Modern Law Library

Sherry Thomas's sleuthing librarians and gender-bent Sherlock

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Coming across the right book at the right time can make all the difference, says Sherry Thomas, author of the popular Lady Sherlock series. In her ca...

Book Club: The Brethren introduces Tricky Dick's chief justice

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for the first official meeting of the Modern Law Library Book Club, and Lee has invited on her friend (and go-to Nixon expert) Victor Li to ...

Your household devices are tracking you—but who else is watching?

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Your smartwatch tracks your heart rate and counts your calories. Your Ring camera lets you know when a package has been delivered. The GPS in your car...

Introducing the Modern Law Library Book Club

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For more than a decade, the Modern Law Library has been chatting with authors about their books. But there haven't been many opportunities to talk dir...

Meet the 'inscrutable' SCOTUS justice who made the Nuremberg trials possible

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Robert H. Jackson was not an easy man to know, but "I found being in Robert Jackson's company on the whole a great pleasure," says G. Edward White, au...

The Help: What labor rights do domestic workers have

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

 A foundational principle of Anglo-American law is that "a man's house is his castle." It establishes rights ranging from privacy to justifiable homi...

Cold case investigation into 'Walking Tall' sheriff uncovers murder

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the movie 1973 film Walking Tall, Sheriff Buford Pusser is a heroic law enforcement officer in small-town Tennessee whose fight against the Dixie ...

What place do prisons have in democracies?

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The idea that prisoners should be treated humanely was discussed by Enlightenment Era aristocrats, "but the idea that they are people who are peers is...

Pop culture picks of 2025

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for something to occupy yourself over the holidays, or to kick off your 2026? Lee Rawles is joined by her fellow Legal Talk Network hosts Step...

John Lennon's lawyer explains how the musician's deportation case changed immigration law | Rebroadcast

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

December 8th marks the 45th anniversary of John Lennon's death in 1980. In this special rebroadcast of Modern Law Library, we're looking back at how h...

‘The Shadow Docket’ shines light on an increasingly uncommunicative Supreme Court | Rebroadcast

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re dreading your family’s lack of communication this Thanksgiving, here’s a conversation about another group that’s saying less and les...

Yale Law’s Owen Fiss talks about threats to democracy and ‘Why We Vote’ | Rebroadcast

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s election week in the U.S., and while many eyes are on the polls, we’re revisiting a conversation that reminds us why voting matters in the fi...

Users keepers: Pirates, zombies and adverse possession | Rebroadcast

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Halloween swiftly approaches, we’ve conjured up a classic from the Modern Law Library crypt. What do zombies and pirates have to do with the law?...

The Supreme Court’s colorful history with alcohol gets a look in ‘Glass and Gavel’ | Rebroadcast

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the Supreme Court returns to the bench, we’re raising a glass to a favorite from our archives. In this episode, Nancy Maveety shares stories from...

David Grann uncovers the deadly conspiracy behind murders of oil-rich Osage tribe members | Rebroadcast

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Native American Day approaches on September 25, we’re revisiting a story that still resonates today. Author David Grann takes us inside the Osage...

How to be (sort of) happy in law school | Rebroadcast

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As summer winds down and school beckons, we’re looking back in our archives and assigning some back-to-school reading—grown-up style. In this epis...

Need to sharpen your legal writing? 10th Circuit Court judge shares his tips | Rebroadcast

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As summer winds down and school beckons, we’re looking back in our archives and assigning some back-to-school reading—grown-up style. In this epis...

James Patterson dishes on his new legal thriller, ‘The #1 Lawyer’ | Rebroadcast

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With a new legal thriller on the horizon, we're revisiting James Patterson’s 2024 interview about #1 Lawyer. The bestselling author shares how he bu...

3 trial court judges share the tough cases that stuck with them | Rebroadcast

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This month, we're revisiting some standout conversations from our archives. In this episode, three seasoned trial court judges reflect on the cases th...

Try estate law for a practice with work-life balance, says ‘Lifestyle Lawyer Revolution’ author

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Laura Cowan started her career in finance, earning a CPA and working at Ernst & Young and Goldman Sachs. When she decided to go to law school at 35, s...

Barrister’s new mystery novel offers glimpse inside the Inner Temple

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since it was seized from the Knights Templar in the 14th century, the Inner Temple in London has housed acolytes of a different sort: men (and eventua...

How a Florida murder and an unlikely justice created a ‘criminal procedure revolution’

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Chambers v. Florida and the Criminal Justice Revolution, historian and former ABA Journal reporter Richard Brust lifts the veil on a case that lai...

What today’s rainmakers do differently

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Dixon, co-founder of DCM Insights, is a researcher who’s spent much of his career studying the shared characteristics and behaviors of succe...

