First Day of Class - Access to Justice Exercise

We do this exercise on the first day of Consumer Law & Advocacy...

Introduction: Access to Justice 

Social Justice - "the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities." 

Criminal Justice - "laws, procedures, institutions, and policies at play before, during, and after the commission of a crime." 

Civil Justice - I define this as leveling the playing field for the little guy in civil disputes. 

I wrote the following paragraph on an actual case. Please read before class: I came across a story from July 2005 about West Virginia’s Marsh Fork Elementary School, which is situated 400 yards below a 2.8 billion gallon coal waste dam. 400 yards? 2.8 billion gallons?? With the kids breathing coal dust and chemicals from the coal silo which sits 150 feet away. The only reason this is making any news is that the grandfather of one of the elementary school kids sat on the West Virginia Capitol steps and refused to leave until the governor addressed these rather serious concerns. The guy was just a little curious why the Department of Environmental Protection approved a permit for an additional coal silo adjacent to the school. He was just wondering why in a school of 200 students, three kids and four teachers had died of cancer. And with 240 significant safety violations since 1991, why nothing was being done, like building another school. Away from the madness. 2.8 billion gallons. 2.8 billion. School’s not out. School’s gone! 

What would you do? Assume that you do not have the resources to move. (Reflect on the parallels with New Orleans residents affected by Hurricane Katrina, also in 2005). Break up into teams of three and discuss. Then we will re-group for a class discussion on this case and current cases in the news – e.g., Flint water crisis is back in the news. 

Interactive Education & Law Training, 2021-2022

 

Interactive Education Programs for High School Students

I.    Being a Savvy Consumer

II.  Consumer Advocacy Skills

III. First Day of College - What's that Like?

Interactive Business Cases for Companies (In-Person or via Zoom)

I. Leading by Example to Foster a Positive Workplace Culture
A. Handling Employee Social Media Issues in and out of the Workplace
B. Ethics and Morale Building in the Workplace for Executives, Managers, or Employees

      C. Re-Sensitizing Employees to Harassment and Discrimination Issues

II. Internal Controls: Protecting the Company’s Assets

A. Contracts - What managers and supervisors need to know about contracts

B. Intellectual Property - All employees must guard the company’s valuable brand

C. Minimizing External Business Risks with an Effective Document Retention Program

Just Published: Teaching Consumer Law & Advocacy Skills with a Judge Judy Team Project

 

In my effort to teach civil justice issues, I wrote Teaching Consumer Law & Advocacy Skills with a Judge Judy Team Project for the Midwest Law Journal.

Click here to read

The Case for Humor in the College Classroom

 

Levity from the archives for a FTF Fall semester

Click Here

Honored to Receive the GSU Sparks Service Award

 

Many thanks to Marta White (Nominator) and Jenifer Shockley and Mhakai King for their video tributes!

The ceremony clip can be viewed here.

Overheard from Perry's Former Students, for his College Success Book

From the Archives: "Way Too Kind" Book Testimonials from Professor Binder’s Former Students

Professor Binder cares about his students and our world. He makes you think and ask yourself: How can I apply this to my reality and bring about justice? Zyna Adams

Perry provides a means of learning which applies to everyone in the classroom. There's a difference between being in class and wanting to be in class. Every lecture I attended, I can honestly say I wanted to be there. Stephanie Beadle

Perry's teaching style is unusual, and his classes were one of the main reasons I decided to go on to law school. Allen Bearden

Perry's unique and humorous ways of relating to his audience have inspired me to enhance my presentations when teaching classes at work. Though I cannot use his Pawn/Porn Shop example, I have found myself channeling Perry to make dry topics a lot more interesting. Jason Belford

On Professor Binder’s class project, I searched through a sea of county real estate records, discovered a family estate dispute on a piece of neighborhood property, wrote a legal letter to the parties involved, and got an A on the project! Aubree Lundie Bergmann

Perry doesn't bore you with repetitive slideshows; each class he has a stand up lecture that is truly interesting and very engaging! His real life examples of the material being taught are often hilarious, especially coming from Perry's hilarious, yet ingenious perspective! For extra credit, I created a video and posted it on his Facebook wall about a particular case. David Brown

Professor Binder ensured there was never a dull moment of class because he truly cared about teaching and motivating his students to learn. I will never forget coming back from surgery and the first thing he does is start the class on a welcome back chant for me. Kevin Clodfelter

