Michael Scodro, former clerk to the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor and current partner with the law firm of Mayer Brown, joins Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey to discuss Justice O'Connor's career, impact and legacy.

Remembering U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

The @theBar podcast is taking a holiday break in November and will return in December with new content. This episode, previously released in July 2021, discusses the conservatorship of Britney Spears, providing insights that complement her new memoir, "The Woman in Me," released after the conservatorship ended in November 2021.
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In this edition, Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Jennifer Byrne are joined by California probate attorney Justin Gold to discuss a topic that is sensational, delicate, concerning, and much in the news: the conservatorship of Britney Spears. Justin explains how the conservatorship system is supposed to work, its pros, its cons, and how it – at least according to press accounts – seems to have failed Britney Spears.

The #FreeBritney Edition (Rebroadcast)

Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey are joined by attorney Patrick Salvi II to discuss the Northwestern University hazing scandal that has made national headlines in recent months. Salvi represents several former Northwestern athletes who have filed suit against the university alleging extreme instances of hazing and abuse, and negligence on the part of athletic administrators and coaches who failed to put a stop to the conduct. He discusses the cases, as well as the toxic culture within Northwestern's athletic department that enabled hazing to occur in such broad scope for so long.

The Northwestern University Hazing Scandal Explained

With the success of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster movie, we are once again living in a doll’s world. Toymaker Mattel has long had a reputation for aggressively defending its Barbie-related intellectual property. Hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey are joined by K&L Gates partner, Alexis Crawford Douglas, to discuss the intellectual property aspects of the movie, the origin story of the Barbie doll and the most interesting and impactful IP cases that have been part of the ongoing quest to protect the iconic doll brand.

The World’s Most Famous Doll (Who Shall Remain Nameless for Legal Reasons) Goes to Court to Protect Her Brand

Nearly every person has had the frustrating experience of being told that an appliance or piece of electronic equipment cannot be repaired. Why are we told that a laptop cannot be repaired when the battery dies or that our dishwasher needs to be replaced when the electronic control panel malfunctions? In this episode, hosts Trisha Rich and Jennifer Byrne chat with Gay Gordon-Byrne, founder of the Digital Right to Repair Coalition (repair.org), about the far-reaching economic and environmental benefits of empowering consumers by protecting their right to repair their own stuff.

The Right to Repair Your Stuff with Gay Gordon-Byrne

As the saying goes, if you don't make time for your health now, you'll be forced to make time for your health problems later. In this episode, hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich chat with Jonathan Mraunac, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of GCM Partners, and all-around wellness enthusiast about the struggle many lawyers face in prioritizing their health and well-being. Jonathan shares manageable tips for lawyers to balance the four main categories of health: diet, exercise, mental health and sleep.

Not Your Average Wellness Podcast for Lawyers

In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio speaks with one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and the man famously known for predicting 9/11, Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation. They discuss Mr. Jenkins' historical work as an advisor to many U.S. Presidents and governments on terrorism, as well as the current state of domestic political violence and terrorism in America. In this riveting discussion, Mr. Jenkins shares his advice for how we can develop a pragmatic strategy to combat the rising tide of violence in today's tumultuous world.

Defending Against Domestic Violent Extremism: A Discussion with Brian Michael Jenkins

This month marks 5 years CBA's @theBar bringing you interesting and unscripted conversations about legal news, events, topics, stories and whatever else strikes our fancy. Celebrate this milestone with us by delving back into our amazing catalogue of past episodes. We'll back with more great content next month!

Celebrating 5 Years of Podcasting

Should reparations be given, and if so, who should get reparations and what form should they take? These are questions the U.S. has been pondering since General Sherman made the largely unanswered call for 40 acres and mule to be allotted to emancipated slaves during the Civil War. In this episode, hosts Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Jennifer Byrne are joined by the Mayor of the City of Evanston, Illinois, Daniel Biss, to discuss how Evanston has sought to implement the country’s first-of-its-kind reparations program, which seeks to distribute reparations to Black residents who were impacted by the city’s historical housing discrimination using revenue from cannabis taxation. Mayor Biss discusses the challenges the program has raised and how it may serve as a model for other U.S. cities looking to implement similar programs.

A Closer Look at the U.S.’ First Reparations Program with Evanston’s Mayor Daniel Biss

In fall 1982, seven people in the Chicagoland area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, and no one knew why or who might be next. Law enforcement quickly determined that the poisoned bottles had been placed on store shelves to kill unsuspecting customers. But who would commit such a heinous act? What was their motive? Those questions would elude investigators for decades, making this one of the U.S.' most notorious unsolved cases. Award-winning investigative reporters Stacy St. Clair and Christy Gutowski of the Chicago Tribune have uncovered new and critical clues in the case and have detailed their findings in their new true crime podcast, "Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders." In this episode of CBA’s @theBar, they join hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey to discuss what they uncovered and what the future may hold for the investigation.
 
In addition to this episode, we encourage you to listen to the Chicago Tribune’s full podcast series discussing the case which is available on a variety of platforms available at the following link: Home - Tylenol Murders 40th Anniversary (chicagotylenolmurders.com).
 

