Who Wrote That Up For You?

Jill Berkana is the owner of the Berkana Institute of Massage Therapy in Longmont, Colorado, an accelerated certification program for aspiring massage therapists. She has practiced massage therapy for 32 years and has begun offering expert witness services in cases where massage therapists are accused of misconduct, often of a sexual nature in their treatment of clients. Jill shared her experience...

Stephanie Ebron, Sonja's first cousin, described the home remodeling job that landed her in court. The contractor adjusted the estimate upwards by $20,000 halfway through the job, and when Stephanie wouldn't pay, she damaged the home and sued Stephanie for breach of contract. The contractor was representing her own company in the case, but Stephanie discovered the contractor was required to hire a...

Eric Wright practiced law for five years in Louisiana before relocating to New York and serving as a law clerk, an experience that provided unique insights into access to the courts. The traumas held by many people during their interactions with the court are also things he witnessed as a legal and community activist. Eric joined #WhoWroteThat to share his perspectives on the relationships between...

Nick Rishwain at Experts.com explained the difference between fact witnesses and expert witnesses. Where fact witnesses can testify to what they directly saw or heard, expert witnesses have expertise in specific fields that allow them to interpret facts for a judge or jury. Nick also explained that many expert witnesses shy away from working with pro se litigants due to the need for high retainers...

"Who Wrote That Up For You?" co-hosts Sonja Ebron and Debra Slone took the 29th episode of the show to recollect the events underlying the show's name. A deliberate strategy of delaying a foreclosure case found them arguing for the right to depose the bank's lawyer and two vice presidents of the bank. There were discrepancies in the complaint related to a required verification of facts, and Sonja...

Kitt never liked her given first name. So when she retired, she sought a court order to change it. There was a local court procedure and forms for changing one's name, but that was the least of her worries. As it turned out, Kitt was required to run a notice in the local paper of record, then change a driver's license and social security record. Still, it took months to get other agencies and corp...

Gwen Sheppard, a retired U.S. Air Force major, invited a homeless veteran to use her spare bedroom so he could get on his feet. While Gwen was traveling, her new guest became a disruptive presence in the home and a disturbance to others living there. She asked him to leave. He complied the next day, but he also stole or destroyed several thousand dollars worth of her property.    Gwen fi...

Michael D.J. Eisenberg shared the engineering background that caused him to be a constant source of free technical support for fellow lawyers after he launched a small law firm 16 years ago. The experience led him to create The Tech Savvy Lawyer, a website and podcast for sharing technology and practice management tips for lawyers. Michael discussed some of the post-pandemic technological advances...

Erin Levine of Hello Divorce shared the painful experiences that led her first to law school and then to developing the innovative DIY divorce solution that lowers the cost of dissolving a marriage. She described the difference between "legal tech" and "justice tech" as making lawyers more efficient and easier to hire by people who can afford them versus putting legal consumers in the driver's sea...

Ibrahim Aissam described the need for multilingual and accessible court communications and the technology solutions available at eCourtDate to help courts ensure more people receive proper notice of court hearings. He shared some of the adverse consequences of missing a court date, even in certain civil matters, such as landing in jail on contempt charges, or getting arrested and suffering physica...

Tom Gordon, executive director at Responsive Law, discussed the regulatory barriers that keep people from getting affordable legal solutions. He said state bars are designated by their supreme courts to regulate the unauthorized practice of law and rules against fee-splitting, but the way these regulations are enforced can often prevent innovators from providing new solutions to common legal issue...

Kristen Sonday, CEO of Paladin, discussed the role of pro bono legal services in closing the justice gap. She also shared her thoughts on ways technology can help support pro bono causes. Paladin makes technology to aid pro bono champions at law firms in matching the firm's lawyers to pro bono opportunities. – Connect on Medium: https://medium.com/join-paladin – Connect on Facebook: https://www.fa...

