Lawyer 2 Lawyer

Media giant, Rupert Murdoch and his now defunct British tabloid, News of the World, are under fire over reports that journalists allegedly hacked into individuals’ phones and allegedly took part in police bribery in a quest to get inside information. Hear Mike Koehler, Assistant Professor of Business Law at Butler University and Jane E. Kirtley, the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, talk with Lawyer2Lawyer co-host, Bob Ambrogi, about the legal issues including charges, privacy rights, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the scandal’s impact on journalism and the fate of the Murdoch news empire.

Where do lawyers stand on the issues of advertising and ethics, especially when online technology is in the picture? Hear Andrew Perlman, the Chief Reporter for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Ethics 20/20 and Nathan Darling, the 2010 President of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), talk with Lawyer2Lawyer co-host, J. Craig Williams to spotlight the ABA's Commission on Ethics 20/20’s preliminary issue paper about restrictions on lawyers’ use of technology for marketing and advertising, reaction to the proposed rule changes and what this all means in reality.

When the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Racial Justice Act in 2009, it guaranteed that no individual would be put to death because of racial bias within the state’s justice system. Since then, there’s been a battle in the North Carolina legislature to repeal it. What’s behind this debate? Some say clogged courts and unfounded claims by death row inmates. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams, along with Cassandra Stubbs, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Capital Punishment Project and James E. Coleman Jr., the John S. Bradway Professor of Law at Duke University Law School and Co-director of Duke's Wrongful Convictions Clinic, take a look inside the issues. They explore the great debate, the repeal and what this means for inmates on death row.

One of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted and infamous Boston gangster, James "Whitey" Bulger, is captured. Now the epic legal case begins. Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams is joined by guests, F. Lee Bailey, famed defense attorney and best-selling author, Dan Rea, long-time TV and radio journalist and lawyer from Boston and David E. Frank, Managing Editor from Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, to get inside this incredible story and unfolding legal case. They discuss the prosecution’s case against 81-year old Whitey Bulger and his long-time girlfriend, Catherine Greig, who eluded capture for more than 16 years, as well as the type of defense we should expect to see and the ultimate fate of the notorious crime boss.

With tuition costs for traditional law schools rising and law students struggling to pay off debt, online legal education can be an alternative for some. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Ellen Murphy, the Program Director for Concord Law School’s Small Business Practice LLM and Attorney Ross E. Mitchell, a graduate of Concord Law School of Kaplan University, to get an inside look at an online legal education. They talk about the online process, interaction, accreditation and what the future holds for online legal education.

Former presidential candidate John Edwards was recently indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy, allegedly accepting campaign contributions to cover-up the extramarital affair with his former aide, Rielle Hunter. Did John Edwards violate federal election law? Or is this a campaign ethics violation? Attorneys and co-host J. Craig Williams welcome Peter J. Henning, Professor at Wayne State University Law School and Professor Richard L. Hasen, a nationally-recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation from the University of California, Irvine School of Law, to discuss the charges and how the prosecution and defense will handle this controversial legal case.

Nelson Schwartz from The New York Times recently wrote an article titled, Easing Out the Gray-Haired. Or Not. , spotlighting the fate of the Baby Boomer generation within law firms. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney Valerie C. Samuels, a partner in the firm Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP and co-chair of the Employment Law Group, and Attorney Roy Ginsburg, to take a look at this generation of baby boomers within law firms, retirement, their fate within the firm, options upon retirement and what this means for law firms: big, small and solo.

Many law students across the nation are concerned about jobs in the legal profession and are pushing for reform in data reporting as it pertains to legal education. Nate Burris, President of the Law Student Association at Boston College Law School and William D. Henderson, a Professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, are guests on Lawyer2Lawyer with Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams to discuss the issues, including the role of the ABA and law schools, law students’ concerns about their education debt and the current legal job market.

Recently in North Carolina, Judge Nancy Gordon ruled that Alaina Giordano, a mother of two living with Stage 4 breast cancer, be denied primary custody of her children after a bitter custody battle with her husband. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney Lee S. Rosen from the Rosen Law firm and Attorney Sherri Donovan from Sherri Donovan & Associates, PC, to discuss the many components to this controversial custody case. Lee and Sherri take a look at the ruling, the power of the media and social media, the impact of custody battles and how illness should be treated in custody disputes

Sony Corporation suffered a huge security breach in its video game online network with names, addresses, and credit card numbers of 100 million PlayStation and PC game network users stolen by hackers. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Justin Brookman, the Director for the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Project on Consumer Privacy and Attorney John H. Lacey from the McCormack Firm, LLC and author of "Massachusetts Data Privacy Law Blog,” to take a look at one of the largest online security breaches. Justin and John talk about litigation, potential legislation and how this breach could impact Sony.

