Talking Law with Hogan Lovells

Pro Bono Reflections – Ep. 7: Desegregation

Despite a host of landmark court rulings and legislation aimed at dismantling institutional racism, "de facto" segregation persists across many neighborhoods, schools, and communities.

In Episode 7: Desegregation, we take a look at two major civil rights wins from the late 20th century. Pro Bono Senior Counsel Joe Hassett and Jack Keeney, General Counsel at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, describe their success on behalf of the residents of Woodland Village. The federal housing community was built during World War II for Black Navy workers and their families on the banks of the Potomac River in blue-collar southern Maryland. Woodland Village remained segregated from the surrounding, all-white town of Indian Head and, until we intervened, for decades was denied access to water, sewer, and cable.

The pair discuss a second discrimination case during that time – this one much closer to the nation's capital. The firm represented the NAACP in seeking a remedy for the failure of Prince George’s County schools to truly desegregate, as it had been ordered to do in 1972.

Pro Bono Reflections – Ep. 6: Economic Justice

In the United States, the gap between rich and poor is the largest it’s been in decades. Systemic issues within our institutions and legal systems serve to exacerbate conditions that make it nearly impossible to bridge that gap. In Episode 6: Economic Justice, we take a look at three early cases from our Community Services Department.

The Honorable David Tatel and Allen Snyder, special counsel at the Children’s Law Center, join us to discuss a business boycott in Mississippi, which prompted an antitrust lawsuit that threatened the very existence of our client, the NAACP.
 
In the second segment of the episode, Mr. Snyder and The Honorable John Ferren recall the critical role we played in preserving the federal Community Action Program – a centerpiece of President Johnson’s War on Poverty to empower local residents to address pressing needs in their own communities.
 
Finally, Judges Ferren and Tatel remember undertaking the formidable task of getting the Legal Services Corporation up and running from scratch in just 90 days. Decades later, LSC remains a vital source of funding for nonprofit legal aid programs across the country.

The A Perspective Podcast: Andrew Skipper talks to Adebola Williams

In our last episode for the year, Andrew talks to Nigerian media entrepreneur, journalist, political activist and motivational speaker, Adebola Williams. He is the Group CEO of Red for Africa, Africa's largest portfolio of youth-focused media brands which include Red Media Africa, Statecraft Inc, The Future Awards Africa and YNaija.com to name but a few.

Listen as they discuss Adebola’s involvement in African elections, the power of social media – both positive and negative – as well as and the importance of promoting the right messages to propel ‘Brand Africa’ forward. He also paints a picture of his role in inspiring youth advocacy as a GenU Global Champion and why mobilizing Africa's youth can help shape a more progressive future. He goes on to share his views about the opportunities presented by COVID-19 for the continent, and the message he believes can inspire younger audiences to create the “ new paradigm” demanded by the Africa Union.

Pro Bono Reflections – Ep. 5: Facing Execution

All of our pro bono cases can have a significant and lasting impact on the lives of our clients. But when we represent someone who has been sentenced to death, the stakes couldn’t be higher. In Episode 5: Facing Execution, Senior Counsel Pat Brannan and Senior Associate Liz Lockwood discuss their experiences in representing two death row prisoners: John Ferguson and TaiChin Preyor.

Mr. Ferguson, who was executed in 2013, suffered from severe mental illness. His last words from the death chamber were, "I am the Prince of God and I will rise again." He had no rational understanding that his execution would end his life.

Despite inadequate legal representation prior to our involvement, Mr. Preyor was executed in 2017. Among other shortcomings, his lawyers had failed to present mitigating evidence of a traumatic childhood marked by physical and sexual abuse, and had used Wikipedia to conduct "legal research."

Pro Bono Reflections – Ep. 4: A False Confession

In 1997, a young Navy wife was raped and murdered in Norfolk, Virginia, and four sailors were pinned for the crime. The "Norfolk Four," as they were later known, were arrested and subjected to hours of aggressive, threatening, and coercive interrogation at the hands of Detective Robert Glenn Ford.

