You may have seen Tom Girardi’s name in multiple places—once, as a famous and respected plaintiff’s attorney; notably, as a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband; and, notoriously, as a swindler who spent decades embezzling millions from his clients. How did he finally get caught? Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Tracy Brammeier talk with attorney Jay Edelson about how his firm’s work with the Girardi & Keese law firm led them to discover the ongoing exploitation of personal injury clients....

In August, the city of Chicago welcomed the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and delegates formally selected Kamala Harris as the nominee for President following President Biden’s departure from the race. But, let’s back up a second. Where exactly did those nominating delegates come from? Chicago attorney Aurora Austriaco joins Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Tracy Brammeier to discuss her experience serving as an elected delegate at the 2024 DNC. Aurora outlines the process and...

Long-time host Jon Amarilio reflects on his six-year tenure and introduces the new hosts: Tracy Brammeier, a partner at Clifford Law Offices; Nikki Marcotte, a litigation associate at Kirkland Ellis; Mathew Kerbis, founder of Subscription Attorney LLC; and Kellie Snyder, an associate attorney at The Law Offices of Lane & Lane. (Don't worry, Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey are sticking around to show them the ropes!) Each new voice brings unique backgrounds and expertise, from...

The Chicago Bar Association is celebrating 150 years of championing justice, building connections and making an impact in Chicago and beyond. In this episode, Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey talk with the CBA's former Executive Director Terry Murphy about the history of The Chicago Bar Association, memorable moments from his five decades of leadership of the CBA, and the future of the legal profession as we conclude the CBA's 150th anniversary celebration.

The Chicago Bar Association is celebrating 150 years of championing justice, building connections and making an impact in Chicago and beyond. In this episode, Trisha Rich talks with CBA's current President Ray Koenig III about the state of the organized bar today, the benefits of bar association involvement, and the CBA's 150th anniversary celebration.

In this episode, Jonathan Amarilio interviews Cary Donham about his experience as the United States Military Academy at West Point’s first and only conscientious objector, as chronicled in his recent memoir, “A Wrinkle in the Long Gray Line: When Conscience and Convention Collided.” After three successful years at the military academy in the late 1960’s, Donham requested discharge as a conscientious objector from the Army, citing his religious and moral beliefs. When his request was denied,...

Michael Scodro, former clerk to the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor and current partner with the law firm of Mayer Brown, joins Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey to discuss Justice O'Connor's career, impact and legacy.

The @theBar podcast is taking a holiday break in November and will return in December with new content. This episode, previously released in July 2021, discusses the conservatorship of Britney Spears, providing insights that complement her new memoir, "The Woman in Me," released after the conservatorship ended in November 2021. ----------- In this edition, Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Jennifer Byrne are joined by California probate attorney Justin Gold to discuss a topic that is sensational,...

Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey are joined by attorney Patrick Salvi II to discuss the Northwestern University hazing scandal that has made national headlines in recent months. Salvi represents several former Northwestern athletes who have filed suit against the university alleging extreme instances of hazing and abuse, and negligence on the part of athletic administrators and coaches who failed to put a stop to the conduct. He discusses the cases, as well as the toxic culture within...

With the success of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster movie, we are once again living in a doll’s world. Toymaker Mattel has long had a reputation for aggressively defending its Barbie-related intellectual property. Hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey are joined by K&L Gates partner, Alexis Crawford Douglas, to discuss the intellectual property aspects of the movie, the origin story of the Barbie doll and the most interesting and impactful IP cases that have been part...

Nearly every person has had the frustrating experience of being told that an appliance or piece of electronic equipment cannot be repaired. Why are we told that a laptop cannot be repaired when the battery dies or that our dishwasher needs to be replaced when the electronic control panel malfunctions? In this episode, hosts Trisha Rich and Jennifer Byrne chat with Gay Gordon-Byrne, founder of the Digital Right to Repair Coalition (repair.org), about the far-reaching economic and environmental...

As the saying goes, if you don't make time for your health now, you'll be forced to make time for your health problems later. In this episode, hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich chat with Jonathan Mraunac, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of GCM Partners, and all-around wellness enthusiast about the struggle many lawyers face in prioritizing their health and well-being. Jonathan shares manageable tips for lawyers to balance the four main categories of health: diet, exercise,...