The debate over digital privacy is making big headlines with a recent controversy surrounding iPhone/iPad location tracking. Attorneys and co-host J. Craig Williams welcome Joshua A. Engel, Vice President and General Counsel for the Lycurgus Group and author of the Stockycat blog and Jeff Hermes, Associate Director of the Digital Media Law Project and a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard, to discuss the controversy. Joshua and Jeff look at privacy, legal concerns with the collection and storage of information and current litigation.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently spoke at Golden Gate University School of Law's third annual Intellectual Property Distinguished Speaker Program, where he created a buzz when he shared his insight on technology today and how it has greatly impacted the First Amendment. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome the Honorable Alex Kozinski to the program and talk about technology, bloggers, the First Amendment, his role as a Judge and a lot more.

Some estimates say 20 million Americans use internet dating services to find romance. But when things don’t work out, should the dating service be held accountable and to what extent? Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Mark Brooks, an authority on the business of internet dating and Principal Consultant at Courtland Brooks and Brian Carver, Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley's School of Information, to discuss recent litigation against dating sites. Mark and Brian take a look at a recent lawsuits, background checks and online dating sites legal responsibility.

The National Football League (NFL) ordered a lockout on March 12th, after negotiations between the league and the players’ union collapsed. Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams welcomes legal analyst for Sport Illustrated, Professor Michael McCann of The Vermont Law School and attorney, blogger, author and radio host, Clay Travis, to get an in-depth look at the NFL lockout. Mike and Clay discuss the circumstances that led up to the lockout, recent developments and how long this battle between owners and players could go on.

Google and a group of authors and publishers who sued the internet giant, are heading back to the bargaining table after a federal court judge declined to approve a proposed 125-million-dollar settlement between the two parties. Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams welcomes George H. Pike, Director of the Barco Law Library and Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Attorney Lois F. Wasoff General Counsel for Publishers International Linking Association ("CrossRef"), to discuss this latest decision. They talk about the Judge’s decision and his reasons for rejecting the settlement, the “opt-in” vs.“opt-out” agreement and the possibility of Microsoft or Amazon fighting any new settlement.

There is an ongoing debate in the legal community about whether the iPhone or the Android is best for attorneys and their practices. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Attorney Richard M. Georges, blogger for FutureLawyer and Attorney Jeff Richardson, from Adams and Reese LLP and blogger for iPhone J.D., to take the gloves off on Lawyer2Lawyer about the pros and cons of each, look at the best applications for attorneys and security issues surrounding smartphones.

As the world anxiously watches the nuclear crisis unfold in Japan, there are growing concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants right here in the United States. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Attorney Martin G. Malsch, a partner with Egan, Fitzpatrick, Malsch & Lawrence, PLLC and Geoffrey H. Fettus, a senior project attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC's) nuclear program, to discuss the aftermath of the nuclear crisis in Japan and the safety of nuclear plants here in the States. Marty and Geoff question if American plants are safe, who would be held legally responsible in case of a nuclear accident in America and how this recent disaster has affected the environment. Later in the program, Bob and Craig visit the great debate over the iPhone v. Android.

Transparency in government is talked about but is it reality? Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Mark Rumold, the Open Government Legal Fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Kenneth Bunting, Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, to take a look inside Sunshine Week. Mark and Ken discuss which states have made the most strides for transparency, if technological advances are helping governments be more transparent and why it is important for government to stay transparent.

There is no doubt that the legal industry has gone global. Political, economic, social and technological advances around the world have created a very competitive environment. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Nick Jervis, Director and Founder of Samson Consulting in Bristol, England, to discuss the best ways to market to clients and the importance of a legal marketing strategy. Later in the program, Bob and Craig chat with Ross Fishman, JD, CEO of Fishman Marketing, about new legal marketing trends and how a law firm can stay ahead of the competition through their marketing, stateside and worldwide.

On February 23rd, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Obama administration would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in cases pending in federal court. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Tobias Barrington Wolff, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Ken Klukowski, Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council, to discuss this controversial decision. Tobias and Ken discuss how this decision could affect current court cases, the impact on same sex-marriage and if this is the beginning of a DOMA repeal.

