ABA Law Student Podcast

Host Kristoffer Butler talks to Dr. Maria-Vittoria Carminati and Dr. Michael Foerster about the future of space and telecommunications law. We are fundamentally a people of exploration and adventure, and our attempts at reaching further into space create a need for forward-thinking laws that will protect other planets and our own. Dr. Carminati and Dr. Foerster discuss this exciting area of the law and give young lawyers insight into how to enter this field.

Having difficulty navigating your hectic law school schedule? You’re not alone! Your new hosts, Ashley Baker and Kristoffer Butler, talk to Negeen Sadeghi-Movahed, chairwoman of the ABA Law Student Division, about law student life and her goals as chair. They discuss tips for handling a busy schedule, give internship advice, and talk about prioritizing what matters during finals.

Host Caitlin Peterson talks to Melissa Waugh about her experience as a mother to hyphenated kids and a part-time lawyer specializing in special education law. She discusses how being a mother helps her connect with her clients and and the advantages of specializing in a niche area of the law. She also shares a plethora of resources for young lawyers who are interested in special education law including books, courses, and the requirements they would need to meet.

Judge Wilhelmina Wright is the first African American woman to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Host Caitlin Peterson talks to Judge Wilhelmina Wright, who shares advice with young, aspiring judges about building confidence, taking responsibility, and overcoming barriers in their careers. She also shares what it was like growing up with the lingering effects of segregation and the support she found in her community.

The documentary RBG explores the quiet rise of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg into a pop culture icon and, more importantly, a powerful voice in the nation’s highest court. Hosts Caitlin Peterson and John Weber talk about the movie with the people who made it, Betsy West and Julie Cohen. They discuss what makes the film unique, from music choice to why they chose the subject, as well as what makes Justice Ginsburg worthy of her own documentary.

It can be hard to maintain mental wellness as a law student because of established stigmas and a lack of available resources. But, because wellness helps with success, students are taking action to change how law schools approach this subject. We discuss how students are collaborating with their schools to bring attention to mental health issues and how other schools, divisions, and firms can help get the word out.

The rhetoric of the Trump administration has brought a lot of attention to the topic of immigration and refugees. In this episode of the ABA Law Student Podcast, host John Weber talks to Carl Hernandez about the immigration clinic at Brigham Young University. Their clinic is managed mainly by students and meets a great need in the Utah community which has a large immigrant population. Carl discusses how the clinic got started and how it provides access to justice to immigrants and refugees while also providing experience to the law students that keep it up and running. Carl Hernandez teaches constitutional litigation and professional skills courses at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU and has initiated and supervises clinical alliances with the Utah State Legislature, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations and economic development agencies.

When you think of a law professor you probably imagine whiteboards, textbooks, and a red pen, but the life of a law professor is often not confined to the classroom. In this episode of the ABA Law Student Podcast, host Caitlin Peterson talks to professor Benjamin Davis about his experience as a law professor including the process of research, the important experiences he gained through his ABA membership, and what makes his job so fun. He also shares advice to law students about how to foster a relationship with a professor and the advantages of such a relationship. Professor Benjamin Davis teaches in the areas of contracts, alternative dispute resolution, arbitration, public international law, and international business transactions at the University of Toledo.

The end of bar exam season results in many happy law grads, an exciting future of career paths, and a new ABA Law Student Podcast host! In this episode of the ABA Law Student Podcast, host Kareem Aref talks to new host John Weber about why he chose to run for the Law Student Division’s delegate of communications and why it’s important that law students get more involved with the division. John also discusses his time as an AP government teacher during the 2012 election and seeing firsthand the impact of that election on his students. As he says, John has big hosting shoes to fill, but he is excited for the opportunity to discuss the issues that matter most to law students. John Weber is a rising 3L at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. He is also delegate of communications, publications, and outreach for the ABA Law Student Division.

Immigration is a hot topic both in and outside of the legal realm, but for Thomas Kim it’s more than just a popular subject. Having been taken advantage of by his own immigration lawyer, he has become a passionate immigration rights activist. In this episode of the ABA Law Student Podcast, host Kareem Aref talks to Thomas Kim, the new chair of the ABA’s Law Student Division, about what motivates him, what his goals are for his term, and his latest resolution that claims immigration status shouldn’t keep a student from pursuing a legal education. Thomas Kim is the 2017-2018 division chair of the ABA’s Law Student Division. He is also a rising 3L at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and currently serves at the secretary-treasurer of the ABA Law Student Division.