Host of ABA Journal: Modern Law Library
Lee Rawles joined the ABA Journal in 2010 as a web producer. She has also worked for the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal and Legacy.com. She holds an M.S. in New Media from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a B.S. in journalism from the University of Illinois.
Lee is the host of ABA Journal: Modern Law Library, the 2016 Lisagor Award winner for Best Podcast.
A Tennessee lawyer shares how her lawyerly research techniques prepared her to dig into her family’s history to develop characters in her novel focused on three generations of Black women and...
As both an attorney and judge, Thomas Moukawsher has spent the majority of his career dealing in complex litigation. And the Connecticut Superior Court judge would like to make the legal system—well,...
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-airing of one of our older episodes with...
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 his first trial: a...
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 sensible reforms....
“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 friends and even lawyers in your life. But while...
In his new book, The Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America, Michael Waldman identifies three times the U.S. Supreme Court caused a public backlash against itself—and warns the court may be well...
In The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic, University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck argues the U.S. Supreme Court is expanding...
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 International Law Section. But...
Bruce Jackson grew up shuttling between Brooklyn and Manhattan public housing projects. His journey led him to Hofstra University, then Georgetown Law. He ditched a white-shoe firm job to launch a career...
The 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan protected the civil rights movement, established the “actual malice” standard, and is the basis for modern American libel law. But in recent years, criticism of...
When Lauren Stiller Rikleen was approached in 2020 by the ABA Judicial Division to help compile autobiographical stories from women judges in America, a powerful motivating factor for her was to capture...
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 told to children where young George fesses...
Since childhood, Wendy Tamis Robbins experienced debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. Her perfectionism pushed her to achieve in sports and academics, and her high level of achievement masked her mental anguish from...
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 out how they spent their downtime in...
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 and tough-on-crime laws sent prison populations...
By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow's Legal Executioners examines how the federal government enabled the subjugation of Black Americans; the relationship between racial violence and political power; and community resistance to Jim...
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 damages–and nonmonetary damages like pain...
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 & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding...
Justice William O. Douglas could be known for his fiery opinions, turbulent personal life and longtime presidential ambitions. But Judge M. Margaret McKeown is shining a light on his groundbreaking environmental advocacy...
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 annual meeting with hundreds of fellow attorneys (as the...
Host Lee Rawles shares her Top Picks for Books, Movies, TV Shows and Podcasts. And a look at Roe v. Wade and its impact on the the right to privacy.
In Nobody is Protected: How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States, geographer Reece Jones argues that Supreme Court precedent, a growing workforce and mission creep...
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 and healthy on an individual...
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 have you ever wished you...
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 olive. Someone attempting to judge a book by...
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 environment and health of the...
In August 2020, contract attorney Laura Frederick accepted a challenge: Post to LinkedIn once a day, every day, for a month. Frederick thought she might be able to keep up a string...
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 president of the ABA, Dennis Archer,...
Professor Kim Wehle shares a more methodical approach to avoiding kneejerk or strictly partisan decision-making.
Prof. Allen speaks about the promise and downsides of some "cutting-edge" financial products, and why innovation is not inherently good.
Judge Robert E Bacharach explored what the science of psycholinguistics could teach lawyers and judges about how written words persuade an audience. He shares his top takeaways and offers advice for...
James L. Gibson and Michael J. Nelson discuss their research into the impact state supreme courts have on civil rights.
Wanda M. Morris, author of "All Her Little Secrets", discusses her 13-year journey towards publication, tips she has for fellow lawyers who want to write books, and the motivations behind her characters'...
The ABA Journal team looks back at 2021 through the lens of what they read and watched, and looks forward to 2022.
Lewis A. Grossman discusses the historical skepticism Americans have held towards medical authorities through the majority of the country's history and what these attitudes could mean for the country's public health.
Author and business professor Phil Rosenzweig discusses his book "Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men" about the man who brought 12 Angry Men to screen, first as a television...
Dana Montalto shares how she became involved in veterans legal services, answers some common questions lawyers have when considering pro bono work in this area, and talks about the many people and...
Dean Chemerinsky discusses why the Supreme Court did not address police powers during the first century of its existence; why the Warren Court was an aberration when it came to curtailing police...
In this episode of The Modern Law Library, author Liel Levy discusses his book Beyond Se Habla Español: How Lawyers Win the Hispanic Market.
Author Liz Brown discusses the tale of Harrison Post, a story that starts in the Gilded Age and moves through the Golden Age of Hollywood, a film noiresque tale of betrayal, and...
Marc Halpert shares how the pandemic has made online networking more important than ever, and the most common missteps he has seen lawyers make on LinkedIn.
Lee Rawles and Haley Moss discuss Moss's journey as a child who was non-verbal to an adult with a law degree, law firm job and numerous public-speaking engagements.
Joseph D. Kearney and Thomas W. Merrill discuss the shenanigans that ultimately gave the city and the state of Illinois one of its most priceless parcels of land and preserves it for...
In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers, First Amendment scholars Lee Bollinger and Geoffrey Stone discuss their book "National Security, Leaks and Freedom of the Press: The Pentagon Papers...
Host Lee Rawles shares some of her favorite books she's read since this year, and we revisit our 2017 interview with David Grann in anticipation of the upcoming Scorsese film based on...
In Vice Patrol: Cops, Courts, and the Struggle Over Urban Gay Life Before Stonewall, author Anna Lvovsky examines the way that queer communities were policed in the 1930s through the 1960s.
An attorney's research for a novel turned into an in-depth look at Long Island labor camps where workers lost their lives.
Ray Brescia and Eric K. Stern discuss their book, Crisis Lawyering: Effective Legal Advocacy in Emergency Situations, their experiences, and delve into the ethical issues the legal profession should be examining as...
Sen. Mazie Hirono's journey to becoming an outspoken opponent to Trump and the GOP is shared in "Heart of Fire."
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