Just days after the devastation of September 11, 2001, the federal government created the Victim Compensation Fund, a fund designed to help grieving families get through the tragedy. From this tragedy a documentary titled, Out of the Ashes: 9/11 was born. On Lawyer2Lawyer, attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes executive producer, writer and co-director of this documentary, Marilyn J. Berger from the Seattle University School of Law and Debra Brown Steinberg, partner with the firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, to get an in-depth look at the making of the incredibly compelling documentary. This documentary examines the legal, moral, and ethical ramifications of the Victim Compensation Fund and its impact on the civil justice system.

Recently a young woman, Mareena Silva, was mistakenly given the wrong medication intended for another customer, Maria Silva, at a Safeway pharmacy in Colorado. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Attorney Chad Cook, a member of the Mass Torts Section at Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C. and Dr. Shannon J. Johnson, a pharmacist with PharmDmand, a private pharmacy-consulting firm, to take a look at this incident and pharmacy errors. They talk about the legal issues pharmacies can face due to prescription errors and pharmacy misfills, get a pharmacist’s perspective and discuss how these errors can be prevented.

From roof collapse to slip and falls to property damage, the recent snowstorms across the country have created a variety of problems. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney David W. White, founding member of the law firm Breakstone, White & Gluck, PC and Attorney James T. Scamby, partner in the law firm of Tucker, Heifetz & Saltzman, LLP, to discuss the legal risks associated with snow and ice and who is responsible for slips, falls and injuries after a storm. They spotlight the Papadopoulos v. Target Corp case, the Massachusetts court ruling which raised the legal risk for property owners who don't shovel their snow and the responsibility of the property owner or manager.

The legal job market has been greatly impacted by the down economy, but has there been a turnaround? Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams welcomes Attorney Charles "Chad" Volkert, Executive Director of Robert Half Legal, to give an update on the legal job market. Attorney Volkert talks about the current job market for lawyers and recent law school graduates and offers advice for job seekers.

2010 was a big year for jury verdicts in courts across the nation. From tobacco litigation to asbestos to car roll-overs, plaintiffs were big winners in the courts. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Reni Gertner, News Editor of Lawyers USA and Attorney Kevin J. Dunne from the law office of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP, to discuss Lawyers USA’s "Top Ten Jury Verdicts of 2010". They take an in-depth look at these specific cases and get a defense attorney’s perspective.

The recent shootings in Tucson, Arizona rocked the nation and the world. Since this tragedy, a nationwide gun debate has raged on between gun rights supporters and gun control supporters. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome David B. Kopel, Research Director at the Independence Institute in Golden, Colorado and Adam Winkler, professor of constitutional law at UCLA School of Law and author of the soon-to-be released book, Gunfight, to discuss the gun debate. They a look at the law at the heart of this debate and new legislation prompted by the shootings.

A challenge to Massachusetts’ Universal Health Care law may reveal some insight into what may lie ahead for the Federal Health Care law. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Michael Merlina, a resident of Massachusetts who is representing himself in court after being fined $2,000 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for not having health insurance and Attorney David Harlow, a seasoned Health Care attorney, consultant and blogger, to talk about this case and the questions this case raises in our nationwide debate.

It is that time of year where we recover from the holiday madness, dig ourselves out of the snow and look ahead to a brand new year! Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome returning musical guest, Attorney Larry Savell from the law firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP, to talk about his new album, Yule Hear from Our Lawyers. Later in the show, Bob and Craig reflect on this past year with Lawyer2Lawyer’s Best of 2010!

Recently in an Oakland, California courtroom, a jury awarded Oracle Corp., a whopping $1.3 billion verdict against competitor, SAP AG, a market and technology leader in business management software, for damages due to copyright infringement by a now-defunct software maintenance unit called, TomorrowNow. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Attorney Carol Smith, from Hiaring + Smith LLP and David H. Levitt, Partner at the firm, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, as they take a look at this complicated case that is sweeping the legal community. They discuss copyright infringement and stolen intellectual property, SAP’s admitted liability, the significance of the billion-dollar jury award and the impact of this case on future cases.

A major blow to the National Health Care Law! Just this week in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson determined a central provision of the national health care law, the Affordable Care Act, to be unconstitutional. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome health care law expert Professor Timothy S. Jost from the Washington and Lee University School of Law and Adam Winkler, a constitutional law specialist from UCLA Law School, to discuss this recent ruling, the constitutionality of this provision and the health care law and the impact of this ruling on other states and those in need of health care.

