How to become a federal criminal: It’s easier than you may think

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, lawyer Mike Chase talks with the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles about crimes like impersonating a mailman, importing pregnant polar bears, selling mail-order dentures, and letting your falcon be filmed for a movie.

Jun 20, 2019 4:12 PM CDT

A curmudgeon’s tips for making it in BigLaw

For law grads and associates going into the world of BigLaw, the stakes have never been higher—and neither have the expectations. The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law explains how to succeed with a bit of snark and a whole lot of laughs.

Jun 5, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Public speaking skills every lawyer should master

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Ashley Alfirevic of ABA Publishing speaks to lawyer and author Faith Pincus about how to ditch notecards, engage an audience and ask the right type of rhetorical questions.

May 22, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

The strange tale of the ‘Voodoo reverend’ and Harper Lee’s lost true-crime book

The author of To Kill a Mockingbird spent years researching and writing about this true-crime tale, with the intention of producing her own book in the style of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. But did she ever finish it?

May 8, 2019 7:35 AM CDT

Why tech tools can have promise and peril for policing

Like everyone else, police are inundated with new gadgets and technologies promised to make their jobs easier. But do they? In his new book, Thin Blue Lie, investigative journalist Matt Stroud digs deeps into the background of various police technologies' promises and perils.

Apr 24, 2019 8:54 AM CDT

How introverts can make networking work for them

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, ABA Publishing’s Ashley Alfirevic speaks to author Carol Schiro Greenwald about the networking matrix, interview double dates and random acts of lunch.

Apr 10, 2019 8:41 AM CDT

Did an ax murderer go free? ‘The Trial of Lizzie Borden’ examines the evidence

In The Trial of Lizzie Borden, Cara Robertson uses her skills as a lawyer to go over the strategies used by the defense and prosecution, the evidence brought before the court, and the societal influences that contributed to the outcome.

Mar 20, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Former JAG Corps captain draws from history and sports for diversity advice

Kenneth Imo spent years playing college football for Southern Methodist University, working his way up in the U.S. Air Force and leading the charge for diversity in two international law firms. Imo mined his experiences for his book, Fix It: How History, Sports, and Education Can Inform Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Today.

Mar 6, 2019 7:05 AM CST

From Columbine to Parkland: How have school shootings changed us?

The 10 years that Dave Cullen spent researching and reporting on the 1999 shootings in Littleton, Colorado, for his book Columbine were so draining that he experienced secondary PTSD. So on Feb. 14, 2018, when he heard about the shootings at Margery Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, he had no initial intention of writing about them. But in the nearly 20 years since the Columbine shootings changed our expectations about school safety, there had been a number of changes—including what the children directly impacted were able to do to change our national conversations about gun laws.

Feb 20, 2019 6:00 AM CST

Building blockchain expertise into a practice that pays

Blockchain's a buzzword, but what does it mean? In this episode of the Modern Law Library, our guests James A. Cox and Mark W. Rasmussen give a breakdown of what blockchain is, the emerging legal issues the technology is prompting, and why Jones Day thinks that it's an important emerging practice area.

Feb 11, 2019 8:10 AM CST

Supreme Court’s history with alcohol gets a look in ‘Glass and Gavel’

From the earliest days of the U.S. Supreme Court, alcohol has been part of the work lives and social lives of the justices. In the book Glass and Gavel: The U.S. Supreme Court and Alcohol, Nancy Maveety takes readers on a tour through the ways that SCOTUS and spirits have overlapped.

Jan 23, 2019 6:00 AM CST

How introverted lawyers can harness their traits for success

Instead of getting energized by a live-wire courtroom or dispute, introverted attorneys prefer to recharge—and often do their best work—in solitude.

Jan 9, 2019 6:00 AM CST

How to avoid burnout and be ‘The Best Lawyer You Can Be’

A new year, a new you? Stewart Levine has spent over three decades speaking to legal professionals after suffering from burnout as a lawyer himself. His new book—The Best Lawyer You Can Be: A Guide to Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness—combines personal experiences and essays from industry leaders, meant to inspire far beyond January’s best intentions.

Dec 19, 2018 7:00 AM CST

3 trial court judges discuss the some of the hardest cases of their career

All judges have cases that stick with them and linger in their memories. Sometimes it was because of the high profile of the case, and sometimes an obscure case had personal resonance because of the people or issues involved. In Tough Cases: Judges Tell the Stories of Some of the Hardest Decisions They've Ever Made, readers can learn the backstories to some of these decisions.

Dec 5, 2018 6:00 AM CST

Sports lawyer shares how he turned a love for athletics into a career

“Show me the money!” After navigating the ups and downs of being an agent, Darren Heitner pursued another avenue that combined his love of negotiation and athletics: sports law. With…

Nov 20, 2018 4:05 PM CST