Perplexed about AI? Richard Susskind wants to help

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly 30 years, Richard Susskind has written books asking lawyers to envision the future of the law and the legal profession in ways that stretch...

‘Secrets of the Killing State’ exposes realities of lethal injection

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Execution by lethal injection is seen by many Americans as a less barbaric alternative than older methods like hanging, firing squads and electrocutio...

‘Patenting Life’ shares tales from a career on the cutting edge of science and the law

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jorge Goldstein entered the fields of science and law at a time of immense change for them both. In the 1970s, huge strides were being made in biogene...

How thinking like an athlete can make you a better lawyer

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Peak performance in high-stress environments. It’s the goal for the basketball players taking the court during March Madness, but just as much for p...

This Harvard Law prof thinks constitutional theory is a terrible way to pick a judge

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if we are asking the wrong questions when selecting American judges? Mark Tushnet thinks our current criteria might be off. “We should look for...

'The Licensing Racket' takes aim at professional licensing in America

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Should you need a license for that? For law professor and antitrust expert Rebecca Haw Allensworth, there are huge problems with professional licensin...

Former Watergate prosecutor and friends reflect on life in 'Legal Briefs'

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For some people, retirement is an opportunity to kick back and finally relax. But for Roger M. Witten, it was a chance to finally tackle that book he'...

When should life sentences be overturned? Judge shares how he decides

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A federal judge’s new book is giving readers a rare inside glimpse at how a judge determines which prisoners deserve to have their sentences overtur...

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2024

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's the time of year when The Modern Law Library likes to look back on the media that we've enjoyed: our annual pop culture picks episode. This year,...

Horse-loving lawyer left the law to help run a Colorado ranch

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ami Cullen grew up loving horses and competing in hunter/jumper events. But when it came to her career, she decided that law would be her calling. She...

What went wrong–and right–with 10 famous trials

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

J. Craig Williams believes empathy is an important quality to be a trial lawyer. It’s served him in his profession, and it’s a tool he has also be...

'Watchdogs' author has no regrets about choosing civil service over the NBA

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Glenn Fine's career-long crusade against corruption might have its roots in his college days. As a point guard for the Harvard basketball team, Fine h...

Meet the sheriffs who believe they are ‘The Highest Law in the Land’

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first image conjured in your mind by the word “sheriff” might be the protagonist of a Wild West movie or Robin Hood’s foe, the Sheriff of No...

'Company' is the perfect short story collection for spooky season

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most—though not all—of the 13 short stories in Company deal with members of the Collins family. Three generations of narrators bear witness to t...

The Supreme Court is a liberal body–when it comes to legal writing

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jill Barton spent the first decade of her career working as a journalist, with the Associated Press Stylebook always at hand to determine word usage ...

Legal thriller author David Ellis's day job? Appellate court justice

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Justice David W. Ellis has served on the Illinois Appellate Court for the 1st District for nearly 10 years. But readers may know him better as author ...

'Shaping the Bar' author says bar exam protects legal profession, not public

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The goal of the bar exam is to be a gatekeeper for the legal profession and protect the public. But the current system, dominated by the Uniform Bar E...

Summer reading picks and why a YMCA-funded crusade against obscenity matters today

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you need some distractions during vacation travel or while lying directly under your A/C unit and sweating? It’s time for The Modern Law Library’...

'The Lawyer Millionaire’ author shares the 7 biggest money mistakes lawyers can make

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Finances are a fraught area for many attorneys. Despite a high earning potential, new lawyers often start out with a financial disadvantage due to the...

‘The Originalism Trap’ author wants to see originalism dead, dead, dead

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Originalism is the ascendant legal theory espoused by conservative legal thinkers, including the majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices. But far from...

How to strike up conversations that build your book of business

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Networking is something that comes naturally to some people. But if the idea of talking to strangers makes you break out into a cold sweat, there’s ...

When states’ rights and healthcare access clash

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From COVID-19 response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the results of 50 states having individual approaches to public health, medical outcomes an...

'In the Shadow of Liberty' shines light on American immigration history

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When the Trump administration's policy of separating families at the country's borders was announced, opposition from the public and the legal communi...

Users keepers: Pirates, zombies and adverse possession

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Trespassing plus time equals adverse possession,” Paul Golden writes in his new book, Litigating Adverse Possession Cases: Pirates v. Zombies. W...

James Patterson dishes on his new legal thriller, ‘The #1 Lawyer’

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

James Patterson has written bestsellers in many genres. But as he tells the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles in this episode of The Modern Law Library, he has...

'When Rape Goes Viral' looks at why cases like Steubenville happen

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Three high-profile cases of sexual assault in 2012 followed a basic pattern: A teenage girl was sexually assaulted at a house party by one or more tee...

NY law prof is calling on ‘Lawyer Nation’ to reform

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ray Brescia, a law professor at Albany Law School, has taken a hard look at the country’s legal system in his new book, Lawyer Nation: The Past, Pr...

