Survivors of domestic violence and intimate partner violence are particularly vulnerable to conviction and incarceration for the crimes of their abusive partners. Our criminal legal system’s refusal to understand and present the full context of a survivor-defendant's experience and abuse when assessing criminal culpability. In this episode, I will give a broad overview of accomplice liability, coercion and duress, using the story of Nancy Rish. Nancy was sentenced to natural life imprisonment fo...
Nov 09, 2024•31 min
Nothing says Halloween like scary stories about your 1L year! Students from Loyola share stories about their 1L nightmares – the scary, crazy, embarrassing, or super stressful things they experienced during 1L that STILL haunt them to this day. From final exam blunders to real-life crime scenes, hear about some of the crazy scenarios that law students dealt with during their first year of law school, and how they managed to bounce back from those situations to succeed in law school. Additionally...
Oct 31, 2024•12 min
In this episode, I talked to Professor Crepelle about some of the fundamentals of Federal Indian Law. We discussed the federal and state government’s relationship with tribes, jurisdictional limitations tribes face when attempting to prosecute non-Indians, restorative justice within the courts, as well as Professor Crepelle’s personal experience which led him to this field. To explain these issues, we look at the problematic history of Federal Indian Law and how case law has shaped the laws trib...
Oct 23, 2024•35 min
In this episode, I explore the investigation into the murder of Jean McConville, and the broader context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I begin with an exploration of origins of the Troubles, the gruesome conflict that tore Northern Ireland apart and pitted neighbor against neighbor, that ultimately led to the death of thousands. I then move on to discuss Gerry Adams and Dolores Price, two high-level IRA operatives who would be implicated in the murder of Ms. McConville some 30 years after...
Oct 17, 2024•35 min
In my first episode on the Podvocate, we took an antitrust law, an ever-growing area of the law whose primary purpose is to regulate corporate M&A activity through the use of the Clayton Act and FTC Act to protect macro-level impacts on individual consumers and consumer markets. One area of the law with a similar goal is consumer protection law; however, instead of taking a look at fraud, deception, misrepresentation, or credit disclosure laws, we are examining one of the most polarizing and...
Oct 09, 2024•47 min
Associate Editor Mary Bandstra sits down with two members of the Saint Leonard’s Ministries leadership, Executive Director Zack Schrantz and Intake & Housing Manager David Harris, to discuss the work they do with people who have been impacted by incarceration. Zack, David, and Mary discuss collateral consequences of criminal convictions, strategies to reduce recidivism, and the healing power of community. Saint Leonard’s Ministries is a social service agency in Chicago that has been providin...
Oct 02, 2024•53 min
In this archive episode recorded last year, former editors Maris and Karan chat with Susi Guerrero and Arjan Grover, two outgoing members of the Loyola Moot Court Program’s Executive Board. They discuss what Moot Court is like at Loyola, the special community it has cultivated for its members, and the value of appellate advocacy skills in law school and beyond.
Sep 30, 2024•37 min
Congratulations! You have done all the work to get great grades and networked successfully, and now, you have accepted an offer to be a Summer Associate. I remember the feeling myself, and after the excitement wore off, I was only left with overwhelming questions. What can I do to be the best summer associate possible and receive an offer to come back to the firm? What strategies should I follow, and what are some things I should avoid? Especially as a first-generation law student, these questio...
Sep 25, 2024•40 min
In the follow up to Guilding pt. 1, Ben sits down with People’s Law Office Attorney Brad Thompson, to further discuss the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and it’s work in Chicago. In doing so, we discussed the history of the guild, some of the key movements it has helped support, as well as some of the influential projects and programs it takes part in now. Specifically, we explored the work of the Chicago Chapter’s Mass Defense Committee as well as the NLG’s Legal Observer Program.
Sep 14, 2024•48 min
In an episode recorded last semester (Spring of 2024), Ben sits down with fellow Podvocate Co-Editor in Chief, Casey Callahan, to talk about the history of the National Lawyers Guild both nationally and internationally over the course of the 20th and early 21st century. In doing so, they discuss what brought them both to the guild while students at Loyola as well as key historical events that led to the Guild’s founding in the late 1930s. They further explore key social movements that the Guild ...
Sep 05, 2024•49 min
Casey sat down in May to talk with the Executive Director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Aisha Cornelius Edwards, and the Director of Legal Programs at Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Breanna Kantor about how criminal and civil law are siloed. They discuss the importance of both criminal and civil attorneys being versed in the criminal and civil consequences of what legal actions they take on behalf of their clients.
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr
The incoming editorial board members for The Podvocate introduce themselves. We are looking forward to a great year!
Aug 21, 2024•7 min
Podvocate Associate Editor, Johannes Alvarez-Rivero, sits down to give the listeners a primer on the field of antitrust within the United States of America. First, Johannes discusses what antitrust laws are and what they are meant to protect. Johannes briefly discusses the governmental regulatory bodies that enforce antitrust laws, then turns to discussing the history of antitrust laws in the nation, taking time to discuss some of the most seminal case rulings in this field's history. Finally, J...
May 01, 2024•47 min
Ben sits down with Chief Defender of the Orleans Public Defenders Office (OPD), Danny Engelberg, to discuss the founding of the office as it is today as well as the events that led to the office’s remodeling after the destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina. In doing so, they discuss OPD’s commitment to a community-centered defense model and the offices’ wholistic approach to advocacy and representation in New Orleans.
