Who Wrote That Up For You?

Ty Brown is the CEO of ZAF Legal, a personal injury law firm with zero attorney fees (or ZAF). He discussed the inherent conflicts in the practice of personal injury law, as well as the pushback he's receiving now from traditional personal injury law firms. Ty shared his company's experience in the Utah regulatory sandbox and the need for national change in the rules governing professional ethics. – Visit ZAF Legal: https://www.zaflegal.com/ – Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zaf.legal – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zaf-legal/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠⁠courtroom5.com⁠⁠ to get access to justice today.

Nichelle ("Nikki") Perry is an associate professor of law and director of the law library at the North Carolina Central University School of Law. She discussed changes in the work of law librarians and the potential for integrating new justice technologies into the law school curriculum. – Visit the law school: https://law.nccu.edu/school-of-law-directory/nichelle-perry/ – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ncculawschool – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NCCULAW – Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ncculawschool/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/north-carolina-central-university-school-of-law/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠⁠courtroom5.com⁠⁠ to get access to justice today.

Joryn Jenkins, founder of Open Palm Law, is a Florida attorney, divorce mediator, and expert in collaborative law. She discussed the importance of mutual respect in dispute resolution, particularly for divorcing couples who also own businesses they wish to continue operating. – Visit the website: https://openpalmlaw.com/ – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/openpalmlaw/ – Connect on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/OpenPalmLaw – Connect on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jorynjenkins/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/open-palm-law/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠⁠courtroom5.com⁠⁠ to get access to justice today.

Lloyd Comiter of the Mediation Training Academy discussed the many reasons that parties in a dispute prefer mediation over litigation. He also described the certified training programs available in Florida that allow anyone to become an effective mediator. – Visit the website: https://mediationtrainingacademy.com/ – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mediationtrainingacademy – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mediation-training-academy/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠⁠courtroom5.com⁠⁠ to get access to justice today.

Ken Johnson, juvenile justice expert and certified Florida mediator, discussed the potential of restorative justice practices to mitigate the severe harm to young people caught up in the school-to-prison pipeline. With a new academic year starting, Ken wanted to the reasons behind the shocking statistic that 4 out of every 5 incarcerated adults started out in the juvenile justice system. According to Ken, this is all by design and is part and parcel of the culture's punitive attitude toward children. Ken described the coincidence of standardized testing schedules and high rates of at-risk youth arrested at school, which tends to raise a school's test scores and secure more funding for the school because low scorers are removed from the test pool. He also discussed the stark racial disparities both in arrest rates and in levels of violence exacted upon incarcerated youth. He shared the well-documented story of the "Whitehouse Boys" and the horrors perpetrated by law enforcement and guards at the now-defunct prison in Marianna, Florida. Ken decried the lack of criminal penalties for these and other abuses due to law-enforcement immunity from prosecution. Ken also discussed the commonplace labeling of certain neighborhoods as "million-dollar blocks." These are city blocks with so many arrests that nearly $1M dollars is lost annually due to lack of productivity, criminal background-related unemployment, and other consequences of a carceral state. Ken sees these problems worsening in the future without activism because the incentives for punishing youth are so entrenched. – Visit on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KenJohnsonUSA – Read Behind Bars and Behind the Gun: https://mediate.com/behind-bars-and-behind-the-gun/ – Read Then and Now: Reflecting on Restorative Practices and the Corruption of the Public Education System For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠courtroom5.com⁠ to get access to justice today.

Wanda Butler, CEO of We Decide, discussed the financial analysis software the company makes to simplify the process of financial discovery in divorce. She gave several examples of the software easing negotiations and lowering the costs of dissolving a marriage. The software is available to individuals, couples, and legal teams assisting one or both parties. We Decide is also a member of the Justice Technology Association, a trade organization representing direct-to-consumer legal tech companies. Wanda described her membership as having found her tribe, a group of people working more for impact than for profit. – Visit the website: ⁠https://wedecide.ca/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wanda-butler-happily-never-after-64b997221 – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happilyneverafternl – Visit the Justice Technology Association: https://justicetechassociation.org/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠⁠courtroom5.com⁠⁠ to get access to justice today.

Lara Amoroso, owner of Doing It Differently Divorce, discussed pre-suit divorce mediation for couples in court without a lawyer. Offering services in all Florida counties, Lara shared the many reasons to mediate a divorce rather than litigate. – Visit the website: https://doingitdifferentlydivorce.com/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠courtroom5.com⁠ to get access to justice today.

