Service Roads: Conversations on the Law and Social Justice

James Forman Jr. is a law professor at Yale, a former public defender, and co-founder of the Maya Angelou Academy. In episode 12, you will hear Mr. Forman's speech to the Public Defender Service in Washington D.C. in which he talked about what led him to write his book "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America". In episode 13, Mr. Forman graciously took part in an exclusive interview with Service Roads, where he provides incredible insight into the problem of mass incarceration, and necessary reforms to legal education.

James Forman Jr. is a law professor at Yale, a former public defender, and co-founder of the Maya Angelou Academy. In episode 12, you will hear Mr. Forman's speech to the Public Defender Service in Washington D.C. in which he talked about what led him to write his book "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America". In episode 13, Mr. Forman graciously took part in an exclusive interview with Service Roads, where he provides incredible insight into the problem of mass incarceration, and necessary reforms to legal education.

In this episode, we spoke with James Boffetti, the assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire, about his state's lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies manufacturing opioids. New Hampshire is in the midst of an incredibly large heroin epidemic, which has led Mr. Boffetti's office to bring charges against Purdue Pharma, one of the country's leading manufacturers of synthetic opioids.

Sarah Eckhardt is the first female to hold the office of Travis County Judge. In this episode we talk to her about SB4, how the criminal justice system mishandles the problem of mental health, and what cities can do to make sure each individual that comes in contact with the criminal legal system is afforded equal protections.

Anthony Graves was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 18 years on death row. In this episode, Mr. Graves shares his story along with his insights about how the criminal justice system - and the actors within it - needs to change in order to truly ensure that justice is served.

Katy Dyer is the director of holistic defense at the Capital Area Private Defender Service (CAPDS) in Austin, TX. In this episode, she speaks to us about how indigent clients are provided with counsel in a city, like Austin, where no state-funded public defender service exists. CAPDS is revolutionizing how people charged with crimes in Travis County obtain adequate legal representation for their cases.

Loyola University of New Orleans law professor Bill Quigley speaks to us about what it means to be a social justice lawyer. Mr. Quigley is the director of the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola, and has served as counsel on numerous social justice issues. He is also the author of two great books, "Ending Poverty As We Know It" and "Storms Still Raging: Katrina, New Orleans and Social Justice".

Thomas Harvey, co-founder of Arch City Defenders, talks about the criminalization of poverty in St. Louis, a city where traffic tickets often lead to jail time for the city's poor.

Ann Baddour of Texas Appleseed speaks about the extraordinary problem of predatory payday lending agencies, and how their loans are structured to keep borrowers in perpetual debt.

Stephanie Toti, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, talked to us about her experience as lead counsel in the landmark Supreme Court case, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. In that case, Toti scored a huge victory for reproductive rights when the Court held Texas regulations aimed at restricting abortion access were unconstitutional.

Kevin De Liban, an attorney at Legal Aid of Arkansas, speaks with us about the difficulties rural communities face in obtaining adequate civil legal services.

Janelle Orsi of the Sustainable Economies Law Center spoke to us about the sharing economy, and the ways transactional law can help ordinary citizens take control of their - and their community's - economic future.

Michael Seifert of the Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network and Kevin Layde, an immigration attorney in Milwaukee, WI, spoke to us about the issues facing immigrants in two very different areas of the country.

Service Roads addresses social justice issues from a legal perspective. We talk with lawyers, professors, advocates and organizers working in many disciplines to find out what the issues are and what law students can do to make a difference in their community right now, and for the rest of their lives. Our purpose is to expose law students to what it’s like when they choose a different path. We hope to inspire this next generation of lawyers to follow in the tracks of those who have staked out a position on the front lines against poverty, inequality, and injustice.