Please enjoy this recording of an event held on campus on November 21!"Three years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan has led to the “striking” erasure of women from public life. Join Najia Mahmodi and Juliet Sorensen for a conversation on gender persecution in Afghanistan today and the path forward."Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

We often hear the term “law of the land,” where a legal framework is based on common or civil law. But what laws apply once we venture off dry land and out to sea? That’s where maritime law (or admiralty law) comes into play. Sometimes called the Law of the Sea, maritime law consists of laws, conventions, and treaties governing business, crime, and…

Distinguished Professor in Residence Dean Strang sits down with Associate Editor Katie Dorsey to discuss the 1924 Leopold and Loeb trial, Clarence Darrow’s career, and how this “Trial of the Century” created a lasting legacy that is still relevant 100 years later. Research & Sources: To learn more about the Leopold and Loeb crimes and trial, check …

Author Nina Barrett (The Leopold and Loeb Files) and Associate Editor Katie Dorsey tell the story of the Leopold and Loeb murder and trial, which changed the field of criminal defense in America with ramifications that echo even today and the circumstances that make this horrifying crime still shocking and relevant a century later. Research & Sourc…

Until the supreme court case Alton v NCAA in 2021, collegiate athletes could not monetize their athletic ability while in college. This episode explores the history and creation of the NCAA, the regulatory body of college sports. It will cover the early issues the NCAA faced. It then turns to the advent of amateurism and the term “student-athlete” …

Survivors of domestic violence and intimate partner violence are particularly vulnerable to conviction and incarceration for the crimes of their abusive partners. Our criminal legal system’s refusal to understand and present the full context of a survivor-defendant's experience and abuse when assessing criminal culpability. In this episode, I will …

Nothing says Halloween like scary stories about your 1L year! Students from Loyola share stories about their 1L nightmares – the scary, crazy, embarrassing, or super stressful things they experienced during 1L that STILL haunt them to this day. From final exam blunders to real-life crime scenes, hear about some of the crazy scenarios that law stude…

In this episode, I talked to Professor Crepelle about some of the fundamentals of Federal Indian Law. We discussed the federal and state government’s relationship with tribes, jurisdictional limitations tribes face when attempting to prosecute non-Indians, restorative justice within the courts, as well as Professor Crepelle’s personal experience wh…

In this episode, I explore the investigation into the murder of Jean McConville, and the broader context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I begin with an exploration of origins of the Troubles, the gruesome conflict that tore Northern Ireland apart and pitted neighbor against neighbor, that ultimately led to the death of thousands. I then move …

In my first episode on the Podvocate, we took an antitrust law, an ever-growing area of the law whose primary purpose is to regulate corporate M&A activity through the use of the Clayton Act and FTC Act to protect macro-level impacts on individual consumers and consumer markets. One area of the law with a similar goal is consumer protection law; ho…

Associate Editor Mary Bandstra sits down with two members of the Saint Leonard’s Ministries leadership, Executive Director Zack Schrantz and Intake & Housing Manager David Harris, to discuss the work they do with people who have been impacted by incarceration. Zack, David, and Mary discuss collateral consequences of criminal convictions, strategies…

In this archive episode recorded last year, former editors Maris and Karan chat with Susi Guerrero and Arjan Grover, two outgoing members of the Loyola Moot Court Program’s Executive Board. They discuss what Moot Court is like at Loyola, the special community it has cultivated for its members, and the value of appellate advocacy skills in law schoo…

Congratulations! You have done all the work to get great grades and networked successfully, and now, you have accepted an offer to be a Summer Associate. I remember the feeling myself, and after the excitement wore off, I was only left with overwhelming questions. What can I do to be the best summer associate possible and receive an offer to come b…

In the follow up to Guilding pt. 1, Ben sits down with People’s Law Office Attorney Brad Thompson, to further discuss the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and it’s work in Chicago. In doing so, we discussed the history of the guild, some of the key movements it has helped support, as well as some of the influential projects and programs it takes part i…

In an episode recorded last semester (Spring of 2024), Ben sits down with fellow Podvocate Co-Editor in Chief, Casey Callahan, to talk about the history of the National Lawyers Guild both nationally and internationally over the course of the 20th and early 21st century. In doing so, they discuss what brought them both to the guild while students at…

