Talk Justice An LSC Podcast

Guests from a Kansas pro bono partnership discuss how private businesses and in-house attorneys can support legal aid initiatives in their communities on Talk Justice. In 2017, Koch was interested in making pro bono work an official part of the company, but learned that Kansas rules did not allow in-house attorneys who are licensed by outside states to provide local pro bono services. Koch worked with KLS to get the rule changed, demonstrating that the demand for free legal help greatly exceeded the supply of legal aid lawyers. Ever since, Koch attorneys have engaged in an ongoing partnership with KLS to provide pro bono expungement and driver's license restoration clinics.

Experts discuss improving housing stability through collaboration between landlords, legal aid and other partners on Talk Justice. This panel discussion was recorded at LSC's April 9 Access to Justice forum. LSC recently released a research brief on this topic, “Beyond Eviction: Landlords as Essential Partners in Housing Stability.”

Legal and tech experts come together on Talk Justice to discuss what generative AI is, how the growth of algorithmic decision-making can harm low-income people, and the need for people and institutions implementing AI to develop robust methodologies.

Guests from a Wisconsin program creating web platforms that help users solve legal problems discuss their Legal Tune Up tools on Talk Justice. LIFT, or Legal Interventions for Transforming Wisconsin, was formed by lawyers and nonprofit leaders who wanted to create resources to address the access to justice crisis in their state. Leveraging the state's public databases like Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, commonly referred to as CCAP, they have developed free, web-based tools that allow users to identify and solve some of their civil legal issues without assistance from a lawyer.

Legal tech innovators discuss how they are working to scale and improve their successful projects on Talk Justice. FosterPower and Legal Aid Content Intelligence (LACI) leverage technology to make high-quality legal information available to people for free online. Both also received Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) from the Legal Services Corporation to launch their projects. Then, in 2024 they were both selected for a different TIG, called the Sustainability, Enhancement and Adoption (SEA) grant. This funding supports TIG projects that have demonstrated excellent results as they improve their tools and work to increase uptake.

The 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, the Honorable Nathan L. Hecht retired from the bench at the end of 2024 as the longest-serving member in the history of the Texas Supreme Court. In this conversation, Hecht reflects on how his time on the bench shaped his perspective on access to justice. He describes the current challenges that civil courts face and shares what recent innovations he finds most exciting.

In celebration of its landmark 100th episode, Talk Justice hosts join in a special conversation about the most memorable guests, moments and lessons from the show. In addition to show highlights, they also consider the larger discourse around the civil justice system. Talk Justice originally launched in August of 2020. The podcast has brought together legal experts, technologists, business leaders, community organizers and government officials for thoughtful conversations about ending the access-to-justice crisis.   A new media kit and resource page about the show is now available online.

Recorded live from the 25th annual Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC), legal tech experts discuss their artificial intelligence (AI) projects and AI's future potential for expanding legal services on Talk Justice. The live podcast recording at ITC took place in Phoenix, Arizona on January 14. At the conference, more than 700 professionals from legal, tech and other backgrounds gathered to attend panels and join conversations about access to justice, legal aid, courts and the evolving role of technology. AI was a major theme at the conference, where more than 300 people also attended a pre-conference AI Summit.

Legal aid and tech experts discuss self-help kiosks on the latest episode of Talk Justice. The under-resourcing of legal aid makes it impossible to provide meaningful legal help to every person who needs it. Many providers build and share educational materials and self-help resources online to help fill the gaps, but those without access to a personal computer or smartphone may not be able to access these resources. Self-help legal kiosks offer adaptable access.

Legal experts share the impactful tech projects they have contributed to, and the struggles and successes of getting volunteer lawyers to engage with tech tools on Talk Justice. Oswald's project at Legal Aid Society uses automation and AI to handle record expungements more efficiently. Seely has seen great success from a project that allows people with medical debt from Chattanooga's Erlanger Hospital to engage in alternative dispute resolution fully online.

Legal scholars discuss the American Academy of Arts & Sciences' new report, “Achieving Civil Justice: A Framework for Collaboration,” on Talk Justice. Since 2014, the Academy's Making Justice Accessible project. has highlighted the scale of the civil justice gap by recognizing its social, economic and human costs, and calling for improved data collection. The project is also looking ahead to set standards for civil justice and to ensure all Americans have meaningful access to justice.

