CLE CREDIT: 7.5 hours for General (Topical content, skills training, law practice management)Sponsor: NLG Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network & Pro-Active CoalitionFull Program Available HerePresenter Bios Available HereMorning Session: COVID-19 created emergency advocacy needs for incarcerated people everywhere. The Prisoners Legal Advocacy Network (PLAN) harnessed the untapped legal capacity created by shelter-in-place orders by convening remote legal response teams that collectively developed legal analysis and boilerplate pleading text to help jailhouse lawyers and other legal practitioners challenge COVID-19 conditions and argue for compassionate release. This publicly available work product is intended to aid attorneys with limited capacity or prisoners’ rights expertise to advocate for people inside during the current crisis and help pro se litigants fight for themselves despite prolonged lockdowns and law library closures. PLAN attorneys, legal workers, law student clerks, and jailhouse lawyers will discuss the trends in COVID-19 conditions in prisons and jails their investigations uncovered and the legal strategies they have developed to challenge these conditions in a variety of jurisdictions nationwide.
Afternoon Session: When a crisis emerges, social justice organizations frequently experience a surge in membership and an outpouring of pro bono support. In the absence of carefully developed structures and procedures, this capacity is frequently under-utilized and often dissipates when the crisis subsides. By mobilizing the core competencies of diverse community stakeholder and legal practitioners through a unified alliance, the Pro-Active Coalition enables PLAN and other DE-NJ NLG practice areas to meet the intensified legal needs created by the mass demonstrations that emerged following the murder of George Floyd. The Pro-Active Coalition also creates sustainable infrastructure for rapid response to future critical events. DE-NJ NLG supervising attorneys, legal workers, and law student clerks will discuss how the Coalition effectively catalyzes pro bono capacity to meet heightened community needs and how this transferable model could help other organizations develop and sustain pro bono relationships.
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CLE Credit will be given through the State Bar of CA. After the convention, we'll be emailing out attendance verification forms to all attendees.)
