In 1963, the US Supreme Court ruled that all criminal defendants were guaranteed a right to counsel under the 6th and 14th Amendments. Jonathan Rapping, a former public defender and professor at John Marshall Law School, co-founded Gideon’s Promise to address the inadequacies of our public defender system by empowering motivated, passionate public defenders to work across the United States and bridge the gap between the ideal of the 6th Amendment’s right to counsel and the inadequacies of our criminal defense system. Prof. Rapping explains why a quality public defender system is so important for marginalized communities and our country as a whole, what it takes to be a great public defender, and how public defenders are addressing changes in our legal landscape.

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (00:51) - Introducing Prof. Jonathan Rapping
• (03:19) - What it takes to be a public defender
• (04:29) - How law students can maintain their empathy and humanity
• (06:43) - Prof. Rapping’s personal journey
• (08:25) - The conflict of training lawyers in public defender offices
• (10:16) - The mission of Gideon’s Promise
• (12:19) - How Gideon’s Promise trains public defenders and why it matters
• (13:47) - The real challenges public defenders face
• (17:27) - YSL, OJ Simpson, and the public perception of criminal defense lawyers
• (22:42) - Why underfunding public defense fails the American ideal
• (24:37) - How public defenders are facing legal and social changes
• (28:55) - Host takeaways and discussion

Harvard Law Professor Nicholas Stephanopoulos, a leading authority on gerrymandering and election law, explores the pivotal role that legal professionals play in safeguarding our democratic processes. Professor Stephanopoulos shares his insights on the current state of election law, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, and the ongoing challenges in campaign finance. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand why every election is crucial and how the legal community can uphold the integrity of our democracy.

Each year in the US, more than thirty thousand new law school graduates enter a crowded marketplace, joining more than a million other attorneys in practice. It should come as no surprise that many find it difficult to stand out and be seen. Each attorney may take a different approach: spending a lot of time and money on websites and SEO; maybe lucking into a high profile case; or, I don’t know, perhaps… hosting a podcast. There’s no one simple path, but each approach offers its own invaluable lessons, and all necessitate deeply understanding your audience and successfully leveraging opportunities. In this episode, we highlight one attorney who has leveraged Instagram and other social media platforms to create opportunities for herself, and we explore how her experiences can help you build your own brand.