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Welcome to Personal Jurisdiction!
per·son·al ju·ris·dic·tion | \ ˈpər-sə-nəl \ˌju̇r-əs-ˈdik-shən
When you look up “Personal Jurisdiction” in Black’s Law Dictionary, it directs you to the entry for “Jurisdiction.” We won’t do that to you. We’re here because there’s not enough good information available for law students and new attorneys to make informed choices about their careers.
Join co-hosts Allison Freedman and Hallie Ritzu as we talk to a variety of people to hear about their journeys to fulfilling careers and the advice they have for getting there. From government to start-ups; politics to academia; in-house to legal aid—we’ll get the scoop on what it’s really like to work in different areas of the law, so you can chart your own course for success.
Not only do we have an excellent new episode for you this month, but we're also thrilled to launch our brand refresh! Personal Jurisdiction has a new look! Check our website, LinkedIn, and Substack to see what's new at Personal Jurisdiction. We can't think of a better episode to accompany our brand refresh than #84 with Tamany Vinson Bentz! Tamany Vinson Bentz is the founding partner of California IP Law, a boutique law firm in Manhattan Beach, California dedicated to helping …
Calling all interested in clerkships and the federal court system! We are thrilled to share our first episode featuring both a circuit court judge and one of his current law clerks. In Episode 82, we chat with the Honorable Kevin Newsom of the Eleventh Circuit and his current clerk, Karissa Kang. W…
In Episode 81, we chat with Tom Peabody, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. In this episode, Tom shares his journey from law school to becoming a federal prosecutor, emphasizing the importance of "finding your people" and building a supportive network of both colleagues …
Why have a podcast if you don't interview all of your friends? We celebrate Episode 80 with Christina Otero Geeza - one of our very best friends and an absolute powerhouse attorney based in Miami, Florida. Episode 80 is packed with great advice about approaching law school as an opportunity to try …
Co-Host
Allison Freedman is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law in Albuquerque. Prior to her time at UNM Law, Allison was a Clinical Teaching Fellow in the Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School. She spent the first three years of her legal career at a big law firm in Chicago where she focused on white collar and financial services regulatory and litigation matters. She went on to clerk for the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow in the Northern District of Illinois. During the second year of her clerkship, she also became an adjunct professor of Advanced Trial Practice at Northwestern Law.
Allison graduated from Northwestern Law, where she was on the Bartlit Center National Trial Team and the comment editor of the Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights. She was also an avid clinic student, working in three different clinics on a wide variety of cases—primarily civil rights, death penalty, and criminal cases involving youth.
Prior to law school, Allison received a Fulbright Fellowship, during which she taught classes in politics, debate, and Spanish at a university in Hong Kong. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
When she’s not lawyering, you’ll find Allison running, playing with her dog Ella, or trying new recipes.
Co-Host
Hallie Ritzu is an attorney in Chicago, Illinois and is the owner of Olive Avenue LLC, an estate planning law firm. She spent the first seven years of her legal career at a big firm in Chicago where she focused on trust and estate litigation and estate planning. Hallie is also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School where she teaches Lawyering Skills, a course designed to immerse students in the art of legal writing and research.
Hallie graduated from Northwestern Law. She was an Articles Editor for the Northwestern University Law Review and served as a judicial extern at the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Hallie earned a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the College of Charleston and an M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College.
When she’s not podcasting, Hallie enjoys playing tennis and reading mystery novels.
