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Wednesday, October 30
 

8:30am CDT

[CLE] Disability Discrimination In The Law And Beyond [Hybrid]
Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:30am - 12:00pm CDT
NOTE: This CLE requires separate registration at this link! There is a $50 fee for this CLE and the DJC is accepting payment in the form of check made out to "Disability Justice Committee of the NLG" to be given either in-person or mailed. For the mailing address, kindly reach out to frishberga@aol.com."

Disability rights and justice are urgently relevant to all fights for civil rights and social justice. In this CLE session, the lawyers and legal workers of NLG’s Disability Justice Committee and allied comrades will provide critical frameworks, updates and observations from the field, and advocacy tools to apply critical disability legal analysis and anti-ableism/disability justice activism to our work. Three panels will include presentations and time for discussion to address three thematic areas: (1) education, family regulation systems, and government services; (2) housing, employment, and disability antidiscrimination; and (3) alternatives to law and creative movement lawyering in the current political and pandemic moment.

Education, Family Regulation Systems, and Government Services 
Cristal Robinson, Nesta Johnson, Rebecca Hoyt, and Sam Adams

Housing, Employment, and Disability Antidiscrimination 
Aaron Frishberg, Lydia X. Z. Brown, Rebecca Hoyt, and Sam Adams

Alternatives to Law and Creative Movement Lawyering
Chris Lombardi, Nesta Johnson, Ren Wilcox, and Jilisa Milton (invited)


All Speaker Bios

Aaron Frishberg has been a member of the National Lawyers Guild since college, over forty years ago, and helped revive the dormant national committee which is now known as the Disability Justice Committee. Aaron also sits on the steering committee of the national Military Law Task Force. He has lived and practiced in New York City all of his professional life, and has strong friendships with members of National Conference of Black Lawyers, including its first National Director, who had him do legal research for his law firm beginning when he was in the City College Urban Legal Studies program, better known to many NLG members as "Haywood's program." He spent his post law school years initially doing legal research and drafting for a Harlem civil rights law firm, and spent four years at what is now the Mental Health Law Project of Mobilization for Justice, providing out-patient psychiatric patients with legal representation. He has spent the next several decades doing civil rights representation of people with disabilities and others in employment, housing, and transportation discrimination as well as representing people seeking release from psychiatric institutions.

Chris Lombardi has been writing about war and peace for more than 20 years. Her work has appeared in the Nation, the Philadelphia Inquirer, ABA Journal, and at whyy.org. She is the author of the 2020 book, “I Ain’t Marching Anymore: Dissenters, Deserters, and Objectors to America’s Wars,” from the New Press.

Lydia X. Z. Brown (they/them) is a feminist disability studies and critical legal studies scholar. Currently they are Assistant Teaching Professor of Disability Studies at Georgetown University. They are also the Law and Public Policy Discipline Coordinator for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program at the Georgetown University Medical Center. Brown’s work focuses on interpersonal and state violence against disabled people at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, faith, language, and nation; carcerality and institutional violence; asexuality as queerness; algorithmic harm as an accelerating force of systemic injustice; and the ableism-racism nexus of transracial and transnational adoption. They have recent publications in FUTURE/PRESENT: Arts in a Changing America, Autism in Adulthood, The American Journal of Law and Medicine, Critical Sociology, Critical Studies in Education, and Disability Studies Quarterly. Professionally, Brown is Director of Public Policy at the National Disability Institute, which works to advance economic opportunity and freedom for people with disabilities. They are also the founding Executive Director of The Autistic People of Color Fund, which advocates for disability, racial, and economic justice with a focus on building generative economies and just transition while providing mutual aid, peer support, and community-funded reparations. Brown serves as immediate past president and vice chair of the Disability Rights Bar Association and as a member of the National Lawyers Guild’s National Executive Committee, and was a past member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Disability Rights. They previously led the nation’s only project focused on disability rights, AI, and tech policy at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Tech Law & Policy and later at the Center for Democracy & Technology. Brown is also a former Justice Catalyst Fellow at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, where they represented students with disabilities facing denial of civil rights in education, and former Chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council.

Nesta Johnson joined the National Center for Lesbian Rights as a staff attorney in 2020, continuing a career focused on advocating for the rights of children and families. Nesta graduated in 2008 with a BA from Stony Brook University, where she majored in Philosophy. In 2013, Nesta was awarded her JD from the George Washington University Law School, where she did clinical work in medical torts, domestic violence advocacy, and family law. During her five-year tenure as a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, Nesta represented over seven hundred children in primarily “child welfare” matters. Subsequently, as a writing/appellate staff attorney with The Children’s Law Center, Nesta advocated for youth at the trial and appellate levels in primarily custody and visitation matters. As an LGBTQ+ family law attorney at NCLR, Nesta works at the intersections of LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, economic justice, and disability justice to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ parents, parents of LGBTQ+ children, and single and multi-parent families through legislative and policy advocacy, public and professional education, and impact litigation. Nesta advocates for expanding equitable access to reproductive health care while safeguarding the health and rights of people acting as surrogates and gamete donors, and works to ensure that LGBTQ+ parents and their children are fully recognized and respected as families under the law regardless of genetic connection or marital status. Nesta is admitted to practice law in New York State and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Rebecca Hoyt joins the City of Madison as the Disability Rights and Services Specialist. As a person with a disability, and the parent of a child with a disability, she brings with her deep roots and passion for advocacy. She is committed to celebrating diversity and representing the disability community with pride. Rebecca joins the Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Division, within the Department of Civil Rights. Rebecca worked as an education advocate at Public Counsel Law Center, representing students and families in special education and school discipline matters. For the last 14 years she worked at Disability Rights California (DRC), the largest disability rights legal services program in the country. As a Senior Advocate at DRC, she strove to preserve and advance educational and employment opportunities through research, policy analysis, advocacy, and coalition buildin
Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

9:00am CDT

[CLE] Military Resistance and the Law [Hybrid]
Wednesday October 30, 2024 9:00am - 4:00pm CDT
This CLE will be happening in-person at the NLG National Convention on October 30, 2024 from 9 am-4 pm Central Time (with a lunch break from 12-1 pm), as well as live via zoom. The programming will also be available in recorded/on-demand format beginning on November 1.

This event requires separate registration: To register please click here!

Program Description:

This program focuses on the issues of Military Resistance and Protest, Anti-Imperialism, and Legal Support for Military Resistance.

The CLE will include six one-hour sessions, each with a different panel. It will begin with a discussion of military resistance by resisters; and continue with separate sessions on military policies on dissent and protest; court-martial defense for resisters; complaints and redress of grievances; conscientious objection and other discharges; and a summary including why we (attorneys and legal workers/military counselors) do military law. It is designed for beginning practitioners and counselors, but will include discussion of value to those more experienced in this work. Each session will include commentary on working with and supporting resisters, as well as legal policies.

Our presenters:
Our other speakers will be listed here soon after availability is confirmed.

James M. Branum has practiced military law (including court-martials, administrative boards, and discharge upgrade boards) since 2006. He is a member of the steering committee of the MLTF and is a past chair. He is a graduate of Oklahoma City University of School of Law, and is the author of the book US Army AWOL: A Practice Guide and Formbook. Outside of legal work, he is an interfaith minister, peace activist, and is the editor of Humanistic Judaism magazine.

Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr. is an anti-oppression community organizer and author who has made substantial contributions within both non-profits and grassroots organizations for over a quarter century. Jonathan embraced his calling as an Undergraduate Student at Howard University in the late 1990’s. In 2006, as an enlisted member of the United States Navy, he co-founded the Appeal For Redress from the Iraq War, which was awarded the 2007 Letelier Moffitt Human Rights Award from the Institute for Policy Studies. He is also the author of Anti-War Soldier: How to Dissent with the Ranks of the Military.

How to attend: The cost of this program is $25 per session or $100 for all six sessions (for attorneys seeking CLE credit) or a donation of any amount for all others.

We also will waive the attorney fee for any attorney who agrees to accept a pro-bono referral from the MLTF in the next 12 months. Law students are warmly welcomed and can attend for free (and are eligible to join the MLTF for free as well!)
To register. Please click here.

