ALI Podcast–Reasonably Speaking

I recently received an email from the American Law Institute asking me if I would share information about their new podcast, Reasonably Speaking, on the blog.  I happily agreed.  According to their website, the ALI “is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law.” Most law students and lawyers know ALI for their publication of the restatements of the law, which certainly fulfills this mission. 

Reasonably Speaking is another way ALI encourages individuals to think more deeply about the law and how it can be improved.  It features interviews with leading legal experts on “the most important legal topics of our time.”  The goal of the podcast is to see how law impacts society and leave the listeners “with a better understanding of how we got here and what we should consider as we forge ahead.”

The podcast is just in its first season, but they have already produced several episodes that may be of interest to our readers:

May It Please the Court: SCOTUS Perspectives from Leading Supreme Court Advocates

“Douglas Laycock, an experienced Supreme Court advocate himself, moderates an insightful conversation between two prominent Supreme Court appellate lawyers. Former Solicitor General Seth Waxman of WilmerHale and former Assistant to the Solicitor General Nicole Saharsky of Mayer Brown share their personal experiences as well as their unique insight into the nation’s highest court.”

 May It Please the Court Part II: A Closer Look at Arguing in Front of SCOTUS

“In this episode, we spend time with Kirkland & Ellis Partner Paul D. Clement, who served as the 43rd Solicitor General of the United States from June 2005 until June 2008. Before his confirmation as Solicitor General, he served as Acting Solicitor General for nearly a year and as Principal Deputy Solicitor General for over three years. He has argued nearly 100 cases before the United States Supreme Court.”

Protecting Individual Liberties:  Recognizing the Value of State and Federal Courts

“Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court talks to Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit about the distinct yet parallel importance of the state court systems and the federal court system, including how we came to value so highly the federal system; why we should pay more attention to our state courts and constitutions; and what we as citizens, educators, and advocates should do going forward.”

I have not had a chance to listen to these podcasts yet, but I look forward to doing so soon.