Can a Lawyer Say the Client Is Guilty When the Client Says He's Innocent?

A lawyer thought the only way to save his client from the death penalty in the face of very strong evidence of guilt was to concede his guilt. The client insisted he was innocent. The lawyer’s strategy didn’t work and his client was sentenced to death. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide if, under these facts, the defendant was deprived of his right to counsel.
NPR’s Nina Totenberg presents the story in a 4 minute report, transcript available, and then follows up after listening to the oral arguments.

Investment in Law School

NPR's Morning Edition of March 28 has a story entitled "Comparing Law School Rankings? Read The Fine Print". It speaks about the economics of the investment in a law school education  - which can cost $50,000 a year - and the information law schools give about the jobs their graduates get. 5 min 19 sec, transcript available.

A Very Funny Lawyer Commercial 

The online magazine Slate has an article about what it calls "either the best or the worst" lawyer commercial, made by a lawyer in Pittsburgh, with a link to the video itself. Very funny! Lots of good vocabulary too. 3 min 27 sec, no transcript but lots of words on the screen.

Words for Graduates - Yale Law School

Yale Law School has posted a video of graduation ceremonies for the class of 2013. The Dean begins with lots of cheerleading describing YLS as the best of the best You can see each graduate get his/her diploma and a handshake, and sometimes even a hug. At just after 1 hour, Anne Alstott, a professor at the law school, gives a 30 minute talk about generational justice. She is followed by Justice Sonia Sotomayor who speaks of how to have a successful life in the law. 1h 50 min, no transcript. It is not clear how long this video will be available.

Gideon's Army - a Documentary

Dawn Porter, a lawyer turned filmmaker, recently presented her new documentary about public defenders in the U.S. South, Gideon's Army, at the Sundance film festival. You can find a story in the New York Times about the film, with a 6 minute video, here. The official site of the documentary has 3 videos including an interview with Porter and an 18 minute interview with her and Travis Williams, one of the public defenders featured in the film, which appeared on the news program Democracy Now!.
Since the 1963 Supreme Court case, Gideon v. Wainwright, any person accused of a felony has the right to be represented by a lawyer. If the accused cannot afford one, the state must appoint a public defender. The documentary shows the work of three of these young lawyers in the Deep South.