I listen to a billion podcasts and I thought I’d share some of my favorites for the law school community. I know there are a lot of great podcasts out there that editorialize about studying law, but I can’t bring myself to listen to podcasts about law school when I spend literally all of my time at law school. So here’s a bunch of legal and legal-adjacent podcasts I think would interest fellow law students. Lots of Con Law and Criminal Justice podcasts, but hey, those are my main interests. Let me know if you’ve listened to any of them :)
7 4 S E C O N D S : Minnesota Public Radio produced this limited series in 2016 following the death of Philando Castile. It’s a difficult listen for many reasons, but it’s beautiful and poignant and a must hear for anyone interested in criminal or civil rights law with a desire to change the current system.
A M I C U S : Produced by Slate, Amicus provides thoughtful and in depth reviews of the cases currently on the SCOTUS docket and it touches on all aspects of the US legal system.
C A U G H T : A nine-episode run about the criminal justice system and youth offenders. About a million children a year are swept up in the criminal justice system and the experiences often alter their lives forever, often for the worse. This podcast explores the historical changes in juvenile sentencing that created the current broken system.
C O N S T I T U T I O N A L : Constitutional is a podcast from the Washington post that is aimed at making Constitutional law and US history accessible to the public. Although it’s accessible, it’s by no means simplistic and is an enjoyable and educational listen.
C R I M I N A L : A true-crime series focused on the sociological reasons and impacts of specific perpetrators or specific cases. And the narrator’s voice is honestly ridiculously soothing.
E A R H U S T L E : This podcast is different than the others on this list because it’s recorded inside San Quentin State Prison and is co-hosted by a currently incarcerated man. It talks about life in prison, the impact prison has on individuals and their families, ultimately tackling the issue of whether or not our system of justice is really just.
I A M T H E L A W : I have no idea what kind of law I want to study, do you? If you’re like me, you might find it helpful to hear from recent grads and established lawyers alike about what their fields and daily life is like.
I M M I G R A T I O N H O U R : Immigration issues have been front and center during the Trump administration. Immigration hour focuses on cutting past the politics at play and focusing on the pure legal issues of immigration. Really important information to understand in this day and age.
M O R E P E R F E CT : I think if you made a venn diagram of law students and podcast listeners, the overlapping section would just be “people who listen to More Perfect”. More Perfect is another Supreme Court podcast with a focus on exploring the stories behind the court cases they follow. All of the podcasts on this list are excellent, but this is my number one recommendation for anyone interested in going to law school. We’ve talked about a lot of these cases in class and I always appreciate having the background information and greater understanding that More Perfect provides.
T H E P R O M I S E : From Nashville public radio, this podcast explores life in the Cayce Housing Projects. It explores themes of housing justice and policy in a way that I think is relevant to anyone interest in property law or social justice in general.
T H I N K I N G L I K E A L A W Y E R : Above the Law’s podcast examining some more everyday topics, like technology and television through a legal framework. At least that’s how they market it. There’s a good amount of law school advice episodes and discussions of things like landing summer associate positions and networking.
