Dan Canon is a writer, civil rights and constitutional lawyer, and professor at the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, his alma mater. He has extensive experience in litigation at both the state and federal levels and has argued cases before appellate courts including the Supreme Court of Kentucky and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Interview by Sydney George, Occidental College Class of 2023

Jean Brennan was born and raised outside of Detroit, Michigan. She is a double graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Jean began her legal career as a judicial clerk for Justice James H. Brickley on the Michigan Supreme Court. In her 30 years of legal practice, she has worked for a large law firm, a small law firm, and as in-house counsel for telephone, cable, and data storage companies. For the last fourteen years, Jean has been a Staff Attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Jean and her husband have lived in Denver, Colorado, for 27 years. They have two adult daughters.

Interview by   Maddie Solomon, Occidental College Class of 2022

Marisol León is a civil rights attorney for the  California Department of Justice and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at  Occidental College in the Critical Theory and Social Justice Department.  She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School  of Law.

Interview by Sydney George, Occidental College Class of 2023

Patrick Barbary of Morgan & Barbary in Melbourne, FL is a retired attorney was in Air Force in the 1970s and later a commercial pilot for airplanes and helicopters, and also developed and owned hotels and restaurants in France and Florida in the 1980s. He then completed a AS and BS at Brevard Community College and  Rollins and obtained a JD at Stetson College of Law in St. Petersburg between 1989 and 1993. Herved as a prosecutor at the State Attorney’s Office in Melbourne 18th Judicial Circuit from 1993 to 1995 and went on to open his own law firm in 1996. He then joined longtime friend Clay Morgan and opened Morgan and Barbary in 1999. He retired from practicing law in 2014 and moved to Panama where he now enjoys farming.

Interview by Brooke Arutt, Florida State University Class of 2022

Anthony Defazio of Anthony DeFazio Law, P.C. in Beacon,  NY has been a practicing lawyer for over 20 years and specializes in  criminal defense and personal injury law. He has worked as an assistant  district attorney in Brooklyn, New York but is now working in the Hudson  Valley for his own firm. He does not only litigate criminal defense and  personal injury law, he also is experienced in DWI/DUI, drug offenses,  school offenses, auto accidents, and contract issues.

Interview by Nicholas Bellino, Binghamton University Class of 2023.

Christopher Gramiccioni was appointed as Acting Monmouth  County Prosecutor in 2012 and confirmed by the Senate in August of  2015. As a prosecutor, he has handled cases involving sexual assault,  child abuse, computer crimes, and much more. He served as a Special  Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2001 and then served as an Assistant United  States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2002 to 2011.

Interview by Sarah Samdani, Rutgers University Class of 2024

Poppi Ritacco, JD, LLM is the Administration of Justice and Legal  Studies, Coordinator / Urban Studies for the University Of Pittsburgh.  After studying Philosophy as an undergraduate and earning a J.D. from  Harvard, Poppi worked as a criminal prosecutor in Massachusetts and  Washington, D.C. She also gained experience teaching criminal and  constitutional law to law enforcement as an Attorney Advisor for the  Department of Homeland Security at the Federal Law Enforcement Training  Center (“FLETC”) in Glynco, Georgia. Poppi also has worked in the  domestic violence unit of N.H. Legal Aid. Most recently, Poppi earned a  Criminal Law LL.M. at the University of Buffalo School of Law.

Interview by Lou Kettering, University of Pittsburgh Class of 2020.

Kim Sordyl      of Sordyl Law LLC is a civil rights-focused  employment attorney in Portland, Oregon with a specialty in representing  clients in civil rights, race and sex discrimination, and #MeToo  litigation. She also advises small businesses and employees in employee  matters. She received her J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy  School of Law.

Interview by  Sydney George, Occidental College Class of 2023.

Allan Marain of the Law Offices of Allan Marain in New  Brunswick, NJ is a criminal defense attorney who has represented young  people charged with criminal offenses, juvenile delinquency, and more.  After graduating from Seton Hall University School of Law and has been  representing clients since 1976. Marain is also a member of the Legal  Committee of NORML (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws).

Interview by  Sarah Samdani, Rutgers University Class of 2024

Charles Schalk of Savo, Schalk, Gillespie, O’Grodnick  & Fisher is a successful trial attorney who has been recognized by the NJ Supreme Court as a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, an honor achieved by about 2% of all NJ attorneys. He has won several  multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements, and he continues to practice in employment law, criminal defense, civil rights, and more.

Interview by Sarah Samdani, Rutgers University Class of 2024