Category: Podcast

The Electoral College and Your Vote

EPISODE SUMMARY: Two of the last five presidential elections were won by people who lost the popular vote, a risk inherent to the Electoral College system. David’s guests Michael Fox, assistant professor of business law and pre-law advisor at Mount Saint Mary College, and Howard Schaffer, founder of Media Marketing, discuss how the history of … Continued

Anatomy of a Recount, Bush v. Gore with John Hardin Young

EPISODE SUMMARY: Jack Young, of counsel at Sandler Reiff in Washington, DC, and an expert on election law, discusses his work on the 2000 Bush v. Gore recount – from the Gore team’s pre-dawn rush to Tallahassee to its rifts on strategy. Attempts to create a standard by which all “chads” could be judged brought … Continued

The Chair of NYSBAs New Women in Law Section Talks About #MeToo

EPISODE SUMMARY: Susan Harper, Managing Director NY/NJ, Bates Group, and David discuss women’s rights issues in the context of history and the present-day #MeToo movement. While noting “blips” in progress, Harper is optimistic, seeing #MeToo as a pivotal point that has inspired women to be more active in everything from politics to the workplace.

Responding to Zero Tolerance Immigration Policy

EPISODE SUMMARY: Camille Mackler, director of immigration legal policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, and Sarah Rogerson, professor of law and director of Albany Law School’s Immigration Law Clinic, talk with David about bringing legal services to the more than 300 asylum-seeking refugees abruptly transferred to the Albany County jail in summer 2018 by … Continued

Rule of Law | with Lesley Rosenthal and Hank Greenberg

EPISODE SUMMARY: Lesley Rosenthal, chief operating officer of the Juilliard School, and Hank Greenberg, partner at Greenberg Traurig, join David for a lively – and timely – discussion about the rule of law, the bedrock of a free and democratic society. At its essence, the rule of law provides that no one is above the … Continued

A Nomination to the Supreme Court with Vincent Bonventre

EPISODE SUMMARY: Vincent Bonventre, the Justice Robert H. Jackson Distinguished Professor at Albany Law School, talks to David about the roots of today’s hyper-partisan Supreme Court nomination battles, discusses the myth of constitutional “originalism,” and dispels the notion that a time existed when politics were not the chief motivator for a Court nomination.

The Conscience of the Newsroom | Ken Screven

EPISODE SUMMARY: Ken Screven, the first African-American television reporter and news anchor in Albany, discusses encountering racism as he joined WRGB, his insistence on relating the humanity and heart behind the news and how the art and craft of reporting is succumbing to the demands of the market-driven news cycle.

Law School Reconsidered | with Alicia Ouellette

EPISODE SUMMARY: Alicia Ouellette, dean of Albany Law School, talks with David about how law school curriculum must move in parallel with the changing practice of law, the JD advantage, and how the best predictor of students’ success isn’t their LSATs – it’s their passion and commitment.

All History Is Local

EPISODE SUMMARY: Kathy Baxter, NYSBA’s general counsel, and Victor Cardona, an intellectual property attorney, talk with David about turning 1830s townhouses into modern office space, Albany’s rich history, and where in Albany you might have a chance of seeing a ghost.

Closest to the People: Town and Village Justice Courts

EPISODE SUMMARY: Kathy Suchocki is NYSBA’s senior director of Continuing Legal Education and Law Practice Management. When she isn’t busy with her day job, she takes her seat several times a month on the bench of the Town Justice Court in Halfmoon, NY, to adjudicate a wide range of matters.