CLE Credit:
  • California: Accreditation pending
  • Other jurisdictions: Attorneys in other states will be given a “uniform application for accreditation of CLE credit” which can be submitted to one’s state bar. We cannot guarantee that a state bar will approve the CLE credit but most states will likely do so (Texas is a notable exception – if you are a Texas lawyer, please contact us, as we may be able to apply for accreditation for the program if we have sufficient interest to justify the cost.). Your state may also require you to pay a nominal fee for submitting this form, which would be your responsibility.
Materials:
Sponsors: This program was made possible for the funding of the NLG foundation.
Wednesday October 30, 2024 9:00am - 4:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

10:00am CDT

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute [In-Person]
Wednesday October 30, 2024 10:00am - Saturday November 2, 2024 5:00pm CDT
The Alabama NLG Chapter encourages all in-person attendees to plan a visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute! You can plan your visit at https://www.bcri.org/visit-us/.

Please note the hours are 10am-5pm, and Sunday the museum will be closed.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a cultural and educational research center that promotes a comprehensive understanding of the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham. Founded in 1992, BCRI reaches more than 150,000 individuals each year though award-winning programs and services.

We stand strong as THE CORNERSTONE of the civil rights story, a living memorial with an ongoing mission.

MISSION: To enlighten each generation about civil and human rights by exploring our common past and working together in the present to build a better future.


Learn more at https://www.bcri.org/









Wednesday October 30, 2024 10:00am - Saturday November 2, 2024 5:00pm CDT

1:00pm CDT

[CLE] Liberation Strategies for Incarcerated Persons [In-Person]
Wednesday October 30, 2024 1:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Please join the NLG National Police Accountability Project for a half day CLE at the 2024 NLG National Convention in Birmingham, AL! Please note that this CLE requires separate registration. Click here to register!

Please see below for details about panels, accommodations, happy hour, and more.
 
Please note: this CLE will only be available in person. There is no virtual option.


AGENDA and SPEAKERS (1:00pm - 2:30pm)
  • Panel 1: Prison Litigation for Liberation: Innovative Tactics Against ADOC on behalf of Incarcerated Clients
  • This panel will explore the implications of Braggs v. Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), impact litigation  in the correctional setting, and more broadly link issues in ADOC to their manifestations across the country.
  • Speakers include:
2:30pm - 4:00pm
  • Panel 2: Beyond Litigation: Freedom Strategies Outside the Courtroom for Incarcerated Persons
  • This panel will focus on how litigators can best support and facilitate other strategies in the movement to end prison abuse and/or prisons all together including organizing and media efforts.  
  • Speakers include 
4:45pm - 6:45pm
  • Happy hour - details to come!
Wednesday October 30, 2024 1:00pm - 4:15pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

4:30pm CDT

Convention Welcome! [In-person]
Wednesday October 30, 2024 4:30pm - 5:30pm CDT
Welcome to Birmingham, Alabama for the 2024 #Law4thePeople Convention! This opening session will ground you in the rich history of this year's host site. Learn from local movement leaders to recognize and honor the city that is hosting us for the NLG's largest annual event. Whether you are local or from out of town, start the convention off right by gathering for this inspiring welcome!

Join the members of the Host Committee, Executive Council, and the National Office alongside special guests to commemorate the first day of the convention. This session will orient attendees on what to expect for the rest of the week and ground our shared presence as we gather in-person for a convention for the first time since 2019. Come learn about the historic role Birmingham, Alabama has played in people’s movements and in the Guild’s own history as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the United People of Color Caucus.
Wednesday October 30, 2024 4:30pm - 5:30pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

6:00pm CDT

National Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday October 30, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Wednesday October 30, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Montgomery

7:00pm CDT

NPAP Reception [In-person]
Wednesday October 30, 2024 7:00pm - 8:30pm CDT
Join the National Police Accountability Project of the NLG for this kick-off reception on Wednesday evening! Light refreshments and a bar will be available.
Wednesday October 30, 2024 7:00pm - 8:30pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom
 
Thursday, October 31
 

8:00am CDT

Registration [On-site]
Thursday October 31, 2024 8:00am - Sunday November 3, 2024 12:00pm CST
Please check in at the NLG Registration Table, where you can pick up your nametag and folder, register on-site, or buy some NLG merch! 
Thursday October 31, 2024 8:00am - Sunday November 3, 2024 12:00pm CST

9:00am CDT

Solidarity with Uhuru 3: Rising Political Repression in the US [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Sponsored by the NLG Mass Incarceration Committee.

The Uhuru 3 are Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP); Penny Hess, Chair of the African People’s Solidarity Committee (APSC); and Jesse Nevel, Chair of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement (USM). In April 2023, the Uhuru 3 were indicted by the U.S. government on bogus charges of being “agents of a foreign government”. The charges came nine months after the FBI and local police violently raided seven homes and properties of the APSP and Uhuru Movement in St. Louis, MO and St. Petersburg, FL on July 29, 2022.These charges carry prison sentences of up to 15 years each. The case came to trial on September 3rd in a federal courthouse in Tampa, Florida and the jury repudiated the foreign agent charges. However, according to one of the defendants… “the prosecutors unleashed a barrage of lies and distortions of the law, along with deliberately confusing jury instructions, to mislead the jury into returning an inconsistent verdict, convicting us on the lesser charge of “conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States,” ‘

This workshop will feature a small panel of defendants and one lawyer to present on the details of the prosecution of the UHURU 3 and the abuse of FARA and Conspiracy laws. Panelists will talk about this in the context of growing political repression and rising number of civil and criminal charges targeting several movements in the United States with a focus on how to fight back.

Speakers:
Dr. Aisha Fields, African People's Socialist Part
Jesse Nevel, Uhuru Solidarity Movement
Penny Hess, African People’s Solidarity Committee
Leonard Goodman, Attorney
Audrey Bomse, NLG Mass Incarceration Committee
Speakers
avatar for Audrey Bomse

Audrey Bomse

NLG Mass Incarceration Committee Chair
Audrey has been a lawyer and member of the National Lawyers Guild since 1980, and an activist all her life. She practiced criminal law as a Public Defender and civil rights law (largely class actions) at the NJ Office of Inmate Advocacy. She was legal director of the Prisoners Legal... Read More →
avatar for Dr. Aisha Fields

Dr. Aisha Fields

All African People’s Development & Empowerment Project
Dr. Aisha Fields, African People's Socialist Party, is an applied optical physicist and International Director of the All African People’s Development & Empowerment Project (AAPDEP), a non-profit development organization founded by the Uhuru Movement in 2007. As the AAPDEP Director... Read More →
avatar for Jesse Nevel

Jesse Nevel

Uhuru Solidarity Movement
Jesse Nevel is the Chair of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement (USM), the mass organization of white solidarity with Black Power, under the leadership of the African People’s Socialist Party.  As part of the APSP-led strategy to popularize the demand for reparations, Jesse ran for mayor... Read More →
avatar for Penny Hess

Penny Hess

African People’s Solidarity Committee
Penny Hess is the Chairwoman of the African People’s Solidarity Committee (APSC), the organization of white people under the direct leadership of the African People’s Socialist Party, working for reparations to African people. Penny has been a member of APSC since its founding... Read More →
avatar for Leonard Goodman

Leonard Goodman

Uhuru 3 Attorney
Leonard Goodman is the attorney representing Penny Hess, one of the Uhuru 3. Goodman is a distinguished criminal law attorney based in Chicago who has won high profile and precedent-setting cases including in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court. He is a prolific... Read More →
Thursday October 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

9:00am CDT

[CLE] Challenging Court Secrecy in Prison Litigation [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Approved for 1 General CLE credit through the Alabama State Bar.

Prison and detention litigation often involves matters of life and death, public policy, and major local, state, and federal expenditures. It is far too common that critical evidence and rulings about such matters are kept from public disclosure via protective orders and orders to seal. In this workshop, facilitators will discuss the scope and predominance of non-public filings in prison litigation; explore the reasons why practitioners often acquiesce to secrecy; offer insight into how such information, if made public, can be useful to movements and the media; and share practical guidance to litigators seeking to maximize transparency. The workshop will highlight recent efforts to unseal court records in a prison conditions case against the federal Bureau of Prisons as a case study (California Coalition for Women Prisoners v. BOP). Written materials will include sample briefs and a model protective order. Finally, workshop participants will practice crafting sample protective order provisions aimed at maximizing access to matters of public interest while fervently protecting litigants' sensitive personal information.

Speakers:
Jackie Aranda Osorno (she/her) is the Zitrin Anti-Court Secrecy Senior Attorney at Public Justice, where she focuses on increasing public access to court records and proceedings. Jackie has represented advocacy organizations, reporters, and community members in efforts to intervene in litigation to unseal court records or lift confidentiality restrictions. Before joining Public Justice, Jackie litigated class actions challenging unconstitutional conditions in Alabama's prisons and various county jails in California, including Braggs et al. v. Dunn et al., and Murray v. County of Santa Barbara.

