In the sixth episode of Season 6 of Emphasis Added, we have an impactful conversation with Professor Alissa Gomez to explore the intersection of legal education, access to justice, and the impact of pro bono work. Professor Gomez shares her path from commercial litigation at King & Spalding to leading Houston Volunteer Lawyers and eventually joining the University of Houston Law Center. We dive into the civil justice gap and how pro bono efforts can help close it. Professor Gomez explains th...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 6
In the fifth episode of Season 6 of Emphasis Added, we sit down with Judge Adrogué to discuss her journey from Argentina to the bench. Hosts Graysen Mechler and Geoffrey Okolo explore her path to law school, the role of education, and the mentors who shaped her career. Judge Adrogué reflects on the importance of hard work, seizing opportunities, and publishing her legal works. She shares insights from her time at the University of Houston Law Center and involvement with the Houston Law Review, a...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 6Ep. 5
The 29th Annual Frankel Lecture, sponsored by the Houston Law Review at the University of Houston Law Center, focused on how the words that we use to address and refer to others influence our civil, political, and social lives. Professor Richard R. W. Brooks delivered the keynote lecture "Addressing Americans". Brooks is the Emilie M. Bullowa Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law and the Florence Rogatz Visiting Professor of Law and Senior Research Scholar in Law at Yale Law ...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 53 min•Season 6Ep. 4
In the third episode of Season 6, we sit down with University of Houston Law Center Professor Nikolas Guggenberger and current UHLC 3L, Jake Evinger. As is customary, Emphasis Added hosts, Graysen Mechler and Geoffrey Okolo, begin the episode by exploring Professor Guggenberger’s journey to becoming a lawyer as well as his unique journey from Germany to the United States. The episode then took a slight detour – exploring what common law signifies for countries like Germany, which are traditional...
Nov 27, 2024•57 min•Season 6Ep. 3
In the second episode of Season 6, we sit down with University of Houston Law Center Professor Maikieta Brantley. Emphasis Added hosts, Graysen Mechler and Geoffrey Okolo, begin the episode by exploring Professor Brantley’s journey to becoming a lawyer and eventually transitioning into academia. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on Professor Brantley’s large social media following and her dual role as a law professor and an influence. She discusses how she became involved in soci...
Oct 17, 2024•46 min•Season 6Ep. 2
In the first episode of Season 6, we chat with Sofia Winograd, the current Editor-in-Chief of the Houston Law Review. Sofia takes us through her background from growing up in Mexico City to deciding to go to law school. She shares some great tips on how she found success in her law school experience and explains why she decided to join the Law Review, ultimately stepping into the EIC role. Sofia opens up about how being EIC has been both what she expected and a bit different. We also talk about ...
Sep 19, 2024•45 min•Season 6Ep. 1
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 5 host Harrison Little welcomes Graysen Mechler, the incoming host for Season 6, to the podcast. They are joined by recent University of Houston Law Center graduates Mackenzie Caldwell and Hannah Syburg. The discussion covers the backgrounds of each guest, a typical day for litigation and transactional summer associates, helpful law school classes to ensure a successful summer and more. Our guests offer unique insights and valuable advice on how to make ...
Aug 16, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Welcome to "Emphasis Added," a podcast by the Houston Law Review, where we delve into the world of legal issues, prominent lawyers, and the study and practice of law. In this episode, hosts Harrison Little and Jake Guarino are joined by Houston Law Review members Rachel Howard and Frank Chambers to discuss the intricacies of federal judicial clerkships. Federal judicial clerkships are prestigious positions where law graduates work closely with judges, assisting in the judicial process. Clerks ar...
Jun 03, 2024•47 min
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 5 hosts Jake Guarino and Harrison Little meet with Emily Berman, a Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center and an expert in constitutional law. In our discussion, we examine the recent U.S. Supreme Court case of Trump v. Anderson concerning the removal of Donald Trump from the presidential ballot in Colorado. We discuss how this case redefines Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment in several key ways. To get a mailing or electronic subsc...