Casey sat down in May to talk with the Executive Director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Aisha Cornelius Edwards, and the Director of Legal Programs at Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Breanna Kantor about how criminal and civil law are siloed. They discuss the importance of both criminal and civil attorneys being versed in the criminal and civil consequences…

The incoming editorial board members for The Podvocate introduce themselves. We are looking forward to a great year!Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Podvocate Associate Editor, Johannes Alvarez-Rivero, sits down to give the listeners a primer on the field of antitrust within the United States of America. First, Johannes discusses what antitrust laws are and what they are meant to protect. Johannes briefly discusses the governmental regulatory bodies that enforce antitrust laws, then turns to di…

Ben sits down with Chief Defender of the Orleans Public Defenders Office (OPD), Danny Engelberg, to discuss the founding of the office as it is today as well as the events that led to the office’s remodeling after the destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina. In doing so, they discuss OPD’s commitment to a community-centered defense model and th…

In this episode, Maris chats with Jamie Cernek, a Legislative Aide at the Chicago City Council Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight. Jamie is an attorney and organizer with years of experience in policy and advocacy, coalition-building, and campaign management. Even before law school, Jamie knew that policy was the path for her. In this epi…

In this solo episode, Casey dives into the web of collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, and how both attorneys and judges can better inform people charged with crimes of the consequences beyond a sentence.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Associate Editor Karan Kaushal and Co-Editor-in-Chief Nneka Ugwu invited Professor Neil Williams for a very unique and special episode of the Pod. In this storytelling forward format, Professor Williams leads listeners on a journey from Jim Crow South to Chicago big law. Listen and learn about how his upbringing informs his views on lawyering for r…

Ben sits down with Loyola Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dean Strang to discuss his role in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court Case United States v. Booker in 2005. In Part 2 of this two-episode series, Ben and Professor Strang move away from the legal facts of the case and begin to discuss the experience of litigating in the Supreme Court. In d…

Ben sits down with Loyola Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dean Strang to discuss his role in the seminal U.S. Supreme Court Case United States v. Booker in 2005. In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Ben and Professor Strang focus on the specifics and do a deep dive into the facts, legal rules, holdings, and outcomes associated with U.S. v. B…

In this week's episode, Maris and Karan sit down with fellow Loyola student and friend, Audrey La, to reflect on their experiences at the annual National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention. At the conference, the three attended a variety of workshops, including panels discussing the legal histories of AAPI folks that are often invisi…

Following their discussion of historical litigation addressing affirmative action in education, Johannes and Andy continue the Greatest Hits series by discussing the landmark Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. They discuss the facts of the case and the Court’s majority opinion, while briefly addressing the separately…

We speak with Anita Maddali, the Assistant Dean of Student Services and Weekend JD at Loyola University Chicago. We will explore her legal career and how she ended up in the Dean’s Suite. We also discuss how she plans on transforming her role and the community to meet the ever-changing needs of students.…

In this episode, Karan has a conversation with Loyola Professor Juan Perea, a Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice. Professor Perea has written extensively on topics ranging from racial inequality, the legal history of race relations in the United States, and the civil rights of Latinos. Professor Perea teaches courses about Con…

Ben sits down with Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell Jr. to discuss his path to leadership within the Cook County Public Defenders’ office as well as his background and past experiences as both a public defender and a policy advocate in Chicago. During the course of their conversation, they discuss the offices’ goals and priorities, both…

In this episode, Maris sits down with Cherie Mathews, a patent holder and entrepreneur who transformed a difficult experience with breast cancer into a patented product that has helped over 150,000 cancer patients. Cherie, among a disproportionately small number of female patent holders, candidly discusses the experiences that fueled her journey to…

In this week's episode, Andy gets together with Associate Editor Johannes Alvarez-Rivero. Together, the two talk about and break down some of the landmark cases that eventually brought the Supreme Court 2023's "Student's for Fair Admissions v. Harvard"--the case that rejected affirmative action and ruled that colleges and universities can no longer…

