Higher Callings
Interviews of lawyers and others dedicated to serving the common good. The host of Higher Callings® is Donald Frederico, a Boston lawyer and past President of the Boston Bar Association with several decades of experience representing clients and leading nonprofit organizations. In those roles, Don has met many people who have found ways to serve their communities and the broader public and help people in need. We hope that, by shining a light on their good works, Higher Callings will inspire others to find their own paths towards making the world a better place.
Episodes
38 episodes
Today's Supreme Court and the Separation of Powers, with Suffolk University Law Professor Renee Landers
The act of governing is an exercise of power. Part of the genius of the United States Constitution is that it does not place all the power in a single ruler, but distributes it across three branches – the legislative, which is Congress, the exe...
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Season 5
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Episode 43
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53:50
"Your Lovable Lawyer": Danny Karon's Higher Calling
When you hear the word “lawyer,” what adjectives come to mind? Obnoxious? Over-priced? Untrustworthy? Or maybe skillful? Smart? Respectable? How often when you think of lawyers do you think “loveable?” Danny Karon is a Cleveland-ba...
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Season 5
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Episode 42
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1:03:29
Portrait of a Jurist: Retired Bankruptcy Judge and Active Public Interest Lawyer Frank J. Bailey
In some courts, when a judge retires, their law clerks or others get together and pay an artist to paint the judge's official portrait. When the portrait is ready, there is a ceremony at the courthouse attended by the judge and the judge’s fami...
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Season 5
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Episode 41
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1:13:02
Defending Democracy and the Rule of Law: A Conversation with former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger
When a person becomes a lawyer, they take an oath. The oath is often administered in a formal bar admission ceremony. Each year in Massachusetts, many such ceremonies take place at historic Faneuil Hall. The new lawyers and their families hear ...
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Season 5
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Episode 40
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1:25:52
Running the Marathon: A Conversation with Tom Grilk, Retired President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association
Running the Marathon: A Conversation with Tom GrilkTom Grilk is a lawyer who began his career in private practice at a major Boston law firm, then worked as in-house counsel at several area tech companies, and, from 2011 until 20...
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Season 5
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Episode 34
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1:13:57
Turning Data Into Action: The World Justice Project and the Rule of Law
The phrase “The Rule of Law” is one we often hear and many of us invoke, but do we have a shared understanding of what it means? And even if we can arrive at a common definition, why does the Rule of Law matter? If it does matter, how well is i...
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Season 5
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Episode 33
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57:05
Supreme Court Roundup, Featuring Law Professor Renee Landers
Renee Landers is a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She teaches Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Health Law, and Privacy Law, among other academic pursuits. She also has served in a number of other impressive ...
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Season 4
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Episode 32
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1:14:28
Promoting Diversity and Defending Democracy: A Conversation with Lauren Stiller Rikleen
Lauren Stiller Rikleen is a force of nature. An accomplished lawyer and author, past President of the Boston Bar Association, and holder of several leadership positions in the American Bar Association, she now has her own leadership institute a...
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Season 4
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Episode 31
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46:47
Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts: An Update From CPCS Chief Counsel Anthony Benedetti
I recently had the privilege of interviewing retired Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Margot Botsford and Boston attorney Denise Murphy about the important work they and others have been doing to promote lawyer well-being in Massachusetts. D...
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41:39
Bonus Episode: Chinh Pham Recounts His Family's Rescue from Vietnam
In February, I interviewed Boston IP attorney Chinh Pham, a former colleague of mine and current President of the Boston Bar Association. At the beginning of the interview, Chinh told me the remarkable story of his family’s rescue from Saigon (...
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Season 4
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Episode 29
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20:32
Lawyer Well-Being in Massachusetts: A Conversation with Retired Justice Margot Botsford and Attorney Denise Murphy
The American legal system is only as healthy as the lawyers and judges who populate it. Yet, the system as it’s structured places enormous stress on many of them, which not only affects their personal happiness and career satisfaction, but ...
