On-Demand Learning

Pro Bono

Past 3 Months

From the program: Mental Health Issues & the New York State Courts (Free)

Released on: Aug. 23, 2013

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in a 12-month period, 26.2% of American adults will have a diagnosable mental disorder, and 5.8% will have a mental illness classified as severe. The prevalence of mental disorders among individuals involved in the criminal justice system and some areas of the civil legal system is even higher.  This timely program will focus on the intersection of individuals living with mental illness and ...

Recorded on: Jul. 29, 2013

ROBERT W. MURPHY: Hi, Bob Murphy again. And my presentation wrapping up today's seminar is on helping clients avoid getting run over. It's a primer on auto law. Before I get started, I have a little disclaimer. And I just put there because if I say something that's a little bit off-color with respect to a case, or perhaps with respect-- I don't say anything bad about the judge-- just remember it's with respect to me sometimes trying to be funny. ...

From the program: Representing the Pro Bono Client: Consumer Law Basics 2013 (Free)

Released on: Aug. 9, 2013

Volunteer lawyers are needed to help the many low income clients facing a wide assortment of consumer law matters who are unrepresented. In this program you will learn the basics of consumer law so that you can competently represent a client in need and learn new advocacy skills.Lecture Topics  [Total time 03:08:08]Segments with an asterisk (*) are available only with the purchase of the entire program. Program Overview and Introductions* ...

From the program: Representing the Pro Bono Client: New York Public Assistance and Food Stamp Advocacy 2013 (Free)

Released on: Aug. 16, 2013

In PLI’s New York Public Assistance and Food Stamp program you will learn how to protect the rights of public assistance and food stamp applicants and recipients to these basic subsistence benefits.  Many applicants have difficulty navigating the confusing and bureaucratic process to establish and maintain eligibility for public assistance and food stamps.  Without legal assistance and advocacy, large numbers of clients go without ...

Recorded on: Jul. 16, 2013

Taken from the briefing Avoiding the Bite of the Unrelated Business Income Tax recorded July, 2013.The Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) and the related concept of Unrelated Debt Financed Income (UDFI) pose formidable hurdles to lawyers and business people handling investment transactions for nonprofit organizations.  Understanding these concepts and some of the techniques for avoiding them, are the focus of this seminar.  ...

From the program: Bankruptcy Basics for Low-Income Clients 2013

Recorded on: Sep. 27, 2013

Taken from the Web Program Bankruptcy Basics for Low-Income Clients recorded September, 2013 in San Francisco.Lecture Topics  [01:00:20]Bankruptcy Estate and Exemptions  [01:00:20] Property of the bankruptcy estate Transfers that the trustee may avoid California exemptions – System 1 and 2 Homestead exemptions Domiciliary requirements Dealing with collateral The purchase price of this segment includes the following article ...

From the program: California Trial Advocacy 2013

Released on: Aug. 21, 2013

If you think you will ever try a case, or if you want to do better the next time you are in trial, then this is the program you have been waiting for. In this program, some of the most experienced trial lawyers in California will talk about the best way to prepare and present a case to a jury. We will cover what you need to do before the trial begins, in limine motions, jury selection, opening statements, witness preparation, direct and cross examination, ...

From the program: Immigration & Naturalization Institute (46th Annual)

Released on: Sep. 18, 2013

This year’s program will examine key immigration trends and hot topics for 2013.  You will hear from Washington insiders about what is likely to happen with immigration legislation in the coming months, including the real possibility of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  Will anything move on bills eliminating the per-country limit for employment-based cases, or increasing immigration opportunities for high-skilled workers?  What can ...

From the program: Children's Law Institute (16th Annual)

Released on: Aug. 12, 2013

Advocates representing children, parents, child welfare or foster care agencies, or working on policy must address evolving issues in an increasingly complex environment. This year, PLI’s 16th Annual Children’s Law Institute will focus on a variety of social and legal issues affecting child welfare and juvenile justice practice.Lecture Topics  [Total time 06:33:47]Segments with an asterisk (*) are available only with the purchase of the entire ...

From the program: Ethical Issues in California Pro Bono Representation 2013 (Free)

Released on: Sep. 26, 2013

While the ethical obligations of Pro Bono legal practice are no different than a commercial law practice, there are practical considerations regarding eligibility of clients, challenging clients, challenging pro bono attorneys, conflicts similar in theory, different in practice settings), expectations on both sides, case management responsibility, and different delivery models, such as limited scope representation, that cause many professionals to ...

Recorded on: Aug. 8, 2013

SPEAKER 1: If I could have the panel for the next topic to come up, Don, and your group. ROBERT S. ARNS: How you doing, Arturo? I'm Bob. SPEAKER 1: Very good, sir. You're at the end. Yes. The whole hour. ROBERT S. ARNS: Guys, we're going to stay here, so I'm going to be doing the slides. SPEAKER 1: Why don't we put the PowerPoint up there, and then just leave it up there, and then they'll control it. WILMA J. GRAY: Good morning. SPEAKER 1: Good ...

From the program: End-of-Life Planning for the Low-Income Client (Free)

Released on: Jul. 12, 2013

End of Life Planning is, like Death and Taxes, one of those things that can go from an easy, informative and straightforward conversation to a drawn-out nightmare if ignored. Low income and very low-income clients, unlike the average middle class client, frequently do not understand the importance of, for example, having identified caretakers for their minor children in place. They frequently resort to “no planning” or improvised planning which does ...

