Legal Rebels Profiles

Change-Maker: Rodrigo Camarena is building tools to help immigrants become citizens and combat wage theft

Rodrigo Camarena has been advocating for immigrants since he was a child. By the time he was 8, this son of an electrical engineer father and an attorney mother was the family's translator, navigating the bureaucracy when they immigrated to northern Virginia from Mexico City via a work visa.

Feb 1, 2025 12:35 AM CST

Blazing a Trail: Oregon is moving away from the traditional bar exam and embracing supervised practice

When the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners opened up applications for its Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination in May, some members of its Licensure Pathway Development Committee were nervous.

Feb 1, 2025 12:30 AM CST

Swift Justice: Roy Ferguson has always been interested in increasing judicial expediency and efficiency

Some people talk about giving up their luxurious lifestyles to help those in need. In 1999, Roy Ferguson actually did it.

Feb 1, 2025 12:25 AM CST

Helping Hand: Swapna Reddy is helping asylum-seekers navigate the immigration system

In early 2015, Swapna Reddy volunteered for a week at the South Texas Family Residential Center, an immigration detention center near the U.S.-Mexico border that held thousands of asylum-seeking parents and their children.

Feb 1, 2025 12:20 AM CST

Examining the Future: Joan Howarth and Deborah Jones Merritt are spearheading efforts to reinvent attorney licensing

For the last three decades, complaints about the bar exam were common but change was minimal. But Joan Howarth and Deborah Jones Merritt wanted to do more than grumble.

Feb 1, 2025 12:15 AM CST

Finding Her Way: Jacqueline Schafer has long seen the potential of AI to help lawyers work more efficiently

Before artificial intelligence became a common legal tool, Jacqueline Schafer was hooked on it.

Feb 1, 2025 12:10 AM CST

Clearing Obstacles: Noella Sudbury is helping people expunge their criminal records

Noella Sudbury knew she was onto something big when she helped organize Utah’s first free “Expungement Day” in 2018.

Feb 1, 2025 12:05 AM CST

Rewiring Entry: How AI could blur the borders of immigration law

When veteran immigration lawyer Greg Siskind used a beta version of Casetext’s artificial intelligence legal assistant CoCounsel for research in a class action lawsuit, it was a “light bulb” moment for him.

Feb 1, 2024 12:08 AM CST

Age of e-Discovery: Generative AI could revolutionize e-discovery—but buyer beware

Typically cautious with new technology, attorneys are dipping their toes into “a sea change” of new generative artificial intelligence tools for e-discovery.

Feb 1, 2024 12:07 AM CST

e-Sign on the Dotted Line: When it comes to using generative AI and contracts, the devil is in the details

Along with drafting and reviewing, generative AI can leverage contract datasets for strategic insights to help mitigate risk and negotiate, manage and assess contracts.

Feb 1, 2024 12:06 AM CST

Head of the Class: Law schools consider post-ChatGPT coursework

ChatGPT’s unveiling sparked conversations among law faculty, with opinions ranging from banning GPT platforms in certain classes to encouraging experimentation to reconsidering law school pedagogy.

Feb 1, 2024 12:05 AM CST

Always on: Will generative AI alleviate burnout or make lawyers more miserable?

History is littered with examples of how hot new technologies meant to make us more productive led to unintended consequences, including stress and burnout. When it comes to generative artificial intelligence, will things play out differently?

Feb 1, 2024 12:04 AM CST

Helping Hand: Generative AI already is making an impact on legal research and writing

Lawyers who expect generative artificial intelligence to significantly impact the practice of law see some of the greatest potential in legal research and writing.

Feb 1, 2024 12:03 AM CST

Bridging the Gap: Lawyers trying to increase access to justice see promise in generative AI

For lawyers working to close the justice gap, generative artificial intelligence could be a real game changer.

Feb 1, 2024 12:02 AM CST

Locked in: Criminal justice startups tap into generative AI’s early promise

As two ABA Journal 2022 Legal Rebels build on their lofty ambitions to create a more equitable criminal justice system, they now have another tool at their disposal: generative AI. They have wasted no time in putting it to use.

Feb 1, 2024 12:01 AM CST