Veterans and legal experts discuss wrap-around services to address the needs of veterans with substance use disorder on Talk Justice. Many veterans live with mental or behavioral health challenges, including traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder. Approximately 1 in 10 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from some form of substance abuse. And according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the rate of opioid use disorder among veterans is almost double that of the general population. Civil legal aid, the U.S. Department of Justice and Veterans Courts provide vital assistance for veterans facing a substance use disorder, from obtaining health care benefits to securing treatment. This discussion originally took place at LSC's November 19 event, “Honor in Justice: Supporting America's Veterans.”

Legal aid staff in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina discuss their wide-ranging hurricane response efforts on Talk Justice. In the wake of devastating hurricanes in the southeast, legal aid organizations are mobilizing to provide emergency assistance and recovery services. The legal aid providers stress the importance of legal services becoming engrained in the disaster response ecosystem so that other recovery organizations know to refer people to legal aid, and legal aid knows where to refer clients with non-legal issues.

Experts discuss the professionalization of pro bono legal services on Talk Justice. Pro bono work is often thought of as a side project that lawyers perform, but legal aid organizations that can rely on full-time staff have increased opportunities to expand services and provide more intensive client service through pro bono. A growing number of people and firms are making pro bono their full-time occupations and bringing professionalism to this area of legal practice. 

Legal aid directors from Minnesota and Arkansas discuss their multi-faceted efforts to attract and retain high-quality attorneys and other staff on Talk Justice. It's no secret that legal aid does not lead to the highest potential salaries in the profession. While legal aid has much to offer in terms of opportunities for high-impact, rewarding work, program directors must be creative to attract and retain staff with their limited resources.

Legal experts discuss their research into civil legal services and initiatives for addressing the access to justice crisis. Stanford's Rhode Center is partnering with the Legal Design Lab and the Superior Court of Los Angeles County to collaboratively research, design and implement innovative, evidence-based approaches to improve access to justice for court users. Also, a look into the history of auto clubs shows how UPL has evolved.

Dean Andrew Perlman of Suffolk Law School joins host Cat Moon for a discussion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and legal ethics on Talk Justice. Perlman authored an article in February of this year, “The Legal Ethics of Generative AI,” which describes how lawyers can use generative AI while satisfying their ethical obligations.

An attorney who has provided civil legal services to people experiencing homelessness shares her perspective on Talk Justice. Carolyn Perez is passionate about correcting common misconceptions around homelessness, saying those we see on the street are only “the tip of the iceberg,” and many families who are homeless are invisible. Perez also describes how legal problems like medical debt, domestic violence and natural disaster recovery contribute to the loss of housing.

Experts discuss the findings from a new survey on Americans' knowledge of civil legal issues on Talk Justice. The recent survey of more than 2,000 Americans was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of LSC. It revealed widespread misconceptions about civil legal rights, and that many people do not reach out for help with their civil legal problems.

Guests from Kansas and Tennessee discuss the growth of medical debt lawsuits, their impact on patients, and efforts to mitigate these suits on Talk Justice. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on this issue in Kansas in an article, “In This Kansas Courtroom, the Hospital Dominates the Docket.” A hospital sued 400 of the 9,000 people living in Pratt County over a period of less than a year. Meanwhile, a Tennessee pilot program gives patients a better option through online dispute resolution.

Legal aid leaders from Florida and Illinois reflect on four years of remote court and consider the benefits and limits of virtual appearances, as well as the inconsistent policies surrounding them on Talk Justice.

United States Senator Ben Cardin joins LSC President Ron Flagg to discuss his perspective on access to justice as a legislator and lawyer on Talk Justice. The Maryland Senator shared about his time in the state's general assembly chairing Maryland Legal Services Corporation, as well as the “Cardin Requirement” at the University of Maryland's Francis King Carey School of Law and his thoughts on the justice gap.

Legal tech researchers discuss their recent field study of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for legal aid on Talk Justice. Colleen Chien and Miriam Kim authored a paper on their research, “Generative AI and Legal Aid: Results from a Field Study and 100 Use Cases to Bridge the Access to Justice Gap,” which was published in April. The co-authors wanted to advance the conversation around generative AI for access to justice with data. Bréyon Austin, a participant in the study, also offers her perspective.

