Episode Summary

In this episode of the Jabot Podcast, host Kathryn Rubino speaks with Molly Coleman, Executive Director of the People's Parity Project (PPP) and newly elected St. Paul City Council member, about organizing within the legal profession and redefining the role lawyers play in democracy.

Coleman shares how her early work in public education inspired her to pursue law as a tool for systemic change, and how the People's Parity Project grew from a small group of law students into a national organizing force challenging corporate power, forced arbitration, and inequities embedded within the legal system.

The conversation explores the ideological shaping of law students, the long-term influence of legal movements, and the importance of building alternative pathways for lawyers who want to advance social and economic justice. Coleman also reflects on organizing during political crisis, the limits of courts as vehicles for change, and why community action — not institutions alone — ultimately drives democratic resilience.

This episode offers a candid look at legal activism, professional responsibility, and what it means for lawyers to engage both inside and outside systems of power.

Links & Resources

• Home - People's Parity Project

Keywords

People's Parity Project Molly Coleman Legal organizing Law student activism Legal profession reform Forced arbitration Non-disclosure agreements Legal activism Democracy and law Popular constitutionalism Legal organizing movements Corporate power and law Lawyers and social change Legal education reform Political organizing Community lawyering Judicial power Legal profession ideology Public interest law Law and democracy

Episode Highlights

00:04–00:26 - Molly Coleman's path from public education to law school 00:26–01:50 - Seeking systemic change beyond direct service work 01:50–03:14 - Law school expectations versus institutional realities 03:14–04:23 - The Me Too movement and the origins of the People's Parity Project 04:23–05:24 - Early organizing against forced arbitration and NDAs 05:24–07:08 - Social media organizing and unexpected influence on Big Law 07:08–08:53 - How PPP evolved from a student project into a national organization 08:53–11:27 - Ideological shaping of law students and counterbalancing dominant narratives 11:27–12:53 - Why organizing lawyers matters for long-term political change 12:53–15:40 - Misconceptions about the political ideology of the legal profession 15:40–17:55 - Political pressures on law firms and the profession's shifting landscape 17:55–19:18 - Crisis in Minnesota and limits of relying on courts for protection 19:18–20:16 - Popular constitutionalism and people-powered resistance 20:16–22:33 - How lawyers can contribute during political and social crises 22:33–24:23 - Transitioning from organizer to elected official 24:23–26:27 - The future of legal organizing and building democratic resilience