Hitting the Stage at TED2015 Vancouver!
Curtis Carroll, the guy in the center wearing the white t-shirt, entered San Quentin State Prison as a young man. He could barely read or write.
That was until he discovered the world of Wall Street. He asked questions, studied stocks and today, behind the walls of the prison, officers and inmates know him as “Wall Street.” He keeps a stock portfolio, studies national and international corporations and shares his excitement about making money the legal way by teaching a financial literacy class to fellow inmates.
Life of the Law partnered with the Kitchen Sisters to produce a talk at TED2015in Vancouver, which will presented at Pop-Up Magazine’s upcoming events in San Francisco and Los Angeles — you can buy tickets for the shows here.
Take a minute to listen here to this exclusive conversation recorded by Life of the Law behind the walls of San Quentin State Prison between Wall Street and an award-winning billion dollar international investor.
LIVE LAW Storytelling Comes to Des Moines and Seattle
Just one Live Law event isn’t enough…so we’re bring our LIVE LAW events to two towns! Join us in Des Moines on April 29th, when six brave souls take the stage to share their stories about getting “Schooled in the Law” at LIVE LAW 7, a free event co-sponsored by Drake University (and open to the public). We just booked Judge Romonda Belcher—the first African-American woman judge appointed in the State of Iowa—to tell a story, so this is not one to miss. More details here.
On Saturday, May 30th at 7pm, LIVE LAW 8 is coming to Seattle with never before heard stories about “Promises.” It’ll all happen at the Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater (which, for you LSA Meeting folks, is just a few steps from the hotel). Rendezvous serves food and drinks, so get there early and grab a bite.
Tickets for Seattle are on sale now ($12 in advance/$15 at the door). You may want to go ahead and get them, as the venue is cozy…
Meet the Team: Michael and Jonathan
It’s not every day something this fabulous happens to our little podcast and now, we get to share the news. Michael May (on the left with the glasses and beard) and Jonathan Hirsch (on the right with, well, glasses and blue eyes) have joined our production team! Truth be told, Michael has worked with us before, but now, he’s our first ever Managing Editor and he has some very cool ideas. Jonathan will be producing our episodes and LIVE LAW storytelling series. We asked them to share a bit about themselves.
Michael: I’m thrilled to join the Life of the Law team. I’ve been a obsessed with justice issues since becoming a journalist — one of my first magazine features was about a state restorative justice program in Texas that brought a convicted killer together with the mother of his victim. Since then, I’ve followed prisoners as they re-enter society, delved into the psyche of an FBI informant and worked alongside exonerated prisoners who are investigating innocence cases (see this past week’s podcast, “Anatomy of a Confession.”) I’m excited to find a like-minded group of reporters and editors to push the envelope on legal reporting. We’ll be trying out new formats and approaches in the coming months. When I’m not editing or reporting, I’m negotiating a legal framework with my four-year old daughter that involves such important precedents as whether the law requires a tidy room before or after screen time.
Jonathan: I am the new Live Law Sound Producer and Episode Producer. I’m thrilled and honored to be working with such an incredible team of creative people and am excited to contribute to the inspired body of work you’ve come to know and love as Life of The Law. I’m a life-long audiophile and storyteller — proclivities that have landed me in a variety of creative occupations, from composing and performing music with the band Passenger & Pilot, to curating live literary events, to launching the documentary audio project ARRVLS. I live in Brooklyn now, but as a native San Franciscan I can be found on the L-Train most often daydreaming of avocados and taquerias.
What’s in the Episode Pipeline?
If we asked you what you do for a living, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear you say the word “freelancer” or “independent contractor.” One in three Americans does some kind of independent work, whether it’s in addition to a full-time job or in lieu of one. And while independence has its perks, what it doesn’t have in the American workforce is a lot of legal protections.
Next week on Life of the Law, our team Editor and Reporter Casey Miner takes a look at the problems exotic dancers, Uber drivers, and AT&T customer service reps all share — and why you might be facing some of the same stresses at the job — or jobs — where you make a living.
“Finance is how I became to be who I am, and it’s who I am now,”
– Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll, inmate at San Quentin