Guests from a successful St. Louis collaboration discuss Legal Services of Eastern Missouri's (LSEM) Neighborhood Advocacy Program on Talk Justice. There are 24,000 vacancies and abandoned properties in St. Louis. LSEM was inspired by Legal Aid of Western Missouri's Adopt-a-Neighborhood program in Kansas City to start their own revitalization project. In 2018, they launched the Neighborhood Advocacy Program to start tackling the legal problems that create lingering neighborhood blight.  

Legal tech experts discuss their research and experiments with generative artificial intelligence (AI) for legal services on Talk Justice. Executive Director of the Legal Design Lab Margaret Hagan talks about her research into whether AI is worth the hype for access to justice. Lawyer and NYU professor Sateesh Nori shares his experience with utilizing AI for housing legal services.

Bestselling author and lawyer John Grisham joins LSC Board Member Robert Grey for a conversation on how his journey from small-town lawyer to big-time author influenced his philanthropic priorities and made him an advocate for access to justice. Grey, who serves as president of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, interviewed Grisham at a D.C. forum for LSC's 50th anniversary on April 9.

Guests from the online bankruptcy service Upsolve and Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) discuss a new, free web resource for people struggling with student debt on Talk Justice. PLA received funding from a 2023 LSC Technology Initiative Grant for the project and brought on Upsolve to develop the tools. Their goal is to raise awareness of available debt relief programs and provide guided assistance for qualified borrowers to pursue student debt elimination.

Former legal aid program directors discuss their lessons learned and current concerns on Talk Justice. Jon Asher, former executive director of Colorado Legal Services with 51 years in civil legal aid work, hosts the conversation with guests Marilyn Harp, former Kansas Legal Services executive director for 17 years, Steve Gottlieb, former Atlanta Legal Aid executive director for 42 years, and José Padilla, former California Rural Legal Services executive director for 38 years.

Experts discuss the vast funding gap in legal tech. LSC President Ron Flagg hosts the conversation with guests Bob Ambrogi, lawyer and award-winning legal tech journalist, and Cat Moon, director of innovation design for the Program on Law and Innovation at Vanderbilt Law School. Inspired by Ambrogi's recent LawSites article, they discuss how tech companies, big law firms and corporate law departments could step up to help close the justice gap.

Experts discuss resources for disaster preparedness and recovery on this episode of Talk Justice. As natural disasters become more frequent, LSC and First Street Foundation have collaborated to bring HeartlandDisasterHelp.org to life. The website empowers residents across ten states in America's heartland that have faced significant flooding, windstorms, extreme heat and wildfires over the past decade. Also, legal services providers in Oklahoma and Nebraska share how disasters effect their clients.

Legal tech experts discuss generative AI and its applications for legal services on the latest episode of Talk Justice. The episode was recorded live at LSC's recent Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC) in Charlotte, NC. AI was a major topic at the co

As generative AI continues to dominate headlines, social media posts and conversations around legal technology, legal tech experts discuss other significant innovations taking place in the legal field on LSC's Talk Justice podcast. Also—a sneak peak of the content at this year's Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC).

Former Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) Executive Director and current Frontline Justice Founding CEO Nikole Nelson joins LSC President Ron Flagg for a conversation on using community justice workers to expand access to legal services on Talk Justice. She explains Alaska's success with the initiative and discusses her vision for bringing justice workers to more communities. 

Experts discuss a new report on the causes and consequences of eviction in Montana, as well as the impact of eviction on U.S. children. The recently released “Montana Eviction Impact Report: Beyond Housing Affordability” surveyed evicted Montanans on the socioeconomic factors that led to their eviction and the impacts that it had on their household after the fact. Also, the author of a moving op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune discusses his childhood experience with eviction.

Experts discuss building tools, running experiments and sharing information to help legal professionals better understand uses for generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal field on this episode of Talk Justice. Host Cat Moon is joined by Sam Harden, program manager at Pro Bono Net, and Shellie Reid, manager of Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project.

Experts discuss the status of alternative legal service delivery models, the various forces pushing regulatory reform forward and the biggest obstacles to changing the legal system on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. Inspired by a recent report from the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), “Community & Cooperation: Action Steps Toward Unlocking Legal Regulation,” host Cat Moon brought Stacy Rupprecht Jane and Lucian Pera together for a conversation that approaches regulatory reform from diverse angles.