Attorney Randolph Frails, senior partner at Frails & Wilson Attorneys at Law in Augusta, Georgia, discussed the wide variety of practice areas handled by the firm, from personal injury and estates to real estate and business law. He also discussed the growth of the firm over its 25-year history, from a single lawyer to now five lawyers and nine support staff. Attorney Frails shared several tip...

Isabella and her partner Jo were beneficiaries of Jo's mom's wealthy estate, but they received a paltry check in the mail when mom passed away. The executor, mom's longtime neighbor with a knowledgeable trust manager, was hard to reach and ultimately refused to provide proper accounting for the trust.    Isabella and Jo hired a lawyer with 30 years of experience in probate matters. They...

Joshua Weaver, director at the Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator (TOJI), described the incubator's programming to help lawyers provide access to justice to the large latent market for legal services in Texas. TOJI is accepting applications now for the next cohort of justice-minded and entrepreneurial Texas lawyers, a 12-month program that starts in January. – Connect on Twitter: https://tw...

Stacey Lake of Law Wurk joined #WhoWroteThat to discuss the challenges and opportunities of hiring nonlawyers for certain legal tasks, such as document preparation and court attendance in family law and eviction proceedings. Law Wurk is available in California, Nevada, Utah, and a few other states that permit nonlawyers to provide direct services to consumers outside the supervision of a lawyer, a...

#WhoWroteThat co-hosts  Sonja and Debra shared some of their early blunders in court. After a failed eviction attempt revealed routine perjury in a property management company's landlord-tenant cases, Sonja and Debra tried playing heroes in court to stop this evil behavior. But they bungled the procedures and saw the case tossed at the very beginning. For those without legal training, compete...

Ed Walters is co-founder and CEO at Fastcase, a provider of software, data, and analytics that allow legal practitioners to work more efficiently. Ed shared the origin story of Fastcase and the gap in legal tools he and co-founder Phil Rosenthal sought to fill. He also discussed the numerous barriers to accessing law and justice, as well as some efforts judges and court administrators could take t...

Aliza Shatzman is co-founder and president of the Legal Accountability Project, an effort to hold judges accountable for their behavior toward the young lawyers who clerk for them. Aliza's legal career was derailed by a judge she'd served as a law clerk. As it turns out, this judge had a history of abusing his law clerks, and Aliza's law school knew his reputation and withheld that information fro...

Miguel Willis, executive director of Access to Justice Tech Fellows, discussed the summer fellowships for law students looking to create equitable legal access for low-income people. He also expressed a vision for the careers and opportunities these fellows will develop after law school. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ATJTechFellows and https://twitter.com/MiguelElCapiTon – Connect on I...

Mike Zouhri suffered a car accident -- a hit and run -- caused by a drunk driver. The process of tracking down the driver was easy compared to getting justice for his injuries. Conventional wisdom was to hire a local personal injury firm on contingency and take the insurance company to court, but Mike disliked the customer service and the economics. He learned to settle the claim himself, and he t...

Damian Wilson at TurnSignl explained the mission of the traffic-stop app as ensuring the safest interaction for all involved. TurnSignl records interactions with police during traffic stops, as well as with first responders after car accidents, and ensures a local attorney is available to help users enforce their rights. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/turnsignl – Connect on TikTok: http...

Georges Clement, a cofounder at Justfix, discussed the tools and training available to NYC residents to address housing and eviction issues. He also shared JustFix's partnerships with community organizations in Los Angeles and around the country to offer services outside New York. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justfixorg – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustFixOrg/ – Con...

J. Hamilton (Jesse) McCoy II, clinical professor of law at the Duke University School of Law, described the work of the Civil Justice Clinic at Duke and the work law students are doing to protect North Carolinians from eviction. He also discussed the purpose of law in society and the varieties of eviction defense under the law. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JHamiltonMcCoy2 – Connect on...

Nicole Morris, professor of practice at the Emory University School of Law, discussed the need for law students to learn to think like entrepreneurs. She also described the new Innovation and Legal Tech Initiative at Emory Law and its efforts to train future lawyers on the impact of technology on the practice of law. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolenmorris3 – Connect on LinkedIn: h...