UnCommon Law

The prosecution wrapped up it’s case in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin on Monday, April 12. Over the course of more than two weeks the jury heard extensive testimony about George Floyd's health problems and struggles with drug addiction. But thanks to an obscure legal doctrine, the jury was also allowed to hear testimony aimed at humanizing George Floyd. Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise Floyd...

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's trial has been a two-week whirlwind of emotional witness testimony so far, including police department officials, bystanders, medical experts, and an overwhelming amount of video evidence. Opening statements from the prosecution used a viral video of Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes before his death to convince jur...

The chief of the Minneapolis Police Department testified this week that the tactic used by Derek Chauvin to restrain George Floyd, pressing his knee into his neck, did not follow police policy. “I absolutely agree that violates our policy,” testified Chief Medaria Arradondo at Chauvin’s trial. In the second week of testimony in the Chauvin trial, the state called law enforcement experts to testify...

Opening statements in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, began this week. During his opening statement Monday, Eric Nelson, the attorney for the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, indicated that a key part of the defense strategy would be to argue that drugs and health problems caused Floyd's death. Nelson also claimed that a crowd of onlookers who witnessed Floyd's death made the re...

The jury in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is noteworthy for its diversity. About 13.5 percent of Hennepin County, Minnesota is African American and, of the 15 jurors (including the three alternates), nine are White, four are Black and two are mixed race, according to the court. Still, many experts, including Andrew Gordon, a Deputy Director at The Legal Rights Center...

Jury selection in the Derek Chauvin case wrapped up Tuesday, March 23. Of the 15 jurors selected thus far, two are white men, three Black men, one Black woman, six are white women and two are multiracial women, according to the court. George Floyd's death last May at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has made Minnesota ground zero for the debate over police reform, and specifically policies...

In the aftermath of Floyd’s death, citizens across America took to the streets to demand police reform and accountability. Now almost a year later dozens of cities and states have changed policies, or enacted laws that restrict the use of violent force by police. In addition to municipal and state level changes, in March the House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act...

Prosecutors seeking to criminally charge police officers face a number of obstacles. There is a high bar when it comes to proving intent, and police officers are generally granted leeway in what many consider to be a difficult job that requires split second decision making. Moreover, law enforcement officers place citizens under restraint tens of thousands of times every day. And even then, in the...

The third-degree murder charge against Derek Chauvin have been reinstated. This is in addition to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. As of March 11, there was no appeal from defense, and jury selection is moving forward. But what do we know about the man overseeing the murder that launched last summer’s protests following the killing of George Floyd? Speaking from behi...

The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree unintentional felony murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, begins this week with the task of finding 12 jurors who can set aside their opinions and render a unanimous verdict. But in a high-profile case such as this, with so many strong opinions already formed, criminal law...

In "Black Lawyers Speak: Stories of the Past, Hopes for the Future," we have looked at how the current focus on diversity and inclusion in Big Law is playing out. We have heard from key players at law firms, law schools and corporations about how issues or diversity and inclusion are being treated in the wake of last summer's police shootings and protests. In episode five, we turn our attention to...

In "Black Lawyers Speak: Stories of the Past, Hopes for the Future," we have looked at how the current focus on diversity and inclusion in Big Law is playing out. We have heard from key players at law firms and in corporations about how they are doing the hard work of culture change, and how, through their work, they are underscoring the argument that diversity is good business. In episode four, w...

In the wake of last summer’s protests, more law firms in the AmLaw 200 are being more vocal about plans to increase their diversity. For decades, Big Law has been one of the least diverse industries in America, especially when it comes to Black lawyers. In episode three of Black Lawyers Speak, we focus on the legal education pipeline and whether law schools and law students can push law firms to b...

Despite the increased emphasis on diversity and inclusion in law firms, the legal profession remains among the least diverse of any profession today. According to the American Bar Association’s National Lawyer Population Survey, in 2007 just 4% of active attorneys identified as Black or African American. Since that time, the number has remained largely flat at around 5%, despite decades of diversi...

For months now, law firms and companies across the nation have joined the national dialogue on race and equality—sprouting up amid outcry over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others — to take a fresh look at how their corporate cultures can better incorporate diversity and inclusion. But every effort to change culture comes with a cost: disruption of the status quo. Is the legal pro...

Despite decades of work to educate more Black lawyers, the percentage of Black associates and partners in firms across the U.S. remain very low, and well below those of other professional careers. Big Law firms across the board are ramping up social justice efforts as the nation engages in a renewed dialogue on race and equality. But some have accused firms of using minorities as “diversity props”...

Businesses all across the country have been shutdown for days, weeks, or even months at a time due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many assumed their insurance policies would help them defray some of their lost revenue. But those assumptions were, by and large, wrong. In this special audio documentary, “Business, Interrupted” we look at why insurers denied the claims of their shuttered policyholders....

A discussion of the state of pollinator ecology and economics hosted by Adam Allington at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting. Guests include Peter Nelson, director of the documentary film, “The Pollinators,” and Donna McDermott, a PhD candidate at Emory University studying the impact of pesticides on bumble bee behavior.

Bees are up against a lot these days: a shrinking habitat, invasive mites, Colony Collapse Disorder, and even the pesticides on the crops they help pollinate. Hosts Adam Allington, Tiffany Stecker and David Schultz dig into recent studies that show nectar and pollen contaminated with insecticides may be harming bees much more than previously thought.

The drastic decline in honeybee populations is no secret. For years, pesticides were thought to be the leading cause of increased die-offs. But new studies suggest that the parasite Varroa destructor, which sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi film, might be affecting bee health more than we thought.

Fluffy black and yellow-striped honeybees are the poster species for environmentalists working to save these struggling insects. But what about the other thousands of bee species pollinating crops and flowers? Hosts Adam Allington and David Schultz explore how the honeybee came to be the classic bee.

Commercial honey bees take laps around the U.S. to pollinate fruits, veggies and nuts – and their services aren’t cheap. But they are essential. Hosts Adam Allington and Tiffany Stecker talk with farmers in California about the rising costs of hives and how those traveling bees could be pushing native pollinators out of their habitats.

Hosts Adam Allington and David Schultz take us back to the earliest days of beekeeping in Egypt and tell us how humans and honeybees formed a partnership that has spanned thousands of years and several continents. In addition to the obvious benefits of producing honey, Apis Mellifera, also known as the European honeybee, has also inspired the imagination of thinkers and philosophers from the “land...

In the premiere episode of Business of Bees, we dive deep into the modern bee-conomy. Hosts Adam Allington and Tiffany Stecker start in the almond fields of California, where farmers need bees for the largest managed pollination event in the world. The effects of Colony Collapse Disorder are still being felt, but we find out that the business of bees is actually booming. 

These days about one in three bites of food you eat wouldn’t be possible without commercial bee pollination. And the economic value of insect pollination worldwide is estimated to be about $217 billion. But as important as bees have become for farming, there’s also increasing signs that bees are in trouble. In the decade-plus since the first cases of Colony Collapse Disorder were reported, bees ar...