CJ Sandley (they/them) is based in Birmingham, Alabama. As a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, and previously at the Southern Poverty Law Center, CJ focuses primarily on prison and detention litigation, including Braggs et al. v. Dunn et al. (mental health care and disability accommodations in Alabama prisons); Ashker v. Governor of California (indefinite solitary confinement in California prisons); Barrientos v. CoreCivic (forced labor at Stewart Detention Center); and Stanley v. Ivey (slavery and involuntary servitude in Alabama prisons). CJ has also litigated dozens of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of detained immigrants.

Beth Shelburne (she/her) is journalist and writer with more than 25 years of experience. She’s done extensive reporting on Alabama’s prison system with work appearing in The Daily Beast, The Los Angeles Times, The Bitter Southerner and The Appeal. She publishes a newsletter on Substack called Moth to Flame that includes my reporting and essays written at the intersection of justice, injustice and life in Alabama.

CLE Materials Attached:
  1. Motion to Intervene in a case California Coalition for Women Prisoners, et al v. Bureau of Prisons, et al (Doc. 316)
  2. Motion to Unseal court records in the same case (Doc. 317)
  3. Declaration of correctional expert ISO motion to unseal in same case (Doc. 328)
  4. Hernandez v. Cnty. of Monterey, No. 13-CV-02354-BLF, 2023 WL 4688522 (N.D. Cal. July 21, 2023) (denying request to seal in their entirety neutral monitor reports in jail conditions case)
  5. Hernandez v. Cnty. of Monterey, No. 13-CV-02354-BLF, 2023 WL 5418753  (N.D. Cal. Aug. 21, 2023) (granting a motion to intervene by community newspaper, a nonprofit, and family of people who died at the jail for the limited purpose of moving to unseal court records)
  6. Braggs v. Dunn, No. 14-cv-601, 382 F.Supp.3d 1267 (M.D. Ala. Jan. 2, 2019) (holding those reports showing correctional understaffing in Alabama prisons should be publicly accessible following a five-month period under seal)
  7. Privacy Act Order and Protective Order in Ortiz, et al v. Orange County, New York, et al
  8. A model protective order – not specific to prison conditions

Speakers
avatar for Beth Shelburne

Beth Shelburne

Earwitness
Beth Shelburne is a journalist and writer with more than 25 years of experience. She specializes in investigative and long-form reporting for video, audio and print. In 2023, the podcast series Beth created, reported and wrote called Earwitness was released by Lava for Good and named... Read More →
avatar for CJ Sandley

CJ Sandley

Center for Constitutional Rights
CJ Sandley is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where they focus on anti-carceral and racial injustice litigation and advocacy to end solitary confinement. They are based in Birmingham, Alabama. Before joining the Center for Constitutional Rights, CJ... Read More →
Thursday October 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Skipwith 1

9:00am CDT

[CLE] Fighting Confederate Monuments [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Approved for 1 General CLE credit through the Alabama State Bar.

Sponsored by the Alabama NLG Chapter.

There has been a growing movement across the South to remove or remove monuments to the Confederacy or to place them in historic context. Many have been removed, many more remain and many defend them. Alabama has passed a "Monument Preservation Act," making it unlawful to remove or alter monuments, schools, streets, etc. This panel will discuss both political advocacy and potential litigation around Confederate monuments and how the two can augment each other.

Speakers:
David Gespass (past NLG president)
Haley Czarnek (NLG member who, as student researched possible constitutional challenge to Monument Preservation Act)

CLE Materials Attached:
1) Amicus Project Say Something and NLG
2) Monument Preservation Act research
3) Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
4) Progressive Magazine Article
5) State v. City of Birmingham
Speakers
avatar for David Gespass

David Gespass

Alabama NLG
David Gespass has practiced law in Alabama since 1979 and has been vainly trying to retire for the past three years. He is a past-president of the NLG and a long-time member of the National Police Accountability Project advisory board and the editorial board of the NLG Review. He... Read More →
avatar for Haley Czarnek

Haley Czarnek

Law Students for Climate Accountability
Haley Czarnek (she/they) is a member of the University of Alabama School of Law Class of 2022, and after graduating, became the first full-time staff member of Law Students for Climate Accountability. Haley currently serves as LSCA's U.S. National Director, and is excited to support... Read More →
Thursday October 31, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Skipwith 2

10:30am CDT

NLG Disability Justice Committee Meeting [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
This meeting is for any current member of the NLG Disability Justice Committee.
Thursday October 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Skipwith 1

10:30am CDT

NLG Environmental Justice Committee Meeting [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
EJC Meeting Agenda
 
- Introductions 
 
- Growing the EJC 
  
- Committee Governance
            Including upcoming election
  • Next Meeting Date
Thursday October 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Skipwith 2

10:30am CDT

NLG Foundation Board Meeting
Thursday October 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
NOTE: This meeting is only for current members of the NLG Foundation Board. 
Thursday October 31, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

1:00pm CDT

Regional Meetings [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Please see below to find out where your rgeional meeting will take place. If you are not sure which region you are part of, you can check at nlg.org/chapters.

Northeast: Hamilton Ballroom
Mid-Atlantic: Hamilton Ballroom
Southern: Hamilton Ballroom
Mideast: Skipworth 1
Midwest: Skipworth 1
Texoma: Skipworth 1
Southwest: Skipworth 2
Far West: Skipworth 2
Northwest: Skipworth 2
Thursday October 31, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT

3:30pm CDT

Canary in the Coal Mine: Exploring the Intersection of Environmental Justice and the Labor Movement through Alabama’s Black Warrior River [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Sponsored by the NLG Environmental Justice Committee.

This panel will bring together Alabamians with different relationships to the environmental justice movement in order to explore the aftermath of the strike at Warrior Met Coal, the longest strike in Alabama history. During the strike, Warrior Met’s Mine 7 discharged large amounts of pollutants into Black Warrior River, a major source of drinking water for the area. We will discuss the lawsuit brought by Black Warrior Riverkeeper against Warrior Met as well as the strike, and will explore the intersections of workers’ rights and environmental justice.

Speakers:
Eva Dillard, Black Warrior Riverkeeper
Nelson Brooke, Black Warrior Riverkeeper
Ryan Anderson, Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC)
Speakers
avatar for Ryan Anderson

Ryan Anderson

Southern Environmental Law Center
Ryan Anderson is an Associate Attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). She drafts motions and briefs, and conducts legal research, developing case strategies and legal arguments in SELC matters in her home state of Alabama. She lives and works in Birmingham, where... Read More →
avatar for Nelson Brooke

Nelson Brooke

Black Warrior Riverkeepers
Nelson Brooke, a Birmingham native, is an Eagle Scout and outdoor enthusiast who has enjoyed fishing and hunting along the banks of the Black Warrior River since he was seven years old. Nelson obtained an anthropology degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Nelson has been... Read More →
avatar for Eva Dillard

Eva Dillard

Black Warrior Riverkeepers
Eva Dillard became Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s Staff Attorney in 2010. She is a graduate of Mary Baldwin College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Her practice has been split between litigation and advising clients in both the public and private sector. She is a former... Read More →
Thursday October 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

3:30pm CDT

Sanctions, Blockades and Coercive Economic Measures: Confronting U.S. Imperialism [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Sponsored by the International People's Tribunal on US Imperialism.

The NLG was a co-sponsor of the International People's Tribunal on US Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades, Coercive Economic Measures. Following the verdict of the tribunal -- and the US-backed genocide in Gaza -- it is more urgent than ever to put that verdict into practice through both litigation and a popular campaign. This major panel will discuss the effects of sanctions in Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, Palestine (with a particular focus on Gaza), Haiti, and nations around the world, as well as the resistance in these countries. It will also serve as a major launching and promotion point for the new campaign to involve Guild chapters, students, and a mass movement in confronting US imperialism through directly challenging sanctions and blockades.

Speakers:
Nina Farnia
Helyeh Doutaghi
Jeremy Miller
Eyad K
Masar Badil
Thursday October 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Skipwith 1

3:30pm CDT

Wrongful Conviction and Community Activism: How Non-Litigation Advocacy in Individual Cases Can Spotlight Egregious Systemic Injustice [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Sponsored by Greater Birmingham Ministries.

Toforest Johnson is a Black man who has spent more than 25 years on death row in Alabama and is at risk of being executed for the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy despite the fact that even the prosecutor who put him on death row believes he should have a new trial. The Birmingham community has rallied in support of Mr. Johnson, whose case illustrates the tragically daunting challenge of undoing a “settled” murder case – even when almost everyone involved has serious doubts about the integrity of the conviction.

