Daniel Rodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez

Host of Law Technology Now

Daniel B. Rodriguez is the Harold Washington Professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. He served as dean of the law school from 2012 to 2018. Before joining Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Rodriguez served as Minerva House Drysdale Regents Chair in Law at the University of Texas-Austin; as a Research Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; as Dean and Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law; and as a Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley School of Law. In addition, he has been a visiting professor at Columbia University, University of Southern California, University of Illinois, McGeorge School of Law, and at the Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Rodriguez received his law degree, with honors, from Harvard Law and his undergraduate degree from California State University of Long Beach.

Rodriguez’s principal academic work is in the areas of administrative law, local government law, statutory interpretation, and state constitutional law. He also has a special interest in the law-business-technology interface and its impact on the future of legal education. In the past few years, he has given several endowed lectures including the Jefferson Memorial Lecture at University of California, Berkeley. Rodriguez was the 2014 President of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and is currently serving as a council member of the American Law Institute, as a member of the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services, and, as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Bar Foundation. He served as the chair of the ABA Center for Innovation for 2018 to 2020.

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Recent Episodes
January 20, 2021

Redefining the Hub

Law Technology Now’s hosts discuss the mark the global pandemic will leave on law firms, legal education and the delivery of legal services.

December 23, 2020

The Case Against Facebook

Internet law expert Jim Speta breaks down the FTC’s antitrust suit against Facebook, discussing privacy, competition, and possible outcomes.

September 9, 2020

Pros & Cons: Data Privacy’s Role in Advancing Legal Tech

Host Dan Rodriguez and German lawyer Markus Hartung parse the differences between legal tech advances in the U.S., U.K., and European Union.

July 22, 2020

Complex and Significant Matters in the Legal Profession

Host Dan Rodriguez and Jeff Kelly have a conversation about his practice in areas of complex litigation and how it’s been affected by COVID-19.

June 10, 2020

COVID-19’s Impact on the Legal Ecosystem

Host Dan Rodriguez talks with Mark Cohen about how the legal ecosystem has been impacted and changed as a result of the pandemic.

March 4, 2020

Understanding the CCPA with James Snyder and Timothy Blood

James Snyder and Timothy Blood discuss the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and explore its origins, impacts, and its potential influence beyond California’s borders.

February 19, 2020

The Partnership of Fastcase and Ross Intelligence

Ed Walters of Fastcase and Andrew Arruda of Ross Intelligence sit down to discuss the partnership of their companies and the future of legal research.

September 19, 2018

Should We Reform the Supreme Court?

Tonja Jacobi and Sarah Schrup talk about major issues facing the Supreme Court and the implications they have on our democracy.

August 15, 2018

Reforming the Chicago Police Department

Alexa Van Brunt speaks on the police brutality and bias in Chicago and the draft consent decree to reform the Chicago Police Department.

June 20, 2018

Chicago’s Gun Violence Epidemic

Zach Fardon talks about the problems within Chicago, the root causes, and how to address it.

May 16, 2018

Facing the Challenges of the Global Legal Industry

Mark Cohen and Eva Bruch talk about what’s broken within the legal industry around the world.

March 28, 2018

Approaching Access to Justice with a Designer’s Mindset

Margaret Hagan talks about the use of design thinking to help close the access to justice gap. She discusses methodology, centering technology around the human experience, and how lawyers can incorporate a...

February 21, 2018

The #MeToo Movement Through a Legal Lens

Laura Beth Nielsen and Deb Tuerkheimer talk about how the #MeToo movement differs from similar assault accusations in the past and the impact the movement has had on public discussion surrounding sexual...

January 17, 2018

What Hinders Innovation in the Legal Industry?

Bill Henderson talks about innovation in the legal industry, including the cultural and regulatory restraints that keep new technology from impacting the legal industry at large.

December 20, 2017

Taking a Closer Look at Free Speech

Marty Redish talks about how the law defines free speech and the right of various institutions, like businesses and universities, to regulate speech.

November 15, 2017

A Look at the Presidency with Neil Eggleston and Newt Minow

Neil Eggleston and Newt Minow talk about their experiences working for past presidents and their concerns about the Trump administration.

October 18, 2017

Scott Turow on Where Law and Literature Collide

Author Scott Turow talks about legal fiction, his career as a writer and lawyer, and the nature of legal education.

September 20, 2017

Law and Business of Cannabis: Regulation, Taxation, and Banking

In this legal podcast, Charlie Bachtell and Dina Rollman discuss the complexities of the marijuana industry and the role of lawyers within the cannabis business.

August 16, 2017

Cities, States and The Trump Administration: Clashes of Federal and Local Government

Nadav Shoked and David Dana talk about sanctuary cities, climate change, and federal versus state and local governments in this legal podcast.

May 22, 2017

“Entrepreneurs Are the New Rock Stars”: A Conversation with J.B. Pritzker and Howard Tullman

J. B. Pritzker and Howard Tullman talk about what it takes to pursue innovation in business.

April 24, 2017

How the Government is Handling Online Privacy and Cybersecurity

This legal podcast covers net neutrality, online privacy, cybersecurity, and how the government is handling these growing issues.

March 15, 2017

The Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, and the Nuclear Option

Carter Phillips talks about the current state of the Supreme Court in 2017.

February 15, 2017

Trump Administration and the Law

In this episode of Planet Lex, host Daniel Rodriguez interviews Northwestern Law faculty members Deborah Tuerkheimer, Andrew Koppelman, and Eugene Kontorovich about President Trump's recent actions and the legal considerations facing his...

December 14, 2016

The Future Impact of Technology on the Legal Profession

Professor Richard Susskind talks about whether law schools are sufficiently training law students to be the pioneering attorneys of tomorrow.

November 16, 2016

Law Enforcement and Implicit Bias

A discussion on implicit bias, tensions between police and the communities they serve, and how perceptions of race impact the legal system.

October 19, 2016

Technological Advancements and The Law

Northwestern professors John McGinnis and Larry Birnbaum discuss computer intelligence, emergent technology, and its effects on lawyers and the law.

September 21, 2016

The Regulation of Public Corruption

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Professor Juliet Sorensen discusses the pervasiveness and regulation of corruption.

August 17, 2016

Defending Brendan Dassey of “Making a Murderer”

Host Dan Rodriguez speaks with Steven Drizin and Laura Nirider about youth interrogation, false confessions, and Brendan Dassey.

August 17, 2016

Sexual Misconduct on Campus

Daniel Rodriguez speaks with Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Professor of Law Deborah Tuerkheimer about campus sexual misconduct.

July 15, 2016

Integrating the Law and STEM Focused Multidisciplinary Education

Emerson Tiller and Leslie Oster discuss the new Master of Science in Law Program and how the law can integrate with the more technical aspects of business management and innovation.

July 15, 2016

The Evolution of Copyright in Music

Peter DiCola talks about music copyright law and how new technology has affected the industry.