In Episode 4: A False Confession, Derek Tice speaks with his pro bono lawyer, now Magistrate Judge Deborah Boardman, about the fallout from those interrogations. Tice and his fellow seamen each confessed to the crime, despite the fact that all four were innocent. We began representing Mr. Tice after he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Today, Mr. Tice is once again a free man.

Pro Bono Reflections – Ep. 3: Criminal Justice

The Sixth Amendment guarantees criminal defendants the assistance of counsel. Those who can’t afford to hire a lawyer are assigned one – usually, a public defender.

In Episode 3: Criminal Justice, Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez and Hogan Lovells Partner Al Lindsay discuss their successful challenge to a criminal justice system that, due to crushing caseloads, made it impossible for the Public Defender’s office to fairly represent the accused.

Our lawyers continue to seek justice beyond a criminal defendant’s day in court. We advocate for the fair and humane treatment of the incarcerated. Hogan Lovells Senior Associates Katie Ali and David Maxwell describe the abhorrent conditions for death-sentenced prisoners in the Commonwealth of Virginia prior to our intervention and talk about the use of automatic and permanent solitary confinement within the context of the Eighth Amendment.

Pro Bono Reflections – Ep. 2:Tulia

On a single day in 1999, nearly 10 percent of the Black population in Tulia, Texas, was arrested in a drug sweep. The raids were based on the word of a single white undercover officer with a checkered past.

In Episode 2: Tulia, Cate Stetson explores what happened that day and the fallout that ensued over many years. Two lawyers on the frontlines of that battle, Des Hogan (Head of our Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment practice) and Mitch Zamoff (Litigation Program Director and professor at University of Minnesota Law School) retell their first-hand experience bringing justice to those wrongfully imprisoned.

The A Perspective Podcast: Andrew Skipper talks to Touria El Glaoui

In this episode, Andrew talks to Founding Director of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, and one of Juene Afrique magazine’s 2019 50 most powerful women in Africa; Touria El Glaoui. 1-54 spans three continents and is the leading international art fair dedicated to showcasing and promoting contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.

Listen as they discuss the importance of creating a global platform for African art, what art can teach us about contemporary issues, as well as the history of Touria’s passion for African art and how this informed the 1-54 business model. They also delve into the impact of the pandemic on artists and galleries, and how this drove the decision to host one of the only in-person fairs to take place in 2020. Touria shares her takeaways from the fair held earlier this year in London, and how the experience of confinement and prevailing socio-political issues can be seen as underlying influences in a lot of the art coming out of the continent.  

The A Perspective Podcast: Andrew Skipper talks to Senator Norm Coleman and Ivan Zapien

Who really won the US election and what does it mean for Africa? In this episode Andrew talks to leading Hogan Lovells commentators from both sides of the DC aisle; Senator and Senior Counsel, Norm Coleman and Ivan Zapien, Partner and former House and Senate chief of staff.

Join them as they discuss a wide range of issues. What does the outcome of the election mean for US global policy and what can we expect for business? What will be the impact of a Biden administration on trade relations with China? And how will this shape US aspirations in Africa, especially through the development institutions? Are diasporans investing in Africa and has the Black Lives Matter movement stimulated a renewed interest? Andrew, Norm, and Ivan cover these and a lot more, in full and frank detail - no holds barred.

The A Perspective Podcast: Andrew Skipper talks to Heine Melkevik

In this episode, Andrew talks to Heine Melkevik, VP and Managing Director of Equinor Nigeria. Heine is a  business leader with extensive experience in the oil and gas business across Africa.

Join them as they discuss the highly anticipated Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that has just been passed after 20 years in the making. Heine shares his views about the business opportunities the PIB presents, the possible challenges that could arise, the scope of Nigeria’s potential in the Oil & Gas sector as well as the growth in partnerships between local and global businesses operating in the sector. He also shares his experience of the continent and the industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased importance of balancing industry goals against the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.