Perry's class was more than just another class for me, it was a decision making catalyst, and had a huge impact on my future. His classes were the ones that I felt passionate about and never bored. Kevin Crayon

Mr. Binder is the Michael Jordan of teaching. I say that because he isn't the best at any one thing when it comes to teaching but he is above average in all categories from knowledge, to humor, to understanding the college student. His humor made me interested, and I like how he would try different approaches in class. Harlem Duru

Professor Binder’s exuberant attitude towards the subject matter really motivated me to be engaged in his lectures. Ari Edlin

Perry is so entertaining in the classroom that one often wonders why he hasn't taken up comedy as another career. But where he truly shines is in creating a sense of mutuality--and in doing so makes his students feel like we are part of an experience, not a top-down lecture. Jennifer Flome

Professor Binder's classes bring humor and real world events into one place. He will paint a picture of an event and have students envision what he is talking about and give feedback on what they were thinking about. He has a knack for finding ways of getting every student in his classes involved and feeling good about being in class and reassuring his students that going to class after all is not as bad as it may seem. Bobby Flood

I appreciated Perry’s commitment to helping my classmates and me go beyond our limited backgrounds and cultures and blossom into informed and caring professionals. My experience in his “Perry-Legal” course was a wonderful introduction into the world of the legal profession. Thanks for your help in unlocking my “rubber room.” Anthony Gerald

Class with Mr. Binder is truly a college experience like no other! With his innovative teaching style and the way he communicates to his students, you cannot help but learn and absorb his lessons with ease. My college experience was made much better because I took his class! Gabe Heslop

Two essential lessons that Perry's class taught me are: important information is everywhere if we spend the time to look closer; and it's more meaningful to find humor in our daily lives than to live with fear, pessimism, or divisiveness. Those lessons go a long way toward finding happiness and reaching the success that we all imagine. Thomas Hodges

Being in Perry’s class brought excitement to the legal system, as his methodology to teaching and learning processes were always relayed by humor. It showed that there are more engaging ways to learn law without necessarily having to read and research alone - by relaying real-life situations with laughter and enthusiasm. Frank James

Having Perry as my professor, you never knew what to expect. He may be quiet and subtle at the beginning of your class and standing on the desk dancing around by the end. Thanks to Perry, I am able to handle a lot of the "unexpected" twists and turns that are found in so many of the cases and with so many of the clients. Jane Glaze

Professor Binder's class was simply amazing - there's really no other way to describe it. Hands down, it was my favorite class. His teaching style coupled with his humor made the class so interesting and kept us engaged the entire time. The best part was that he actually motivated his students, making us WANT to learn and succeed. Anita Kathuria

Professor Binder is an amazing professor as he teaches in ways that students find interesting and will always remember. It was because of Professor Binder that I was inspired to go to law school and am forever grateful for taking his classes. Nina Kathuria

Perry Binder is the only Professor I have known that practically encourages his students to yell out " Yo Prof" in class. He is charming and witty, keeping his class entertained with jokes and funny mannerisms. The class is engaged in discussions and learning new things about the law and how it relates to everyday life without even realizing it. Jaskirat Kaur

Professor Binder keeps his class interesting and fun. You will laugh, be entertained and learn so much about law. I never knew that law could be fun until I had Professor Perry - he is the best! Mindaugas Michael Judvytis

Taking Perry's class is the best way to spend a summer! If there's one thing I learned from his class, it's: Don't serve the coffee too hot! Taylor Nations

I took Perry Binder’s class my freshman year of college. Although it has now been over a decade, I remember his class as the one I most looked forward to because of his passion and knowledge of the subject, magnetic charm, and outgoing personality. Today, I consider Perry a friend and his determination has encouraged me to continue my education throughout grad school. Sherlene Nelson

Perry Binder was not only a Professor, but a Mentor. Expect the unexpected - his courses were never dull, making sure students were always personally challenged. His classes were not about memorizing material, but taking it and applying to real-life scenarios. To date the best Professor I have had. Lizette Olaechea

Professor Binder’s class was a great bridge between an undergraduate program and a law school. Any prospective law student should definitely consider enrolling the courses conducted by Professor Binder. David Pyun

Dr. Binder is a brilliant mind whose contagious unbridled enthusiasm, coupled with captivating antics, make his class educational and fun - while providing a true Socratic learning experience. I highly recommend his class to anyone, especially those considering law school. Caveat Emptor: Beware, not all professors in law school teach like him, so don't be fooled! Kash Rambhotla