We intend the workshop to focus on two related topics: (1) the failure of the legal system to provide remedies in the postconviction context, even when the jurisdiction’s own law enforcement leaders no longer stand by a conviction; and (2) the role that community organizing efforts can play in complementing litigation efforts to raise awareness about injustice in the criminal legal system and capital cases in particular.

The current Jefferson County District Attorney recently publicly called for a new trial, based in part on the fact that prosecutors presented five different and mutually exclusive theories at various proceedings for the murder of Deputy Hardy. His most recent filing (from May 20 of this year) also identified his interviews with the lead trial prosecutor, interviews with alibi witnesses, and recently discovered information that the state’s primary witness received payment for her testimony (which was not known at trial and was withheld from Mr. Johnson’s attorneys for over 17 years) as reasons for his decision to request a new trial. Mr. Johnson has always maintained his innocence. (https://www.toforestjohnson.com/).

Speakers:
Akeriya Terry (“Muffin”), Toforest Johnson’s daughter [she/her/hers]
Scott Douglas, Executive Director at Greater Birmingham Ministries [he/him/his]
Beth Shelburne, Investigative Reporter [she/her/hers]
Speakers
avatar for Beth Shelburne

Beth Shelburne

Earwitness
Beth Shelburne is a journalist and writer with more than 25 years of experience. She specializes in investigative and long-form reporting for video, audio and print. In 2023, the podcast series Beth created, reported and wrote called Earwitness was released by Lava for Good and named... Read More →
avatar for Akeriya “Muffin” Terry

Akeriya “Muffin” Terry

Akeriya “Muffin” Terry is the youngest daughter of Toforest Johnson. She is a Birmingham native, a mother and a middle school teacher. She has participated in events and talks about her father’s case and has recently been taking to social media, making tik-toks about her experience... Read More →
avatar for Scott Douglas

Scott Douglas

Greater Birmingham Ministries
Scott Douglas is an experienced organizer and a pillar of the Birmingham Community. He has held positions as Executive Director of the Southern Organizing Committee, Program Officer for the Partnership for Democracy Foundation, and the first Environmental Justice Organizer for the... Read More →
Thursday October 31, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Skipwith 2

5:00pm CDT

NLG Mass Incarceration Committee Meeting [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
This meeting is for any member of the NLG Mass Incarceration Committee. At this meeting, committee members will be discussing a change to the committee's name from the MIC to the Prison Abolition Committee and the implications of such a change.
Thursday October 31, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Skipwith 2

5:00pm CDT

NLG Military Law Task Force Meeting [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
The Task Force meeting is open to all who are interested in our work. The meeting will be informational, and we will discuss the mission, structure and current projects of the Task Force. There will also be time to discuss why we do military law and organizing, and opportunities to get involved with our work in the year ahead. Rumor has it there will be a social event following the meeting. Virtual attendees can join the meeting by going to: Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: MLTF meeting at NLG National Convention. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.


MLTF will also hold its annual membership meeting by zoom on Monday, November 11 (yes, Veterans Day) at 4 p.m. pacific time, 6 p.m. central time, or 7 p.m. eastern time. It will include a general discussion of US imperial military policy, reports from our working committees, plans for the coming year, and nomination of steering committee members. You can join the meeting by going to: Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: MLTF Annual Members' Meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.


Thursday October 31, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

5:00pm CDT

NLG Queer Caucus Meeting [In-Person]
Thursday October 31, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
This meeting is for any current member of the NLG Queer Caucus.
Thursday October 31, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Skipwith 1

7:00pm CDT

🎃👑💅🏿 Drag the Patriarchy: A Fierce Halloween Extravaganza! 👑🎃💅🏿
Thursday October 31, 2024 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT


Get ready for a spooktacular night of empowerment and glitter as we celebrate Halloween with a purpose! Join us on October 31st for Drag the Patriarchy, a dazzling event where drag queens, kings, and non-binary royalty come together to put a fabulous spin on social justice.In partnership with the incredible local organization Take Bham, an organization formed by trans women of color who are organizing to break down barriers and to set standards within the Birmingham community for trans-related issues, we're bringing you a night full of fierce performances, captivating talent, and a bold message: Everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities.

Tickets are just $15 for general admission and $25 for Spooktacular Duo Entry! Small bites will be served to keep your energy up as you dance and celebrate.

Come dressed in your Halloween finest—whether it’s a classic spooky look or a creative costume of your own. We reject cultural appropriation and encourage you to be respectful in your outfit choices. Let's make this a night to remember for all the right reasons!
Grab your tickets now and be part of a night where we not only have a blast but also amplify the message that equity and justice shouldn’t be scary—it should be a given. See you there!


🕸️Tickets: $15 General Admission | $25 Spooktacular Duo Entry
🍴 Small Bites Provided**
📅 Date: October 31st
📍 Location:
808 20th Street South,
Birmingham, Alabama, 35205
Thursday October 31, 2024 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom
 
Friday, November 1
 

9:00am CDT

How NLG Can Support in the Unhoused Crisis [In-Person]
Friday November 1, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
This workshop will highlight the many ways that NLG can be involved in supporting our unhoused community members and countering the effects of discriminatory and traumatizing policies that continue to place folks in harm's way. Expanding on organizing efforts happening in the Far West at the local and state levels, participants will learn how individuals from different areas of intersect can engage, from direct outreach and services to ticket defense clinics, legal observation, and the development of impact litigation.

Speakers:
Legal Worker Vice President Khanstoshea Zingapan (They/She)
Far West Regional Representative Dee Mouton (She/Her)
Far West Regional Representative Carie Martin (They/Them)
Speakers
avatar for Deanna Mouton

Deanna Mouton

NLG Far West Regional Representative and SFBA NLG Vice-President
Deanna Mouton is a San Francisco native that was raised in the Mission. They are a law graduate from San Francisco Law School where they were the recipient of the Blum Academic Scholarship, a scholarship granted to the top three students of the entire law class. Deanna helped establish... Read More →
Friday November 1, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

9:00am CDT

Narrative and Non-Legal Intervention for Lawyers [In-Person]
Friday November 1, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Sponsored by Palestine Legal.

As our legal remedies are limited, it's important to understand the ways in which narrative interventions can be made. Here, panelists plan to discuss strategies and experiences of how narrative and the media is utilized to bring about change that the law cannot. Panelists will also discuss what to look out for when defending and framing a communication strategy when taking on Palestine-related cases.

Speakers:
Radhika Sainath (senior staff attorney at PL)
Danya Zituni (comms director at Pal Legal)
Rifqa Falaneh (legal fellow at Pal Legal)
Speakers
avatar for Radhika Sainath

Radhika Sainath

Senior Staff Attorney, Palestine Legal
Radhika Sainath is a senior staff attorney at Palestine Legal, where she oversees the organization’s case work. She has advised hundreds of students, professors and activists on matters relating to free speech, censorship, anti-Palestinian discrimination, and academic freedom. She... Read More →
avatar for Rifqa Falaneh

Rifqa Falaneh

Palestine Legal
Rifqa Falaneh is the Michael Ratner Justice Fellow at Palestine Legal where she challenges the censorship, surveillance, and suppression of advocates for Palestinian liberation. Rifqa graduated from the University of Illinois (UIUC) College of Law in 2023. She is the founder of Bar... Read More →
avatar for Danya Zituni

Danya Zituni

Palestine Legal
Danya Zituni is the Communications Manager at Palestine Legal, where she oversees the organization's communications strategy in defense of the civil and constitutional rights of people speaking out for Palestinian freedom. Danya has dedicated her career to developing dynamic communications... Read More →
Friday November 1, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

10:30am CDT

Changing The World, One Legal Education At A Time [Hybrid]
Friday November 1, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Our panel will consist of diverse legal education professionals and law students with lived experience addressing the barriers, opportunities, and realities of accessing a legal education as members of diverse underrepresented populations. Framed by issues of persistent inaccessibility, the panel will share the unique challenges they encountered while applying to and attending law school. Furthermore, each panel member will deconstruct how the barriers they’ve encountered influenced their career trajectories following graduation. In addition to their stories, Dean Panarella and Dean Quinn will share administrator perspectives on outcomes of programs and support for underrepresented populations unique to their school and where they see opportunity for improvement.

Speakers:
John Quinn, Assistant Dean of Public Interest, UMASS Law
Daniella D'Arcangelo 3L, Treasurer, UMASS Law NLG Chapter
Liz West, 3L, Secretary, UMASS Law NLG Chapter
Rebecca Wood, 2L, President, UMASS Law NLG Chapter
Speakers
avatar for John Quinn

John Quinn

UMass Law School
Attorney John F. Quinn serves as the Assistant Dean of Public Interest Law Programs and External Relations at the University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth. In this role, Attorney Quinn works with law students and external partners to create internship and career opportunities... Read More →
avatar for Rebecca Wood

Rebecca Wood

UMass Law School
Rebecca Wood is a 2L Public Interest Law Fellow at the University of Massachusetts School of Law and president of the UMass Law NLG chapter. Rebecca graduated with a BSW from James Madison University. Her plans for graduate school were put on hold indefinitely when her daughter, Charlie... Read More →
avatar for Daniela D’Arcangelo

Daniela D’Arcangelo

UMass Law School
My name is Daniela D’Arcangelo, I was born and raised in San Bernardino California. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Philosophy with the only a general idea of what to do with it. I knew injustice plagued many facets of the U.S. and spanned demographics... Read More →
avatar for Liz West

Liz West

UMass Law School
Liz West (they/them) is a third-year law student at the University of Massachusetts School of Law. They have an undergraduate degree in anthropology and sociology and a degree in criminal justice from Roger Williams University. Their thesis explored the history of queer anthropology... Read More →
Friday November 1, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

10:30am CDT

Representing Revolutionaries [Hybrid]
Friday November 1, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Sponsored by the NLG Mass Incarceration Committee.

The panel will focus on the period from the late 1960's to early 1980's when progressive attorneys, many members of the NLG, stepped up to represent members of the BLA, FALN and other revolutionary groups. Other attorneys, including other members of the NLG shunned these revolutionaries. The panelists will be asked to address why they took on that representation, the political issues involved, the lessons they learned and how those lessons an help us today.

Speakers:
Jan Susler
Bob Bloom
Soffiyah Elijah
Jenipher Jones
Jamal Joseph (moderator)
Speakers
avatar for Soffiyah Elijah

Soffiyah Elijah

Alliance of Families for Justice
Soffiyah Elijah is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Families for Justice. Established in 2016 in New York, the mission of the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ) is to support families of incarcerated people and people whose lives have beenimpacted by incarceration, empower... Read More →
avatar for Jamal Joseph

Jamal Joseph

Jamal Joseph is a writer, director, producer educator and activist. His film and television writer/director credits include Chapter & Verse (theatrical and BET) which won the Pan African Film Festival’s Audience Choice Award and was a New York Times Critic’s pick, Drive By and... Read More →
Friday November 1, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

1:00pm CDT

Plenary 1: Governance [Hybrid]
Friday November 1, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Plenary Agenda

Welcome & Introductions
Pass the Presidential baton from Suzanne Adely to Rìa Thompson-Washington
Procedural overview: bylaws, timeline, voting procedures, decorum

Resolutions & Amendments
Resolution On Deported Military Veterans
Proposed 2024 Amendment to Constitution Article 2.1: No Discrimination

Elections
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Caucus positions
     Student National VP
     Legal Worker
Friday November 1, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

3:30pm CDT

NLG Legal Worker Caucus [Hybrid]
Friday November 1, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
This meeting is open to all current NLG Legal Worker members!
Friday November 1, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

3:30pm CDT

NLG Student Caucus [In-person]
Friday November 1, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
This meeting is open to any current NLG law student member!
Friday November 1, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

5:00pm CDT

Friday Keynote Address: Noura Erakat [Livestreamed]
Friday November 1, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney and Professor of Africana Studies and the Program of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019), which received the Palestine Book Award and the Bronze Medal for the Independent Publishers Book Award in Current Events/Foreign Affairs. She is co- founding editor of Jadaliyya and an editorial board member of the Journal of Palestine Studies. Noura is a co-founding board member of the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival and a Board Member of Palestine Legal and the Center for Constitutional Rights. In 2024, she served as the Co-Chair of an Independent Task Force on the Application of National Security Memorandum-20 to Israel, which submitted a report to the White House recommending suspending U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. She has served as Legal Counsel for a Congressional Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives, as Legal Advocate for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights, and as national organizer of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Noura has also produced video documentaries, including "Gaza In Context" and "Black Palestinian Solidarity.” Her writings have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The
Nation, Al Jazeera,
and Boston Review. She is a frequent commentator on CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, Fox News, the BBC, and NPR, among others. She has been awarded fellowships at Harvard Divinity School and Brown University’s Center for Middle East Studies. In 2022, she was selected as a Freedom Fellow by the Marguerite Casey Foundation.
Speakers
avatar for Noura Erakat

Noura Erakat

Keynote Presenter
Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney and Professor of Africana Studies and the Program of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019), which received the Palestine... Read More →

Friday November 1, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

6:00pm CDT

Breakout: Building a Legal Community in Support of Palestine Advocates
Friday November 1, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Palestine Legal, NLG’s Free Palestine Sub-Committee, and the NLG’s Mass Defense Committee invite you to join us for an opportunity to connect with other attorneys, legal workers, and law students working to support Palestine advocates. This will be a loosely structured space to build community with people already deeply engaged in this work as well as those who are interested in getting more involved.
Friday November 1, 2024 6:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

6:30pm CDT

How NLG Can Support in the Unhoused Crisis [Virtual]
Friday November 1, 2024 6:30pm - 7:30pm CDT
This workshop will highlight the many ways that NLG can be involved in supporting our unhoused community members and countering the effects of discriminatory and traumatizing policies that continue to place folks in harm's way. Expanding on organizing efforts happening in the Far West at the local and state levels, participants will learn how individuals from different areas of intersect can engage, from direct outreach and services to ticket defense clinics, legal observation, and the development of impact litigation.

Speakers:
Legal Worker Vice President Khanstoshea Zingapan (They/She)
Far West Regional Representative Dee Mouton (She/Her)
Far West Regional Representative Carie Martin (They/Them)
Speakers
avatar for Deanna Mouton

Deanna Mouton

NLG Far West Regional Representative and SFBA NLG Vice-President
Deanna Mouton is a San Francisco native that was raised in the Mission. They are a law graduate from San Francisco Law School where they were the recipient of the Blum Academic Scholarship, a scholarship granted to the top three students of the entire law class. Deanna helped establish... Read More →
Friday November 1, 2024 6:30pm - 7:30pm CDT

7:00pm CDT

NLG Intergenerational Party Extravaganza! [In-Person]
Friday November 1, 2024 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
We’re crafting an atmosphere that’s lively, eclectic, and inclusive—perfect for celebrating across the generations. Stop by our interactive photo area, where you can capture and print memories while exploring our NLG timeline. This space celebrates the evolution of NLG and offers a unique way to relive our journey as the nation’s oldest progressive bar association.  

Enjoy the vibrant beats of DJ Tony_Rodio, renowned for his high-energy mixes of house, R&B, Latin, and nostalgic throwbacks ready. Having spun at iconic queer parties and popular Birmingham events like Milk & Honey, Tony’s set will keep you moving all night long. Check out his SoundCloud for a taste of the dynamic music awaiting you!

We’ll have light snacks and a cash bar throughout the evening, adding to the festive atmosphere. We hope you’ll join us for an evening filled with music, fun, and unforgettable moments!
Friday November 1, 2024 7:00pm - 9:00pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom
 
Saturday, November 2
 

9:00am CDT

Anti-Racism Training [Hybrid]
Saturday November 2, 2024 9:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Please join the Anti-Racism Committee for a comprehensive workshop, where we support members in a deep dive into anti-oppression work. During this educational and interactive workshop, attendees will be provided with the opportunity to deepen their understanding about anti-oppressive frameworks while working together to further develop models of accountability for internal conflict.

Guild members who are not attending the TUPOCC session happening at this time are tasked with the responsibility of attending and actively engaging in the ARC workshop. While the Guild is able to provide opportunities for anti-oppression, allies are responsible for attending and engaging in opportunities to further their education and contribute to anti-oppression initiatives within the Guild.
Saturday November 2, 2024 9:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

9:00am CDT

TUPOCC Session: Solidarity Is Our Power!!!!! [Hybrid]
Saturday November 2, 2024 9:00am - 12:00pm CDT
This session is about the people that we show up for. It’s a reminder of our shared fights and our opportunities for solidarity across issues.  We’ll hear directly from  impacted people and organizers who are working in their local communities on issues like ending qualified immunity, tackling environmental injustices  and ending mass incarceration and racial injustices.

