Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files

In the aftermath of 9/11, thousands of trial lawyers came together to help victims and their families pro bono through an initiative called Trial Lawyers Care, launched by the American Association for Justice (AAJ). In this episode, Linda Lipsen of AAJ, Leo Boyle of Meehan Boyle, a Keches Law Firm, and Christopher Placitella of Cohen, Placitella, Roth & Goslee, PC reflect on this historic rapid response, the creation of a groundbreaking compensation system, and what can be accomplished when the legal community unites in service of the public good.

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For the 25th anniversary of September 11, Pursuing Justice host Alicia Aiken spoke with PLI’s Janet Siegel and Jesse Sands about their experiences on that tragic day in New York. They share their memories of uncertainty, profound loss, and the acts of care that helped colleagues find their way home, and discuss PLI’s efforts to offer useful programming in the wake of this and subsequent disasters.

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Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

As summer winds down and college football season gets underway, Pursuing Justice shares a fun story that brings school rivalry, trademark law, and a pint-sized joke together in one surprising pro bono case. Hear from Eric Ball and Todd Gregorian, of Fenwick & West, about their work on a dispute involving a legendary Ann Arbor watering hole’s “Buckeye Tears”— and explore the many ways IP lawyers can offer pro bono support to small businesses and other clients.

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Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

In this episode, Sarah Carver and Lauren Kellogg, of Alaska Legal Services, and Nikole Nelson, of Frontline Justice, discuss how Alaska’s Community Justice Worker program is helping to close the access to justice gap by training trusted community members to provide limited legal support in places where lawyers are scarce. Hear how this work empowers low-income families navigating complex benefits, debt, housing, and safety issues — and why the community justice worker model is gaining momentum in other states

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Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Hear about the Nonhuman Rights Project’s efforts to use habeas corpus to challenge the confinement of highly intelligent animals, and to push courts to recognize how the law could evolve over time. Connecting animal rights advocacy to earlier civil rights movements, advocates Evan Wolfson, Shannon Minter, Kevin Schneider, and Jake Davis illustrate the power of pro bono — along with long-term litigation, storytelling, and persistence — to move seemingly novel rights claims toward broader acceptance.

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Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

What does it take to evolve the law? In the first of a two-part episode of Pursuing Justice, Alicia Aiken speaks with two giants of civil rights litigation, Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry Global and Shannon Minter of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, about the long arc of marriage equality — from early legal and cultural resistance, to the nationwide victory in Obergefell v. Hodges. Hear how a combination of pro bono power, strategy, and persistence can lead to change.

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Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

In a series of lightning-round interviews recorded onsite at the Pro Bono Institute’s annual conference, Pursuing Justice host Alicia Aiken and Nihad Mansour, host of PBI’s Pro Bono Happy Hour, hear inspiring pro bono stories and insights from dedicated pro bono practitioners.

Guests include Sirena Castillo (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips), Sara Ghadiri (Chapman and Cutler), Elba Gutiérrez Castillo (Greenberg Traurig), Sateesh Nori (LawDroid), Jim Sandman (University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School), Brian Soja (LPL Financial) and Angela Vigil (Baker McKenzie).

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Survivors of human trafficking are often burdened with legal and financial issues through no fault of their own. In this episode, hear how pro bono support can make a difference. Host Alicia Aiken speaks with Eve Runyon, of the Pro Bono Institute, and Sarah Dohoney Byrne, of Moore & Van Allen, about a credit-repair clinic established through a partnership between PBI and the National Survivor Law Collective that is helping survivors block trafficking-related debts from their credit reports — often fast enough to unlock housing, jobs, and financial stability.

Explore our Pro Bono programs and resources

Learn about our Pro Bono Memberships and Scholarships for qualified organizations and individuals

Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.

Tiela Chalmers, the recipient of PLI’s second Victor J. Rubino Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Training, talks with Alicia Aiken about her impactful career, including her contributions to California’s disaster response infrastructure, her widely used poverty workshop, and her years of teaching with PLI.

For the third year running, Pursuing Justice host Alicia Aiken and attorney (and fellow movie buff) John Whitcomb explore the surprising themes of pro bono and access to justice running through Oscar-nominated films from various decades.

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