Perry would often tell us, ‘It's good to be the judge.’ After taking two semesters with him, both full of inspiring stories, fascinating reads, and guaranteed laughs, I would have to disagree - it's good to be the student. Jasmine Shergill

Perry’s sense of humor and vast amount knowledge truly inspired me to learn and achieve at higher levels. He has a gift of being able to teach in a way that provides you with the ability to remember the lesson for years to come. I have a sincere thankfulness for the desire to never stop learning - that is priceless. April Sohayda

To have shared a classroom with Perry was not only a learning experience, but a trajectory for life. One that influenced our family onto better things, including my daughter becoming an attorney. Vincent Suero

Taking a class with Professor Perry Binder may look like a typical law class from the outside, but once you experience his enthusiastic teaching style which blends insightful real world scenarios with theoretical legal precedents, you will depart every class looking forward to the next one. His witty, intelligent, and often comedic presentation of information not only grabs your attention while in class, but encourages you to find practical application of the legal world in our daily lives. Jason Thomas

Perry’s enthusiasm was contagious and my cheeks would be sore from laughing after every class! Each lesson was followed by real life examples and he had an awesome way of putting a hilarious twist to them. I wish I would have just gone to Perry Binder University! I took every single undergrad class he taught. Kevin Walkup

Professor Binder’s class was the one that I looked forward to most on Mondays. It opened my mind to both the challenges and rewards that exist in the legal field and influenced me to pursue a law degree. Ashley Woolard

Available on Amazon (click here)

Fondly remembering Hank Aaron

I was honored to be a part of an award ceremony at Georgia State University, where Hank Aaron received our Legends Award.  He will be missed dearly.

99 Motivators Website Hits 200,000 Unique Views in Time for the Holidays

 

Everyone - I want to wish you a happy holiday in this trying year.  I especially want to express my gratitude to readers of 99 Motivators this year and from years past.  Looking forward to getting back to in-person speaking engagements some time in 2021.

Perry

Book Reviews: 99 Motivators for College Success

 

As an avid reader, I've enjoyed interacting with fellow readers on GoodReads.com.  In addition, this site has given me a great forum as an author to interact with readers of 99 Motivators for College Success.

If you read my blog, please consider friending and/or following me at
Perry Binder on GoodReads 

1- Sample GoodReads Reviews for 99 Motivators for College Success 

- Right now I am a high school student and I'm going to be taking a Law Studies class my Junior year and I think this book will be very useful.

- Received this book in a giveaway, but its advice is WAY more valuable than that might hint. The one that really sticks out (and could have saved me a lot of wasted time) is how you should choose a vocation (pays well!) versus an avocation (hobby; little or no pay!).
- The book is divided into three sections: how to adjust to college, how to succeed in class, and how to properly apply your degree to your future career.  Of the career section, the best advice numbers came with the bureau of labor statistic inserts, allowing an influence and perspective into the quote or advice. In succeeding in class, the most helpful pages had advice on mentors and how to properly write an essay or take a multiple choice test. The Adjusting to college had a huge emphasis placed on making friends and overall enjoying life because that is what one should be doing at college.  Overall, it was a great book. Only problem is that I am now freaking out over my career prospects. Oh well!

2- Sample Amazon Reviews 

- I have enjoyed reading this book. It was quite helpful in getting me motivated for the right reasons. I would definitely recommend it for other college students.

- Fantastic book and a quick read. Perry is a motivating professor; which is carried forward into his writing. Purchase the book you will be satisfied.
- Perry Binder really knows how to make the apprehension that surrounds such a daunting period easy to overcome using his logical and common sense view points. Although this is a short read, the wisdom found between the covers provides insight for everyone and will keep you coming back as a source of inspiration and motivation for years to come. Having been fortunate enough to experience his teaching first hand, I know these motivators are based on real world experiences that he has gained as a practicing attorney and professor. His gift is his ability to break down complex issues into their simplest common denominators so they can be easily analyzed and resolved. Perry is able to provide thoughtful insight to the seemingly obvious or create that "aha" moment that the reader will find humorous and enlightening. As with all of Professor Binder's books, the reader will discover that the truth will set you free and leave you with a smile on your face.

Amazon: 99 Motivators for College Success

3- Perry's Former Students - Testimonials on Perry's Classes

99 Motivators for College Success will soon have 200,000 Unique Site Visitors

Also in 2020, 99 Motivators was sent to hundreds of rising high school seniors as part of Randolph College's Book Award program (2016-present).

Thank you for your support. 
Perry