Experts discuss how legal services contribute to veteran suicide prevention on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. The most recent data places the veteran suicide rate at 57% higher than non-veterans. Research indicates that social factors contribute to veterans' suicide risk. Many of these factors that harm veterans' mental health relate to civil legal problems that can be addressed with the help of an attorney. For more information on veterans' legal needs and helpful resources, visit lsc.gov/spotlight-veterans-rights.

In recognition of Pro Bono Week, experts discuss new developments in legal aid pro bono engagements on LSC's Talk Justice. The conversation highlights the JPMorgan Chase Pro Bono Fellowship and partnership with Northeast New Jersey Legal Services, as well as a look at the past decade of LSC's Pro Bono Innovation Fund.

Legal aid lawyers discuss the challenges to meeting clients' needs for domestic violence-related legal services as cases rise on LSC's “Talk Justice.” October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. LSC recently released its annual publication “By the Numbers: The Data Underlying Legal Aid Programs,” which provides national and state-level trend data. The report shows a 9% increase in cases involving domestic violence between 2021 and 2022. This continues a concerning trend of increasing domestic violence cases over the past decade. 

Pioneers of New Mexico's court scribe program discuss how the program makes the courts more accessible on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice.”Language access has long been a priority of New Mexico courts, but the recent addition of court scribes has taken this push for court accessibility to new levels. The scribing initiative allows people in qualifying situations to make an appointment with court staff or a trained volunteer who assists them in filling out their legal forms.

Experts discuss disaster preparedness and the role of civil legal aid in recovery on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. Since 2022 the federal government has issued more than 75 major disaster declarations across the U.S. and its territories. Yet even with the increasing frequency and ferocity of natural disasters, the overwhelming majority of Americans are unprepared if disaster strikes.

Experts from Bay Area Legal Services and Florida Youth SHINE discuss developments in access to legal information for foster youth on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. A new website and app, FosterPower, enables Florida's foster youth to easily access information on their rights, and the state of Florida has passed a bill requiring more information for foster youth.

Guests from Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) join Cat Moon to discuss creating the nation's first Innovation Lab housed in a civil legal aid organization on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast.

Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit David Tatel joins LSC President Ron Flagg to share his memories of the 1974 founding of the Legal Services Corporation, as well as his view on the roles of courts and lawyers in the advancement of access to justice on this episode of LSC's “Talk Justice.”

Legal leaders from Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas discuss how their organizations acquired opioid settlement funds and the impactful legal services they are providing to those affected by opioid use disorder on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. A 2019 report from LSC's Opioid Task Force describes the need for civil legal services in response to the opioid epidemic.

Two legal tech experts join Talk Justice's Molly McDonough to discuss how emerging tools with generative AI could fit into the future of legal services—and who they'll be accessible to—on the latest episode of LSC's Talk Justice podcast.

The authors of the article “Reducing Family Separations in New York City: The Covid-19 Experiment and a Call for Change” join Talk Justice Co-host Molly McDonough to discuss reducing child removals in New York City and systemic flaws in the child welfare system on the latest episode of LSC's Talk Justice podcast.

American Bar Association (ABA) President Deborah Enix-Ross joins LSC President Ron Flagg to discuss her priorities in leading the ABA, the role of lawyers in preserving democracy and closing the justice gap on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast.

Experts discuss the potential impact of generative AI on legal services on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. Talk Justice Co-host Cat Moon is joined by guests Sam Flynn, COO and co-founder of the no-code automation platform, Josef; Natalie Anne Knowlton, founder of Access to Justice Ventures; and Tom Martin, CEO and founder of the no-code AI platform, LawDroid.

Bestselling author John Grisham talks about his experiences as a lawyer and the importance of legal aid on this episode of Talk Justice. Legal Services Corporation (LSC) President Ron Flagg introduces Grisham's speech, which was recorded at a recent LSC forum on access to justice.

Experts discuss the user-experience of remote court proceedings and explore additional possibilities for technological innovation in the courts on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. Talk Justice Co-host Molly McDonough is joined by guests Jennifer Leitch, executive director of the National Self-Represented Litigants Network in Canada, and Danielle Hirsch, court management consultant with the National Center for State Courts.