Joseph George, an arbitrator at George & George ADR, discussed the wide variety of options for settling cases out of court. He shared the work experience that led him to found the company with his sister and opportunities for innovative marketing for arbitration companies. Joseph gave examples of the types of cases his firm handles, which include construction and the beauty industry. He also described the benefits of arbitration over litigation, such as the industry expertise of the arbitrator and significantly lower costs. – Visit George & George ADR: https://georgeandgeorgeadr.com/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeandgeorgeadr/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠courtroom5.com⁠ to get access to justice today.

Mathew Kerbis is an Illinois attorney and founder of SubscriptionAttorney.com, an innovative model for delivering legal services to people who can't afford the traditional large retainer and billable hour. Mathew is an advocate for access to justice for the broader middle class. He focuses his practice and his company on serving the latent legal market and helping clients avoid litigation. The entry price for SubscriptionAttorney.com starts at less than $20 per month. Clients who need litigation consulting and help to navigate Illinois courts can access his services for as little as $150 per month, far below the cost of hiring a lawyer to represent them. As he grows, Mathew hopes to bring on lawyers in other states and eventually serve clients nationwide. – Visit SubscriptionAttorney: https://subscriptionattorney.com/ – Listen to the podcast: ⁠https://lawsubscribed.com/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerbisverse/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠courtroom5.com⁠ to get access to justice today.

Ken Johnson is a licensed Florida mediator and expert in restorative juvenile justice. He shared the different kinds of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation, arbitration, ombuds, and other methods of settling legal matters out of court. Ken discussed mediation techniques and ethics, and the differences between the types of ADR. – Connect on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KenJohnsonUSA – Read on Medium: ⁠Then and Now: Reflecting on Restorative Practices and the Corruption of the Public Education System – Read on Medium: The Aluminum Age of Mediation For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit ⁠courtroom5.com⁠ to get access to justice today.

