Aspen Leading Edge

143: Covering Cases on YouTube with Jo Potuto

Jo Potuto, University of Nebraska – Lincoln College of Law, shares the story of creating her YouTube channel, Prof Jo Explains, where she covers trials, hearings, and all things law. She gives an example of one of the cases she is covering and who watches her videos.

142: NextGen and Torts with Shannon Conway and Meijken Westenskow

Shannon Conway and Meijken Westenskow, both at the University of North Texas – Dallas, discuss the first edition of their book, Skills for NextGen: Client Scenarios in Torts. They share stories about the process of writing the book, as well as different ways to apply it in the torts classroom or for bar preparation.

141: Debt’s Grip with Deborah Thorne, Pamela Foohey, and Robert Lawless

Deborah Thorne, University of Idaho; Pamela Foohey, University of Georgia; and Robert Lawless, University of Illinois, discuss their new book, Debt’s Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy, which draws on data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, where they are all co-investigators. They discuss notable chapters that examine bankruptcy by age, race, and gender.

140: Earth Law with Grant Wilson

Grant Wilson, Executive Director of Earth Law Center, talks about the second edition of his book, Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law – A Guide for Practitioners. He shares new information included in the book and how the subject is applicable for every aspect of law. He also gives examples of topics discussed in the book such as Animal Law, Ecocide, and Bioregional Governance.

139: AI as a First Draft with Judge Xavier Rodriguez

Judge Xavier Rodriguez discusses the different AI and legal research tools emerging in the profession as well as the importance of proofreading AI results. He also shares the evolution of technology in the courtroom such as cell phone evidence and disappearing apps.

138: Nonprofit Law with Elizabeth Schmidt and Allen Madison

Elizabeth Schmidt of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Allen Madison of the University of South Dakota discuss the fourth edition of their coursebook, Nonprofit Law: The Life Cycle of a Charitable Organization. They share updates to the book and discuss how nonprofit law has changed. There is also discussion about OpenAI's transition from nonprofit to for-profit status and what that could mean for the company's future.

137: The First Year as Dean with Usha Rodrigues

Dean Usha Rodrigues of the University of Georgia School of Law reflects on her first year as law school dean. She discusses her vision for the law school, emphasizing the importance of excellence and access in legal education. Dean Rodrigues highlights the school's commitment to producing well-rounded graduates and the exciting developments in admissions and programs, including a focus on sports law and corporate counsel.

136: Building Bridges with Mark Alexander

Dean Mark Alexander, Villanova University, reflects on ten years as a dean and his time as president of the Association of American Law Schools. He also discusses the Building Bridge Initiative at Villanova, which highlights two perspectives on specific topics and underscores the importance of civil discourse. Dean Alexander also speaks about having Pope Leo XIV as an alum.

135: Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law with Lisa Lerman, Philip Schrag, and Robert Rubinson

Lisa Lerman, Columbus School of Law, Philip Schrag, Georgetown Law, and Robert Rubinson, University of Baltimore, discuss the seventh edition of their casebook, Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law. They share an example of a problem found in the book and how they incorporate polling into their Professional Responsibility class. They also share details on the newly expanded section on government lawyers.

134: Mimicking the Litigation Process with Veronica Finkelstein and Kristin Walker

Veronica Finkelstein, Wilmington University, and Kristin Walker, Syracuse University, discuss the first edition of their coursebook, Case Closed: A Practical Guide to Mastering Pretrial Advocacy. They share the importance of including case files and how the text differs from NITA. They talk about how they kept the NextGen Bar Exam in mind when creating the exercises in the book.