'Police & the Empire City' explores race and the origins of the NYPD

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Police & the Empire City: Race & the Origins of Modern Policing, Matthew Guariglia looks at the New York City police from their founding in 1845 t...

Yale Law's Owen Fiss talks about threats to democracy and 'Why We Vote'

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After 50 years as a professor at Yale Law School, Owen Fiss says his students are still idealistic and passionate about the rights won in the Civil Ri...

Access to justice can be achieved, says ‘Law Democratized’ author–but not without change

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013, the ABA Journal named Renee Knake Jefferson a Legal Rebel for her work co-founding the Michigan State University’s ReInvent Law Laborator...

How to plan your post-law life

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are lawyers who love the practice of law so much, they’ll only leave it feet first, in a box. But for those who’d prefer to exit the bar bef...

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2023

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's the time of year when The Modern Law Library hosts like to look back on the media we've enjoyed, our annual pop culture picks episode. This year,...

How is the true crime genre impacting the way people think about innocence?

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Human beings have told stories about violence and victims from our earliest records. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, newspapers and magazin...

Law grad turns culinary passion into TikTok fame and a brand new cookbook

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Like many others, Jon Kung figured law school would be a safe harbor to weather the storms of the Great Recession. But after emerging from the Univers...

How reckoning with trauma can help you, your clients and the legal profession

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“You can’t think yourself out of trauma,” the introduction to Trauma-Informed Law: A Primer for Lawyer Resilience and Healing warns. “An ana...

Transform your negotiations with a win-win-win mindset, says author

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Moving from a “win-lose” mentality to a “win-win” mentality has been a central focus of the field of negotiation and conflict resolution since...

Tales of 3 generations of Black women intertwine to form 'Memphis'

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Admittedly, Tara M. Stringfellow became an attorney simply because her first book of poetry didn’t sell and she needed an income. But after a few ye...

Complex litigation judge has 50 ideas to simplify the courts

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As both an attorney and judge, Thomas Moukawsher has spent the majority of his career dealing in complex litigation. And the Connecticut Superior Cour...

Summer reading and back-to-law-school tips

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time for the Modern Law Library’s summer recommendations episode, in which host Lee Rawles shares her pop culture picks with you, plus a re-a...

Trial lawyer’s tales include wins, losses and international intrigue

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The year was 1961. Freshly minted attorney James J. Brosnahan had been on the job as a federal prosecutor in Phoenix for two days when he was handed h...

Is family court too flawed to be fixed?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jane M. Spinak did not set out to write a book arguing for the abolition of family court. She thought she would be making the case for a set of sensib...

Didn't get it in writing? There may still be a way, says author of 'Litigating Constructive Trusts'

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“If you don’t have it in writing, you’re out of luck.” That’s the common wisdom you’ll hear from TV judges, helpful uncles, well-meaning f...

'My Mom, the Lawyer' explores women's work and personal lives through the eyes of their children

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While directed at young children, a lawyer's book also speaks to lawyers who are moms, letting them know that being both can be a busy but fulfilling ...

SCOTUS faces ‘a catastrophic loss of institutional legitimacy,’ warns author

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book, The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America, Michael Waldman identifies three times the U.S. Supreme Court caused a pub...

‘The Shadow Docket’ shines light on an increasingly uncommunicative Supreme Court

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, University of Texas law professor Stephen...

End of the Cold War launched new efforts to build the rule of law

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As chunks of the Berlin Wall were being torn down by jubilant crowds on November 9, 1989, James Silkenat was serving his term as chair of the ABA Inte...

Author and lawyer explores English family's ties to Nazi Germany in 'The Mitford Affair'

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Terrell, who writes under the pen name Marie Benedict, has written about novelist Agatha Christie in The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, and in La...

‘Never Far from Home' brings readers from NYC projects to 90s hip-hop scene to Microsoft offices

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce Jackson grew up shuttling between Brooklyn and Manhattan public housing projects. His journey led him to Hofstra University, then Georgetown Law...

Why NYT v. Sullivan mattered in 1964 and is under attack today

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan protected the civil rights movement, established the “actual malice” standard, and is the basis ...

In ‘Her Honor,’ trailblazing women judges take center stage

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Lauren Stiller Rikleen was approached in 2020 by the ABA Judicial Division to help compile autobiographical stories from women judges in Americ...

In ‘Myth America,’ historians challenge misinformation about our past

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some American patriotic myths are harmless; George Washington may have chopped down a cherry tree at some point in his life, but the popular story tol...

Bestselling author relished collaboration for 'Heat' follow-up

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When former lawyer and bestselling author Meg Gardiner teamed up with Michael Mann for the follow-up novel to his 1995 crime thriller movie Heat, wor...

