Attorney Kawan Lovelace joins this week’s Legal Lens podcast, sharing his unique insights on pressing civil rights challenges and opportunities through his lens as a former NYPD police officer, detective and prosecutor.

Now representing clients in wrongful arrest, police brutality, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and constitutional violations, he leverages his insider perspective on policing and prosecution to reveal how qualified immunity, law enforcement policies, and accountability gaps often shield officers, while demystifying the criminal legal system’s real impact on Black and Brown communities, plus actionable paths to urge lawmakers for reform, ending qualified immunity, and reimagining safety.

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What do the Olympics, NYPD, and the law have in common? Our final Legal Lens podcast episode of the year features civil rights attorney Kawan Lovelace, sharing insights on the challenges and opportunities across these worlds.

From his roots in Queens to competing as a triple jumper in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Attorney Lovelace reveals how elite athletic discipline fueled his path through law school, starting at nearly 40, to becoming an NYPD police officer, detective, prosecutor, and beyond!

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In these divided times, there’s far too much focus on what sets us apart, says powerhouse attorney Ashley Upkins on this week’s Legal Lens podcast. Instead, she calls us to lean into our shared humanity, seek common ground, and “do justice” right where we stand: in our workplaces, communities, and daily lives.

It’s a timely reminder for all of us grinding through challenges: real change starts with bridging gaps and showing up with purpose.

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My guest for this Legal Lens podcast is the amazing attorney Ashley Upkins, the first woman from Tennessee elected as President of the National Bar Association (NBA), the nation’s oldest and largest network of Black and other legal professionals.

Celebrating 100 years and founded in response to being excluded from membership by the majority bar association at the time, and with a long line of legacy Presidents, including civil rights attorneys Fred D. Gray, The Hon. Allen J. Webster, Jr. and Paulette Brown, the NBA continues to thrive and be on the frontlines of justice for African Americans and others across the country.

A lifetime member of the NBA and the National Bar Institute, by profession, Ashley leads complex litigation and dispute resolution at Silicon Ranch, the nation’s largest independent solar energy producer, and formerly served as Managing Partner of The Cochran Firm – Nashville.

Learn all about the inspiring work of attorney Upkins and the National Bar Association, now on the Legal Lens podcast.

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Attorney Ashley Upkins, President of the @NationalBarAssociation, drops a powerful truth on this week’s Legal Lens podcast:

𝐻𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑛𝑎𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑘, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙! 𝑊𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠, 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡ℎ-𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝, 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘, 𝑛𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡.

Together, we dive into the NBA’s vital legacy and today’s fight, from court monitoring and judicial nominations to amicus briefs and rapid-response on voting rights, policing, and civil liberties.

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Kicking off this week’s Legal Lens podcast with an inspiring conversation alongside powerhouse attorney Ashley Upkins! As President of the National Bar Association and in-house counsel at clean-energy innovator Silicon Ranch in Nashville, Ashley shares real wisdom on leadership, justice, and building bridges in divided times: straight talk we all need right now!

It’s all about rising leaders who stay grounded in faith and turn challenges into opportunities.

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“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡.”

This hopeful message from Attorney Yasmin Cader of @ACLU, my guest on this week’s Legal Lens podcast, really lifted my spirits. I admire her balanced, hopeful outlook amid today’s political and legal challenges.

In this compelling episode, I had the pleasure of discussing with Attorney Cader some of the critical topics of our times, from what it takes to defend democracy to criminal justice reform, First Amendment, civil rights and immigration protections.

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Attorney Yasmin Cader, Deputy Legal Director at the @ACLU drops some serious nuggets on this week’s Legal Lens podcast! From Howard University to Yale Law, her journey from federal public defender, to being in private law practice, and now helping provide leadership to the ACLU’s national litigation and policy initiatives, is nothing short of inspiring.

She breaks down how the ACLU’s mission to expand civil liberties and equal protection is evolving in 2025, having adapted to address attacks on constitutional institutions, government overreach, and community harms.

From voting rights litigation to book ban suits, Cader helps lead the ACLU’s critical work on racial justice, criminal legal reform, immigrant protections, and upholding the First Amendment.

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𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬

This is one of the powerful topics we discuss during this week’s Legal Lens podcast with Attorney Yasmin Cader, Deputy Legal Director of the @ACLU.

We explore the ACLU’s litigation around book bans and censorship in military defense schools, and what it could mean for public schools across the nation.

Attorney Cader also provides other crucial updates and insights related to the ACLU’s work in protecting long-honored civil rights and liberties currently under threat in the current political and social climate.

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What does it really take to defend democracy? That’s the powerful conversation I’m having this week with Attorney Yasmin Cader, Deputy Legal Director at the ACLU, on the Legal Lens podcast.

We cover the @ACLU’s signature work around the first amendment and freedom of speech, along with its work in defending civil rights and liberties in unprecedented times – a conversation packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

Listen now on all major streaming platforms: linktr.ee/areddock… Read More