Little-known labor history is illuminated in union attorney's new book
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An attorney's research for a novel turned into an in-depth look at Long Island labor camps where wor...
Are you good in a crisis? There may be a growing practice area for you
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Brescia and Stern discuss their book, Crisis Lawyering: Effective Legal Advocacy in Emergency Situat...
Sen. Mazie Hirono speaks out in 'Heart of Fire'
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sen. Mazie Hirono's journey to becoming an outspoken opponent to Trump and the GOP is shared in "Hea...
Increasing revenue while cutting down on billable hours? 'AI for Lawyers' says it's possible
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can artificial intelligence increase firms' revenue while cutting down on billable hours? The author...
'Watergate Girl' give an inside look at special prosecution team that brought down Nixon
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 'Watergate Girl,' Jill Wine-Banks battles obstruction and the era's sexism to bring Nixon and cro...
Interested in infectious disease litigations? Before you accept a case, read this
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A different kind of wave of coronavirus cases will be coming to courts. Here's what you should know ...
What can Texas tell us about the rise and fall of the death penalty?
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In Let The Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty, Maurice Chammah shares how Texas ...
Why do barristers wear wigs? 'Dress Codes' explores fashion and the law
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The rules surrounding what we wear can be unwritten social mores or codified in law. Dress Codes: Ho...
How your firm can use technology to build business and keep clients
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most lawyers are cautious about change, but in The Modern Law Firm, Heinan Landa says technology ado...
'White Fright' author discusses historical lynch mobs and the attack on the Capitol
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
White Fright author Jane Dailey discusses what America's history with lynch mobs can teach us about ...
Our favorite reads from 2020
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lee Rawles speaks with editor Victor Li and reporters Lyle Moran, Amanda Robert and Stephanie Franci...
Former corporate lawyer draws inspiration from her family for her tireless clemency work
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brittany Barnett shares how formative experience changed her and made her identify strongly with Sha...
Lawyer recounts the life and legacy of the mysterious man behind Pilates
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
John Howard Steel tells the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles about the unlikely history of Pilates–both th...
Having a hard time connecting with your witness? Try these tips
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Katherine James explains to the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles how she draws from her background in the th...
Knowing when to tell your client 'no,' and other ethical dilemmas
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Legal ethics experts Lawrence J. Fox and Susan R. Martyn walk through the Six C’s” of legal ethi...
Voting rights attorney tells a tale of dark money chicanery in 'The Coyotes of Carthage'
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Wright discusses how he got into creative writing, what it's been like to teach students at th...
The case for separating Church and State
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman are sounding a warning about the direction of SCOTUS rulings on...
'Demagogue' tells the story of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's rise and fall
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What made 1950s America vulnerable to a man like Joseph McCarthy, a junior senator from Wisconsin? I...
6 key numbers that can diagnose the financial health of your law practice
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know how many billable hours you can devote to a new case? Or whether you need to add another...
Convicted of a crime that never occurred? It happens all too often, law prof says
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are used to hearing about wrongful convictions where a murderer walked free because an innocent p...
How well-meaning social reforms created 'Prison by Any Other Name'
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At a time when the country is discussing how the justice system and policing can be reformed, it's c...
How feminism worsened mass incarceration–and how it can stop
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a law professor at the University of Colorado Law School, Aya Gruber has seen her Millennial stud...
What does police abolition look like?
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alex S. Vitale explains the troubling origins of modern policing, why commonly suggested reforms lik...
What's lost when jury trials vanish?
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years ago, between 9% to 10% of federal criminal cases actually went to trial before a jury. ...
Meet 9 American women shortlisted for the U.S. Supreme Court before Sandra Day O'Connor
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As early as the 1930s, presidents were considering putting the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court...
Insider's guide to succeeding in law school
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson says that near the end of every school year, he has law students come into h...
Journalist investigating wrongful convictions turns lens on white-collar criminal case
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Michael Segal first approached longtime Chicago journalist Maurice Possley about writing about ...
Develop your horse sense with equine law
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Julie Fershtman has developed a niche practice helping people who love horses deal with the particul...
What should you read about COVID-19? We asked an epidemiologist
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With a barrage of information and misinformation about COVID-19 coming our way, it can be hard to ev...
How to achieve vocal power in and out of the courtroom
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Public speaking is a crucial part of working as an attorney. It is especially important for female a...
Two families connected by LA riots collide in 'Your House Will Pay
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The riots in South Los Angeles in 1992 may be nearly three decades old, but in the present day, two ...
How safe is your right to vote?
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story of voting rights in the United States is not just one of expansion; there have been period...
The court of public opinion: Why litigation PR is a critical component of a case
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A lawyer’s duties do not begin and end at the courtroom door. They extend beyond to the proverbial...
How to kick off 2020 with more productive business meetings
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When considering our New Year’s resolutions, we all want to be more resourceful with our time, esp...
Our favorite reads of 2019
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you're traveling this holiday season–or just enjoying some end-of-year downtime–you might be ...
What goes on in the mind of a sentencing judge?
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A new book by Judge Frederic Block gives a behind-the-scenes look at a judge’s thoughts and feelin...
The Education of Brett Kavanaugh
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One year after Brett Kavanaugh's tumultuous nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, questions that aro...
How to master the jury selection process
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As director of the National Legal Research Group’s jury research services division, Jeffrey T. Fre...
Fighting for 9/11's first responders
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tens of thousands of people worked at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001, look...
New book addresses critical legal issues, policies and strategies surrounding smart technology
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From connected cars and industrial systems to toothbrushes and refrigerators, "internet of things" t...
African American farmer’s legal battle to save his family farm is focus of ‘Catfish Dream’
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Scott was the first ever non-white owner and operator of a catfish plant in the nation. The forme...
How power dynamics in the workplace shield perpetrators of sexual harassment
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We often associate the #MeToo movement with the entertainment industry, but sexual harassment is a w...
Debut novelist's tale of Sri Lankan refugees wins the Harper Lee Prize
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2009 and 2010, two cargo ships packed with refugees fleeing the Sri Lankan civil war arrived on t...
How to train your expert
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to working with an expert or expert witness, there can be a lot of moving parts to kee...
Founder of The Slants talks about the band's free-speech fight
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Simon Tam booked the first gig for The Slants, there was a major obstacle to overcome: The band...
How the Great Recession changed American law firms
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no denying that law firms have gone through significant changes in the last decade. These ...
How to become a federal criminal
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The good news for anyone aspiring to a life of crime is that you may be a multiple offender of feder...
A curmudgeon's guide to surviving and thriving in BigLaw
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Who’s afraid of the big bad partner? For new law graduates and associates going into the world of ...
Public-Speaking Skills Every Lawyer Should Master
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For every lawyer that thinks they have oral presentations down pat, there’s another that has anxie...
The strange tale of the 'Voodoo Reverend' and Harper Lee's lost true-crime book
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A series of suspicious deaths; a murder at a victim's funeral; a minister whom locals suspected was ...
Why tech tools can hold both promise and peril for policing
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Like everyone else, police are inundated with new gadgets and technologies promised to make their jo...
Networking for Introverts
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You have to network to get work. Carol Shiro Greenwald wrote her book Strategic Networking for Intro...
A look back at Lizzie Borden
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cara Robertson has been fascinated by the axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden–and the daughter w...
Former JAG captain draws from history and sports for diversity advice
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kenneth Imo spent years playing college football, working his way up in the military and leading the...
From Columbine to Parkland: How have school shootings changed us?
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The 10 years that Dave Cullen spent researching and reporting on the 1999 shootings in Littleton, Co...
Building blockchain expertise into a practice area that pays
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Blockchain's a buzzword, but what does it mean? In this episode of the Modern Law Library, our guest...
The Supreme Court’s colorful history with alcohol gets a look in ‘Glass and Gavel’
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From the earliest days of the U.S. Supreme Court, alcohol has been part of the work lives and social...
How introverted lawyers can harness their traits for success
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
“Fake it ‘till you make it.” For Heidi K. Brown, trying to mimic her extroverted peers in liti...
How to avoid burnout and be “The Best Lawyer You Can Be”
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A new year, a new you? Stewart Levine has spent over three decades speaking to legal professionals a...
3 trial court judges share the tough cases that stuck with them
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
All judges have cases that stick with them and linger in their memories. Sometimes it was because of...
How this lawyer turned a love for sports into his career
20 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After navigating the ups and downs of being an agent, Darren Heitner pursued another avenue that com...
Ken Starr shares his side of the Clinton investigation in 'Contempt'
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Starr has been a D.C. Circuit Court judge, a law school dean and the U.S. solicitor general. But...
How to stop worrying and learn to love data-driven law
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
“If you look at finance or medicine or sports, almost every other thing in the world is using data...
We need to talk about abortion, says author of 'Scarlet A'
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Watson talks about ways to have productive discussions about abortion; the emerging areas of co...
How to be (sort of) happy in law school
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Law school can be a lonely, stressful time, and it’s easy to feel like you're failing to fit the m...
Can you become a better lawyer in 5 minutes a day? This author thinks so
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Many people promote a daily practice of meditation, spiritual contemplation and mindfulness as a way...
What would it mean to impeach a president?
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The authority to impeach and remove a U.S. president is one of the legislative branch's most powerfu...
Meet the nominees for the 2018 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lisa Scottoline, C.E. Tobisman and Scott Turow have at least three things in common: They’re all n...
How Anthony Comstock's anti-obscenity crusade changed American law
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
From 1873 until his death in 1915, Anthony Comstock was the most powerful shaper of American censors...
How Nixon used a law firm stint to resurrect his political career and win the presidency
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
After losing both the 1960 presidential election and the 1962 California governor’s race, Richard ...
How can we fight to reduce bias? 6th Circuit judge shares her thoughts
10 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Studies have shown that implicit bias is something that affects everyone to some degree. So what ste...
How broken windows policing changed the legal landscape in ‘Misdemeanorland’How broken windows policing changed the legal landscape in ‘Misdemeanorland’
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As violent crime in New York City peaked from 1988-1991, policy makers were desperate for ways to co...
Roe v. Wade had a broader impact than the public realizes, says author of 'Beyond Abortion'
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In the 45 years since Roe v. Wade was decided, it has been a focal point for both anti-abortion an...
Uncovering the secret history of how corporations gained their civil rights
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of civil rights movements, the first to spring to mind might be the battles against Af...
Dark tale of 'The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist' brings wrongful convictions to light
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly two decades, Dr. Steven Hayne and Dr. Michael West were the go-to experts that Mississipp...
A stalled elevator leads to love in lawyer's best-selling romance novel
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Being trapped on an elevator leads to romance for the hero and heroine in The Wedding Date, written ...
Teamsters lawyer pens children’s book to show importance of the labor movement
07 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As general counsel for the Teamsters Union Local 810, Mark Torres spends his days arguing for worker...
Bryan Garner reflects on his friendship with Justice Antonin Scalia in ‘Nino and Me’
17 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
To Bryan Garner, editor in chief of Black’s Law Dictionary, Justice Antonin Scalia was a friend, a...
How a Quaker’s suit against the Secretary of Defense still impacts cases over government surveillance
03 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You have reason to believe you’re being monitored by the government, that they are following you a...
Barbie v. Bratz: What happened when toy titans took each other to court
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this month’s Modern Law Library, we read a thrilling tale of dueling toymakers, corporate espio...
Georgetown law prof calls for complete re-imagining of criminal justice system in 'Chokehold'
06 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As a former federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., Paul Butler once worked to put people in prison....
Will big data tools make policing less biased--or violate people’s rights?
15 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
With resource-strapped police departments facing pressure to avert crime and end racially discrimina...
What can we learn from the history of interracial relationships in America?
04 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws against interracial marriage in Loving v. ...
How the author of 'The Forgotten Flight' fought to bring justice for terror victims' families
06 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you mention a terrorist attack in which a Libyan suitcase bomb brought down an airliner, most peo...
First Amendment defender warns of threats to free speech in the ‘fake news’ era
03 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The rights to free speech and freedom of the press guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. But when it was...
Merriam-Webster editor shares the 'secret life of dictionaries'
19 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What do lawyers and lexicographers have in common? The main job of both is to argue over the meaning...
Harper Lee Prize finalists discuss their novels, careers, and the first time they read 'To Kill a Mockingbird'
05 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this special mega episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles speaks with all...
How government actions, not personal choices, created segregated neighborhoods
21 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Rothstein spent years studying why schools remained de facto segregated after Brown v. Bo...
David Grann uncovers the deadly conspiracy behind murders of oil-rich Osage tribe members
07 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Although the Osage tribe had been forced from their ancestral lands by the U.S. government, through ...
How a Chinese-American family challenged school segregation in 1920s Mississippi
17 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Almost 30 years before Linda Brown and her parents took on the Topeka Board of Education in Brown v....
The Crime of Complicity: Examining the Role of the Bystander in the Holocaust and Beyond
03 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you are a bystander and witness a crime, should intervention to prevent that crime be a legal ob...
Are prisoners’ civil rights being needlessly violated by long-term solitary confinement?
19 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1960s and 1970s, a series of deadly prison riots convinced corrections officials that long-te...
What can neuroscience tell us about crime?
15 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Neuroscience and brain-imaging technology have come a long way, but are they actually useful in a co...
Al-Tounsi by Anton Piatigorsky: The U.S. Supreme Court through a Human Lens
07 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In his debut novel Al-Tounsi, critically acclaimed Canadian-American author and playwright Anton Pi...
Legal Asylum by Paul Goldstein: A Satiric Look at Legal Academia
01 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In his new novel, "Legal Asylum: A Comedy," bestselling and Harper Lee Prize-winning author Paul Gol...
Alberto Gonzales reflects back on Bush administration and gives his advice for Trump staff
18 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Hon. Alberto R. Gonzales rose from humble beginnings in Humble, Texas, to some of the highest le...
Was this lawyer-turned-WWII-spy the basis for James Bond?
21 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In a different time, Dusko Popov might have enjoyed the life of a Serbian playboy without the interr...
What can past presidential history teach us about today?
16 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The law is not Dallas attorney Talmage Boston's only love. "I have had a lifelong fascination with t...
John Lennon's lawyer explains how the musician's deportation case changed immigration law
19 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When immigration attorney Leon Wildes got a call from an old law school classmate in January 1972 ...
A seismic shift in how the US wages war and what it means for the American public
21 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What is war? Is it a state that is entirely distinct from peace? Has it changed over the years to be...