The Modern Law Library

Access to justice can be achieved, says ‘Law Democratized’ author—but not without change

In 2013, the ABA Journal named Renee Knake Jefferson a Legal Rebel for her work rethinking how legal services could be delivered to consumers. In 2024, she’s looking back at a decade of successes and failures aimed at improving access to justice.

Jan 10, 2024 8:22 AM CST

Listen to our 10 favorite podcast episodes of 2023

Looking for a new listen? We've picked our favorite 2023 episodes from each of the ABA Journal's three podcasts, one of which is bidding adieu after a 13-year run. If this whets your appetite, find all our past episodes on our podcast page. You can also check out more legal podcasts from our partners at Legal Talk Network.

Dec 22, 2023 8:59 AM CST

How to plan your post-law life

There are lawyers who love the practice of law so much that they'll only leave it feet first—and in a box. But for those who'd prefer to exit the bar before closing time, Kevin McGoff has advice on planning that next chapter.

Dec 20, 2023 8:15 AM CST

Our favorite pop culture picks in 2023

It's the time of year when The Modern Law Library hosts like to look back on the media that we've enjoyed: our annual pop culture picks episode. This year, host Lee Rawles is joined by three ABA Journal reporters: Julianne Hill, Amanda Robert and the Journal's newest employee, Anna Stolley Persky.

Dec 6, 2023 8:30 AM CST

How is the true-crime genre impacting the way people think about innocence?

While Diana Rickard didn’t consider herself a “podcast person,” her interest as an academic was piqued. She began listening to Serial and became fascinated by what she saw as a new expression of the true-crime genre, dubbing it the “New True.”

Nov 22, 2023 8:30 AM CST

Law grad turns culinary passion into TikTok fame and a brand-new cookbook

Like many others, Jon Kung figured that law school would be a safe harbor to weather the storms of the Great Recession. But after graduating in 2011, Kung changed course, becoming established in the Detroit culinary scene and hosting secret pop-up dinners.

Nov 8, 2023 8:20 AM CST

How reckoning with trauma can help you, your clients and the legal profession

Trauma-Informed Law: A Primer for Lawyer Resilience and Healing seeks to suggest not only how lawyers can provide better client service to traumatized people but also how lawyers, law students and judges can deal with their own traumas.

Oct 25, 2023 3:06 PM CDT

Transform your negotiations with a ‘win-win-win’ mindset, says author

An author and associate professor of conflict resolution proposes that we can and should adapt our framing to encompass a “win-win-win” mentality. “A win-win-win model requires paying attention to those usually not at the negotiation table.”

Oct 11, 2023 8:14 AM CDT

Tales of 3 generations of Black women intertwine to form ‘Memphis’

A Tennessee lawyer shares how her lawyerly research techniques prepared her to dig into her family’s history to develop characters in her novel focused on three generations of Black women and spanning seven decades.

Sep 27, 2023 8:40 AM CDT

Complex litigation judge has 50 ideas to simplify the courts

As both an attorney and a judge, Thomas Moukawsher has spent the majority of his career dealing in complex litigation. And the Connecticut Superior Court judge would like to make the legal system, well, less complex.

Sep 6, 2023 8:15 AM CDT

Summer reading and back-to-law-school tips

It's time for The Modern Law Library's summer recommendations episode, in which host Lee Rawles shares her pop culture picks with you, plus a re-airing of one of our older episodes with current relevance.

Aug 23, 2023 8:11 AM CDT

Trial lawyer’s tales include wins, losses and international intrigue

The year was 1961. Freshly minted attorney James J. Brosnahan had been on the job as a federal prosecutor in Phoenix for two days when he was handed his first trial: a capital murder case.

Aug 9, 2023 8:38 AM CDT

Is family court too flawed to be fixed?

Jane M. Spinak did not set out to write a book arguing for the abolition of family court. She thought that she would be making the case for a set of sensible reforms. But the more she dug into the history of the family court system, the previous attempts at reform, and the examples of real world harms that the system had caused, the more she began to believe there was no saving it.

Jul 26, 2023 8:07 AM CDT

Didn’t get it in writing? There may still be a way, says author of ‘Litigating Constructive Trusts’

“If you don’t have it in writing, you’re out of luck.” That’s the common wisdom you’ll hear. But while getting an agreement in writing is a best practice, in some cases you might have more options than you think to enforce a unwritten agreement.

Jul 12, 2023 9:00 AM CDT

‘My Mom, the Lawyer’ explores women’s work and personal lives through the eyes of their children

While directed at young children, a lawyer’s book also speaks to lawyers who are moms, letting them know that being both can be a busy but fulfilling life.

Jun 21, 2023 8:39 AM CDT