JULY 31- FRIDAY - RIVERSIDE CHURCH - HARLEM
1:30 – 3:30 PM  

Movement Lawyering 101 - Best Practices for Collaborating with Organizers/Activists Room 430 MLK 

Legal advocates have the skills to play a crucial role in movements for justice--we defend the right to protest, draft legislation, conduct know-your-rights sessions and file litigation on behalf of individuals and organizations. However, despite our skills and best intentions, organizers and activists often recount examples of where legal advocates were in severe conflict, worked at cross purposes, and/or ultimately did more harm than good to political and social movements. In this interactive and participatory workshop, participants will have the opportunity to strengthen their understanding of how to work collaboratively with organizers and activists to build social movements that have the power to win. Specifically, in the workshop participants will: explore the range of roles legal advocates play & the competing trade-offs of varying approaches; identify the core strategies, tactics, and skills of movement legal work; share real stories of cases/campaigns and constructively reflect on challenges and opportunities; discuss power & privilege and the importance of an anti-oppression framework to movement legal work.

Immigrant, Black & Muslim: Bridging the Gap Between Communities Under Attack 3rd Floor Chapel 

For generations the fates of Black Folks, Immigrants and Muslims have been impacted by systems of inequity and sanctioned practices of oppression. The struggle for full citizenship and religious freedom stems from a continuous fight for our humanity. Yet, these communities often miss opportunities to unite and build power. What happens when community strategies that use base-building, law and advocacy connect communities that are under attack? The goal of the panel is to explore the intersectional realities of Immigrant, Black and Muslim folks in the US. Participants will learn about organizing efforts on the ground and best practices for building power across race, religion and citizenship.

Building Movement-Based Local Policy Campaigns Room 411 MLK 

What role should lawyers and legal advocates play in helping develop and implement local policy campaigns? How can lawyers and legal advocates work in coalition to push meaningful and sustainable transformation that is grounded in the needs and vision of the communities they serve? What role should lawyers play in developing and advocating demands that are transformative at the national/local level and how can we be a part of building enough power to win these demands? This working session will focus on strategies, tools and lessons from lawyers and legal advocates who are working closely with communities to envision, develop and implement meaningful change.

10 Crimes Our People Can Start Defending Themselves Against Room 20T 

It is time for those of us who have held the privilege of legal knowledge not to just help others with it, but to give it to our clients and comrades so that they may empower themselves and have yet another tool to use in the struggle for liberation. To that end this panel presents ideas and strategies for getting criminal defense knowledge out to our communities. The focus will be on the 10 most prosecuted crimes and simple, digestible ways to defend oneself in court. Our strategies will focus not only on legal defense skills but also on political ways of interacting with legal processes and how to disseminate resources to those that wish to use them. Participants will leave with ideas and strategies for defending the accused and building grassroots criminal defense structures, and inspiration towards making this an accessible national project.

Rapid Response to Uprisings: Building Jail Support & Legal Observing Systems Room 10T 

This panel will explore the structural elements needed for an effective rapid response framework to support civil disobedience actions. The panel will explore specific implications of mass defense coordination, relationship between activists and legal workers and linkages with national movements.  The specific purpose of jail support, legal observing and civil and human rights will also be discussed.

Building a Law Student Movement for #BlackLivesMatters Room 9T 

LAW STUDENT ONLY DISCUSSION.
As law students, many of us have deep commitments to the Movement for Black Lives. The goal of this workshop is to create a space to share concrete things we have done and can do to support the Black Lives Matter movement at our law schools and in the community. Together, we will brainstorm actions that can be executed in coordination across geographic and institutional boundaries. Attend this workshop and connect with other law students from across the country to strategize about the future of our role in the broader movement.

• Franklin Alvarez
• Lillian Boctor

Encrypt By Any Means Necessary Room 423 MLK 

We now know that every message, phone call, postal mail, and online chat conversation you have ever had has been watched, recorded, and archived. All of this information can be searched and used against legal advocates, activists, and clients. In this session you will learn about the political context to digital and mass surveillance and how to communicate so only the recipient and sender get the message. Bring your computer or your phone to get the most out of this session. If you can't make it to this workshop, please visit the "Digital Security Clinic"  to learn more and have your questions answered by experts. 

Free Your Body: Recognizing and Releasing Trauma Multipurpose Room 

We are in unprecedented times. Never has there been a time in American history in which so many legal representatives and/or their circles of family and friends are potentially as vulnerable as the clients they serve on a daily basis. Depression, anxiety, dissociation, avoidance, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, sleeping and eating are normal physiological reactions to a litany of abnormal events. This workshop sets a necessary foundation for our community to connect as much through our commitment to being whole for the sake of our work, as to doing the work itself. You will learn new ways to diagnose and relate to the challenges you face, as well as concrete tools and skills to meet those challenges with self-compassion and care, now and in the future. This is a movement based workshop---please bring an open mind, a courageous heart, and willingness to be connected to yourself and others.