Andrea L. Dennis Andrea L. Dennis is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & John Byrd Martin Chair of Law at the University of Georgia School of Law. Her scholarship explores criminal defense lawyering, race and criminal justice, criminal informants and cooperators, youth advocacy, legal socialization of youth and the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Dennis’ book “Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America” has received national attention, and courts nationwide have cited her research on rap lyrics as criminal evidence. She has also published works in the American Criminal Law Review, the Catholic University Law Review, the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, the Howard Law Journal, the Marquette Law Review, the Nebraska Law Review, the Nevada Law Journal and the Journal of Legal Education. Additionally, she has been quoted in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets about rap lyrics being used as criminal evidence in trials across the country.
John Hamasaki John Hamasaki is a criminal defense attorney in San Francisco, California. His practice focuses on defending constitutional protections in complex criminal cases implicating civil rights and civil liberties. He has worked on a number of high profile cases, including one involving rapper Laz Tha Boy, whose rap lyrics were used as criminal evidence. He is routinely called upon for legal commentary by national media organizations.
Jack I. Lerner Jack I. Lerner is Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, with a joint appointment in the Department of Film and Media Studies. He is also Director of the UCI Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Clinic. He is lead author of the first and second editions of Rap on Trial: A Legal Guide (UC Irvine School of Law Research Paper, 2024), a comprehensive guide for defense counsel dealing with rap lyrics and videos in criminal proceedings. In preparing the Guide, he, his co-author Charis E. Kubrin, and students in the Clinic interviewed attorneys and experts, and reviewed dozens of cases and briefs to create the “Rap on Trial Case Compendium and Brief Bank.” Since 2021, Professor Lerner and his co-authors have conducted workshops with hundreds of attorneys, scholars, and activists across the country, and have worked with policymakers across the country to craft legislation to protect against the misuse of creative expression in the courtroom. In 2024, he authored “Rap on Trial: A Brief History” in the Chapman Law Review and with Professor Kubrin and Kyle Witten, he co-authored “Prosecutor Narratives and Race Construction in Rap on Trial Cases” (Research Handbook on Race, Crime, and Justice, Edward Elgar, forthcoming).
Abenaa Owusu-Bempah Abenaa Owusu-Bempah is Associate Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. She researches criminal procedure, the law of evidence and criminal law, with a particular emphasis on the admissibility and use of rap music as evidence in criminal trials.
Jeffrey Urdangen Jeffrey Urdangen is an accomplished defense attorney whose legal career spans four decades in private practice and legal education. His range of experience brings a wealth of insight and knowledge to clients. Jeff represents persons accused of crimes, primarily at the trial and investigation stage. He dedicated sixteen years as a Clinical Professor of Law and Director for the Center for Criminal Defense at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, working with students on trial-level criminal cases. Prior to that he had his own criminal defense practice for 23 years.