Apr 09, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 6
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Jake Guarino and Harrison Little meet with Peter Salib, an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Law Center and an expert in the law of artificial intelligence. The discussion traces his recent paper, titled “AI Outputs Are Not Protected Speech,” as we analyze the potential impact of the First Amendment on efforts to regulate AI. Professor Salib breaks down his view regarding the proper treatment of AI under the First Amendment and why current jurisp...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Season 5, Episode 4 features the 28th Annual Frankel Lecture, “The Perennial Eclipse: Race, Immigration, and How Latinx Count in American Politics.” Our keynote Frankel Lecturer was Professor Rachel Moran of Texas A&M School of Law. Her commenters were Ilya Somin, Professor of law at George Mason University, and Joseph Fishkin, Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. Tune in on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other streaming platform for a fascinating and informative discussion abou...
Feb 08, 2024•2 hr 28 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 5 hosts Jake Guarino and Harrison Little interview Alamdar Hamdani, the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, to discuss his story and his role as the chief federal law enforcement officer for one of the most populous federal districts in the nation. USA Hamdani discusses how his early experience immigrating to the United States shaped his journey into the practice of law, the factors that led him to become a federal prosecutor, the e...
Nov 08, 2023•41 min•Season 5Ep. 3
The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of law school. In this episode of the series, Season 5 hosts Jake Guarino and Harrison Little met with Kaileigh Mallin and Chandni Jaggi to break down the key dimensions of the 1L experience. Kaileigh currently serves as the Houston Law Review’s Editor in Chief and plans to practice litigation at Norton Rose Fulbright, and Chandni ...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 2
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 5 host Jake Guarino and Season 2 host Adri Langemeier moderate the Hispanic National Bar Association's "Power in Numbers" panel at the HNBA Region XII Annual Summit. Panelists Justice Amparro Guerra (Texas First Court of Appeals), Commissioner Leslie Briones (Harris County, Precinct 4), Alicia Castro (Partner at Locke Lord), and Maria Amelia Calaf (Partner at Botkin Chiarello Calaf) reflect on the impact, influence, and inclusion of the Latinx community ...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 host Matt Chelf and incoming Season 5 host Harrison Little met with Martin Thomas, a civil litigator and the founder of the Law Offices of Martin Thomas, to discuss the challenges and the benefits of being a solo practitioner as well as the recent proliferation of artificial intelligence software. We discussed the circumstances that drove Martin’s decision to open his own practice, the process of learning to manage one’s own business, and the various w...
Jul 09, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 11
In this episode of Emphasis Added, incoming Season 5 host Jake Guarino and Season 4 host Brock Jones met with Archie Fallon, Managing Partner of Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Houston office, to discuss developing legal and transactional trends in the energy transition space as the world marches toward its 2050 goal of net-zero carbon emissions. Archie serves as the Co-Chair of Willkie Farr’s Project Finance and Power & Renewable Energy Practice Groups, generally representing private equity ...
Apr 19, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 10
The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of law school. On this episode of the series, season 4 host Brock Jones is joined by Houston Law Review members Andrew Jacobs and Chandler Johnson as they discuss their experiences and advice on how to make the most of law school summer employment opportunities and ultimately choose a full-time position. Our guests provided a varie...
Apr 03, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 9
The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of law school. On this episode of the series, season 4 host Matt Chelf is joined by Houston Law Review members Olivia Wogon and JP Johanson as they discuss their experiences and advice on how to decide on a law school as an applicant and getting the most out of that school as a student. Our guests provided a variety of information ...
Mar 20, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 8
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf spoke with @The University of Houston Law Center Professor Kellen Zale about Land Use issues currently affecting the City of Houston, including the I-45 freeway expansion project's community impacts and the difficulties surrounding new affordable housing projects. Professor Zale is an expert on Land Use, Local Government, Real Estate, and Property law, and has been published in the Stanford, Penn, and Harvard Environmen...
