Hear from local attorneys who are building and sustaining their own private practices in fields such as civil rights, criminal defense, fair housing, and other social justice arenas. Learn how to center the justice issues you care about in your own practice, while also managing to pay the bills, feed yourself, and live the kind of life you want to live, surrounded by allies and collaborators who share your goals.

Panelists include: John Williams, Kristen Rome, John Adcock, Stephen Haedicke
Moderator: Assistant Clinical Professor Christine Cerniglia Brown, Coordinator of Skills and Experiential Learning, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law

 

New Orleans and the Deep South have a rich tradition of transformative justice work led by those most affected by injustice. Community lawyers discuss the roles they play (and don't play) in members-led justice struggles in areas including immigrant's rights, fair housing, environmental justice, police accountability, and the decriminalization of marginalized communities.

Panelists include: Colette Pichon-Battle (Moving Forward Gulf Coast), Meena Jagannath (Florida Legal Services), Chuck Elsesser (Community Justice Project, Florida Legal Services)
Facilitator: Assistant Clinical Professor Davida Finger, Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice

 

Local community organizers discuss how their organizations identify and organize around critical justice issues, and the specific ways in which lawyers contribute and sometimes distract and detract from community and organizational goals and strategies. In courtrooms and press conferences where judges and reporters frequently turn to those with law degrees to address the issues, these organizers help us understand how lawyers can help to quiet the room so that the voices of those at the center of justice struggles can be heard, respected, and reflected in strategies and successes.

 

Panelists include: Norris Henderson (Voice of the Ex-Offender - VOTE), Gahiji Barrow (Critical Resistance New Orleans,Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition), Damekia Morgan (Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children - FFLIC), Rosana Cruz (Voice of the Ex-Offender - VOTE), Mandisa Moore (Women's Health and Justice Initiative,AIDSlaw, INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence)