“𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝑀𝑦 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒.”

This powerful message from Attorney Kawan Lovelace lingered with me long after our Legal Lens discussion, spotlighting our society’s vital interconnections, often overlooked in the rush of daily life.

It was an honor hosting him, diving into his diverse background from NYPD police officer to detective and prosecutor, and now a civil rights attorney, and how it forged his path to justice.

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When I first learned about my Legal Lens guest’s history, I knew we’d have a fantastic episode, and I was right!

Attorney Kawan Lovelace, a New York–based civil rights lawyer, brings his path from NYPD police officer and detective to Bronx prosecutor, before pivoting to challenge the systems he once served. A Queens native and 1996 Atlanta Olympics triple jumper, he shares how 9/11, his wife’s escape from Tower Two, a work injury, and fatherhood propelled him into policing, law school at nearly 40, and a reckoning with “changing the system from within” amid redlining, poverty, mental health gaps, and structural barriers hitting Black and Brown communities hardest.

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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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