Apr 18, 2024•54 min
In this episode, Maris chats with Jamie Cernek, a Legislative Aide at the Chicago City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight. Jamie is an attorney and organizer with years of experience in policy and advocacy, coalition-building, and campaign management. Even before law school, Jamie knew that policy was the path for her. In this episode, she reflects on this vision and how it carried her through her time at Georgetown Law. She also imparts wisdom for students exploring non-tradit...
Apr 04, 2024•30 min
In this solo episode, Casey dives into the web of collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, and how both attorneys and judges can better inform people charged with crimes of the consequences beyond a sentence.
Mar 21, 2024•26 min
Associate Editor Karan Kaushal and Co-Editor-in-Chief Nneka Ugwu invited Professor Neil Williams for a very unique and special episode of the Pod. In this storytelling forward format, Professor Williams leads listeners on a journey from Jim Crow South to Chicago big law. Listen and learn about how his upbringing informs his views on lawyering for racial justice (inspired by his legal idols Norman Amaker and Charles Hamilton Houston), the importance of mentorship, and advice he has for law studen...
Mar 16, 2024•47 min
Ben sits down with Loyola Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dean Strang to discuss his role in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court Case United States v. Booker in 2005. In Part 2 of this two-episode series, Ben and Professor Strang move away from the legal facts of the case and begin to discuss the experience of litigating in the Supreme Court. In doing so, they explore the preparation process, specific tips for appellate litigation, and lessons learned while litigating in the highest Court in th...
Jan 31, 2024•43 min
Ben sits down with Loyola Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dean Strang to discuss his role in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court Case United States v. Booker in 2005. In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Ben and Professor Strang focus on the specifics and do a deep dive into the facts, legal rules, holdings, and outcomes associated with U.S. v. Booker. In doing so, they discuss what led Professor Strang to this case in the first place as well as the implications of federal sentencing enhanceme...
Jan 10, 2024•51 min
In this week's episode, Maris and Karan sit down with fellow Loyola student and friend, Audrey La, to reflect on their experiences at the annual National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention. At the conference, the three attended a variety of workshops, including panels discussing the legal histories of AAPI folks that are often invisible in the legal curriculum and the importance of cross-cultural solidarity. Savoring the empowerment that comes with building community with thousand...
Jan 03, 2024•36 min
Following their discussion of historical litigation addressing affirmative action in education, Johannes and Andy continue the Greatest Hits series by discussing the landmark Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. They discuss the facts of the case and the Court’s majority opinion, while briefly addressing the separately filed concurring and dissenting opinions. Finally, they discuss the impact this will have on the education sector as well as in a larger employment c...
Dec 27, 2023•52 min
We speak with Anita Maddali, the Assistant Dean of Student Services and Weekend JD at Loyola University Chicago. We will explore her legal career and how she ended up in the Dean’s Suite. We also discuss how she plans on transforming her role and the community to meet the ever-changing needs of students.
Dec 20, 2023•33 min
In this episode, Karan has a conversation with Loyola Professor Juan Perea, a Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice. Professor Perea has written extensively on topics ranging from racial inequality, the legal history of race relations in the United States, and the civil rights of Latinos. Professor Perea teaches courses about Constitutional Law and Race in the Law at Loyola. Karan and Professor Perea discuss Professor Perea’s article about the inequitable impacts of the GI Bil...
Dec 13, 2023•45 min
Ben sits down with Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. to discuss his path to leadership within the Cook County Public Defenders’ office as well as his background and past experiences as both a public defender and a policy advocate in Chicago. During the course of their conversation, they discuss the offices’ goals and priorities, both past and present, as well as efforts the staff is taking to implement the Pretrial Fairness Act which effectively abolished the cash bail system in I...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr
In this episode, Maris sits down with Cherie Mathews, a patent holder and entrepreneur who transformed a difficult experience with breast cancer into a patented product that has helped over 150,000 cancer patients. Cherie, among a disproportionately small number of female patent holders, candidly discusses the experiences that fueled her journey to patenting the garment – from being raised by a father who encouraged problem-solving to working on innovative projects at IBM. Maris and Cherie also ...
Nov 29, 2023•29 min
In this week's episode, Andy gets together with Associate Editor Johannes Alvarez-Rivero. Together, the two talk about and break down some of the landmark cases that eventually brought the Supreme Court 2023's "Student's for Fair Admissions v. Harvard"--the case that rejected affirmative action and ruled that colleges and universities can no longer use race as a factor in admitting students.
Nov 16, 2023•51 min
Yasmeen Khayr, a project coordinator at Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Urban Research and Learning, sits down with Casey to talk about her work as a researcher navigating the Domestic Violence Court in Cook County and evaluation of the Family Court Enhancement Project.
Sep 20, 2023•51 min
Casey sits down with Loyola alum, and current Loyola mock trial coach, Nat Cobbett to discuss how his participation in trial advocacy programs as a law student set him up for success as a trial attorney.
May 03, 2023•31 min
In today’s episode, Andy sits down with Tim Love, the executive director of the Office of Equity and Compliance and Title IX coordinator for Loyola University Chicago. In their discussion, Tim and Andy talk about some of the more intricate and humanistic details of working in this position and how it fits into the overall world of post-JD and law studies.
Apr 19, 2023•54 min
In this episode, Nneka Ugwu sits down with Savannah Joy West for a lawyerly lesson. Tune in for a candid conversation about her reflections from law school, advice for aspiring attorneys, and a crash course on the day-in-the-life of an Investment Funds attorney. Savannah is an associate in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice focuses on the formation, structuring, and operation of private equity funds and their management companies. She graduated from the University of Ch...
Apr 12, 2023•48 min