In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio speaks with one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and the man famously known for predicting 9/11, Brian Michael Jenkins of the RAND Corporation. They discuss Mr. Jenkins' historical work as an advisor to many U.S. Presidents and governments on terrorism, as well as the current state of domestic political violence and terrorism in America. In this riveting discussion, Mr. Jenkins shares his advice for how we can develop a pragmatic strategy...

This month marks 5 years CBA's @theBar bringing you interesting and unscripted conversations about legal news, events, topics, stories and whatever else strikes our fancy. Celebrate this milestone with us by delving back into our amazing catalogue of past episodes. We'll back with more great content next month!

Should reparations be given, and if so, who should get reparations and what form should they take? These are questions the U.S. has been pondering since General Sherman made the largely unanswered call for 40 acres and mule to be allotted to emancipated slaves during the Civil War. In this episode, hosts Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Jennifer Byrne are joined by the Mayor of the City of Evanston, Illinois, Daniel Biss, to discuss how Evanston has sought to implement the country’s...

In fall 1982, seven people in the Chicagoland area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, and no one knew why or who might be next. Law enforcement quickly determined that the poisoned bottles had been placed on store shelves to kill unsuspecting customers. But who would commit such a heinous act? What was their motive? Those questions would elude investigators for decades, making this one of the U.S.' most notorious unsolved cases. Award-winning investigative reporters Stacy St....

Recently retired Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and journalist and television personality, Gretchen Carlson, join our hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey for discussion about the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the Speak Out Act which were both signed into law in late 2022 by President Joe Biden. As a result of these legal reforms, individuals can no longer be forced to arbitrate claims of sexual assault or harassment and can no...

@theBar wishes to honor the career of retired Cook County judge William J. "Bill" Kunkle Jr. after his recent passing by re-broadcasting our interview with him about his experience as the chief trial prosecutor on the John Wayne Gacy case. The episode originally aired on February 6, 2019. The Killer Clown Edition: The Prosecution of John Wayne Gacy American serial killer and rapist, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., became notorious for the mass murder of at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the...

In March 1960, Illinois Starved Rock State Park became the site of the brutal murder and possible sexual assault of three middle-aged women who were visiting the park from nearby Chicago. Authorities quickly identified Chester Weger as the primary suspect, and he promptly confessed and was locked away for life. However, in the decades since, Weger has steadfastly maintained his innocence. Weger was paroled in 2020 after spending almost six decades in prison. Now, Weger is seeking to use DNA...

In this special Halloween episode, @theBar gets into the spooky spirit with author-historian, podcaster and tour guide Adam Selzer of Mysterious Chicago. Adam regales hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey with tales of Chicago's haunted past from graveyard ghosts to notorious serial killers. Learn about the Chicago resident who had his house legally declared haunted, the truth behind the Candyman urban legend, the lore surrounding H.H. Holmes and his alleged "Murder Castle," and much...

In this edition, decorated former federal prosecutor and partner at Perkins Coie, Markus Funk, joins the podcast to discuss his book, Rethinking Self-Defence: The 'Ancient Right's' Rationale Disentangled, with hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Jennifer Byrne. Funk reframes recent headline-making self-defense cases such as the Rittenhouse and Arbery cases, explores the underlying values of our self-defense laws, and makes surprising revelations about how self-defense laws in the United States...

On the morning of July 4, 2022, thousands of people were gathered to watch the annual Independence Day Parade in the suburban community of Highland Park, Illinois, when a gunman opened fire into the crowd, killing seven people and wounding dozens of others. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and the City's Corporation Counsel Steve Elrod join Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich to discuss the events and aftermath of that horrific day as well as the legal measures they believe must be taken to...

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer the right to abortion and overruled both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, thus returning the power to define abortion rights and restrictions to the states. In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Trisha Rich are joined by Michelle Wetzel, General Counsel of Planned Parenthood of...

This episode was previously recorded in 2019 before the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, but the conversation is just as relevant today. In this edition, co-hosts Jon Amarilio and Chastidy Burns are joined by Katie Watson, a lawyer, professor, bioethicist, and the author of “Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law and Politics of Ordinary Abortion.” Katie makes the argument that we need to start having real conversations about ordinary...