From the program: Municipal Law Institute (13th Annual)

Released on: Jul. 26, 2013

The Municipal Law Institute offers sharp analyses of important developments, emerging legal issues and best practices in the field of municipal law.Topics Discussed Will Include: The Municipal Response to Natural Disasters Ethics for the Municipal Lawyer Employment Law Update Lecture Topics [Total time 06:11:46]Segments with an asterisk (*) are available only with the purchase of the entire program. Introduction* [00:09:48]Jonathan ...

Recorded on: Aug. 8, 2013

ARTURO J GONZALEZ: Good question-- the question that we got is, if plaintiff's counsel calls a defense witness first, can the defense counsel call the same witness in the defendant's case? It's a very good question. And the answer is probably yes, usually yes. But I want to explain to you why it's not just that simple. There's a tactical issue, and there's a practical one. The practical issue is, if the plaintiff is calling a witness that you as ...

Recorded on: Jul. 29, 2013

ROBERT W. MURPHY: Thank you, Brian. Our next speaker is Amy Wells, and she's going to be speaking to you about the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Miss Wells is a founder of the Wells Law Office, a boutique consumer protection litigation firm base in Dayton, Ohio. She earned her JD and her MBA in a joint program at the University of Dayton School of Law. She dedicates her legal practice to consumer advocacy, including issues involving identity theft, ...

Recorded on: Aug. 8, 2013

ARTURO REQUENEZ: OK. Thank you everybody. If we could get seated we're going to start again with our next panel. This next panel is a wonderful panel of lots of years of experience on jury selection, which is, obviously, a critical topic, especially if you're in state court, but even in federal court. Although in federal court, more and more, judges are reducing the amount of time that you get the ask jurors questions in federal court. I'm going ...

Recorded on: Aug. 8, 2013

CYNTHIA MCGUINN: I like this. This is wake up coffee. ARTURO J. GONZALEZ: I thank you all for coming back, promptly. We do need to start on time to remain on schedule. The next panel is one of my favorite topics, opening statements and closing arguments. The one thing I will say to you is that, if you're ever talking about this topic, please remember to say, opening statement. Do not ever say, opening argument. Because the minute you say, opening ...

Recorded on: Aug. 16, 2013

MEREDITH DESAUTELS: And to kick off our first panel, what I'm going to do is speak briefly about why my organization, a civil rights and social justice organization, has decided to focus on criminal justice and reentry issues. But before I do that, I'd like to go ahead and briefly introduce our panelists. So you have their full bios in your materials, but I do want to say a few words about each of the great folks that you're going to be hearing from ...

From the program: Re-Entry Issues: Overcoming Employment and Housing Challenges Due to a Prior Arrest or Conviction (Free)

Released on: Aug. 30, 2013

In the past three decades, incarceration rates have exploded in the U.S., such that today we incarcerate over two million people, more than any other country in the world. The result is that many more people encounter the criminal justice system at some point in their lives. Indeed, an estimated 1 in 4 adults in California has an arrest or conviction record, and people of color are disproportionately affected.A person with a prior record faces significant ...

Recorded on: Jul. 29, 2013

ROBERT W. MURPHY: I'm going to first introduce Brian. I have to get his biography, although I know it by heart. Brian attended Vassar College, initially. And then he went on to Oberlin, graduated from Oberlin his bachelor's degree, and then went to Brooklyn Law School. That's his educational background. Brian is, I believe, argued from every circuit in the United States, with maybe one or two exceptions, the appellate level, repeatedly in front of ...

Recorded on: Aug. 8, 2013

ARTURO J. GONZALEZ: Our first panel is going to talk about a number of issues that are very important. And each one of these could have almost been a separate hourly program, but because there are so many issues we had to bundle them together. We're going to talk a little bit about a trial plan. What is a trial plan, and why is it important? And why should you will always be thinking about that? How detailed it happens to be would vary from case ...

Recorded on: Jul. 11, 2013

Taken from the briefing Remedies for Victims of Human Trafficking recorded July, 2013.The newly reauthorized Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA) is the cornerstone of federal anti-trafficking law. This legislation provides a variety of remedies for victims and survivors of human trafficking, including providing immigration status as a form of humanitarian relief.Listen to Ivy O. Suriyopas, Director of the Anti-Trafficking Initiative ...

Recorded on: Aug. 16, 2013

MEREDITH DESAUTELS: Great. Thank you. And thank you all. Welcome back. We are going to move into our third and final session where we're going to be looking more in depth into special topics related to employment screening. Most of the clients that we see through the Second Chance Legal Clinic are motivated to come see us because they're having employment issues. And I'll introduce our two panelists, who are going to discuss, first, background check ...

Recorded on: Aug. 16, 2013

MEREDITH DESAUTELS: OK, we are going to keep moving quickly. Thanks so much for sticking with us. We've got an exciting second session here that we're going to jump into, and before we do, I'd like to introduce our presenter, Eliza Hersh. Eliza is the director of the Clean Slate Practice at the East Bay Community Law Center, the East Bay's largest provider of free legal services and a teaching clinic of Berkeley Law School. The Clean Slate Practice ...

Released on: Jul. 26, 2013

Taken from the briefing Supreme Court's Shelby County and the Future of Voting Rights Enforcement recorded July, 2013.On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States issued one of the most significant voting rights opinions in decades: Shelby County, Ala. v. Holder.  The Court considered the constitutionality of Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires certain "covered" jurisdictions to obtain advance permission ("preclearance") ...