Feb 24, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In this episode, we're joined by University of Houston Law Center Assistant Dean for Career Development Tiffany Tucker to discuss best practices for students participating in legal recruitment through both on-campus and in-office interviewing processes. Dean Tucker joined the UHLC Career Development Office after practicing transactional intellectual property and general corporate law at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York. As a former professional development specialist, her work with UHLC now i...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 6
The 27th Annual Frankel Lecture, sponsored by the Houston Law Review at the University of Houston Law Center, focused on the U.S. Supreme Court and explored possible gender bias applied in protecting legal rights. Professor Melissa Murray, a leading expert on constitutional law, reproductive rights and justice, discussed “The Jurisprudence of Masculinity” during the keynote. Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network Faculty Director at t...
Dec 03, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf spoke with University of Houston Law Center Professor Robert Ragazzo about the recent acquisition of Twitter by Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk, and what that deal can teach us about acquisitions in general, including their potential pitfalls. Professor Ragazzo is an expert on Securities Regulation, as well as Business Organizations and Closely Held Corporations. Before his illustrious teaching career, he attended Harvard ...
Nov 17, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode of Emphasis Added , Season 4 hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf spoke with University of Houston Law Center Professor Julian Cardenas about the current state of the transnational oil and gas industry, how ‘petropolitics’ continue to shape the global economic and social environment, and energy security in the modern age. Professor Cardenas is an expert on transnational petroleum law, best oil and gas industry practices, and oil and gas geopolitics. He served as a career diplomat at ...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf spoke with University of Houston Law Center Professor Emily Berman about the contentious Dobbs decision from the Supreme Court's prior term, what it may mean for upcoming Supreme Court Jurisprudence and institutional legitimacy, as well as the cases to expect in the upcoming 2022-2023 Supreme Court term. Professor Berman is an expert on constitutional law, separation of powers, and national security. Her scholarship on ...
Sep 28, 2022•34 min•Season 4Ep. 2
In this episode of Emphasis Added, Season 4 hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf spoke with University of Houston Law Center Professor Renee Knake-Jefferson about the historic appointment and confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and diversity in the judiciary. Professor Knake-Jefferson is an internationally renowned expert on professional responsibility and legal ethics, an award-winning author of four books and numerous academic articles, and has testified before the U.S. House of Representa...
May 17, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Emphasis Added is a podcast by the Houston Law Review. Check out this episode in video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/YQHjYq-s_Sk On this month's episode of Emphasis Added, future hosts Brock Jones and Matt Chelf joined me to speak with University of Texas School of Law Professor Joe Cosgrove, Jr. about the regulation of social media and privacy rights. Professor Cosgrove has over 35 years of legislative, regulatory, and legal experience including time spent as legal counsel for AT&T. Profes...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 12
Emphasis Added is a podcast by the Houston Law Review. Check out this episode in video on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDK03FEAP2lTdm4syp02ChA On this month's episode of Emphasis Added, I spoke with University of Houston Law Center Professor Douglas Moll about fraud and closely held corporations in the context of Theranos, a biotech company that was once valued at $10 billion, and is now worth nothing. Professor Moll teaches multiple business law courses at the Univers...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Emphasis Added is a podcast by the Houston Law Review. Check out this episode in video on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDK03FEAP2lTdm4syp02ChA On this month's episode of Emphasis Added, I spoke with Milbank's Firmwide Head of IP, David Gindler, and Senior Milbank IP Associate, Jasper Tran, about patent waiver of COVID vaccines and the complexities of being an IP attorney. David's background includes successfully representing clients in trials with verdicts in the hundr...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Emphasis Added is a podcast by the Houston Law Review. Check out past episodes in video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDK03FEAP2lTdm4syp02ChA The Law School Real Talk Series by the Houston Law Review was developed to provide useful and actionable advice to first-year law students regarding the many unknowns of Law School. On this episode of the series, I am joined by Houston Law Review Editor-in-Chief Charisma Nguepdo and Managing Editor Shannon Wright as we discuss in detail ev...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Emphasis Added is a podcast by the Houston Law Review. Check out this episode in video on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDK03FEAP2lTdm4syp02ChA On this month's episode of Emphasis Added, I spoke with University of Houston Law Center Professors Seth Chandler and Valerie Gutmann Koch about the on-going litigation surrounding the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, their constitutionality, and the arguments we’ve already seen and are poised to see regarding their validity. Pro...
Dec 08, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 8
