Professor Joshua McDaniel is the director of Harvard’s Religious Freedom Clinic, where he and his students provide pro bono representation to members of minority faiths and vulnerable communities in the fight against discrimination and the defense of their constitutional and statutory rights. Professor McDaniel joins the Law Student Podcast team to discuss civil rights litigation, the value law students can derive from participating in clinics and pro bono work, and why civil litigation is a path each law student should consider. Hear what lawyers are doing today in this ever important segment of the law and how you can get involved in the fight for equality and justice.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

• (00:00) - Why Civil Rights Litigation Matters to Law Students
• (01:57) - Introducing our Guest, Professor Joshua McDaniel
• (04:32) - What is Civil Rights Litigation
• (06:21) - Procedural Nuances in Civil Rights Litigation
• (08:16) - Section 1983 Explained
• (09:13) - Case Examples and Client Stories
• (11:37) - How to Develop Litigation Instincts Through Practical Experience
• (13:34) - Why It’s Important for Law Students to Consider Becoming Civil Rights Litigators
• (16:32) - The Emotional and Professional Challenges of the Field
• (18:05) - How to Stay Grounded and Balanced
• (19:37) - Advice for Aspiring Civil Rights Litigators
• (22:01) - What Life Looks Like for an Early Career Civil Rights Litigator
• (24:21) - The Importance of Mentorship
• (25:09) - Encouragement for Law Students
• (26:47) - Host Discussion

When the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Dobbs reversing Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood, it began a rapidly evolving conflict between the States on one of the most high profile and controversial constitutional debates of our day. While much has been made of the laws which have either restricted or protected access to abortions, conflicts often reach beyond the borders of States due to interstate commerce, the Full Faith and Credit Clause, and the Extradition Clause. For law students, this is an opportunity to see with unusual clarity the dynamics of the law in motion and to better understand state-federal conflicts.

To help you better understand how these conflicts are playing out today and where they may be leading in the future, host Chay Rodriguez is joined by professors Rachel Rebouché and David S. Cohen, co-authors of an article entitled “Abortion Shield Laws”, which has helped lead 18 States and D.C. to adopt laws protecting healthcare practitioners who provide abortion services for patients from states where abortion is illegal.

Click here to read the article professors Rebouché and Cohen co-authored.

• (00:00) - Introducing today’s topic
• (02:08) - Our guests Rachel Rebouche and David S. Cohen
• (02:53) - Interview with Professor Rachel Rebouche
• (03:00) - Intro to abortion shield laws and the conflict between States
• (07:30) - How an article led to the development of shield laws for a post-Roe America’
• (07:59) - How States banning abortion seek to impede abortion resources beyond their borders
• (10:10) - The way the shield law evolved and developed first in Connecticut
• (10:58) - Odds of a Supreme Court fight: Rebouche
• (12:07) - Interview with Professor David S. Cohen
• (12:15) - The post-Dobbs reality in America
• (14:03) - The Full Faith and Credit Clause and abortion shield laws
• (17:36) - Shield laws and State sovereignty
• (18:44) - Odds of a Supreme Court fight: Cohen
• (20:38) - Dobbs and economic classes: equal protection claims
• (26:48) - How law students can get involved
• (30:05) - Abortion trafficking
• (34:20) - How scholarship can impact the legal landscape

Every day, each of us produce more data that ends up in the hands of third parties: browsing data, shopping data, stored images, writings, and communications. And each of us expects a certain degree of privacy and protections. But when that data can play a critical role in criminal justice, our regulations have struggled to balance the need for personal privacy while also serving the fair and equal pursuit of justice.

Join us as we explore the intersection of data privacy, evidence law, and criminal defense with Professor Rebecca Wexler. Discover the challenges of accessing digital evidence, the evolving legal landscape, and the potential wide-ranging impacts of Snap v. Pina on data privacy laws. And learn how you, as a law student, can play a role in redefining how our laws manage data in the future.

Additional Resources:

Snap v. Pina
Court of Appeal Decision
Docket

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (04:00) - Why Every Lawyer Needs to Understand Data Privacy
• (06:24) - How The Law Has Adapted to Digital Evidence
• (08:54) - Unequal Access to Digital Data in Criminal Cases
• (12:50) - Understanding Snap v Pina
• (18:36) - The Intersection of Intellectual Property and Data Privacy
• (22:47) - How Law Students Can Impact the Law
• (26:43) - Host Discussion

Grab your backstage pass as we dive into the fascinating world of entertainment law and uncover the ins and outs of Hollywood contracts with attorney Leah Stevenson! Leah takes us behind the scenes of her career representing music artists, influencers, and filmmakers.