From Amanda Knox to Kyle Rittenhouse, lawyer discusses justice and due process in the digital age

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In Anne Bremner’s work as a Seattle-based trial attorney, she saw a disturbing pattern—that high-profile cases often trending on Twitter challenge...

Lawyer digs into big data for new legal thriller 'Code 6'

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lawyer and author James Grippando made a name for himself writing legal thrillers, including the bestselling series of novels featuring Miami criminal...

This lawyer tackled lifelong anxiety to free herself from 'The Box'

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since childhood, Wendy Tamis Robbins experienced debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. Her perfectionism pushed her to achieve in sports and academi...

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2022

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In our annual Year in Review episode, Lee Rawles speaks to her ABA Journal colleagues Blair Chavis, Julianne Hill and Stephanie Francis Ward to find o...

Can change really come from within the system? These 13 prosecutors think so

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Miriam Aroni Krinsky worked as a prosecutor in Los Angeles County in the 1980s and 1990s as the War on Drugs was waged. Mandatory minimum sentences an...

'By Hands Now Known' shines light on cold cases of lynchings and racial violence

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 2020, when the murder of George Floyd was igniting protests in Minneapolis and around the country, it occurred to Margaret A. Burnham...

How do you calculate damages in injury trials?

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For any plaintiff who's been injured or any young attorney just starting out in the field of tort law, it can be daunting to calculate what monetary d...

Author and lawyer Scott Turow made generational leap for new legal thriller

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Author and lawyer Scott Turow’s latest legal thriller Suspect reintroduces readers to Clarice “Pinky” Granum, the granddaughter of attorney Sa...

Nina Totenberg's early life, NPR legacy and friendship with the Notorious RBG

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this special two-part episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles speaks with Lisa Napoli, author of Susan, Linda, Nina & Coki...

9th Circuit judge shines light on Justice William O. Douglas’ environmental campaigns

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Justice William O. Douglas could be known for his fiery opinions, turbulent personal life and longtime presidential ambitions. But Judge M. Margaret M...

Sick of meetings that go off the rails? Robert’s Rules of Order can help

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s no secret that lawyers are asked to attend or preside over many kinds and types of meetings. From attending a professional association’s annu...

Summer Pop Culture Picks and What Else We Lost When Roe was Overturned

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time for the Modern Law Library’s summer recommendations episode, where host Lee Rawles shares her pop culture picks with you, plus a re-airi...

After collaborating with bestselling author, judge discusses new solo book

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After several collaborations with bestselling author James Patterson, Judge David Ellis of Illinois decided to go it alone for his latest book, Look ...

The modern US Border Patrol is a national police force with dangerous capabilities, author warns

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Nobody is Protected: How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States, geographer Reece Jones argues that Supreme...

Authors of '50 Lessons for Happy Lawyers' share some top tips

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Even during times less tumultuous than the one we are in now, lawyers as a profession report high levels of stress. Finding the way to keep motivated ...

Do you have what it takes to break into esports?

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are you a lawyer who plays League of Legends late at night? A World of Warcraft warrior who engages in courtroom combat during your daytime gig? And h...

Work for Canadian residential school survivors informs lawyer's debut novel

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a lawyer, Michelle Good spent years investigating the trauma that Canada’s residential school system inflicted on Indigenous people. As an author...

Wiretapping's origins might surprise you

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the cover of Brian Hochman's book The Listeners: A History of Wiretapping in the United States is a martini cocktail, complete with skewered oliv...

How–and why–Kazakhstan gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

During its time as a Soviet republic within the USSR, Kazakhstan was the site of massive nuclear tests, both above and below ground. The cost to the e...

Ex-Tesla attorney leveraged her contract expertise into a book and thriving LinkedIn community

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In August 2020, contract attorney Laura Frederick accepted a challenge: Post to LinkedIn once a day, every day, for a month. Frederick thought she mig...

'No Equal Justice' shares George Crockett Jr.'s civil rights legacy

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Detroit has been the site of many civil rights and labor rights battles, and many notable Black attorneys have called the city home. The first Black p...

The justice system is the antagonist in retired judge's legal thriller novel

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Retired judge and bestselling novelist Martin Clark had to deal with his fair share of rejection before he finally broke in more than two decades ago ...

Tough decision to make? Here’s how to break it down like a lawyer

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Law professor Kim Wehle is used to helping her students begin to think like lawyers. But the methodology behind making tough decisions as a legal prof...

Regulate cryptocurrencies and fintech products before it's too late, urges author

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hilary J. Allen isn't sorry if you find her new book scary. In fact, she's hoping that Driverless Finance: Fintech's Impact on Financial Stability c...

Need to sharpen your legal writing? 10th Circuit Court judge shares his tips

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's plenty of conventional wisdom about what makes a good legal brief or court opinion. Judge Robert E. Bacharach of the Denver-based 10th Circuit...