Explore every episode of the podcast @theBar

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.

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 first-of-its-kind reparations program, which seeks to distribute reparations to Black residents who were impacted by the city’s historical housing discrimination using revenue from cannabis taxation. Mayor Biss discusses the challenges the program has raised and how it may serve as a model for other U.S. cities looking to implement similar programs.

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. Clair and Christy Gutowski of the Chicago Tribune have uncovered new and critical clues in the case and have detailed their findings in their new true crime podcast, "Unsealed: The Tylenol Murders." In this episode of CBA’s @theBar, they join hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey to discuss what they uncovered and what the future may hold for the investigation.   In addition to this episode, we encourage you to listen to the Chicago Tribune’s full podcast series discussing the case which is available on a variety of platforms available at the following link: Home - Tylenol Murders 40th Anniversary (chicagotylenolmurders.com).  

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 longer be prevented from bringing sexual assault or harassment claims due to nondisclosure agreements. Our guests explain what these new laws mean for American workers and how they protect individuals who experience sexual assault and harassment.

@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 late 1970s. December 2018 marked the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the mass grave beneath his home, which shocked the American public and shattered the image of the safe suburban community. This episode provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the crimes and prosecution of the man dubbed the “The Killer Clown” by William “Bill” Kunkle, the lead prosecutor who took him on and sent him to his eventual execution.

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 evidence to clear his name. His defense attorneys Andy Hale and Celeste Stack join Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich to discuss the background and most recent revelations in Weger’s case and make the argument for Weger’s innocence.

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 more in this spine-tingling edition.

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 compare to those abroad.

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 prevent such tragedies from happening again in the future. The episode also features commentary from several paradegoers.

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 Illinois, for a discussion about the Dobbs decision and its impact on women's ability to access abortion care throughout the United States.

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, he filed suit in federal court and eventually prevailed, receiving an honorable discharge. This episode delves into Donham’s personal journey and his court battle to be recognized by the U.S. Army as a conscientious objector.

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 abortion because it impacts millions of Americans, and can help us unpack many other social issues, including civil rights, religion, socioeconomic stratification and more.

In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Trisha Rich are joined by Colonel Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman, who served as a deputy legal advisor on the National Security Council (NSC) and came to national prominence after he and his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, jointly reported former President Trump to the NSC for attempting to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for negative information about his then political opponent, Joe Biden. Colonel Vindman is a JAG Officer and an expert in the law of armed conflict, military law, government ethics, and national security law. He joins the podcast to provide an overview of rules-based international law and the law of war in the context of Russia's War in Ukraine, as well as the United Nations' role in preventing wars of aggression.

In this edition, host Trisha Rich and co-host Jennifer Byrne are joined by immigration attorney, author, Forbes contributor, and former UN correspondent, Andy Semotiuk, to discuss the history of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the international laws that are implicated by Russia's actions and the humanitarian crisis that has resulted.   Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC, Embroker, and Smokeball.

In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Margaret Mendenhall Casey are joined by Judge Robert Bacharach of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to discuss his recent book “Legal Writing: A Judge’s Perspective on the Science and Rhetoric of the Written Word” and what advocates should consider when crafting persuasive arguments. Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC, and Smokeball.

Listen to the first-ever mailbag episode of CBA's @theBar! Host Jonathan Amarilio is joined by co-hosts Trisha Rich, Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Jennifer Byrne for a conversation that is even more unscripted than usual. Be a fly on the wall of an @theBar podcast production meeting as the group discusses letters from the audience and potential topics for future episodes. If you have comments, questions or ideas for future episodes, write in to podcast@chicagobar.org. Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC, and Smokeball.

In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio is joined by Dan Webb, the special prosecutor appointed to investigate the case against actor Jussie Smollett for making false reports of a hate crime to the Chicago Police Department and the handling of the case by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. Webb discusses his successful prosecution of Smollett and explains what ultimately lead to his conclusion that there were “substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures” by Foxx and her staff in how the case against Smollett was resolved. Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC, and Smokeball.

In our debut episode of Season 4, Amanda Knox joins the show to talk candidly about her story and share her passion for shedding light on the issues of wrongful conviction and criminal justice reform. Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years on trial before being exonerated of murder charges. The case made international headlines for nearly a decade and thrust Knox into the spotlight. Her story and wrongful conviction were then chronicled in a 2016 Netflix documentary, and in Amanda's own New York Times best-selling memoir, “Waiting to Be Heard." In this edition, she talks with Jonathan Amarilio and Trisha Rich about how her public and private identity have been shaped by these events, her attempts to reclaim her own narrative and her passion for criminal justice reform. Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, and Smokeball.

In 2005, the United States government issued an unprecedented indictment against the Chicago mafia, naming the entire Chicago Outfit as a criminal enterprise. The indictment was the culmination of the FBI's "Operation Family Secrets" investigation, which began when the son of notorious mob boss Frank Calabrese Sr. decided to cooperate with the government and recorded countless hours of conversations with his father about the mob's criminal activities. "Operation Family Secrets" became the “Family Secrets Trial,” which ended with murder and racketeering convictions for most of the Outfit’s top leadership. In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Jennifer Byrne discuss the case with Markus Funk, one of the lead prosecutors in the trial that put a hit on the Chicago mob. Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, and Smokeball.

Listen for a preview of what's in store for CBAs @theBar in the coming months and to learn how you can submit your ideas for upcoming mailbag episode.

