Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals is facing a growing number of lawsuits claiming that the company concealed the health risks associated with the top-selling birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin.  Co-hosts and attorneys J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Mike Danko from the Danko Law Firm and James T. O’Reilly, Professor of Law at University of Cincinnati College of Law, to a look at the basis for the litigation, the reported side affects, the FDA’s role, Bayer’s continued marketing campaign and the federal lawsuit against the makers of Yaz & Yasmin.

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When the issue of medical liability reform came up in President Obama’s speech on Health Care reform in front of Congress, it was met with boos from Democrats and a standing ovation from Republicans. Co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome medical malpractice reform expert,  Professor Stephan Landsman the Robert A. Clifford Chair in Tort Law and Social Policy from DePaul University College of Law and Darren McKinney Director of Communications from the American Tort Reform Association to look at both sides of medical liability reform as the debate plays out for trial attorneys and the medical profession.

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In part one of Credit Card Consumers & Arbitration, co-hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams discussed consumer rights and mandatory arbitration used when a dispute between the credit card holder and the credit card company arises. In part two, Bob & Craig welcome back Attorney Deepak Gupta,  staff attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and Attorney Alan Kaplinsky, senior partner at the firm, Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll,  to discuss the Arbitration Fairness Act, what’s next in arbitration and  add their insight to the already lively discussion on this controversial topic.

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Mandatory arbitration in credit card agreements are in the legal spotlight again after the Minnesota Attorney General recently sued the largest national arbitration firm, National Arbitration Forum. That resulted in a settlement shutting down part of NAF’s business and has raised questions about the outcomes of arbitration versus action in civil court for consumers. Lawer2Lawyer co-hosts, Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams call on experts on both sides of this controversy, Attorney Deepak Gupta from Public Citizen Litigation Group, who focuses on consumer rights and Attorney Alan Kaplinsky, senior partner at Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll in Philadelphia, who pioneered the use of pre-dispute arbitration.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:33 — 25.9MB)

The arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts ignited a wide range of legal and social debate as well as a media firestorm worldwide. Attorneys Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams welcome famed attorney, Jack Greenberg, the former director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who, together with Thurgood Marshall, argued Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court in 1954. Now the Alphonse Fletcher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, Greenberg shares his perspective on racial profiling, civil rights and what we still need to learn about race relations.

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Lawsuits are on the rise from Chinese drywall used to build homes especially in Southeastern states causing crippling effects on residents’ property, as well as their health. Co-host J. Craig Williams welcomes Attorney Scott G. Wolfe, Jr. a construction litigator at Wolfe Law Group and Attorney John F. Mullen, Sr. from the firm, Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst, to look at both sides of Chinese drywall litigation, the effects of Chinese drywall, the mounting lawsuits and what the future holds for the affected residents.

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When an 88-year old white supremacist walked into the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC opening fire, reaction was swift to question if this tragedy could have been prevented. And with those questions comes the examination of First Amendment rights. Lawyer2Lawyer co-hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome  Attorney Brian Cuban, a Dallas Attorney working for Mark Cuban Companies, Attorney Steve Freeman, Director of Legal Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League and renowned trial lawyer and First Amendment lawyer, Attorney Martin Garbus, to discuss First Amendment rights – the balance between protecting free speech for the many and restricting hate speech for the few.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:59 — 25.7MB)

There has been a lot of talk in the mainstream media lately about a revival of sorts in asbestos litigation. Law.com bloggers and co-hosts J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi welcome Attorney Kirk Hartley from the firm  Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd and Attorney Steven Kazan Managing Partner at Kazan, McClain, Abrams, Lyons, Greenwood & Harley, to discuss the recent victory for W.R. Grace in a Montana trial, how attorneys have been filing cases in other states with friendlier courts and what is being done to put the asbestos litigation system on the right path.

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With outraged taxpayers reeling from AIG bonuses awarded to executives after a bailout, the question of executive contracts comes into play. Join Law.com blogger and co-host, Bob Ambrogi as he welcomes Franklin G. Snyder, Professor of Law at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and editor-in-chief of ContractsProf Blog and Professor Deborah W. Post, the interim dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development at Touro Law Center, as they take a look at how the AIG case will provide precedent going forward and maybe even change the future of contracts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:21 — 27.7MB)

You may have heard about the Gardasil vaccine, but you may not have heard about the serious side effects, allegedly affecting some young women.  Merck, the company that manufactures the vaccine, the CDC and the FDA all say Gardasil is safe, effective, and important. Join Law.com bloggers and co-hosts, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, who will discuss this controversy and the litigation swirling around Gardasil with experts, Attorney Tom Girardi, nationally known plaintiff lawyer from the California firm, Girardi & Keese and Erin Brockovich, (yes the real Erin Brockovich from the movie by the same name), President of Brockovich Research & Consulting. They will take a look at the side effects in some cases, Gardasil litigation and focus in on the efforts to educate young women about this controversial vaccine.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:54 — 21.5MB)