NOTE: This is a space for BIPOC people only. Non-BIPOC people should attend the Anti-Racism training taking place simultaneously
Speakers
avatar for NaKeshia Taylor

NaKeshia Taylor

NaKeshia Taylor, Social Justice and community activist, Niece of Narene Crosby and cousin of Ryan Stokes. NaKeshia Taylor is an RN who is currently working towards advancing her career and is in school to receive her BSN.  Keshia works at University Health medical center in Kansas... Read More →
avatar for Justice Gatson

Justice Gatson

Reale Justice Network
Justice Gatson is a social justice doula from Kansas City Missouri. She earned a degree in Mass Communications from Bennett College, an HBCU in North Carolina. She is a community organizer,founder and director of Reale Justice Network.  Justice is a founding member of the MO KAN... Read More →
avatar for Narene Crosby

Narene Crosby

Ryan Stokes: Speaking Truth To Power
Mrs. Narene Crosby is a retired medical professional from Kansas City, Missouri.  She is a mom, grandmother and community advocate fighting for those who have been harmed by police violence. Narene's world was forever changed the day that a Kansas City police officer took the life... Read More →
avatar for Ock (Thomas Bowers)

Ock (Thomas Bowers)

Kansas City NLG President
Ock (Thomas Bowers) is a community organizer living in Kansas City Missouri.  He is the current chair of the Kansas City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.  Ock is a previously incarcerated leader who uses his lived experiences to advocate for others.  He is the Director of... Read More →
avatar for Veronica Johnson

Veronica Johnson

Alabama Justice Initiative
A native of Alabama, Veronica R. Johnson currently serves as the Deputy Director of Alabama Justice Initiative. During her time with Alabama Justice Initiative, she, along with other partner organizations, formed Communities Not Prisons. Through this coalition, they were able to stop... Read More →
Saturday November 2, 2024 9:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

1:00pm CDT

Plenary 2: TUPOCC Then & Now: Visions for the Next 20 Years [Hybrid]
Saturday November 2, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
In revolutionary salute, we are gathering to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC).  We are extremely honored to be joined by two of its founding leaders, Renee Sanchez and Russell Bloom. They will be joined by past TUPOCC Chair and newly elected president Ría Thompson-Washington. They will engage in a robust discussion about the founding of TUPOCC that will be moderated by Justice Gatson, the current chair of TUPOCC.

We’ll hear directly from the people who were there in Birmingham 20 years ago. We’ll learn from them how it all came about, and the labor that it took to see it through. Each panelist will also have an opportunity to share their story about the struggles they faced as TUPOCC leaders and how they continued to fight in the face of opposition. We'll learn about the vision and creation of the Alabama Manifesto and its importance in establishing a framework for TUPOCC.

We’ll  highlight the work that TUPOCC has done over the last 20 years and the founding leaders will engage in dialogue with the most recent past chair of TUPOCC, sharing their perspectives on the past, present and future of TUPOCC.  
We’ll be able to reflect on their challenges, sacrifices and struggles but also their strength, power, dedication, tenacity and resilience. This will be a powerful and inspiring discussion that centers radical truth telling, accountability and our commitment to advancing racial justice.

This is also our opportunity to give these amazing visionary leaders their well-deserved flowers and show our deep appreciation for the work that they have done to create The United People Of Color Caucus.  
Speakers
avatar for Renée Quintero Sánchez

Renée Quintero Sánchez

NLG TUPOCC Co-Founder
Renée Quintero Sánchez is a founding partner of Hayes, Ortega & Sánchez, a labor law firm in Southern California. Born and raised in Los Angeles to a working-class Chicano family, Ms. Sánchez, from the very beginning of her career, sought to champion the cause of economic and... Read More →
avatar for Russell Bloom

Russell Bloom

BART Independent Police Auditor
Russell Bloom is the Independent Police Auditor at the BART Office of the Independent Police Auditor (OIPA). Mr. Bloom came to OIPA as an Investigator in 2014 after working as an in-house investigator at an Oakland, CA civil litigation firm. Bloom is also an Associate Monitor of the... Read More →
avatar for Justice Gatson

Justice Gatson

Reale Justice Network
Justice Gatson is a social justice doula from Kansas City Missouri. She earned a degree in Mass Communications from Bennett College, an HBCU in North Carolina. She is a community organizer,founder and director of Reale Justice Network.  Justice is a founding member of the MO KAN... Read More →
avatar for Ría Thompson-Washington

Ría Thompson-Washington

NLG President
Ría Thompson-Washington (they/themme) is an anti-racist activist, Afro-Latine, Queer, nonbinary feminist living on unceded Piscataway and Anacostean land known as Washington, DC. They have spent over twenty years organizing and training Black and Latine people, working on various... Read More →
Saturday November 2, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

3:30pm CDT

Law as a Tool: Litigating for Palestine [Hybrid]
Saturday November 2, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Sponsored by Palestine Legal.

Over the past year, universities, employers and government officials have been engaging in a McCarthyite crackdown on advocacy for Palestinian rights. But activists are fighting back -- with help from movement lawyers! From challenging the Biden administration's complicity in genocide, to suing Columbia for unlawfully suspending the Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace chapters, movement lawyers are using litigation as a tool to defend those at the frontlines of the movement. Join panelists, who cumulatively have brought over 40 Palestine-related lawsuits since October 7 2023, as they speak on the successes and challenges of litigating Palestine in the courtroom -- and learn how you can help the movement at this critical time.

Speakers:
Radhika Sainath (Attorney at Palestine Legal)
Maria LaHood (Attorney at CCR)
Jonathan Wallace (NLG member)
Mark Kleiman (NLG member)
Noura Erakat (Moderator)
Speakers
avatar for Mark Kleiman

Mark Kleiman

Mark Kleiman was an organizer for Students for a Democratic Society and then radical labor organizations before surrendering to the university and ultimately to the law. Combining trial law skills with a public health and statisticalresearch background, he has represented whistleblowers... Read More →
avatar for Maria LaHood

Maria LaHood

Center for Constitutional Rights
Maria LaHood is Deputy Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she has worked since 2003, seeking accountability for international law violations and defending Palestinian rights advocates under attack in the United States. She works to defend the constitutional rights of Palestinian rights advocates in the United States in cases such... Read More →
avatar for Noura Erakat

Noura Erakat

Keynote Presenter
Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney and Professor of Africana Studies and the Program of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She is the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019), which received the Palestine... Read More →
avatar for Radhika Sainath

Radhika Sainath

Senior Staff Attorney, Palestine Legal
Radhika Sainath is a senior staff attorney at Palestine Legal, where she oversees the organization’s case work. She has advised hundreds of students, professors and activists on matters relating to free speech, censorship, anti-Palestinian discrimination, and academic freedom. She... Read More →
Saturday November 2, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

3:30pm CDT

Reportback from the First Legal Brigade to Cuba - Law For the People Brigade [Hybrid]
Saturday November 2, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Sponsored by NNOC, NLG International Committee Americas Taskforce, Black Alliance for Peace.

Panel speakers will represent a brigade of 25 lawyers, law students, legal workers, and non-legal workers who traveled to Cuba in August 2024. The brigade is visiting Cuba with the purpose of creating teach-in materials and writings on the Cuban legal system, people power within that system, how the blockade is viewed under international law, and how these topics are connected to local struggles. During the panel we will present our teach-in materials and share insights about the process of creating these documents and forming a brigade.

Speakers:
Sarina Larson, Legal Assistant at Stanley L. Cohen & Associates
Tamara Hilmi Sakijha, Attorney at Navajo Nation Dept. of Justice
Joubin Khazaie
Mikayla Kinison, Paralegal in Public Defense
Nick Greven
Speakers
avatar for Tamara Hilmi Sakijha

Tamara Hilmi Sakijha

Navajo Nation Department of Justice
Tamara Hilmi Sakijha is a Palestinian lawyer who grew up in Jordan and currently works as an attorney for the Navajo Nation government in the Litigation Unit of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice.Following her graduation from NYU Law School in 2020, she worked with DLA Piper... Read More →
avatar for Mikayla Kinnison

Mikayla Kinnison

Wisconsin State Public Defender
Mikayla Kinnison is a paralegal with the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office. As a resident of Milwaukee for nearly 15 years, she recognizes that her clients are among those made to suffer the most under racial capitalism. With solidarity as her guiding principle, she works... Read More →
avatar for Sarina L.

Sarina L.