Yasmeen Khayr, a project coordinator at Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Urban Research and Learning, sits down with Casey to talk about her work as a researcher navigating the Domestic Violence Court in Cook County and evaluation of the Family Court Enhancement Project.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Casey sits down with Loyola alum, and current Loyola mock trial coach, Nat Cobbett to discuss how his participation in trial advocacy programs as a law student set him up for success as a trial attorney.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with Tim Love, the executive director of the Office of Equity and Compliance and Title IX coordinator for Loyola University Chicago. In their discussion, Tim and Andy talk about some of the more intricate and humanistic details of working in this position and how it fits into the overall world of post-JD and law s…

In this episode, Nneka Ugwu sits down with Savannah Joy West for a lawyerly lesson. Tune in for a candid conversation about her reflections from law school, advice for aspiring attorneys, and a crash course on the day-in-the-life of an Investment Funds attorney. Savannah is an associate in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice fo…

In the final episode of her privacy series, Marisa sits down with Liz Hein, Foursquare’s VP of Compliance and Data Protection to talk about geolocation data, how she thinks about privacy, and the rapidly changing world of privacy engineering and thought. Link to Daniel Solove’s paper referenced by Liz: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstra…

In this series, Marcus explores what Academic Freedom is through interviews with Dean Sacha Coupet, Associate Dean of Mission Innovation with the Loyola Chicago School of Law, and Zach Greenberg, Senior Program Manager for the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In this Part, we speak with Mr. Greenberg. In Part 1, we spoke with …

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with compliance professional Vanessa Ross. In their discussion, they break down the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) guidance on the seven elements of an effective compliance program. Vanessa not only explains what each element means, but she also outlines…

Nneka sits down with Dr. Diana Uchiyama, the Executive Director of the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program. In this episode, she discusses her pathway from law school to earning her masters and doctorate in Clinical Psychology.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

In today’s episode, Christy sits down with Professor Rushin to discuss what future 1Ls can expect in Criminal Law.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

In this series, Marcus explores what Academic Freedom is through interviews with Dean Sacha Coupet, Associate Dean of Mission Innovation with the Loyola Chicago School of Law, and Zach Greenberg, Senior Program Manager for the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). In Part 1, we speak with Dean Coupet. In Part 2, we speak with Mr. G…

“Move at the speed of trust” - Adrienne Maree Brown. In this episode, Nneka sits down with Bridget Snow, Civil Rights Investigator, who works in the Civil Rights Division of the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

This week Marisa dives into intentional privacy and privacy in the medical device space with Maggie Hanjani, Medtronic’s Data and Privacy Global Senior Advisor, Sr. Principal Legal Counsel and Privacy by Design Lead.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with Francisco Borrayo where they first discuss his work as president of Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Latinx Law Student Association and they jump into the history of Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Casey is joined by Jack Saletta, a Loyola Chicago School of Law alum and current Equal Justice Works Fellow, to discuss the role of the Restorative Justice Community Courts within Cook County.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

The bar exam has existed in one form or another since 1763. Since then, millions of people have taken the bar, yet each year the process challenges a new group of students. Marcus speaks with Dean Ellen Douglas, Assistant Dean of Academic Success and Bar Preparation, to get some answers to questions many people have.…

In today’s episode, Andy sits down with compliance manager Ryan Stillion. Andy and Ryan explore how a JD can be used in a field outside of court rooms and general counsel positions. In their discussion, they walk through Ryan’s journey into law, some law experience, how he ended up in healthcare, and ways in which he still uses law skills he learne…

Nneka sits down with Dr. Marisela Martinez-Cola, a sociology professor at Morehouse College, to discuss her pathway from law school to earning her PhD in sociology. The two reflect on her law school experience at Loyola, explore her pivot to academia, and engage in discussion about Dr. Martinez-Cola’s book, The Brick Before Brown. In this book, she…

In today’s episode, Christy sits down with Professor Waldeck to discuss what future 1Ls can expect in Property.Av The Podvocate by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

In today’s episode, Andy gets to talk about law life after a certain age with three current law students over the age of 30. In their discussion, they not only discuss the life events that brought them to the institution of law school, but they have a personal discussion about life, stress, and preparing for the cold-call. Please note, all opinions…