The Tylenol Murders: Discussing New Evidence in the Unsolved Case

Recently retired Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and journalist and television personality, Gretchen Carlson, join our hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey for discussion about the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the Speak Out Act which were both signed into law in late 2022 by President Joe Biden. As a result of these legal reforms, individuals can no longer be forced to arbitrate claims of sexual assault or harassment and can no longer be prevented from bringing sexual assault or harassment claims due to nondisclosure agreements. Our guests explain what these new laws mean for American workers and how they protect individuals who experience sexual assault and harassment.

Cheri Bustos and Gretchen Carlson: A Discussion About Legal Reforms for Sexual Assault and Harassment Victims

@theBar wishes to honor the career of retired Cook County judge William J. "Bill" Kunkle Jr. after his recent passing by re-broadcasting our interview with him about his experience as the chief trial prosecutor on the John Wayne Gacy case. The episode originally aired on February 6, 2019.
The Killer Clown Edition: The Prosecution of John Wayne Gacy
American serial killer and rapist, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., became notorious for the mass murder of at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the late 1970s. December 2018 marked the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the mass grave beneath his home, which shocked the American public and shattered the image of the safe suburban community. This episode provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the crimes and prosecution of the man dubbed the “The Killer Clown” by William “Bill” Kunkle, the lead prosecutor who took him on and sent him to his eventual execution.

The Killer Clown Edition: The Prosecution of John Wayne Gacy (Rebroadcast)

In March 1960, Illinois Starved Rock State Park became the site of the brutal murder and possible sexual assault of three middle-aged women who were visiting the park from nearby Chicago. Authorities quickly identified Chester Weger as the primary suspect, and he promptly confessed and was locked away for life. However, in the decades since, Weger has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Weger was paroled in 2020 after spending almost six decades in prison. Now, Weger is seeking to use DNA evidence to clear his name. His defense attorneys Andy Hale and Celeste Stack join Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich to discuss the background and most recent revelations in Weger’s case and make the argument for Weger’s innocence.

Starved Rock Murders: The Case for Chester Weger’s Innocence

In this special Halloween episode, @theBar gets into the spooky spirit with author-historian, podcaster and tour guide Adam Selzer of Mysterious Chicago. Adam regales hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey with tales of Chicago's haunted past from graveyard ghosts to notorious serial killers. Learn about the Chicago resident who had his house legally declared haunted, the truth behind the Candyman urban legend, the lore surrounding H.H. Holmes and his alleged "Murder Castle," and much more in this spine-tingling edition.

Legal Ghost Stories with Author-Historian Adam Selzer

In this edition, decorated former federal prosecutor and partner at Perkins Coie, Markus Funk, joins the podcast to discuss his book, Rethinking Self-Defence: The 'Ancient Right's' Rationale Disentangled, with hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Jennifer Byrne. Funk reframes recent headline-making self-defense cases such as the Rittenhouse and Arbery cases, explores the underlying values of our self-defense laws, and makes surprising revelations about how self-defense laws in the United States compare to those abroad.

Rethinking Self-Defense with Markus Funk

On the morning of July 4, 2022, thousands of people were gathered to watch the annual Independence Day Parade in the suburban community of Highland Park, Illinois, when a gunman opened fire into the crowd, killing seven people and wounding dozens of others. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and the City's Corporation Counsel Steve Elrod join Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich to discuss the events and aftermath of that horrific day as well as the legal measures they believe must be taken to prevent such tragedies from happening again in the future. The episode also features commentary from several paradegoers.

Mass Shooting in Highland Park: An Interview with Mayor Nancy Rotering and Corporation Counsel Steve Elrod

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer the right to abortion and overruled both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, thus returning the power to define abortion rights and restrictions to the states. In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Trisha Rich are joined by Michelle Wetzel, General Counsel of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, for a discussion about the Dobbs decision and its impact on women's ability to access abortion care throughout the United States.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization: A Conversation with Michelle Wetzel General Counsel of Planned Parenthood of Illinois

This episode was previously recorded in 2019 before the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, but the conversation is just as relevant today. In this edition, co-hosts Jon Amarilio and Chastidy Burns are joined by Katie Watson, a lawyer, professor, bioethicist, and the author of “Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law and Politics of Ordinary Abortion.” Katie makes the argument that we need to start having real conversations about ordinary abortion because it impacts millions of Americans, and can help us unpack many other social issues, including civil rights, religion, socioeconomic stratification and more.

The Scarlet A Edition (Rebroadcast)

In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Trisha Rich are joined by Colonel Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman, who served as a deputy legal advisor on the National Security Council (NSC) and came to national prominence after he and his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, jointly reported former President Trump to the NSC for attempting to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for negative information about his then political opponent, Joe Biden. Colonel Vindman is a JAG Officer and an expert in the law of armed conflict, military law, government ethics, and national security law. He joins the podcast to provide an overview of rules-based international law and the law of war in the context of Russia's War in Ukraine, as well as the United Nations' role in preventing wars of aggression.

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