ABA Law Student Podcast
American Bar Association
Recent Episodes
As technology continues to impact our personal and professional lives in new and often exciting ways, the law plays a vital role in ensuring a proper balance between advancement and societal protection. As litigators, advocates, and even possibly legislators, law students are preparing to be in a position to help define the role technology plays in our society. Franklin Pierce School of Law Professor Daniel Pi joins host Manny Fernandez to discuss the intersection of law and technology and how law students can be ready to play their part in influencing our tech future.
- (00:00) - Opening
- (01:27) - Introduction of Topic and Guest
- (04:28) - The Role of Lawyers In Regulating Tech
- (06:29) - The Law as Creator of Incentives for Tech Innovation
- (07:58) - The Historical Influence of Lawyers Over Tech Innovation
- (10:49) - Finding the Balance Between Innovation and the Greater Good
- (12:45) - The Modern Challenges Of Keeping Pace with Tech
- (14:44) - Cryptocurrency Today Compared to the Internet of the Early 90s
- (16:24) - Autonomous Vehicles: Innovation vs Public Safety
- (21:01) - How Law Students can Prepare to Engage in the Law and Technology Intersection
- (24:36) - Reflections and Takeaways by the Hosts
Click here to view the episode transcript.
In 1963, the US Supreme Court ruled that all criminal defendants were guaranteed a right to counsel under the 6th and 14th Amendments. Jonathan Rapping, a former public defender and professor at John Marshall Law School, co-founded Gideon’s Promise to address the inadequacies of our public defender system by empowering motivated, passionate public defenders to work across the United States and bridge the gap between the ideal of the 6th Amendment’s right to counsel and the inadequacies of our criminal defense system. Prof. Rapping explains why a quality public defender system is so important for marginalized communities and our country as a whole, what it takes to be a great public defender, and how public defenders are addressing changes in our legal landscape.
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (00:51) - Introducing Prof. Jonathan Rapping
- (03:19) - What it takes to be a public defender
- (04:29) - How law students can maintain their empathy and humanity
- (06:43) - Prof. Rapping’s personal journey
- (08:25) - The conflict of training lawyers in public defender offices
- (10:16) - The mission of Gideon’s Promise
- (12:19) - How Gideon’s Promise trains public defenders and why it matters
- (13:47) - The real challenges public defenders face
- (17:27) - YSL, OJ Simpson, and the public perception of criminal defense lawyers
- (22:42) - Why underfunding public defense fails the American ideal
- (24:37) - How public defenders are facing legal and social changes
- (28:55) - Host takeaways and discussion
Click here to view the episode transcript.