Law for the People Brigade
Sarina recently graduated from law school in her mid-thirties after a career in the touring industry. Since her first year of law school she has worked in criminal defense and on civil and international matters as well. She is forever grateful for mentorship from international human... Read More →
Saturday November 2, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CDT
Skipwith Ballroom

5:00pm CDT

Saturday Keynote: Jaribu HIll [Livestreamed]
Saturday November 2, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Jaribu Hill is the Founder and Executive Director of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights. Hill is an author and an international spokesperson on Civil and Human Rights topics. Through her organization, Attorney Hill has provided legal representation and advocacy for hundreds of workers in the state. Her efforts have led to the adoption of “Zero Tolerance Against Hate” policies being implemented in workplaces across the state. Hill also won an important judgment against the Ku Klux Klan in Pelion, South Carolina and has assisted Mississippi Delta parents in their fight for school equity.
Speakers
avatar for Jaribu Hill

Jaribu Hill

Keynote Presenter
Jaribu Hill is the Founder and Executive Director of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights. Hill is an author and an international spokesperson on Civil and Human Rights topics. Through her organization, Attorney Hill has provided legal representation and advocacy for... Read More →

Saturday November 2, 2024 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom

7:00pm CDT

Awards Celebration [Hybrid]
Saturday November 2, 2024 7:00pm - 10:00pm CDT

At the 2024 #Law4ThePeople Awards Celebration, the National Lawyers Guild will honor members and activists whose work embodies extraordinary commitment to our mission of human rights and the rights of ecosystems over property interests. Show your support for the NLG, get inspired by the remarkable achievements of our members, connect with friends--old and new, and renew your commitment to our vision and values!

There will be live music, snacks, and a cash bar! This event is free and open to all convention registrants, but we will be seeking donations during the program to propel the NLG into the future. If you are not attending the convention, you must register for this event at https://nlg.org/awards

PLEASE NOTE: Virtual program begins at 8:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm CT / 6:30 pm MT / 5:30 pm PT


Saturday November 2, 2024 7:00pm - 10:00pm CDT
Hamilton Ballroom
 
Sunday, November 3
 

9:00am CST

Representation Is Not Enough: Youth Justice and The Case for Legal Empowerment with Youth of Color [In-Person]
Sunday November 3, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CST
Sponsored by Peer Defense Project.

As police militarization reaches an all time high, young people on the frontlines of organizing are experiencing ever increasing danger. Racial capitalism and adultism are created and maintained by the legal system, and function as barriers for youth advocates hoping to access legal resources.In response to this legal crisis, PDP seeks to provide legal tools that make law a super power for young people. Rather than simply providing representation, movement lawyers have a responsibility to share power with young organizers of color. This workshop trains lawyers to use their access and privilege as a means to strengthen the autonomy of youth leaders. To reduce the gatekeeping of legal knowledge, lawyers must build trust through shared decision making, and informed consent when working with young organizers.

Speakers:
Sa’Real McRae
Ashley Sawyer
Elia Jefferson-Gonzalez
Speakers
avatar for Sa'Real McRae

Sa'Real McRae

Peer Defense Project
Sa'Real McRae is a third year student at Georgia State University majoring in English. She is currently the Youth Network Director for the Peer Defense Project. She has a deep passion for literature, the law, and Black liberation. These interests have ultimately culminated to inspire... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CST
Skipwith Ballroom

9:00am CST

[CLE] How to Sue US Government Officials and Companies Who Incite and Profit in Genocide, War Crimes, and Apartheid [In-Person]
Sunday November 3, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CST
This event is pending approval for 1 General CLE credit through the Alabama State Bar.

This one hour workshop is designed to be a birds-eye blueprint to provide interested litigators the overview to begin suing companies and officials that contribute to war crimes, apartheid and genocide. The workshop will particularly focus on private litigators suing these criminal actors for money damages in US courts.

The panelists will speak from their specialized experience and scholarship about US statutes and federal court precedent and how they may be used, or were not successful in being used- to address these particular crimes in US Courts. Discussions will be had about direct liability, aiding and abetting, civil remedies, status of past international and domestic law and cases on these issues. This workshop will examine recent legislation and international law, including the ICJ’s recent findings and anti-BDS legislation. The panelists will briefly introduce statutory vehicles that have been successfully used by victims of terrorism in the past. Participants will be provided with pitfalls and successes in suing US companies for their human rights violations, and how this has been/can be extended to weapons manufacturers, banks, and technology companies in US courts, under specific US statutes, US court precedent, and using internationally adopted/ ratified laws. Anti Terrorism Statutes will be discussed, specifically 18 U.S.C. 2333(a) and (d), Alien Tort Statute as vehicles in pursuit of accountability.

Speakers:
Maria Lahood, Center for Constitutional Rights
Terry Collingsworth, Executive Director of International Rights Advocates
Maryam Jamshidi, Associate Professor of Law at Colorado Law School
Gabor Rona, Professor of Practice at Cardozo Law School
P. Jenny Marashi (Moderator)
Speakers
avatar for P. Jenny Marashi

P. Jenny Marashi

Solo Practitioner
Poupa Jenny Marashi has been practicing civil rights and copyright law as a solo in NYC since 2009.  She has represented a broad range of clients from Norman Finkelstein to Kanye West to prisoners in solitary confinement, those held illegally at Rikers Island, the wrongfully arrested... Read More →
avatar for Terry Collingsworth

Terry Collingsworth

International Rights Advocates
Terry Collingsworth is the founder and Executive Director of the International Rights Advocates. Before becoming a lawyer, Terry worked for five years as an overhead crane operator in a copper mill in Cleveland, Ohio. This experience introduced him to the importance of trade unions... Read More →
avatar for Gabor Rona

Gabor Rona

Cardozo Law
After a 15-year career in private practice in Vermont, where he represented the Abenaki Indian Nation in fishing rights litigation, Gabor Rona was a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights in NY, where he worked on civil lawsuits against human rights violators from... Read More →
avatar for Maria LaHood

Maria LaHood

Center for Constitutional Rights
Maria LaHood is Deputy Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she has worked since 2003, seeking accountability for international law violations and defending Palestinian rights advocates under attack in the United States. She works to defend the constitutional rights of Palestinian rights advocates in the United States in cases such... Read More →
avatar for Maryam Jamshidi

Maryam Jamshidi

University of Colorado Law
Maryam Jamshidi is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School, where she teaches and writes in the areas of national security law, public international law, the law of foreign relations, and tort law. Maryam publishes widely in scholarly and popular outlets... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am CST
Hamilton Ballroom

10:30am CST

Criminalizing the Right to Dissent for Palestine and Cross-Movement Solidarity [Hybrid]
Sunday November 3, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CST
Sponsored by the NLG Palestine Subcommittee and Palestine Legal.

Since October 7, the Palestine solidarity movement has endured attacks at unprecedented levels. We’ve seen attempts to stifle Palestinian activism through legislation, the criminalization of campus encampments/protests, employment repercussions, harassment and discrimination, and more. Tactics used against the Palestine liberation movement are the same ones historically deployed against other social justice movements, namely #StopCopCity, the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty, and the movement for Black lives. This panel will highlight the importance of building cross-movement solidarity and ways to fight against repression as we continue to move toward collective liberation.

Speakers:
Luna Martinez, NLG Free Palestine Subcommittee Co-Chair
Christian Snow, Law for Black Lives
Suad Abdel aziz, Southern Center for Human Rights
Rifqa Falaneh, Palestine Legal
Summer Blaze Aubrey, Water Protector Legal Collective
Speakers
avatar for Suad Abdel aziz

Suad Abdel aziz

Southern Center for Human Rights
Suad Abdel aziz is a Sudanese American lawyer and legal fellow at the Southern Center for Human Rights working to support activists facing political repression. She coordinates mass defense efforts within the First Amendment Bridge Project.Suad has previously worked with Palestine... Read More →
avatar for Rifqa Falaneh

Rifqa Falaneh

Palestine Legal
Rifqa Falaneh is the Michael Ratner Justice Fellow at Palestine Legal where she challenges the censorship, surveillance, and suppression of advocates for Palestinian liberation. Rifqa graduated from the University of Illinois (UIUC) College of Law in 2023. She is the founder of Bar... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CST
Hamilton Ballroom

10:30am CST

Indigenous Peoples, Climate Chaos, and Carbon Colonialism [Hybrid]
Sunday November 3, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CST
Sponsored by the NLG Environmental Justice Committee.

