Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

In January 1800, Elma Sands's dead body was found in a New York City well. The case has captivated people ever since, not least because in the resulting trial, defendant Levi Weeks was represented by Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and a future Supreme Court justice.

The Girl from Greenwich Street: A Novel of Hamilton, Burr and America's First Murder Trial is a historical fiction novel by Lauren Willig. On this episode of the Modern Law Library, she explains how four years before their fatal duel, Hamilton and Burr came to be co-counsels on a murder case.

"The New York Bar was perishingly small in 1800. And in fact, Burr and Hamilton were co-counsel on a complex commercial litigation at the exact time," says Willig. "So people were constantly–it's like swing your partners, do-si-do. They were always working together, working against each other. It was just the way the bar worked in 1800."

The defendant, Levi Weeks, lived in the same boarding house as Sands, a hatmaker whose cousin owned the house. The prosecution contended that Weeks had seduced Sands with a promise of marriage, then dumped her body in the Manhattan Well. His trial was the first murder trial in America to have a court transcript, thanks to a clerk who'd recently learned shorthand. This transcript gave Willig a wealth of witness testimony to draw on when fleshing out her characters.

"One of the things that drove me nuts when I was researching this case was how little attention has been expended over the years in trying to figure out anything about Elma Sands, the murdered woman," Willig tells Rawles. "There are some big personalities and really big names involved in the trial itself. And people are so eager to get into the courtroom with Hamilton and Burr that they just trample over Elma. And she gets flattened into one of two archetypes. Either she's the innocent young maiden who's been seduced and betrayed, which is how the prosecution portrays her in the trial, or she's a melancholy laudanum-addicted nymphomaniac, which is how the defense tries to portray her."

"And I think the reality of Elma was a lot more complicated than those flat depictions would have us believe."

Willig and Rawles also discuss her time at Harvard Law, where she signed a contract to write her popular Pink Carnation series as a 1L, and then her time at Cravath, Swain & Moore, trying to balance being a published romance writer and lawyer.

"I had to make a choice, try to continue to juggle or go all in on being an author. And I left Cravath and my partner mentor came up to me and said, 'Well, what took you so long? I would've left sooner.' "

Subscribe to Modern Law Library: https://play.megaphone.fm/93wtgxnatpsubsdxwklzwq

Social media is everywhere today. Ever wonder how the role social media plays into the employer/employee relationship? In this episode, guests Aaron Holt and SaNni M-K Lemonidis, both experienced labor and employment attorneys, join host Matt Greer for a deep dive into the murky waters of who said what where and to whom.

Can employers regulate what an employee says on a social media channel – say Facebook or X? It depends. The “manner and method” of our free speech outside of work still matters. It’s about content and context.

Harassment and discrimination matter still matter. Try the “water cooler principle,” if a comment was made on social media, ask if the same comment was made at work around the water cooler, would the boss feel obligated to act. If the answer is yes, then action is likely required.

This is a fascinating field, nuanced and sometimes dependent on the size of a company and capacity for control as well, as the company’s own use of social media in outreach and marketing.

The laws, and EEOC guidance, haven’t changed. But the environment we live and work in has. Basic principles still apply. For employees, be nice to each other. For employers, do your best to ensure no one is being harassed or bullied. If someone says there’s a problem, employers can protect themselves by investigating complaints and developing and adhering to consistent policies.

REFERENCES MENTIONED:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

NLRB v. Pier Sixty, Justia Law

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Okonowsky v. Garland, Justia Law

Connick v. Myers, Justia Law

The ABA Labor and Employment Law Section 2026 Annual Conference is scheduled for Nov. 4-7, 2026 in Washington, DC

ABA Labor and Employment Law Section

Subscribe to ABA Labor and Employment Law Podcast: https://play.megaphone.fm/jzfpgfsst3wnyevnhvs9cq

Talk Justice explores American’s desire to “age in place” amidst rising housing instability among seniors and how civil legal services can help. An AARP expert and the Executuve Director of their affiliate, Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE), join to discuss. AARP found that 75% of people 50 and older want to stay in their homes and communities as they age, though 44% expect to move due to challenges like cost, accessibility and natural disasters. LCE helps seniors avoid evictions through social work and legal representation in Washington, D.C.

Subscribe to Talk Justice An LSC Podcast: https://play.megaphone.fm/a3ett1fzs9a1qjipaqdufa

Parental alienation isn't just a buzzword. It's a real problem that can completely change the dynamics of a family going through divorce. Family law attorney and divorce mediator Adam Little discusses what parental alienation looks like, why it can be so difficult for courts to distinguish from ordinary family conflict, and what can happen when allegations get out of hand. Together, they examine the warning signs attorneys and parents should recognize, the role of expert witnesses and child advocates, and the evidence that can strengthen or undermine a case. Their conversation explores the legal, emotional, and practical realities behind these high-stakes custody disputes, along with the difficult decisions courts face when a child's best interests are at stake.

Subscribe to Confessions of a Divorce Assassin: https://play.megaphone.fm/yddxa_zfqjimbgjtoqzijw

AI integration is rapidly reshaping how legal work gets done, but many organizations are finding that technology alone is not enough. In this episode of The Legal Report from Robert Half, host Jamy Sullivan speaks with Sunny Sanghani, Managing Director and Legal Consulting Segment Lead at Protiviti, about what it really takes to navigate AI integration successfully. They explore the growing gap between technology investment and workforce readiness, the rising importance of hybrid talent and AI governance, and the critical role legal operations play in driving adoption. Tune in for real-world strategies on how legal leaders can align talent, technology and risk to build more effective, future-ready teams.

Subscribe to The Legal Report from Robert Half: https://play.megaphone.fm/taobgtzvrne014wkmbcgew