A lawsuit on behalf of 500,000 women employees against Walmart is under review by the Supreme Court to decide whether it can proceed as a class action. Guest host, Attorney Marsha Kazarosian welcomes Professor Marcia L. McCormick, from Saint Louis University School of Law and co-editor and contributor to the Workplace Prof Blog, to discuss the largest employment discrimination case in U.S. history. They take a look at the alleged gender discrimination at Walmart, the criteria for the Supreme Court to decide on this class action issue and the impact this case could have on employment law and discrimination within companies.

In recent weeks, there has been a huge backlash against the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) over full-body scanners and pat downs at select airports across the country. Attorneys and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Patrick Smith, airline pilot, author, and air travel columnist, who writes the column, Ask the Pilot, for Salon.com and Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, to discuss the latest on this nationwide controversy. They take a look at the fallout from travelers, the potential legal issues, the impact on traveling and what the future holds for security and the TSA on their quest to fight terrorism.

The Order in the Court 2.0 project will turn a Massachusetts courtroom into a test lab for how courts deal with social media, electronic journalism and digital technology. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams discuss this pioneering project with John Davidow, the wbur.org executive editor who helped WBUR win a $250,000 grant from the Knight News Challenge to launch the project, and Judge Mark S. Coven, presiding justice at Quincy District Court, where the project will be based. They take a look at the program’s goals and challenges and the broader issues raised by bloggers, tweeters and other forms of new media in courtrooms nationwide.

Civics education is vital to developing the skills and dispositions that young people need to succeed in the 21st Century. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Stephen N. Zack, President of the American Bar Association, to discuss his fight to bring civic education to our schools and to the people of our nation. Bob and Stephen talk about the Commission on Civic Education in the Nation’s Schools, the Constitution and civic engagement and inspiring the Latino community to enter the legal profession through the Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities.

Attorney Issac Lidsky was the first blind law clerk to serve the U.S. Supreme Court, working under Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Recently, Tony Mauro highlighted Issac in the National Law Journal. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Attorney Issac J. Lidsky from the firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and founder of Hope For Vision, to discuss his legal career, his Supreme Court clerkship, being visually impaired and a lawyer and take a look at Hope For Vision, which is raising awareness and helping those with blinding diseases.

From music to film to theatre, celebrities can be a challenge in an entertainment law practice. Attorney and co-host Bob Ambrogi welcomes Gordon Firemark, an entertainment and new media lawyer in Los Angeles, to take a look at entertainment litigation and working with a celebrity. Bob & Gordon look at the various legal cases in Hollywood and chat about Gordon’s new e-book, The Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer’s Legal Survival Guide.

According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, many of the public’s favorite Facebook applications like Farmville, Texas HoldEm Poker and FrontierVille, are allegedly sharing users’ personal information with third-party advertisers and Internet tracking companies. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Kimberley Isbell, a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and Mark G. McCreary from the firm Fox Rothschild LLP, to discuss this matter. They look at the potential impact of this privacy breach, the legal issues and how this breach could affect the business of Facebook.

In the film Conviction, Betty Anne Waters, a wife and mother of two, puts herself through high school, college and ultimately law school, in an 18 year long crusade to prove her brother Kenny’s innocence after he is convicted of murder sentenced to life without parole. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams spotlight Betty Anne , her story and her thoughts on the new film and how she continues to help others like her brother.

Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student, jumped to his death after his college roommate used a hidden webcam to stream a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man online. Two students, Dharun Rhavi and Molly Wei were charged with invasion of privacy and could face additional charges. Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams discusses these complex legal issues with three guests: Attorney Henry E. Klingeman, defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, Attorney Nancy Willard, Executive Director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, and Attorney Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. They take an inside legal look at invasion of privacy through technology and the potential criminal case against the two students involved.

The 2010-2011 Supreme Court term is upon us, with controversial issues like same-sex marriage and health care reform that will likely play a role when the session gets underway Monday, October 4th. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams, welcome Professor Wilson R. Huhn, Constitutional Law Research Fellow at the University of Akron School of Law, Professor Steven H. Goldberg, from Pace Law School and Greg Stohr, Bloomberg News Reporter, to explore the standout cases. They discuss the role of Justice Elena Kagan on the High Court and spotlight the big issues that are sure to keep the court busy and the legal community and general public talking.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth recently ruled to temporarily block federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, citing a violation of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, a 1996 law that prohibits the destruction of human embryos. The ban has been temporarily lifted, but the court battle continues. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams, welcome Russell Korobkin, Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and Author of Stem Cell Century: Law and Policy for a Breakthrough Technology and Charles P. Kindregan Jr., professor of family law and assisted reproduction law at Suffolk University Law School, to explore this controversial debate, legislative, ethical and religious aspects of stem cell research and this recent legal ruling’s impact on scientific research.