The Carbon Markets are a new form of colonialism creating significant threats to Indigenous Peoples globally and to Indian Tribes in the US specifically. The whole premise of carbon markets is contrary to traditional Indigenous Knowledge, and the agreements on Indian lands lock it up for decades and further erode tribal sovereignty by waiving sovereign immunity and limit tribal jurisdictional authority.

Speakers:
Manisha Priyadarshini
Leona Morgan (Zoom)
Great Grandmother Mary Lyons (Zoom)
Angie Comeaux
Betty Osceola



























Speakers
avatar for Manisha Priyadarshini

Manisha Priyadarshini

Program Earth
Manisha Priyadarshini is a descendant of Taino peoples and Murmu clan within Santali tribe. Her journey has had her experience the roles of steward, climate policy, education and technology consultant across AI and cybersecurity for public sector at Microsoft, Intel, and others. She... Read More →
avatar for Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons

Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons

GGMML is an Anishinaabe-Ojibwe Elder, formally known as a world-renowned Wisdom Keeper, Knowledge Holder, Humanitarian, an Empowerment Coach, Activist and Author. She is an International Keynote speaker and seminar leader, from the Parliament of World Religions, World Council of Churches... Read More →
avatar for Angela Comeaux

Angela Comeaux

Bvlbancha Collective and Okla Hina Ikhish Holo
Angie is a Mvskoke, Aniyvwiya, Chahta, and Creole Indigenous woman; a nurse, community herbalist, environmental activist, mother, and farmer who is living and farming in her ancestral Mvskoke homelands in so-called Alabama.                 Angie is a founding member of both... Read More →
avatar for Betty Osceola

Betty Osceola

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Betty Osceola is a proud member of the Panther Clan of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. Passionate about environmental conservation and clean water advocacy, Betty has dedicated her life to protecting the natural wonders of the Everglades. Drawing from her Miccosukee heritage... Read More →
avatar for Leona Morgan

Leona Morgan

Haul No!
Leona Morgan (Diné, she/her) is a community organizer who has been fighting nuclear colonialism since 2007. She is a co-founder of Haul No!, an initiative to stop Energy Fuels' uranium mine near the Grand Canyon. Leona is a graduate student at the University of New Mexico and based... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 10:30am - 12:00pm CST
Skipwith Ballroom

1:00pm CST

NLG International Committee Meeting [Hybrid]
Sunday November 3, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CST
This meeting is for any current member of the NLG International Committee.
Sunday November 3, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CST
Skipwith Ballroom

1:00pm CST

NLG Mass Defense Committee Meeting [Hybrid]
Sunday November 3, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CST
This meeting is for any current member of the NLG Mass Defense Committee.

Agenda for MDC-wide meeting on 11/3/2024
  • Introductions (either individually or by chapter) 
  • Report backs from local mass defense committees on their needs, successes
  • Report from Steering Committee on current projects 
  • Report backs on criminal cases from Palestine solidarity demos 
  • Report backs from RNC/DNC legal support 
  • Discuss how to better meet needs of local mass defense committees 
  • Chair elections

Sunday November 3, 2024 1:00pm - 3:00pm CST
Hamilton Ballroom

3:30pm CST

[CLE] Challenging Court Secrecy in Prison Litigation [Virtual]
Sunday November 3, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CST
Approved for 1 General CLE credit through the Alabama State Bar.

Prison and detention litigation often involves matters of life and death, public policy, and major local, state, and federal expenditures. It is far too common that critical evidence and rulings about such matters are kept from public disclosure via protective orders and orders to seal. In this workshop, facilitators will discuss the scope and predominance of non-public filings in prison litigation; explore the reasons why practitioners often acquiesce to secrecy; offer insight into how such information, if made public, can be useful to movements and the media; and share practical guidance to litigators seeking to maximize transparency. The workshop will highlight recent efforts to unseal court records in a prison conditions case against the federal Bureau of Prisons as a case study (California Coalition for Women Prisoners v. BOP). Written materials will include sample briefs and a model protective order. Finally, workshop participants will practice crafting sample protective order provisions aimed at maximizing access to matters of public interest while fervently protecting litigants' sensitive personal information.

Speakers:

Jackie Aranda Osorno (she/her) is the Zitrin Anti-Court Secrecy Senior Attorney at Public Justice, where she focuses on increasing public access to court records and proceedings. Jackie has represented advocacy organizations, reporters, and community members in efforts to intervene in litigation to unseal court records or lift confidentiality restrictions. Before joining Public Justice, Jackie litigated class actions challenging unconstitutional conditions in Alabama's prisons and various county jails in California, including Braggs et al. v. Dunn et al., and Murray v. County of Santa Barbara.

CJ Sandley (they/them) is based in Birmingham, Alabama. As a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, and previously at the Southern Poverty Law Center, CJ focuses primarily on prison and detention litigation, including Braggs et al. v. Dunn et al. (mental health care and disability accommodations in Alabama prisons); Ashker v. Governor of California (indefinite solitary confinement in California prisons); Barrientos v. CoreCivic (forced labor at Stewart Detention Center); and Stanley v. Ivey (slavery and involuntary servitude in Alabama prisons). CJ has also litigated dozens of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of detained immigrants.

Beth Shelbourne (she/her) is journalist and writer with more than 25 years of experience. She’s done extensive reporting on Alabama’s prison system with work appearing in The Daily Beast, The Los Angeles Times, The Bitter Southerner and The Appeal. She publishes a newsletter on Substack called Moth to Flame that includes my reporting and essays written at the intersection of justice, injustice and life in Alabama.

CLE Materials Attached:
  1. Motion to Intervene in a case California Coalition for Women Prisoners, et al v. Bureau of Prisons, et al (Doc. 316)
  2. Motion to Unseal court records in the same case (Doc. 317)
  3. Declaration of correctional expert ISO motion to unseal in same case (Doc. 328)
  4. Hernandez v. Cnty. of Monterey, No. 13-CV-02354-BLF, 2023 WL 4688522 (N.D. Cal. July 21, 2023) (denying request to seal in their entirety neutral monitor reports in jail conditions case)
  5. Hernandez v. Cnty. of Monterey, No. 13-CV-02354-BLF, 2023 WL 5418753  (N.D. Cal. Aug. 21, 2023) (granting a motion to intervene by community newspaper, a nonprofit, and family of people who died at the jail for the limited purpose of moving to unseal court records)
  6. Braggs v. Dunn, No. 14-cv-601, 382 F.Supp.3d 1267 (M.D. Ala. Jan. 2, 2019) (holding those reports showing correctional understaffing in Alabama prisons should be publicly accessible following a five-month period under seal)
  7. Privacy Act Order and Protective Order in Ortiz, et al v. Orange County, New York, et al
  8. A model protective order – not specific to prison conditions
Speakers
avatar for CJ Sandley

CJ Sandley

Center for Constitutional Rights
CJ Sandley is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where they focus on anti-carceral and racial injustice litigation and advocacy to end solitary confinement. They are based in Birmingham, Alabama. Before joining the Center for Constitutional Rights, CJ... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CST

3:30pm CST

[CLE] Fighting Confederate Monuments [Virtual]
Sunday November 3, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CST
Approved for 1 General CLE credit through the Alabama State Bar.

Sponsored by the Alabama NLG Chapter.

There has been a growing movement across the South to remove or remove monuments to the Confederacy or to place them in historic context. Many have been removed, many more remain and many defend them. Alabama has passed a "Monument Preservation Act," making it unlawful to remove or alter monuments, schools, streets, etc. This panel will discuss both political advocacy and potential litigation around Confederate monuments and how the two can augment each other.

CLE Materials Attached:
1) Amicus Project Say Something and NLG
2) Monument Preservation Act research
3) Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
4) Progressive Magazine Article
5) State v. City of Birmingham
Speakers
avatar for David Gespass

David Gespass

Alabama NLG
David Gespass has practiced law in Alabama since 1979 and has been vainly trying to retire for the past three years. He is a past-president of the NLG and a long-time member of the National Police Accountability Project advisory board and the editorial board of the NLG Review. He... Read More →
avatar for Haley Czarnek

Haley Czarnek

Law Students for Climate Accountability
Haley Czarnek (she/they) is a member of the University of Alabama School of Law Class of 2022, and after graduating, became the first full-time staff member of Law Students for Climate Accountability. Haley currently serves as LSCA's U.S. National Director, and is excited to support... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm CST

3:30pm CST

NEC Meeting
Sunday November 3, 2024 3:30pm - 6:00pm CST
Sunday November 3, 2024 3:30pm - 6:00pm CST
Skipwith Ballroom