out liability and privacy issues. In this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer, host Bob Ambrogi invites industry law...

This landmark case, involving Google’s digitization project of scanning 20-million books to make them searchable through the Internet, was decided in favor of Google. “In my mind, this is a fair-use case that we will never see again,” Andrew Albanese, senior writer for Publisher’s Weekly, said, declaring the case a benchmark for future decisions. It was ruled that Google met the requirements of fa...

“It’s impossible to figure out exactly what the judge did wrong,” University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Kermit Roosevelt says, discussing Federal District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin’s removal from Floyd, et al. v. The City of New York, known as the “stop-and-frisk” case. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Judge “ran afoul” of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges given her...

Several email providers across the nation have chosen to shut down in reaction to the government subpoena of Lavabit's data. Ladar Levison, CEO of secure email provider Lavabit, chose to end operations after the government requested the company's SSL keys, which would grant access to more than 400,000 users' emails. Levison challenged the subpoenas under the fourth amendment and organizations incl...