2023 Summer Forum Preview: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
The Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Panel will explore the critical role that lawyers play in protecting individuals’ fundamental rights. Although there are legal safeguards that prevent discrimination in many parts of our daily lives, these rights can often go unprotected and ignored without the help of pro bono and public interest attorneys. Our Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Panel will give attendees a glimpse at the great need for talented lawyers in this field and showcase ways that you can help protect individual rights.
2023 Summer Forum Preview: Criminal Law & Death Penalty Panel
Over the past year, our communities have continued to engage in deep reflection on the systemic harms of abusive policing and mass incarceration. There is no area of law more central to those discussions than the criminal legal system. In this session, our panelists will share their work and insights in the criminal law space to uphold central individual liberties, stem the tide of mass incarceration, and protect communities. Learn more about these important topics at our 2023 Summer Forum Panel on Criminal Law & Death Penalty Panel.
Racial Justice Series: Algorithmic Justice Recap
25 May 2023 Blog
At our most recent Racial Justice Series, we discussed the intersection of algorithms, machine learning, and discrimination in law and government. One of the most concerning issues is many times the public cannot tell how algorithms make decisions or what data they use to do so. Private citizens’ data is being collected in large swaths. It is important to minimize how easily that data can be collected, but just as important to shed light on how algorithms are using that data to make biased, flawed, and unjust decisions. Read on to find out more.
2023 Summer Forum Preview: Poverty Law Panel
People living in poverty struggle daily to meet basic needs for themselves and their families. Critical relief: housing, nutrition, health care, fair employment, and protection from violence, often turn not on rights but on access to those rights and remain out of reach for many trying to navigate complex rules and requirements. While legal representation can transform an individual’s ability to access what they need to survive and thrive, low-income litigants are the least likely to have an attorney to help them exercise their rights. Pro bono attorneys who fill this gap literally change and save lives.
Learn more about the wide-ranging legal issues individuals living in poverty face and what pro bono opportunities are available in D.C. and across the country to help address these needs at our 2023 Summer Forum Panel on Poverty Law on Thursday, June 15 from 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm ET. Register here to join the virtual conversation.
2023 Summer Forum Preview: Environmental Justice Panel
Environmental law issues impact residents in D.C. and across the country in a variety of unforeseen ways. People in poverty and communities of color are more likely to live in environmentally unhealthy places. Climate change motivates immigration all over the globe. Join us for our newest summer forum panel discussion about the many ways environmental justice implicates human rights and racial justice. We are excited to hear our inaugural panel discuss how legislative advocacy, individual representation, class action and other tools can bring us closer to achieving environmental justice. Find out more on June 8th.
2023 Summer Forum Preview: Non-Litigation Pro Bono Panel
Pro bono: it’s not just for litigators. There are a variety of pro bono matters that don’t require you to step foot in the courtroom. Opportunities include setting up businesses; drafting or revising employee handbooks; protecting intellectual property; and providing tax advice among many others. And there are opportunities for system change through legislative advocacy and policy work. Trained lawyers can help draft wills for vets, navigate uncontested divorce proceedings, research novel issues, and much more. If you want to help but don’t care to go to court, this panel is for you.
2023 Summer Forum Keynote With Nicole Austin-Hillery
We are thrilled to welcome Nicole Austin-Hillery, President & CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, as the keynote conversation for the 2023 Summer Forum. Ms. Austin-Hillery has dedicated her life and career to fighting for systemic change for marginalized communities. Her advocacy efforts not only work to change oppressive systems, but also lead the change for how Americans understand those systems and the interconnectedness of human rights concerns. Her work is an inspiration as it uplifts the voices and experiences of those that are not typically heard or seen to better society for all. Read on to find out more.
Creating Opportunity for Legal Professionals with Past Convictions
06 March 2023 Blog
Approximately 600,000 people return to their communities following incarceration each year, and it is estimated that more than 1 in 4 returning citizens is unemployed. This is indicative of the collateral consequences of incarceration and the many challenges of reentry – but also shows that there is a massive pool of skilled individuals that employers are missing out on. This is especially true in the legal field. Returning citizens have direct experience in the system, and many have also become practiced legal researchers while incarcerated – skills that would be an asset to any law firm. Five years ago, Georgetown University and the DC Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA) came together to create a paralegal program with the goal of helping connect returning citizens to sustainable careers while also meeting a need in the industry for qualified and highly skilled paralegals.
Government Pro Bono Roundtable 2023 Recap
02 March 2023 Blog
Lawyers who work for any government have a couple of extra considerations to make before doing pro bono work. But as our Government Pro Bono Roundtable moderator and panelists showed, doing pro bono as a government attorney is still accessible and rewarding. Read on to learn (or get a refresher on) some tips from the pros: