10 Questions: Native American judge devotes legal career to restorative justice

Chief Judge Abby Abinanti presides over the Yurok Tribal Court in Klamath, California, and her community-based, restorative approach to justice, along with initiatives she helped launch and lead, are improving lives across this remote Northern California reservation. There’s a wellness program to help drug offenders, a community restitution program, and even a program for those accused of domestic violence that has a recidivism rate of zero.

Mar 1, 2018 2:35 AM CST

Pay it forward and prioritize

As the only child of immigrant parents from Guyana, Wanji Walcott knew from a young age that she wanted to be a lawyer. By following several principles she achieved her goals of serving as a general counsel and wife and a mother.

Mar 1, 2018 2:30 AM CST

Bedbug resurgence launches new legal specialty

Legal observers say the growth of bedbug lawyers and climbing verdicts fit the pattern of novel personal injury specialties that can become overrun—like mold law a decade ago and the recent proliferation of ride-share injury attorneys.

Bedbug attacks are indeed a small tort practice, but the cases have struck a chord with juries.

Mar 1, 2018 2:25 AM CST

Advocates promote a right to counsel in civil cases, too

In an effort to narrow the justice gap for low-income, unrepresented litigants in certain types of civil cases, California superior courts have begun to collaborate with pro bono programs.

Feb 1, 2018 2:55 AM CST

The war on lunch shaming: Policymakers work to protect kids from stigma

When Jennifer Ramo became executive director of the legal nonprofit New Mexico Appleseed in 2009, the Albuquerque Public Schools were making national news for serving cold cheese sandwiches instead of hot meals to kids whose parents were behind on their lunch tab.

Feb 1, 2018 2:50 AM CST

10 Questions: This Denver lawyer serves up culinary history with a side of social justice

Adrian E. Miller wrote “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas.”

Feb 1, 2018 2:45 AM CST

Practicing gratitude: Lessons from my mother

When people ask me how I make it work, I point to my mother—who did so much with so little—as my role model. As lawyers, we have it so much easier than my mom or many other women in the workplace today.

As a child in a financially disadvantaged household, our mother encouraged us to succeed in school and modeled that for us by taking college courses at night and eventually obtaining a college degree herself.

Feb 1, 2018 2:40 AM CST

Judges push for diverse voices in court

The New York State Bar Association recommends standing rule to encourage young attorney participation in court. Judges can offer oral argument as incentive to address litigation’s gender disparities.

Jan 1, 2018 3:45 AM CST

10 Questions: Harvard Law’s dean of students began as a ballerina

Marcia Lynn Sells, dean of students at Harvard Law School, once performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of co-founder Arthur Mitchell.

Jan 1, 2018 3:40 AM CST

Attorney’s bullfighting dreams come true during his golden years

Bullfighting is a hobby for James B. Pritikin, a divorce litigator who is a partner at Beermann Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove in Chicago.

Jan 1, 2018 3:40 AM CST

Surpassing expectations, defying labels: Life as a deaf attorney and working mother

Melissa Felder Zappala relates the challenges in work-life balance she faces as a deaf attorney and working mother.

Jan 1, 2018 3:30 AM CST

Nixon Peabody opens tech incubator for LGBTQ entrepreneurs

Nixon Peabody’s San Francisco office is now home to a rainbow crew of LGBTQ startups, with seven already part of the new StartOut Growth Lab and about a dozen in the pipeline.

Dec 1, 2017 1:50 AM CST

Whistleblowing for Wildlife: Advocates hope rewards prompt poaching reports

The word whistleblower evokes names such as Edward Snowden, Daniel Ellsberg and Deep Throat. But the reach of today’s whistleblower has begun to extend beyond the political jungle and into the animal kingdom through the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program.

Dec 1, 2017 1:45 AM CST

10 Questions: From plaintiffs to patients, Don D. Bush shifts careers at 70

Don D. Bush left his position as a magistrate judge with the U.S. District Court for work as a medical technician for a nonprofit urgent care clinic and an ambulance service.

Dec 1, 2017 1:40 AM CST

Lessons from the past can propel your future

Dec 1, 2017 1:35 AM CST