In this edition, Dallas County District Attorney Michelle Shughart provides a behind-the-scenes look at the criminal prosecution of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, whose sinister story is depicted in popular true-crime series 'Dr. Death.' Over the course of his short career, Duntsch maimed over 30 patients, with two more dying during and shortly after undergoing surgery with him. Host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Trisha Rich talk with Shughart about how the unprecedented case landed on her desk and the uphill battle his victims faced in bringing him to justice. Special thanks to our sponsors: InfoTrack, and Smokeball.

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.

In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Kernisha Padilla are joined by Dean Hari Osofsky of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Dean Jennifer Rosato Perea of DePaul University College of Law for a roundtable discussion about the current state of legal education. The group discusses many hot button topics, including the pandemic's impact on legal education, law school enrollment and employment trends, the cost of tuition and its relationship to the student debt crisis, the increasing focus on diversity in the legal profession and more. Special thanks to our sponsors, CourtFiling.net, InfoTrack, and Smokeball.

In this edition, Jonathan Amarilio is joined by Corey Stern, lead counsel for the plaintiffs injured in the Flint, Michigan water crisis, including more than 2500 children who were lead poisoned by consuming water from the Flint River. Corey discusses the origins of the water crisis, the role citizen advocates played in seeking government accountability, and how he became involved in the case, eventually securing a $600 million settlement from the State of Michigan on behalf of his clients. Special thanks to our sponsors, CourtFiling.net.

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, delicate, concerning, and much in the news: the conservatorship of Britney Spears. Justin explains how the conservatorship system is supposed to work, its pros, its cons, and how it – at least according to press accounts – seems to have failed Britney Spears. Special thanks to our sponsors, CourtFiling.net.

In this edition, guest host Trisha Rich and co-host Jennifer Byrne are joined by public relations and legal marketing expert Debra Pickett of Page 2 Communications for a discussion about how lawyers can shift their mindset from lawyer to entrepreneur and embrace the art of shameless self-promotion to build their book of business. Special thanks to our sponsors, CourtFiling.net.

Rob Bilott sits down with host Jonathan Amarilio to discuss his struggle on behalf of tens of thousands of poisoned Ohio and West Virginia residents and his ongoing efforts to stop the use of toxins that have contaminated nearly all of humanity. Special thanks to our sponsors, CourtFiling.net.

New Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emanuel "Chris" Welch became the first Black lawmaker to hold the position. He joins the show to talk about his story, goals and plans for for the State of Illinois.

Part 3 of @theBar’s three-part series on The Trial of the Chicago 7. In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Jennifer Byrne continue the conversation about the landmark trial with John Froines, one of the last two living members of the Chicago 7.

Part 2 of @theBar’s three-part series on The Trial of the Chicago 7. In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio continues his conversation about the landmark trial with Dick Schultz who represented the United States Government in the prosecution of the Chicago 7.

Part 1 of @theBar’s three-part series on The Trial of the Chicago 7. In this episode, host Jonathan Amarilio discusses the landmark trial with Dick Schultz who represented the United States Government in the prosecution of the Chicago 7.

Erik Connolly discusses his $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, Rudy Giuliani, Sydney Powell and others, on behalf of his client, Smartmatic.

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, delicate, concerning, and much in the news: the conservatorship of Britney Spears. Justin explains how the conservatorship system is supposed to work, its pros, its cons, and how it – at least according to press accounts – seems to have failed Britney Spears.

Take a sneak peak of what's to come in our next episode.

John Cusick joins the show to discuss the current state of voting rights.

EXCLUSIVE: In their first long-format interview discussing the George Floyd case, Benjamin Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the attorneys representing Floyd’s estate, speak with host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Martin Gould about the fateful events of May 25, 2020, and the civil rights lawsuit brought against the City of Minneapolis and the police officers accused of wrongfully taking Floyd’s life.

Senator Durbin discusses the Act, its core goals, and how the Act seeks to achieve meaningful policing reform.

Ann Lousin discusses the protesting of Illinois’ stay-at-home order and whether they have a case.

Amy Campanelli talks about the constitutional issues and the impact on the rights of the accused as criminal courts adapt to the logistical challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

J.W. Freiberg talks about loneliness as a problem in our society and how we can overcome this isolation, social distancing and quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kate Black discusses why it's important to eliminate barriers that may stop women from running for office by demystifying the process and how her book provides an accessible step-by-step guide that any person can follow.

William “Bill” Kunkle, the lead prosecutor, gives our listeners a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the crimes and prosecution of the man dubbed the “The Killer Clown”.

Josh Deth talks about his journey from brewing beer in his garage to founding one of the most successful independent breweries in the United States.

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 Northwestern's athletic department that enabled hazing to occur in such broad scope for so long.

Eric Zorn discusses the Laurie Dan School shooting, what’s changed, what hasn’t changed, and what we can learn from the case that could help us stop the violence and restore peace in our schools.

Andrea Lyon talks about the politics, sociology and personal stories behind the death penalty in America.

Dr. Diana Uchiyama andJonathan Beitner discuss lawyer mental health and addiction, as well as ways the legal profession can have a greater sense of wellness so that all lawyers can be happy and successful.

Katie Watson talks about what ordinary abortion is and how it impacts millions of Americans, as well as how understanding the term can help us unpack many other social issues, including civil rights, religion, socioeconomic stratification and more.