Lawyering and true crime podcast picks, courtesy of the Criminal Law Students’ Association
The school year has just begun, but we know you are already looking for ways to procrastinate. Podcasts about true crime and criminal lawyering are a great resource for students interested in criminal law and a fun way to learn about facets of the criminal justice system. If you are not already on the crime podcast train, why not hop on board? Check out our top picks to get started!
Podcasts about criminal lawyering
Adam’s Top Pick: Of Counsel
Of Counsel is hosted by Sean Robichaud, a criminal defence lawyer in Toronto. Throughout the podcast, Robichaud advocates for the use of social media by lawyers to give the legal community its own profile, to engage in social debates, and to stay informed.
Why you should listen:
While Of Counsel is not exclusively a criminal law podcast, the majority of interviews are with criminal law practitioners and discuss criminal justice issues. If you are interested in a career in criminal law, then these interviews with some of Canada’s most accomplished members of the criminal bar are definitely worth a listen.
Notable interviews include conversations with Gerald Chan of Stockswoods LLP, discussing his numerous interventions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Robichaud also interviewed legendary criminal law practitioners like Brian H. Greenspan and Alan D. Gold. If you are looking to get a sense of why criminal lawyers do what they do, consider listening to the episode with Henein Hutchinson LLP’s Danielle Robitaille. Other interesting interviews include those with Michael Lacy (past President of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association), Jordana Goldlist, Donald Bayne (counsel to Senator Mike Duffy in the Senate expenses scandal) and Amy Slotek of Legal Aid Ontario.
Listener tip:
Robichaud usually starts the interview off with how or why the lawyer got into the practice of law, and then proceeds somewhat chronologically through their career. Any special highlights or thorny issues (such as those discussed in the episodes with Joseph Groia or Rocco Galati) are discussed closer to the end.
Adam’s Runner Up: The Docket
The Docket is co-hosted by spouses and criminal lawyers, Emilie Taman and Michael Spratt. Taman clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada, worked as a Crown prosecutor, held teaching positions at the University of Ottawa, and, most recently, ran for the federal NDP in Ottawa-Centre — not to mention the fact that her mother was former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour. Spratt is a well-known Ottawa criminal defence lawyer who served as the past Director of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association and frequently acts as an expert witness before the House of Commons.
Why you should listen:
The Docket provides insightful and witty commentary on many current issues affecting the Canadian political and legal spheres. Notably, they have offered compelling commentary on the SNC-Lavalin affair and the changes to the judicial appointment process in Ontario. Spratt and Taman are deeply engaged lawyers who care about access to justice, the rights of accused persons, and the vitality of the Canadian legal system in general. Their insights are thought-provoking and a great way to engage with these issues.
Listener tip:
The pair will often do a series of episodes on one topic. In the past, they focused their discussions on popular documentaries like Making a Murderer or The Staircase. If this isn’t for you, then skip these series and focus on the regular episodes, where they give their thoughts on current events.
Podcasts about true crime
Emily’s Top Pick: Up & Vanished (Season 1)
Up and Vanished investigates the 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead, a high school teacher and pageant queen from Ocilla, Georgia. With no answers for over 10 years, narrator Payne Lindsey takes matters into his own hands. Listen closely as Lindsey revisits the evidence and speaks with witnesses, locals, and potential suspects in this true crime case. Sometimes the smallest towns hold the biggest secrets.
Why you should listen:
It’s not everyday that you’ll find a podcast covering a cold case through to an arrest.
Warning: listening to Up and Vanished might incite podcast binging behaviour and a deep desire to drop out of law school to work full-time on cracking a cold case.
Listener tip:
Up and Vanished provides listeners with regular episodes, along with “case evidence” and “Q & A” episodes. If you’re interested in an in-depth look into certain pieces of evidence or want to hear questions and answers related to the case and the criminal law process, be sure to listen to all three episode types. If you just can’t wait and want to speed through, the regular episodes provide you with all you need to still follow along!
Emily’s Runner-Up: The Clearing
April Balascio knew that her father, Edward Wayne Edwards, was a bad man. He was abusive, a convicted bank robber, and a con artist. Still, she always felt that there was something more that she was missing. Balascio would wake up in the middle of the night with vague recollections of places her family had been or things that she had seen as a child, and begin a whirlwind of Google searches for answers. Every time she would come up empty, until one day she stumbled upon a double homicide case that seemed far too familiar. After an anonymous tip, her worst fears were confirmed.
This podcast explores the life and crimes of Edwards and, more importantly, the life of Balascio, the daughter of a serial killer who still desperately wants to know the full truth about her father.
Why you should listen:
Beyond the narrative following Edwards, The Clearing gives listeners unique insight into how family members of convicted killers are impacted by these crimes.
Listener tip:
Edwards has been the subject of conspiracy theories that have pinned him to a range of homicide cases, including the infamous murder of JonBenét Ramsey and the Zodiac killings. If you’ve been lost in these theories, try to put them aside and critically question what is fact and what is fiction as you listen along.
This series by the Criminal Law Students’ Association introduces the law student body to the wild, wild world of criminal law and criminal justice. Articles will be published in print in Ultra Vires as well as on the CLSA’s website, uoftlawclsa.weebly.com/blog. To pitch an article to the CLSA blog series, please contact the CLSA Blog Editor, Teodora Pasca, at [email protected].