Pam Gwin Sheppard has been a certified court reporter for nearly 30 years. She currently serves as the designated court reporter for the Harris County, Texas misdemeanor criminal court. Pam discussed the role and importance of the court reporter in hearings and trials, as well as the process and cost of getting a copy of the record produced by a court reporter. Pam Gwin (Coder) Sheppard is the author of "Transitioning from Student to Professional Court Reporter," a textbook for joining the profession. She's a mentor and frequent webinar presenter on topics ranging from active listening to shorthand. – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamcodercsr – Get the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Transitioning-Student-Professional-Court-Reporter/dp/1449057179 For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Joshua Schwadron, founder and CEO at Mighty.com, discussed his company's innovative model for helping injured people pursue personal injury claims through an affiliated law firm, Mighty Law. Mighty helps its clients manage the financial aspects of their lives -- car repairs, replacement wages, etc -- while their claims are being handled by the law firm. And the contingency fees are limited so that clients keep more of their awards.    Mighty has angered some members of the personal injury bar with its marketing, which often paints "billboard lawyers" as greedy predators taking advantage of people when they need help the most. Joshua shared some of the ways traditional personal injury lawyers can hurt vulnerable clients instead of helping them. He described the blowback Mighty has received from law firms, including lawsuits and bar complaints for unauthorized practice of law. – Connect with Joshua on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshuaschwadron – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mighty – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mighty.Group.Inc/ – Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thats.mighty/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mighty-com/ – Visit the website: https://www.mighty.com/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Kristin Henning is the Blume Professor of Law and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative at Georgetown Law. She is also the author of "Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth," which draws upon her twenty-five years of experience representing Black youth in Washington, D.C.'s juvenile court to detail the myriad ways police encounters are used to deny Black youth the healthy adolescent development afforded to other young people.   Professor Henning teaches and trains lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and others about the criminalization of Black and Brown youth to help mitigate the implicit racial bias in the juvenile justice system. She offered tips for parents whose children have been arrested to keep them from being targeted for incarceration. She expressed special concern for Black and Brown students with disabilities because their normal behaviors are often perceived as threatening during police encounters, leading to higher rates of removal from their families and communities. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProfKrisHenning – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profkrishenning – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-n-henning-b509a48/ – Visit Rage of Innocence: https://www.rageofinnocence.com/ – Visit Georgetown Juvenile Justice: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/experiential-learning/clinics/our-clinics/juvenile-justice-clinic/racial-justice/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Dave Maxfield is a consumer protection lawyer in Columbia, South Carolina. He shared the types of cases he pursues on behalf of consumers deluged by debt collection calls or cheated out of benefits. He also shared tips to help consumers think more like lawyers in their day-to-day activities.   Dave is also co-author of "The Lean Law Firm," the first graphic novel ever published by the American Bar Association. The book applies the Lean Startup methodology to small and solo law firms to help them build systems and automated processes that can lead to profitability.   – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConsumerLawSC – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConsumerLawSC – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dave-maxfield-consumer-protection-law/ – Visit the website: https://consumerlawsc.com/ Co-host Debra Slone had the day off. Special thanks to Courtroom5 advisor Korey Kerscher Sarokin for stepping in. For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Renee Vara is the founder of Vara Arts, which provides appraiser and advisory services for creatives. She discussed the use of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) to protect artists whose works are threatened by traditional property rights, including a famous case where a commercial property development sought to destroy several murals in New York City. Renee advised artists in these situations to seek legal counsel but also to pursue mediation to recover the reasonable commercial value of their works. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VaraArt – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/varaart – Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varaart/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneevara/ – Visit the website: https://www.varaart.com/ J. Rich Leonard is the dean of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dean Leonard described the work of Campbell Law's numerous pro bono clinics, including a partnership with the City of Raleigh to mitigate evictions and arbitration services provided to Wake County and local municipalities to resolve discrimination complaints out of court. He also discussed his new book, "From Welcome to Windhoek: A Judge's Journey," charting the journey from his hometown of Welcome, North Carolina to consulting with judiciaries in southern Africa. – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-leonard-abb6959a/ – Visit the faculty profile: https://law.campbell.edu/about/our-school/our-dean/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Natalie Knowlton is the founder of A2J Ventures, a consulting agency for startup ventures and established businesses working to increase access to justice and the courts. Natalie shared her background as a lawyer who never wanted to practice but always saw an opportunity to help change the industry. She also shared her thoughts on the meaning of access to justice and what it means when societies lack broad access.    Natalie discussed ways to knock down barriers to access and reform the regulatory regime to unleash innovation. She also addressed a misleading narrative around access: that efforts to close the justice gap should be focused only on low-income and indigent people. Her research showed that access to justice should be afforded to people much further up the income ladder. Indeed, Natalie argued that even people who can afford to hire an attorney should have other options for handling their legal matters in a meaningful way. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/natalalleycat – Connect on Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@Natalalleycat@law.builders – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieanneknowlton/ – Visit the website: https://a2jventures.com/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Tahmina Watson of Watson Immigration Law is an immigration lawyer licensed in both Washington and New York. Her law firm serves international startup founders and tech employees working and doing business in the United States. She is the creative voice behind the Startup Visa podcast and Tahmina Talks Immigration podcast.   Tahmina discussed the evolution of U.S. immigration law and the differences from other countries' handling. She described the crisis brought about by massive layoffs in the tech sector, leaving many immigrants with work visas (and their families) in danger of deportation. Because immigration is a federal matter, Watson Immigration Law serves clients across the U.S. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TahminaTalks – Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tahminatalks/ – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahminawatson/ – Visit the website: https://watsonimmigrationlaw.com/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Diego Acosta is a licensed court interpreter in the Houston, TX metro area. He discussed the role of interpreters in ensuring fair court proceedings. He described the process for a person with limited English proficiency to get an interpreter for a hearing or trial. Diego shared issues of etiquette that sometimes arise when dealing with judges and lawyers representing opposing parties, along with the ethics associated with speaking with clients outside of court. – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/diegoricardo88 – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diego.acosta.9809 For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Tiffany Graves is the first pro bono counsel at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP, the largest law firm in the southeast U.S., with over 600 attorneys serving the banking, construction, energy, and healthcare industries. ("Pro bono" means "for the good" or free of charge.) Each attorney at the firm provides a minimum of 50 hours of free legal services annually to people who cannot afford an attorney. Tiffany's role is to ensure opportunities for pro bono service are available when an attorney at the firm is ready to serve.   Tiffany's legal career has been devoted to closing the justice gap between those who can pay for representation and those who cannot. She is a former director of the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. Prior to that, she ran the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project. Tiffany shared the importance of pro bono service for both the legal profession and the larger society. She also advised that people needing free legal services should contact their local legal aid office for a referral to firms like Bradley. – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-graves/ – Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffmgraves – Connect on Post: https://post.news/@tiffanymgraves – Visit the website: https://www.bradley.com/people/g/graves-tiffany-m For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.

Ada Crenshaw is the owner of Nfinite Legacy Mobile Notary, a notary public service based in McKinney, Texas. Ada's journey to the profession began when she lost her job with a large defense contractor. She quickly found herself grateful for the opportunity to become her own boss. The agency has expanded to international signings and wedding officiant services.    Ada is excited to see the notary profession embrace change. The use of advanced technology has become mandatory, and remote notary services are now commonplace. Ada believes the future offers significant opportunities for growth in notary services. – Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nfinite-legacy-mobile-notary/ – Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NfiniteLegacyNotary/ – Visit the website: https://www.nfinitelegacynotary.com/ For more on the need to fix U.S. courts, subscribe to "Who Wrote That Up For You?" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're in court without a lawyer, visit courtroom5.com to get access to justice today.