While many around the world were paying tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, Pastor Terry Jones, from the Dove World Outreach Center, had announced that he would burn 200 copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11 in a protest against Islam. Attorney and co-host J. Craig Williams joins Mark Potok, Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center and Dr. Charles C. Haynes, Director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum and senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, to look inside this controversy. They discuss the First Amendment, religion, Jones’ potential impact on national security, attitude toward the Muslim community and how other countries view America when it comes to religion.

In the US vs. Pineda-Moreno decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Law enforcement agents can legally place a GPS device on an individual’s car without their knowledge and without a warrant from a judge. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams, welcome Orin S. Kerr, contributing blogger to the Volokh Conspiracy and Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School, to discuss the legality of GPS tracking in light of the Fourth Amendment, privacy rights, the role of technology and the possibility that this case and others like it will reach the Supreme Court.

Back on August 31st 2005, the Legal Talk Network launched this podcast that would become the longest running legal podcast. And 250 podcasts later, the award-winning Lawyer2Lawyer podcast is celebrating its 5th anniversary. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J.Craig Williams, spotlight two other pioneers of legal podcasting, Denise Howell, the host of This Week in Law and Struan Robertson, Legal Director for Pinsent Masons LLP and founding editor of OUT-LAW.com/OUT-LAW Radio . They take a look at the value of a podcast for a lawyer today, as well as time commitment, differentiation, and a bit of fun.

Should former MLB pitcher, Roger Clemens and his former trainer Brian McNamee take polygraph tests? That's just one of the topics discussed on this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer. Attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J.Craig Williams, welcome legendary defense counsel, Attorney F. Lee Bailey and Michael S. Schmidt, reporter for The New York Times, to discuss the Clemens indictment on charges that he allegedly lied to Congress back in 2008, when he testified that he never used performance-enhancing drugs. They explore legal strategy, the use of physical evidence, the credibility of testimonies and the future of Roger Clemens.

A Boston medical student and accused Craigslist killer, Philip Markoff commits suicide in jail awaiting trial for first degree murder, prompting reactions ranging from frustration to relief. On this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer, attorneys and co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome Douglas Berman, Law Professor at Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University, who first prompts the question on his blog, Sentencing Law and Policy, about how we react to this turn of events in the legal process, along with special guests Elie Mystal, Editor at Above the Law, and Leslie Walker, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services in Boston for a discussion about justice denied.

With a vote of 63-37, the Senate confirmed Elena Kagan as a Supreme Court justice making her the 112th justice, and the fourth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court. Attorney and co-host, Bob Ambrogi welcomes Professor Joel Grossman, a professor of political science, and a constitutional law scholar from Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland School of Law and Tony Mauro, Supreme Court correspondent for The National Law Journal and for ALM Media, to discuss the latest on the confirmation of Elena Kagan. They look at her background, some of the controversy over her confirmation and what kind of impact she will ultimately have on the Supreme Court.

In a landmark decision in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker in San Francisco struck down the controversial and highly-debated, Proposition 8 in California, which was approved by the state's voters in November 2008 and overturned a state supreme court ruling that resulted in the legalization of same sex marriage. Attorney and co-host, Bob Ambrogi welcomes Adam Winkler from UCLA Law School, Professor Nelson Tebbe from Brooklyn Law School and Attorney Thomas J. Barbar, the Mass Bar Association's Family Law Chair and principal with Deutsch Williams, Brooks, DeRensis & Holland PC., to sort through all the twists and turns. They look at reaction to the ruling, the legal issues surrounding gay marriage and the likelihood of this issue reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.

President Obama recently signed into law the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, better known as the Financial Reform Bill. This new legislation is aimed to crack down on the excesses of Wall Street and corporate America by overhauling banking and Wall Street regulations. Attorneys and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Martin E. Lybecker, a partner in Wilmer Hale’s Regulatory and Government Affairs and Securities Departments, to discuss the latest on this legislation. They look at the new financial reform law, the role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and how this new legislation impacts the banking industry, businesses, law firms’ workload and consumers.

2010 marks the first year for the University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth, the state’s first public law school. Attorneys and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Dean Robert V. Ward, Jr., to talk about the new UMass Law school. They discuss the rise in applications in a down economy, the incoming class and faculty, accreditation and the opportunities available for students after they leave law school.