Learn how Leah found her starring role in the competitive field of entertainment law, the importance of networking to land your big break, and why authenticity should take center stage in client relationships. She even gives us the inside scoop on the rising genre of influencer law and why young lawyers are perfectly cast to take the lead.

Whether you're dreaming of a red-carpet legal career or just curious about how lawyers make Hollywood magic happen, this episode gives you a front-row seat to the action.

Click here to view the episode transcript.

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:40) - Get to Know Leah Stevenson
• (02:57) - What Is An Entertainment Lawyer?
• (07:20) - Different Paths; Transactional Vs. Litigation
• (10:09) - Preparing To Be An Entertainment Lawyer
• (13:00) - Working In-House Vs. In A Law Firm
• (17:57) - Managing Your Clients Expectations As A Young Lawyer
• (21:51) - Strategies For Advising And Communicating With Different Clients
• (25:25) - How Entertainment Law Is Evolving
• (28:24) - Host Responses And Thoughts

As technology continues to impact our personal and professional lives in new and often exciting ways, the law plays a vital role in ensuring a proper balance between advancement and societal protection. As litigators, advocates, and even possibly legislators, law students are preparing to be in a position to help define the role technology plays in our society. Franklin Pierce School of Law Professor Daniel Pi joins host Manny Fernandez to discuss the intersection of law and technology and how law students can be ready to play their part in influencing our tech future.

• (00:00) - Opening
• (01:27) - Introduction of Topic and Guest
• (04:28) - The Role of Lawyers In Regulating Tech
• (06:29) - The Law as Creator of Incentives for Tech Innovation
• (07:58) - The Historical Influence of Lawyers Over Tech Innovation
• (10:49) - Finding the Balance Between Innovation and the Greater Good
• (12:45) - The Modern Challenges Of Keeping Pace with Tech
• (14:44) - Cryptocurrency Today Compared to the Internet of the Early 90s
• (16:24) - Autonomous Vehicles: Innovation vs Public Safety
• (21:01) - How Law Students can Prepare to Engage in the Law and Technology Intersection
• (24:36) - Reflections and Takeaways by the Hosts

In 1963, the US Supreme Court ruled that all criminal defendants were guaranteed a right to counsel under the 6th and 14th Amendments. Jonathan Rapping, a former public defender and professor at John Marshall Law School, co-founded Gideon’s Promise to address the inadequacies of our public defender system by empowering motivated, passionate public defenders to work across the United States and bridge the gap between the ideal of the 6th Amendment’s right to counsel and the inadequacies of our criminal defense system. Prof. Rapping explains why a quality public defender system is so important for marginalized communities and our country as a whole, what it takes to be a great public defender, and how public defenders are addressing changes in our legal landscape.

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (00:51) - Introducing Prof. Jonathan Rapping
• (03:19) - What it takes to be a public defender
• (04:29) - How law students can maintain their empathy and humanity
• (06:43) - Prof. Rapping’s personal journey
• (08:25) - The conflict of training lawyers in public defender offices
• (10:16) - The mission of Gideon’s Promise
• (12:19) - How Gideon’s Promise trains public defenders and why it matters
• (13:47) - The real challenges public defenders face
• (17:27) - YSL, OJ Simpson, and the public perception of criminal defense lawyers
• (22:42) - Why underfunding public defense fails the American ideal
• (24:37) - How public defenders are facing legal and social changes
• (28:55) - Host takeaways and discussion

Harvard Law Professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a leading authority on gerrymandering and election law, explores the pivotal role that legal professionals play in safeguarding our democratic processes. Professor Stephanopoulos shares his insights on the current state of election law, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, and the ongoing challenges in campaign finance. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand why every election is crucial and how the legal community can uphold the integrity of our democracy.

Each year in the US, more than thirty thousand new law school graduates enter a crowded marketplace, joining more than a million other attorneys in practice. It should come as no surprise that many find it difficult to stand out and be seen. Each attorney may take a different approach: spending a lot of time and money on websites and SEO; maybe lucking into a high profile case; or, I don’t know, perhaps… hosting a podcast. There’s no one simple path, but each approach offers its own invaluable lessons, and all necessitate deeply understanding your audience and successfully leveraging opportunities. In this episode, we highlight one attorney who has leveraged Instagram and other social media platforms to create opportunities for herself, and we explore how her experiences can help you build your own brand.