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Season 4
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Episode 28
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1:05:36
A Champion for the Rule of Law at Home and Abroad: Massachusetts Lawyer and Retired Justice Robert J. Cordy
Democracies are fragile things. Many of us who pay attention have watched democracies rise and fall. So far, American democracy has survived attempts to weaken it, but no one can guarantee its continued survival.Two of the pillars of dem...
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Season 4
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Episode 27
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1:15:35
Access to Justice: A Conversation with Pro Bono Lawyer Susan M. Finegan
Pro bono publico, a Latin phrase meaning “for the public good,” is most often associated with free legal services lawyers provide to people who need help but cannot afford to pay for it. No lawyer I know better reflects that comm...
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Season 4
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Episode 26
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1:00:23
Paying it Forward: Boston Bar Association President Chinh Pham
When Chinh Pham was 10 years old, he and his family, like thousands of others, fled the chaotic capital of what was then South Vietnam on the final day of the Vietnam War. They were rescued by the 7th Fleet of the U.S. Navy, and eventually land...
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Season 4
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Episode 25
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56:51
Combining Private Practice With Public Service: A Conversation With Retired Lawyer and Judge Karen Green
Lawyers wear many hats. Some go into private practice, some into government service, and others represent the poor. Among those who choose courtroom work, some lawyers become prosecutors, some become criminal defense attorneys, and some become ...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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1:13:26
"The Power to Effect Change": Clinical Professor of Law Sandra Babcock and the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide (the Malawi story)
This episode is an abridged version of the previous episode, picking up the story from the time Professor Babcock entered academia, and quickly focusing on the fascinating and important work she and her students have done and continue to do in ...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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49:04
"The Power to Effect Change": Clinical Professor of Law Sandra Babcock and the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide
Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Like many countries, Malawi still applies the death penalty for capital crimes, although the death penalty is no longer mandatory in capital...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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1:14:04
Highlights From Season 3
Welcome to the new year! As we prepare for Season 4 of Higher Callings, we are pleased to offer this sampler of highlights from the five episodes of Season 3. We will be back soon with the new season, featuring more great guests from the world ...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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36:56
Bonus Episode: David Hoffman Recalls His Time With Hill & Barlow
As Higher Callings begins planning its next season, we’ve decided to post an excerpt from our very first episode. Don's guest was David Hoffman, founder of the mediation firm, the Boston Law Collaborative. After clerking for Justice Stephen Bre...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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9:13
U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr.: A Lifelong Commitment to Equal Justice Under the Law
Solomon Oliver is a United States District Judge based in Cleveland, Ohio. Born and raised in the segregated South, he moved north to attend college and, after years of working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and teaching at both the college and ...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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1:04:47
The Role of the Career Coach in Discovering Our Callings: A Conversation with Leadership Inklings' Joe Miller
What does it take to find our callings? Some people know their callings at an early age, some discover their callings as they progress through school and career, and others may find their true callings much later in life. Whether in search of a...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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49:51
Clinical Legal Education and Public Service: A Conversation with Dean Jens Ohlin and Associate Dean Beth Lyon of Cornell Law School
The clinical education offered in law schools can play an important role in preparing future lawyers to pursue their callings, while also empowering students and faculty in real time to provide critical legal services to clients who would other...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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54:47
Bob and Diane Frankle: Building Bridges Across Religious Divides
Too often, the adherents of one religion understand very little about the traditions of another. In our efforts to promote peaceful coexistence, we often refrain from discussing our religious beliefs and traditions with members of different fai...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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1:09:04
Ambassador (ret.) Robert A. Sherman: President Obama's "Chief of Mission" in Portugal 2014-2017
What compels someone who has had a successful career in the private sector to suddenly leave it for a completely different foray into public service, and more specifically into serving their country?How does the child of immigrants raise...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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1:09:05
Helping Lawyers Find Their Callings: Career Coach Stephen Seckler
My most recent guest for Higher Callings is Stephen Seckler. After graduating from law school, Steve took a job with Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, where he organized hundreds of educational programs for lawyers over several years. H...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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43:28